The Transition

The swearing hand

Esi p.o.v

"Dad believe me when I say I saw her yesterday coming from the shrine!" That little piece of s**t exclaimed making everyone including the chief priest look at her with a questioning look.

As I continue to walk toward my parents, I saw the look my father was giving me. As if the confirmation of what she was saying is written on my forehead.

My eyes accidentally fell on my mother but as soon as our eyes met I looked at the beautiful blue sky above me. Her eyes were saying 'I knew it.

"Nana, what is your daughter talking about?" The chief priest asked.

"Don't mind my daughter she doesn't know what she's talking about"

"But I want to know what she's talking about maybe she might help us catch the one who stole the gods of our lands," the priest said

"Child come forward and tell me everything you know." He added

That little piece of s**t called Grace looked at me and smirk before walking towards the priest. She thinks she can put me in trouble and get free but she's doesn't know the mistake she doing. She will fall into her own trap. I smile to myself because the dumbhead does know what she is getting into.

"Stand before the villagers and point out the person you saw yesterday and let him or her come forward." He ordered her as soon as she stood before him. Grace turned toward me and said

"Esi Benson is the one I saw yesterday coming from the direction of the shrine." She pointed me out.

"Impossible! my daughter was home yesterday and I can guarantee that she didn't step foot outside yesterday."

"It's true Esi was home yesterday night." My mother backed my father up. I looked at my mother and she gave me an eye that say we will talk about it later. From there I knew that I was in deep s**t.

"Kojo just let her go forward for further investigation," Nana said and I nearly laughed it sounded as if he was handling me to the FBI agents. Now that I look closely at Nana I see how red his skin has become and how puffy he had become. He was covered in powder from hair to toes and looked like a ghost.

"But she had..."

"Dad it's it okay nothing will happen to me," I told him and smile at them

"Be careful of what you will say" were the word written in my mother's eyes that she was given me.

I walked towards the priest hearing how the association of gossip women were slandering my parents and me. I will make sure they regret their every word nobody badmouth my family and live to have peace.

During the short period, of time that I have been here, I have seen and heard a lot of things that have been going on in the dark.

"Stand before the crowd and denied the allegations said against you," he said

"As I said before and I repeat it again I did not set foot nor touched the sculptures or gods. I'm innocent like everybody else is.

Maybe the gods were so tired that they decided to go on vacation and I still don't understand why Grace is still insisting that since she saw me coming from the shrine so I'm the one who took them."

I paused and took a deep breath.

"Fetish priest may I ask Grace a question?"

"Yes you can but before that take this and swear once again," He announced and brought out some voodoo tool that scared the living breath out of me. I could feel my soul leaving my body just by seeing that thing.

I'm in serious s**t now. I'm not someone who believes in this voodoo thing but seeing that thing right before my eyes are making me rethink more about my Action.

The voodoo tool is a dry hand of a human being with cowries sewed on it with red threads. On the palm of the dry hand, a skull of an unknown animal was attached to it. The scariest part was that the whole hand was soaked in blood and it was dripping.

"D do you want me to hold that and swear?" I ask him sweating like anything. Jesus where are you now when I need you the most?

"Why! are you scared?" That bald eagle ask

"Oh shut it I'm not talking to you bald eagle"

"Enough both of you. You either take it and swear on it to prove your innocence or you admit it without touching it. If you tell lies hold it the consequence will be dead."

He said it as if he was telling a story whilst by heart was beating at a different speed. I could die before even touching that thing and the cause of death will be a heart attack. How on earth could someone possess that dry hand. I wonder who had the misfortune of sacrificing his hand.

With shaking hands, I took the bloody dry hand as soon as I make contact with it, I felt a chill run down my spine. I stood before the villagers watching every one of them they all looked at me waiting for me to vanish or turn into a pig or probably even die so that they will have a topic to talk about for the rest of their lives. But I will prove them wrong. My parents were scared for their daughter.

You can do it Esi ....I encourage myself, I took a deep breath and repeated the same words I said earlier. Before giving back the bloody dry hand to it owner. I waited for something to happen but something happened. I looked at my parents to see relief written all over their faces.

"You have proven to be innocent you may go," the priest said. But I wasn't ready to leave this place without taking my revenge.