NEW WAVE LAZARUS ( STORY OF AFRICAN GODS)

WIDE AWAKE 2

I found myself awake, lying on the ground of a dark empty room I got on my feet and touched my throat, no cut, no trace blood, I wasn't in pain. Like I had awoken from a nightmare.

I looked around the room, it had no vents, no windows only a metal door at the end of the room.

What happened to me, how did I get here, where is Vanessa?

I went to the door, slammed it, and shouted for attention, someone must have put me here.

This went on for hours in frustration but no one came. I lost my strength so I sat on the ground backing the door.

I began yelling and banging again like a mad man, all I got back was silence then I laid down for hours, sleeping and waking up, the concept of time was lost to me as I kept going in circles with this process. I can't tell how long I was in the room. Luckily for me, my stomach was blocked, I felt no hunger nor thirst, only loss of strength.

I was about resigning to misery after I concluded that no one would come and I'd never leave this place then hope came to prove me wrong, I heard an unbolting noise behind the door and it opened. A man with long tribal scars like lines all over his face, he wore a dark suit and hat carrying a burning torch accompanied by a woman wearing heels, the sound of her shoe was the only sound I could hear when they both walked in, I was at the

end of the room when the radiance of the torch fully revealed her, she was glorious.

Starting from the long crown-like local head wrapper on her head that matched the earth colored dress she wore. She was brown-skinned, scarily beautiful.

"E na nu Igbo?" the first sentence from her mouth was in my native tongue. (English trans.) " can you understand Igbo?"

I nodded positively in response.

"Soro anyi bia"

(English trans.) "come with us"

I followed them, I sighed deeply in relief when I walked past the room door as I had finally found freedom despite not knowing where they're taking me to, the hallway was lengthy and dark, only that the torch revealed the way.

Who are they, are they the ones that put me here? Maybe they'll know where Vanessa is.

"Please, who are you?" I asked.

They kept moving silently like they weren't listening to me.

"Do you know where my sister is?"

The man with the torch cast a glare at me, the scars on his face, scary eyes immediately passed the message to be silent.

We stepped out of the building, a man on suit dumped the torch, it was a large compound with other massive buildings like a facility for something. Giant security lights mounted at the opened gate and buildings' top which managed to keep the darkness at bay.

There was no one else in the compound except us.

We approached an SUV parked in front, the man walked ahead and opened the back door for the lady and then the front passenger door for me. Still in silence, we got into the car.

We drove out, the place is located in some remote area surrounded by forest.

Minutes later, we arrived at a crossroad, an old Mercedes was parked in front with its headlight on, and an old man was standing in front, natively dressed with a walking stick. The SUV parked opposite the Mercedes.

"Don't come out until you are told to," the lady behind said to me, both of them left the car approaching the old man.

When they got close to him, I watched the old man drop hat and walking staff, he got on knees and humbly bowed to both of them.

I was puzzled, it's not a cultural thing in any tribe in Nigeria that I know of were elders bow to the younger ones, not in my tribe except royalty, the Yoruba’s that practice this activity is usually the other way round, greet an elder by lying down.

These people don't seem royal, the old man was still on his knees without lifting his head for minutes.

They said something to him and nodded, he picked up his staff and struggled to get back on his feet.

The man on suit turned towards me and nodded, I understood it meant I should come out.

I stepped out of the car and walked towards them, I saw the old man, I knew him. He was my grandfather.

"This is a very strange request, I don't usually operate like this, you said Anyanwwu led you to us?" she asked this time, speaking English.

"Yes" he replied trying not to look at their faces by putting his gaze to the ground.

"I hope you understand if we move forward our agreement becomes irreversible and there is a price."

" I understand, I already paid before coming here." My grandfather replied.

"I'll see you soon hopefully" the lady smiled at me. They left me behind and drove off.

Who were those people? that's the question on my mind but it wasn't important now, I was overwhelmed by the familiar face, my grandfather whom I haven't seen for over 7years.

"Grandpa, how are you here?" I asked he hugged me in response.

It was very unusual he'll be the one to come get me but at the same time, I was relieved to see him.

" I didn't think I would make it but I did, it's good to see you Nwam." he replied.

( Eng trans: Nwam means my child)

"What about Vanessa, have you seen her?" A painful expression swept his face when I asked.

"Come with me, we don't have much time," he said. We entered his Mercedes, I remember he had a car like this in the village.

Everything at the time was so surreal, lots of questions popping up in my head at the same time.

It was until we arrived at my grandfather's old mansion in the village that I realized I was in the South-East. He came down to shut the gate behind us.

"This is your house in the village, grandpa, how is it possible? I don't remember coming to the East" I was confused I knew there was something wrong from the time I woke up.

" I know you have a lot of questions going through your mind, all will be answered in due time."

He led me into the house, the sitting room was like I recalled the last time I was here. Tidy with old furniture.

" If you found yourself somewhere else maybe in Lagos, can you find your way back to this place?" he asked me.

" It depends, with transportation, yes I guess I can," I replied, I didn't know why he was asking.

"Okay, go to my room upstairs and clean up, then meet me in the room down the hall, I'll be waiting for you."

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror after having a bath,

I was trying to piece my memories together, some things didn't make sense, I remember being cut on my throat then I blacked out, how am I alive? Did the Viktors put me in that place if they did, it means they must have transported me to the East somehow. Still, it doesn't make sense.

A lot must have happened while I was out. My grandfather knew some things I didn't know. I couldn't stop thinking about Vanessa, what about my parents, do they know what happened to us?

I left the room to the one down the hallway as instructed.

I found my grandfather with chalk sketching a large circle like symbol round a chair with an image of an eye in middle. Outside

the circle is a wooden carved face hung on a pole with the same eye image drawn on the ground.

"Come in" he said finishing the circle, picked a pack of candles, mounted them around the circle, and lighted them.

"What is this Grandpa?" I asked

"You know Emeka my son (your father) never really got along with me, I wasn't groomed as a child into Christianity. My parents were traditionalists, so am I, I still practice the old culture of our people."

" Your father lost his mom at a very young age and believed it was my Alusi worship that caused the death of my wife."

"He loathed me for it, that's why he never lets you or your sister get close to me so I don't infect you with the curses and demons hovering around me, that's his belief."

My father never really talked much about my grandfather, I always suspected they had a strained relationship but I had no idea why?

"Those people that brought you to me, do you know how you got into their hands?" he asked.

"No, I don't but I know something happened to me, I blacked out and when I woke up I found myself in a dark room then they came for me," I explained.

"What do you remember then?"

"Vanessa and I returned from a night vigil late, we were going back to our place when we got abducted by a group of cultists."

"They blindfolded us and took us to a place, they wanted to put their hands on Vanessa, I tried to fight them off, I got badly injured in the process and then I blacked out, that's all I remember."

I touched my throat remembering the scene.

"Do you know what happened to Vanessa grandpa, have you spoken to my parents?" I asked.

"I want you to see this as a dream, it would be much easier, you're in a momentary sleep which followed after you passed out. My role here is to wake you from that sleep and help you regain consciousness."

"Grandpa you're not making any sense, so you're saying I am dreaming" I said.

"Yes, even now. "he replied.

He picked up a wooden bowl from the table at the end of the room then a knife and walked towards me.

"Give me your hand" he requested

I was reluctant.

"Nwam! Trust me, I have no intention of causing you any harm" he said

I knew what he was about doing but I don't understand why.

I stretched open my palm, a leap of fate.

He made a small slit on it, blood dripped into the bowl.

My Grandfather dropped the bowl on the floor, moved over to the table, and pulled out a wine bucket filled with different liquors, all spirits, vodka, Johnnie walker, Hennessey and a schnapps seaman's to be exact.

“What’s all of this for?" I asked.

"It's a process, don't worry you'll understand soon enough" he answered.

He opened each of the bottles and poured a little into the bowl, it turned into a mixture of blood and liquor.

The preparation looked like some kind of ritual.

My grandfather was an idol worshipper that must have been the reason my father distanced him from us.

"Sit down on the chair," he said, I kept looking at the circle with an eye image underneath the chair, I wasn't comfortable but that didn't mean I wanted to run. I sat down believing in him.

"What I'm about to tell you is very important, your life might very well depend on it."

The look on his face was strict while spoke.

"There's something you'll be transporting for me, after we're done here you're going to wake up and wherever you find yourself, make sure you come back straight to this house, don't go anywhere else."

"You will have questions but they'll be answered in due time. When you wake, this will feel like a dream but you must not doubt it, follow every instruction I give to you," he said.

"When you're back here, you'll meet someone, a man, his name is Patrick, he's my boy, he doesn't know you but I informed him you will visit, I left instructions with him to guide you."

"After that, seek for a man called Bishop Onura, he's a friend of mine, Patrick will get you to him."

My grandfather picked up the bowl mixture, walked towards the carved wooden face, and began talking to a mask in Igbo language like a person.

"Isi kam chota ya bia dose ya ni ihu gi, e me lam ihe ikwuru, e vu ta ram gi

mmayi oke onu ndi iche iche, bia me ihe isi iga eme."

(English trans)

"You said I should find him and bring him to you, I have done as you asked. I have brought different expensive liquor as an offering, come and do what you said you would do."

He pours the mixture gently at the top of the carved face, the mixture streamed down the wood to the floor.

My grandfather took a step back like something was coming. I was about getting up from the chair when I felt shock travel through my spine, my body quaking out of control, the chair fell off balance, the instant I hit the floor I saw myself inside a small enclosed dark space like a box, a wooden box with linen, a pillow underneath my head this wasn't just a box, it was a casket.

This is wrong, this can't be real, claustrophobia crept in, I started yelling, slamming the box for help even though a part of me knew it was useless if this box was already buried, I prayed it wasn't the case.

Then I noticed my clothes were different when I touched the stuffy material I was on, a suit. Something I hardly wore except for my first-year matriculation in the university, on my left wrist was a watch, a mechanical one which I don't own, I use digital ones. This isn't real, I convinced myself to take a deep gentle breath to keep me calm.

It wasn't working. Why is all of this happening me, am I dead? Do my people think I'm dead, is Vanessa dead too?

What did my grandfather do? he said it was a dream, am I still dreaming? he said I would wake up, now I am awake maybe someone will realize I'm not dead and dig me up but how would they know I am alive if I am already six feet underneath the soil or this is just another dream, then what is real?

My puzzled mind kept wandering until I ran out of air.

I don't want to die, I haven't even lived.

"Di onye ka njeru nala otua?"

(English trans " who's this person lying on the ground like that?")the voices that brought me to light, children's voices.

" odi kwanu ndu?"

" is he alive?" I was poked at my back, I opened my eyes, it was daylight.

A boy maybe ten years old holding a stick in front of me with three others his age.

" ma efe ya weh dii cha Amuma,O nwerike bu onya Ara?"

" Even his clothes are dirty, he might be a mad person." One of them said.

"E wu oye iberibe, o hu la onye Ara ntu suit mbu?"

"You're dumb, have you seen a mad man wearing a suit before?" Another made fun of the boy that spoke.

I got on my feet and they backed me. For the first time, I wasn't waking up in darkness. I looked at myself, I was still wearing the suit although my whole body was muddy, both hands were swollen with bruises all over, I was too confused to worry about the pain. I looked around and realised I'm in a local school classroom with old wooden desks, messed up ceilings and no windows, it was an abandoned school.

"Bros, wetin do you?" the boy with the stick asked in pidgin

( Trans) " bros what happened to you?"

" I don't know," I answered bewilderedly. I looked at the kids, one fat, one shorter than the rest, another carrying a motorcycle tyre on his shoulder, they were just little maybe they came out to play and found me here.

"Where is this place?" I asked. Hoping not to pass out again, my throat was parched. I needed water.

"This is Obegu old primary school, you're in Obegu village." the boy with the stick replied in English.

Obegu! this is my village, Abia state. My grandfather said I should find his house the second I'm awake, that was the only lead I had to get answers.

"Biko, nyere maka, i ma ebe ulor Elder kalu Nnor?"

(Trans)

" Please I need your help, do you know where Elder Kalu's house is ?"

When I spoke our native language, they felt more comfortable with me, coming a bit closer.

"Ndi Elder Kalu nke obu?" the one with the tyre said.

(Trans) "Which Elder Kalu do you mean?"

"Agormmuo kKalu, e mala ebe obi?"

(Trans)" Agormmuo Kalu, do you know where he lives?" they nodded

"Soro anyi" they said.

(Trans) " come with us"

My body was trembling while I followed them, my joints were sore, we walked past the school's soccer field. Obegu from what I know is a small quiet town not very populated, most indigenes like my father lived in the cities, development was kind of slow but the town is still in tune with nature, lots of green and also constant electricity.

The streets were dry, not many people passing on foot, mostly with old bicycles and motorcycles and also the ones who tried not to stare too much even with the way I looked. The kids led me to my grandfather's mansion's gate.

"Thank you," I said to them. They waved at me and left. I hit the doorbell, waiting...

If someone answers the gate, what do I say? I heard approaching footsteps behind the gate, someone opened.

A tall slim brown-skinned man with curly hair.