After my second baby passed, I felt as if something in me had died. Nothing mattered any more, not even Timothy’s abusive behaviour. To me it felt like I was as good as dead. I was only thankful that Aunty Doris hadn’t left my side. I had totally given up on life until sis Gloria, my next door neighbour, insisted on calling a well-known Pastor to visit our house. She made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about it, not even Aunty Doris.

The day the Pastor arrived, we were all home including Timothy. When the Pastor greeted him, he just nodded his head and increased the television’s volume. I was worried about the discomfort on Aunty Doris’s face when she saw the pastor, but I concluded it must have been Timothy’s behaviour making her feel uncomfortable.

The Pastor first started by addressing our problems, then insisted that we should start praying immediately. Timothy was still untouched. By then, he was quietly reading the newspaper.
Surprisingly, it didn’t bother Pastor Nakedi at all. He only flashed him a smile, and ordered us to hold each other’s hands.

Me, the Pastor and Aunty Doris. Timothy got up and came back to his chair with a bottle of beer. I was surprised at how calm the Pastor was towards Timothy’s behaviour. I didn’t know if it was just me, but Aunty Doris didn’t look fine at all. She was sweating in such a manner that one would think she was being chased after.

When the Pastor started praying, I could sense Aunty Doris’s discomfort. She was trying to remove her hands from mine, but I only held on to her tighter. That is what the Pastor told us to do: to hold on tight. He prayed for hours on end, hardly stopping even to breathe. It was when he was just about to say “Amen” that Aunty Doris finally pushed me away from her. She was acting in a very strange manner. Her face looked like that of a mad woman and to make matters even worse, she was taking off all her clothes.

“Fire! Oh fire! Leave me! Leave me alone! Okay, I will tell her the truth! I never loved you, never. Fire! Fire! You have always been in competition with my daughter, just like your mother was with me. You were the one who went to fancy schools, mmmh? The one who got married, the one who got to fall pregnant. What about my daughter, hey? I did it for my daughter. I got tired of her crying and wishing to be like you.”

“I went to that Inyanga and he helped me cast a spell! I cursed you! Yes me! I did it. Why should you be happy? Why should you have children when I myself don’t have grandchildren? Yes, I started with your husband. I poured hatred in his food, I sprinkled anger on his path! Yes I was the one who cursed you!”

By that very moment, she had no single item on her body. She was ripping out her hair, and shouting for someone to leave her alone as if she was seeing things only visible to her. It was after that revelation that she headed to the door and ran away. My focus was then shifted to my husband who had collapsed on the floor.

“Pastor, we should call an ambulance now please!”

“Don’t worry my child, he will be fine. It’s only the work of the Holy Ghost working in him so he can go back to being his normal self”. True to Pastor’s words, when Timothy awoke, he looked brand new, only a bit confused and a little worn out. I was so happy to have my husband back

“My love, did you bake the banana bread or did you and our little champ finish it all by yourselves? How many times has he kicked today?” he asked, brushing my tummy.

It scared me seeing him like that. He looked lost and confused, like someone who had lost his mind.

“Pastor? Does this mean he doesn’t know that our child passed away?” I asked, confused.

“My daughter, all along this man had no idea what was going on around him. The curse was blinding him, turning him into something he was not. I would like us to have another prayer, and let us thank God for his grace and power. We will thank him for removing this curse that had befallen your family”.

I prayed silently for wisdom as well because these days, you might not be able to tell the difference between people who genuinely care for you and backstabbers.

The End

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Tell us: Do you believe that witchcraft and black magic exists? Have you ever had any encounters with it?