MY NIGHTMARE

THE ENCOUNTER

Rita had a good rest and never left her room all through the day. Cecilia and Daniel prepared her some spicy pepper soup which helped boost her energy. She knew it was not over yet as words would keep spreading and more people would come seeking her help. She needed to find a means to preserve her energy and master the art of healing so that she wouldn't be badly drained like in the cases she had previously.

From her bed she observed the energetic young man who helped her mother with the chores and thought to herself, "If only I had a brother, the chores wouldn't have been too much for me in this house". She wondered what could be his reason for sticking around.

Lost in thoughts, she did not notice his entrance into her room until she heard his voice, "how do you feel now"? She turned around and responded with a tired smile, "better".

He thanked her for healing his brother and restoring their lost hope. Many herbalists and healers tried but could not restore his speech and hearing. They spent half of their father's inheritance trying to get him to talk and hear them. He was ready to do anything for her in return for the favour she had done his family...

Rita smiled and told him that her healing powers came when she didn't ask for it or pay to receive it, therefore she would heal whoever she could free of charge.

They were still discussing when a cat ran past the slightly open door. That was strange, they never had cats and none had been seen around that vicinity for over a long period of time. Another followed and one other came and stood by the door. Daniel chased it away and closed the door. After he sat down, the door handle moved as though someone was trying to open the door but nobody was there, Cecilia was in her room folding her clothes. The door was pushed with a force and it slammed on the wall. It was not airy at all, so, it was definitely not the wind. Rita felt something bad was about to happen. She became frightened and visibly shaken but Daniel tried to dismiss her fears and assured her that nothing was wrong.

A shadow creeped into the room and tension filled the air. It was clear that a being entered the room and the shadow was big and visible. Daniel was overtaken by unconsciousness, he lay on the bed like a log of wood leaving only Rita to her fate.

As the shadow got closer, the fear in Rita turned to determination. She was ready to speak to whatever it was face to face. She had to take her destiny into her hands and confront her fears. She didn't ask to be born on her birthday, nature took it's course and she should not be blamed for a sin she did not commit.

She spoke to the shadow, unsure of the right words to use:

"Who... who are you? What are you doing here? Who sent you? Show your face and state your mission. I am not afraid of you. Tell me what you want from me. I cannot keep living this way. SPEAK UP NOW! NOW!".

The shadow transformed into the scary bull-horned man with scaled skin and firey eyes that always appeared in her dreams.. She could feel her skull swelling and her eyes turning red. She let out a loud scream which alerted her mother who rushed into the room.

"Why are you acting like you have seen a ghost"? Cecilia asked. Rita was still fidgeting, "He was here... I saw him... He came into my room... He visited me... He knocked Daniel unconscious".

Cecilia held her down and tried to calm her down but the whole encounter with Ekwensu was too much to take in, it took a lot of effort for her to calm down.

"I will not let him win, never". She said.

Tears became meal for Cecilia as she thought of a thousand and one ways to remedy the situation but none was foolproof. "Something has to be done", she said to herself.

Rita remained calm and stared at Daniel's unconscious body, "I just hope he didn't kill him", she said.

Cecilia stayed back in Rita's room and they both succeeded in reviving Daniel who never remembered what happened before he fainted.