CHAPTER 2
790 Words
Chapter 2
Fortunately, no assignment was given to us yesterday.
Why?
Because today was the last day of the term.
School vacates today.
And honestly, that alone was enough to improve my mood.
Since there was no assignment waiting to ruin my morning, I managed to finish everything I needed to do in less than fifteen minutes before stepping out into the sitting room.
"Is that your version of 'good morning' today?"
Oops.
Right.
I forgot to greet my mum.
In my defence, my stomach was thinking faster than my brain.
"Sorry Mum, good morning."
"Good morning, sunshine. How are you?"
"Fine… and you?" I asked while walking toward the dining area.
"Great," Mum replied with a smile.
And honestly?
Whenever my mum smiles like that, she looks unbelievably beautiful.
Her smile is soft, warm, and dangerously contagious.
Now I understand exactly why Dad fell in love with her.
My family was happy.
Even if I reminded them of someone they had lost.
I could see it in their smiles—genuine, but never whole.
Now...
Back to the food.
I sat down at the dining table facing the kitchen.
From where I sat, I could hear the soft sounds of cooking coming from inside — plates shifting, oil sizzling lightly, cupboard doors opening and closing.
And the smell?
Heavenly.
Something good was definitely happening in there.
"Dad, good morning!" I greeted immediately after seeing him walk out of the room beside mine.
"Ha, good morning, love," Dad replied, patting my shoulder gently before sitting down."What are we having for breakfast?"
"Like father, like daughter," Mum said while walking out of the kitchen carrying a tray. The delicious aroma hit us instantly. "Have you even greeted me properly?"
Dad and I looked at each other at the exact same time.
"Ha."
"Mhm."
For one second, complete silence filled the room.
Then—
"Hahahaha!"
We both burst into laughter.
Mum shook her head at us with an amused smile before placing the food carefully on the table.
"You are not the only one with the nose to smell good things,"
Dad said with a grin as he settled into his seat.
Fried egg and plantain.
With toasted bread.
My favourite breakfast.
See?
I told you today was going to be a wonderful day.
And it had only just begun.
---
"I'm off to school! Bye Mum! Bye Dad!"
"Bye, love," Dad replied.
"Bye, sunshine!" Mum called after me while settling beside Dad on the couch. "I hope you took your lunch with you."
"Yes Mum!"
"Okay then. Have a nice day at school!"
And just like that — breakfast was over.
---
I smiled to myself as I stepped outside.
Not far from our street was a dairy farm where poultry birds were reared. Every single morning I always covered my nose whenever I walked past that area because of the horrible smell coming from the farm.
But today—
"Ah… the smell isn't that bad today!"
I removed the nose mask from my face and stuffed it into my school bag before continuing my walk.
Soon, the farm disappeared completely behind me.
After that, I took a sharp right turn leading toward Mama Jaman's small roadside shop — the place where I usually bought snacks, pens, and sometimes notebooks whenever I forgot mine at home.
"Ekaro ma!" I greeted politely.
"Ekaro, okoshe oo," Mama Jaman replied warmly.
I smiled before continuing down the street.
Then I turned left.
And there it was again.
That house.
The massive building standing quietly by the roadside like it was separated from the rest of the world.
Every time I passed this street on my way to school, the house always felt strangely silent.
Too silent.
No music.
No children playing.
No loud conversations.
Nothing.
Just silence.
It almost sounds horrific, right?
Sometimes I honestly wondered if anybody even lived there at all.
---
Ever since my parents and I relocated from Oshodi to Ikorodu and I resumed at my new school, that house had remained a mystery to me.
One day, curiosity got the better of me, so I asked Mama Jaman about it.
She told me people actually lived there.
Families.
Tenants.
Even bachelors.
At first, I didn't believe her.
Not until one evening when I saw a woman quietly sweeping the compound.
Only then did I finally accept that the house wasn't abandoned after all.
Still…
Something about it always felt strange.
I slowed my steps instinctively, just like I always did whenever I passed that house — staring at it for absolutely no reason I could explain.
Maybe I was weird.
Or maybe the house itself was.
Call me weird either way.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
The gate moved violently.
- Writer
