MY NIGHTMARE

EKWENSU

Rita went back to her room determined to fight for her freedom. She could not be married to a spirit, not when she could help it.

Ekwensu is a trickster, a trickster spirit of confusion and destruction that serves as the god of negotiation and the tortoise. He is crafty at trade and bargains of any kind. He is often invoked for direction in difficult mercantile situations. He is perceived as a spirit of violence that incites people to perform violent acts. Infact, he confuses people and leads them to destruction at will. He is ugly in outward appearance and merciless in his dealings with humans. In the Igbo ( Eastern Nigeria) mythology, Ekwensu is the God of natural evil, though not believed to be morally cruel, he is the most cunning god, that is why he is the god of the tortoise.

For Rita, being a bride to such personality is just too much to take in. She lay on her bed,lost in thoughts.

"I shall not go down without a fight. I will fight this, even if it is the last thing I do. How can it be? Will I have to die in order to be married to Ekwensu? No, I can't leave Mama. What if I meet a man I love, What if I want my own family? This is not what I want for myself. I want to live like a normal human. I want to be loved, I need a man to call my own. Ekwensu leave me! Leave me alooooone"!

Cecilia stood by the door watching her daughter. She felt useless at the moment because she could not help her only child. Slowly she approached Rita and held her close, "we will find a way around it", she said. A heartbreaking silence overtook the night before sleep came knocking.

The next morning, Rita and Cecilia woke up to a disturbing and noisy crowd gathered in their compound. They consisted of people with all kinds of ailments. The news of Rita's healing powers had spread like wildfire in the village and beyond. Not everyone accepted the development but they had to leverage on the healing opportunity. They couldn't wait for the c**k crow before making their ways to Cecilia's humble abode.

Rita came out confused because she had a lot to deal with and had forgotten her encounter on the road to the stream the previous day. Cecilia joined her immediately and addressed the crowd. "To what do my daughter and I owe this surprising visit"? She asked.

"We seek the services of the healer. Please have mercy on us and heal our diseases".

Rita was dumbfounded. At this point she became more confused. Would she make use of the gifts she never wanted? Should she dismiss the crowd or take the risk of healing them and draining her energy? This is getting more complicated.