Back in the days our elders used to tell us not to wear Red clothing when there’s thunder or lightning outside. We were told that lightening will strike us cause it hates the colour red. We were also told to close all mirrors with a cloth and switch off all electronics. I grew up thinking thunder and lightening are natural things but unfortunately not in Marite, man can also make it too.
Two streets down my house lives an old woman, whom doesn’t like interacting with people. She is always indoors or at her yard with no visitors. You can rarely see her going out of her yard except on pension days. I heard she has 4 children with grandchildren but I’ve never seen any of them. I heard they’ve move out after hearing that their mother is a witch.
A lot of people have testified about seeing people at night at her yard but she always denies and call them non believers or demons. One of the good days I and my friends were playing pack the bricks next to her house and our ball was mistakenly thrown at her yard. We were just little kids back then and didn’t know much. But had a little knowledge about this woman.
After all the rumours we’ve heard we were all scared to go in nor even stand at the gate and ask for the ball back. We waited for almost an hour hoping she’ll come out and we will politely talk to her. We got bored until I had the courage to go inside the yard and knocked at her door.
All my friends were shocked, wondering what will happen next.
“knock, knock!!! Mrs Nova knock, knock” I said standing at her door step waiting for to respond.
“who has the naïve to come inside my yard and disturb my peace?!” she asks from inside the house without opening the door.
“uhmmm Mrs No, No, Nova can we please have our ball that has been mistakenly thrown at your yard. I promise we won’t bother you again” I said stuttering all over not sure what to say after one word.
Yes she yells too much but on that day she didn’t, she just said we must take it and never come back. Even though she didn’t open the door, from that day we decided to play on the next street so that our stuff doesn’t end up on Mrs Nova’s yard.
Apparently a year later as we were kids we tend to forget, we went back to play on that street. We loved it there cause it was a pavement road so it wasn’t easy for us to get hurt. It was always clean I mean you won’t fine a piece of paper laying around.
Some day while playing we all noticed that’s there’s a huge guava tree at Mrs Nova’s house. The guavas were calling our names while we kept ourselves distracted.
“Guys let’s go and steal guavas, she won’t notice nor see us. It will be a fast job.” Said John one of the kids we used to play with. John has always been naughty and most of the other kids loved him for his stupid ideas that always lend us in trouble.
“I heard Gogo Nova turns children into Tokoloshi if you steal from her” someonensays trying to scare us from stealing.
Apparently John went missing after this idea of us stealing guava. We all believe Mrs Nova took him and made him a Tokoloshi.
“Ayi, you watch too many bioskops, there’s no such. No man is capable of doing such deception” I said.
Funny thing we all went inside the yard even Sarah. While busy picking guavas, Mrs Nova came out of her house. She started yelling and insulting us, telling us the she knows where we stay. She said we mustn’t sleep that night cause she will show us flames.
When I got home I didn’t utter a word to my parents. I just went straight to bed without bathing nor have dinner. Mama noticed that I’m not the usual self so she came into my room to check if I’m okay. Still I didn’t say a word, I just lied that I have a headache.
Late that night I heard voices coming from outside, voices of children playing, then I heard my voice. “Ayi, you watch too many bioskops, there’s no such, no man is capable of such deception.” The voice and words kept on repeating like someone was playing a record
I started being scared and went to my knees immediately, I prayed our usual school prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven… ” but didn’t finish it cause I got interrupted by a woman saying even though I can pray nothing will change, my prayer isn’t strong as her muti.
I’ve never been so scared in my life. I immediately stood up and ran to mama’s room and told her the whole truth. The next morning she and the other parents went to Mrs Nova to ask for forgiveness and again she forgave us.