The Transition

Questions and Answers

Esi p.o.v

After Esi had freshened up she went down to the kitchen to help her mother set the table for dinner. However, she found out that the table was already set and her parents were seated at their respective seats.

She was surprised to see them waiting for her. She took a seat, food was served and her father said the grace before they started eating quietly.

Esi could feel the tension on the table but paid no mind. Her issue with her parents and Nana son can wait but for now, she has a bigger problem that she needed to deal with.

And with that, she needed to be informed very well before she could take some action that will not affect her friend and family.

After eating, Esi drank a glass of water cleared her throat to draw her parents attention. After she succeeded with that, she went ahead to ask questions that will not make her look suspicious.

"Dad, can I ask you a few questions?"

She saw him stiffen and she quickly added

"It's not about Nana son. I have some questions concerning the village taboos. It's an assignment from school."

"But I thought they ask those questions at the basic level ?" Her father asked. He was right. Though they do teach them those taboos at the basic level, however, those are the general ones that are being taught there.

"She meant the taboos of this village. I think since she's new here in the village she was given it as an assignment to know more about the village." My stepmother said.

See, that is why I love her so much she always got my back.

"Yes, dad mom is right the teacher gave me the assignment alone. he said I should know how things work in the village," I added

The room became suddenly quiet both her parents were looking at her in awe. The expression on her stepmother's face was priceless. She had unsheared tears and that made Esi wonder what she said that made her stepmother so emotional.

"What dis I say wrong?" She asks as she gulps down another glass of water.

"You said nothing wrong, dear I'm just happy to hear you call me mom." Her stepmother said with a genuine smile. When Esi realised what she said, she quickly added to remove the emotional atmosphere that clouded their little table.

"It's not a big deal if I called you mom. You are my father's second wife and my second mother. Unlike other stepmothers, you take very good care of me and also make time for me, unlike my real mother who never paid attention to me nor have time to listen to me.

Since the day I set my foot in this village you are always there for me. You treat me like your own daughter teach me how to do things that I never knew how to do.

I don't see the reason why I should not call your mother. It took me a long time to realise that you are a good woman and I'm happy to be here with you guys.

My father is lucky to have you by his side and I'm sure that Ama will love you too." Esi express her feelings towards her mother meaning every word she said. That alone made her new mother cry out a river.

"I'm also happy to you have you as my daughter and your father and I are happy to have you here with us." Her mother said whilst crying more.

"Mom you can stop crying now don...." Esi could not finish her sentence because her mother was now crying out loud.

"Mom you are being so dramatic. Dad, please tell your wife to stop crying or I will stop calling her mother." Esi try to threaten her parents but she failed.

"Oh, Esi my dear, you don't know how happy you made me this evening." Her mother confessed.

"It's okay now I still have an assignment that I have to finish. It's very important." Esi stated looking at her mother and then her father. She saw her dad wiping out his own tear that made her roll her eyes at her dramatic parent who were been too emotional this evening.

"Oh yes, you were talking about the taboo of the village. right?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Okay let see where should we start hmmm okay. This village has a lot of taboos compared to other villages that I have known. And some of them are said to be false.

Anyways, On Tuesdays, no one is supposed to go to the farm to work, the river to fetch water or even the market. Because that day is reserved for the gods of the land. It's the day the gods come out of their domain. They visit the land of the living and check on us."

"Has anyone seen them? And what happened when someone sees them?

" hmmm, that I don't know. I haven't heard anything about someone seeing a spirit talking about the consequences of seeing them." Her father replied and paused for a moment as if he was thinking about something.

"But I think there is someone who had seen them before of that secret day." Esi turns to look at her mother who contributed by giving her hope of finding more about them.

"Who is he? she implored her mother

" It is the Fetish priest of the village. It happened way back even before your father came to this village.

Nana first wife was very sick and needed immediate treatment that day.

The hospital was far from the village and there was no car to take her there. The only solution was to use herbal medicine on her. So Nana consulted the fetish priest to help her. On that sacred day, the priest when to the forest to get some herbs for Nana's wife.

He went and come back with the herbs without a scratch on him saying that he saw a spirit god."

"Do you think because he is connected to them and can talk to them that is why he came home without a scratch?" Esi asked both her parents.

"No, I think that taboo was made on that day by our ancestors to allow workers to rest on that particular day. Because if you check well the majority of the people in this village workers 7 days a week."

"I see."

"What about the shrine?" She asked

"What has the shrine done?" Her father asked

"Is there anything taboo about the shrine? I mean is there any restrictions about going in the shrine or touching anything there?"

Esi asked again wanting to know more about the in and out of the shrine.

" Yes. Anyone can go to the shrine if he or she has a problem however, you can't touch anything there because of the gods of the residents in those sculptures. The sculptures are the image of the gods and the means used by the priest to communicate with them." Her mother answered

"So you mean if those sculptures are not there, there will be no communication and connections between the gods and the priest?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Meaning the fetish priest will not be able to perform voodoo?"

"That's correct"

"As someone stole those sculptures before?"

"Who in his right mind will even think of doing it? And even if it happens the whole village will be summoned in the shrine to swear inside the circle of Justice." Her father said.

"Why are soo much interested in the shrine?" Her father interrogated.

" For no reason, I'm just being curious that all." She replied

" Hmmm okay."

"What about the rest of the taboos?" She asked

After cleaning the table and washing the dishes, Esi return to the table with her parents to listen to the rest of the taboo observed by the villagers and those were not important to her.

She got the information she needed but she has to sit there and listen to ther rest it might be useful one day.

Later Esi went to bed thinking deeply about how she could help her friend. But she was sure that before the D day she would have gotten a solution already.

"I have to sleep now because a good sleep brings about a refreshed and stable mind which will help me find a solution as soon as possible