MY HUSBAND IS A RIVER SPIRIT

EPISODE 3: THE SEED THAT WOULD NOT DIE

I did not plant the black seed Kael gave me.I swear, I threw it away behind our kitchen, inside my mother's old broken pot where we pour dirty water."I will not water any spirit seed," I told myself. "I am a Christian girl. I go to Winners Chapel."But that night, sleep refused to come.The blue mark on my collarbone was burning. Not painful, but hot, like somebody put small ice and fire at the same time on my skin. In the dark, I could see it glowing faintly through my wrapper. I pressed my hand on it, trying to stop the light.You are thinking of me.His voice. Inside my head. Not in my room this time, inside my head like my own thoughts but deeper."Kael, leave me alone!" I whispered, covering my ears.You threw my gift away. But you did not throw it far, my wife. You kept it near your house. That means you want me."I don't want you!"Then why is your heart beating like that?I was angry. I jumped from my bed, took torchlight, and ran to the back of our kitchen to pick that seed and throw it inside the latrine so it will disappear forever.But when I reached there, I screamed.The old pot had broken into two.From where the black seed was, water was gushing out from the ground. Clean water, pushing up like fountain. And in the middle of that water, a small plant was growing. Fast. Too fast. Its stem was blue, not green. Its leaves were shaped like small hands. And it was glowing."Jesus! Amara! What is this?" My mother came out, tying wrapper, sleepy. "Where did this water come from? We have not had borehole water for two months in Rumudara! And what plant is this?"I could not answer, because behind the plant, Kael was standing.He was not wearing his spirit clothes today. He was wearing singlet and palm slippers, like a normal Rumudara boy. But his feet were not touching the wet ground. And his eyes were still glowing faintly blue.He looked at me and smiled. That smile that made my stupid heart do gbim-gbim."You planted it," he said softly, so only I could hear."I threw it away!""Same thing, Amara. You kept it near you. That's how a wife keeps her husband's gift."My mother could not see him. She was only looking at the plant and the water. "Amara, I said who are you talking to? Are you okay? You are looking like you have fever."Kael walked. He passed THROUGH my mother. My mother shivered instantly and said, "Chai! Why is everywhere cold suddenly?"He stood in front of me and touched my collarbone, exactly where his mark was. My whole body shook. My knees became weak."Water is coming back to your house because you accepted me a little," he whispered. "Imagine what I will give your whole village if you accept me fully. Your father will not need to travel to Port Harcourt to do bricklayer work. I will give him gold from inside my river. Your mother will not need to sell akara in sun.""I don't want your gold," I whispered, but my voice was shaking, not strong like before."I know what you want," he said, looking deep inside my eyes. I could swear I saw small fishes swimming inside his eyes. "You told Zainab last week at school that you want to go to University of Port Harcourt. You want to study English and become a teacher. You said you are tired of fetching water in this village."My mouth opened. How did he hear my private gist with Zainab at the back of school?"If you marry me, I will allow you," he continued. "I will not lock you inside water like other river spirits do to their wives. You will live here, go to school, walk in this village, but at night, you will be my wife. You will come to Old River and sleep with me. And no man will ever touch you."My mother dragged my hand. "Amara! Come inside! This water is spirit water!"Kael stepped back and looked at the growing plant, now as tall as my knee."Water it again tomorrow night," he said. "If you don't water it, it will die. And when it dies, I will be angry. And when Ezu is angry, all rivers in Rumudara will dry for 7 years. Remember my promise. 6 days left."And he sank into the small fountain. The water swallowed him, like the ground was deep ocean. He disappeared.The plant remained, glowing, water still gushing around it.My mother pulled me inside and locked the door."Tomorrow morning, we are going to see Pastor," she said. "There is spirit following you."I touched my burning collarbone.Pastor cannot save me. Because a stupid part of me... a small part of me... wanted to water it tomorrow.TO BE CONTINUED...