The Ghost

I've heard stories of ghosts, even before my encounter with Alina early this year. But none struck me like this experience. For two days I noticed a second shadow following me. At times the shadow will appear when my shadow comes up, and it will vanish leaving my shadow behind. This second shadow followed me everywhere I went. The breast and shape of the shadow made me realize that this was a female shadow. She appeared restless. But I never knew why she was following me. One day when I noticed the shadow appear beside me, I decided to walk to a quiet place where no one will see me so I can confront the shadow. And when I got there, I shouted. "What do you want? Why are you following me? Who are you?" A cool wind blew past me. Then the shadow bent towards the floor and wrote boldly. "My name is SANDRA." I staggered back. Scared. "Sandra. What do you want from me? Why have you been following me?" She wrote again. "I need your help." "My help? How?" The shadow hesitated for while. Then she wrote on the floor. "Follow me." The shadow began to walk. It was the first time the shadow of this lady would walk past me and not beside or behind me as it usually did. I followed her. She led me to a cemetery and stopped at a grave where I saw a bold inscription. "SANDRA BALOGUN PIUS 1980-2010." Then she wrote on the dust. "This is my grave. Now follow me." The shadow walked to a spot outside of the cemetery and stopped. Then she wrote on the floor again. "I had a covenant with my boyfriend on the day I died. For 10 years he has been suffering from the covenant and his tears have continued to haunt my spirit. At this particular spot is where I buried my own padlock and key used for the covenant. I need you to dig it up and unlock the key so my boyfriend can be free and find another love." I wanted to ask her why she waited so long to set him free. Why did she wait for ten whole years before finding someone to unlock the key? But I just watched in silence. I dug the floor that day and pulled out a padlock and key that has been buried for 10 years in a nylon bag. Luckily, the padlock wasn't rusted. When I unlocked the key, the shadow disappeared and appeared at her grave. She was a fair pretty lady with blue eyes. Tall, slender, with skin as smooth as milk. She stood naked before my very eyes before she eventually disappeared. That was when I realized that contrary to what people describe as spirits. Spirits do not wear clothes. two steps backward after Sandra's last writing. "You mean the house I am currently living in is the house you took the covenant that currently binds you and your boyfriend together?" "Now you know why I have been following you. The covenant with my boyfriend can only be broken at your house, in your room, right at the same spot it was made." Every picture became clear to me as Sandra spoke. The first day I came to inspect my apartment, part of what I saw on the floor was a razor blade, two flip-flops, a small piece of rag, a match stick, and an old lock. I turned to the agent who was standing outside and asked. "When last did anyone stay in this room?" "Ten years ago?" I was shocked. The room wasn't dirty. It was clean and tidy. Even the items were placed in the right place. But those items were still there. "Ten years? Why?" "The person who was staying here was only renewing the rent. He just stopped renewing it last year so we decided to rent it out. Since he was paying his money, no one cared if he stayed inside here or not. Even you now if you pay and say you no go stay for the room, we go the collect our money." I took the room that day. The first night I slept in that room I dreamt. I saw a blade. I saw a cup of red wine. I saw an empty glass and while I was wondering what all of these items are, especially the glass of wine that I picked to drink, a lady emerged from the room with blood in her eyes. Her face wasn't too clear but I could tell she wasn't happy either. Her clothes were tattered and looked old. Her hairs were black and long and behind her. Suddenly her hair as if pushed forward by a wind covered her face even without her moving her head or her hands. Then she spoke. Like one heartbroken. "Why did you throw the covenant away?" I woke up from that dream. Looked around my room and said a prayer. That was the last time I had such kind of dreams. I turned to the writings on the floor. "Sandra, was there a match stick?" "Yes. And a piece of rag we used to clean the blood." I swallowed hard. "Take me to the real padlock. Let's be done with this so I can move on. Please." Sandra's shadow began to walk back again. After 30minuites walk, we arrived at a small bush. I dug up the spot her shadow stopped and brought out a key. But the key was rusted. Completely rusted. Sandra had not buried it with a nylon as she did to the first lock. Instead, she buried it in the ground like that. I looked at it closely. "Sandra, no key can open this lock? No key.... Sandra was silent for a while. I waited for her reply as I stared at the rusted key. "Why don't you want to say anything anymore." Just then she began to write on the floor again. Fast. And without mistakes. "There must be a way. Praises, there must be a way. Help me." "Can't you see it for yourself? You can see it right. Look at the lock. The key is rusted. It's been ten whole years. There is nothing I can do to soften this. Why didn't you put this one in a nylon as you did to the fake lock? Why did you bury it like that knowing that rain will fall and any metal under the earth will rust." "Praises, the man that I bought the key from gave me that nylon. The key was in the nylon when I buried it. I never thought of the key rusting. This was supposed to be a lifetime covenant between the both of us. Both I and Jerry. Who thought that I will die and everything will be ruined? Please help me. Try using oil. Use grease or something. Please." I drop my hands. Spoke to the shadow like I was seeing Sandra. "Sandra you don't understand. This key can't be opened. This key is rusted and stiff from the inside. Some parts of the inner chambers are breaking off. I can't help you with this. Please, I am sorry. I just need my freedom now. I need to go. I have tried to help you so far. But this isn't really my business now. I will appreciate it if you stop following me." I dropped the rusted key on the floor, close to the hole I had dug it out from. And while I walked away Sandra's voice wafted into my ears sweetly. "Jerry is in the hospital." I halted and turned to listen as she continued to speak. "The covenant we both had has begun to take effect on him. For 6years, he has been suffering from a rare condition. Despite the doctor's treatment, nothing can be done about it. If you can get this lock to him to open it, he will be free. Do not be the reason a man will die when you have a chance to help him live again. This key is his life." I was surprised. Not at her request. But at the fact that she spoke with such an innocent and angelic voice, yet she chose to write all these while. "You speak? You mean you speak all this while and you have been making me read your lines on the floor?" "The last time I saw Jerry, I told him when I get home I will call him and he will be the first person to hear my voice on phone. But it never happened. I died before I got home. For 10 years I have not spoken to anyone. Both living or dead. I wanted to keep my promise." "So why did you speak?" "Because this is more important to me now than any other promise. I want him alive, Praises. And I want you to please help me save his life. If I didn't speak you would not know how important this is to me. Help me. Take the key to my true love, please." "Look this is none of my business. I have tried to help you. This key issue is your business. You should find another person for the job." I turned to leave when Sandra's voice thundered like a hundred trumpets. "Stop there now. Stop!" I turned to find the figure of Sandra standing in front of me with an angry white face. Sandra's spirit had appeared yet again. Naked. With breasts as huge as melons. Eyes as blue as the sky. I felt like walking up to her and touching her smooth milky skin. I wanted my cheeks to rub her chest. She kept shouting and talking at the top of her voice. But everywhere became silent and everything became beautiful again as I watched her lips move. I didn't hear anything she said. All I kept looking at was her. When my eyes met her n*****s I couldn't stop staring at them either. They had a weird kind of color. One I had not seen even in movies. As if awoken by my stare, Sandra covered her breast with her hands and turned away. Her sudden action made me regain consciousness. I turned my face away as she screamed. "You can see me? And you just kept looking at me." "I am sorry. I didn't know I was." "You are lusting after a ghost? Are you even normal? You are looking at what belongs to Jerry. Are you okay?" "I... I am sorry." I bowed my head to the floor. Sandra turned around and inhaled deeply. She exhaled, trying to calm herself. Then she began to rub her chest. "Sandra calm down. Calm down and go back to being a ghost. Calm down." Slowly, she faded into the air again and her shadow appeared on the floor. "Ashawo! Now you can look up." Her voice sounded. "Did you appear without your permission?" "It happens when I am emotional. Either angry or sad. It always happens. And I become real again." "I'm sorry I looked. I should have turned away." "When I was alive, Praises, no man looked away from me. I was the envy of every woman. Even birds flew behind me when I walked. Many married women felt I would snatch their husbands. So I understand, that even as a ghost I still rule in this part of the world. I don't blame you." "I thought ghost wears clothes." "I used to think so too until I became a ghost myself. Maybe clothes are finished." She giggled. Then she stopped smiling and stared at me. "Now you will have to do it for me. Take the lock. Go to him. I will come with you. Tell him that Sandra appeared to you and showed you where she buried it. Do not let the stepmother see you. Do not tell her about the lock." "But why?" "She was the one who advised me to have the covenant." Sandra paused. "She plans to inherit his late father's property after he dies."