Chapter 2: Shadows And Secrets

Na so my face just change, fear catch me.

I feel the cold for my bone, like say person pour ice water for my body. I no fit talk, just dey look air.

That time, my sister-in-law don already remove everything, na only white slip remain for her body.

That slip na old one, tear for edge. E be like say na only thing wey still dey cover her shame. The white even dey dull for the dim light, almost like ghost.

Her skin fine well, light and smooth like palm oil wey don cold.

Her body dey shine for the dark, but e no move me. Na only shadow I dey see, beauty no get place for where death dey waka. My heart dey beat like drum.

But even as she fine reach, my mind no even dey there to notice.

I dey fight sweat, dey wipe my face. Person fit dey see fine woman, but death no dey let man chop beauty.

As she wan remove the last one, I sharply stop her.

My hand strong, my voice even tremble. "Wait. Stop."

I take deep breath, try form say I dey calm. “Uncle Rafiu need me for something. I go commot small.”

My voice no even firm, like person wey swallow yam. I dey lie, but wetin man go do?

My hand already dey doorknob, I just wan run go outside.

E be like say my leg no get bone again. The urge to run dey my throat.

“Abeg, no go,” my sister-in-law talk softly for my back.

Her voice soft, almost like whisper wey breeze dey carry go.

“No go. He wan harm you.”

The way she talk am, na like person wey dey beg thunder make e no strike. I feel chill.

I turn back, shock catch me.

My mouth open, words no wan come out. Her face pale, but her eye sharp.

She draw breath, voice dey shake. “Believe me, he no dey among living people again.”

Her mouth dey tremble, like person wey wan cry but the tears stubborn.

“Think well. You don see am for daytime at all these two weeks?”

I close eye, try remember. My mind dey heavy, like say sand dey my ear. My mind dey search, dey turn up old pictures like lantern for dark room.

Her words make me pause…

Because e true—I never see Uncle Rafiu for daytime since.

No be small thing. E be like say day and night dey play hide and seek for my head. My chest tight.

And Uncle Rafiu like people well-well. Before, any small thing, you go see am dey waka with people.

He be like village palm wine tapper—always everywhere, dey gist with everybody. E no dey ever miss any burial or naming ceremony.

Now, e no dey come out for daytime at all… E no make sense…

No even for market day. People sef dey wonder, but nobody wan talk am loud.

My sister-in-law see as I dey reason am, she press on.

She just dey look my face, voice calm but eye dey shine. "You fit remember anything wey e do for daytime?"

“Dead body dey stiff after seven days. When e stiff finish, e go need suck blood. After another seven days, e go turn full abiku—na wandering spirit be that.”

Her voice low, but strong. The way she talk 'abiku' make cold catch me, because everybody sabi say abiku dey bring wahala for family.

“Idowu, abeg hear me. No go outside, if not you go die.”

Her talk make my leg weak. I slide down hold door frame, dey shake.

My mind dey race, like goat wey thief dey pursue. I no know whether na true or na madness.

Uncle Rafiu na person wey take care of me since I small. Normally, I suppose trust am.

He dey buy gala for me, teach me how to climb mango tree. I dey call am my papa-papa.

But wetin my sister-in-law talk make sense. I never see Uncle Rafiu for daytime since.

I dey sweat under my armpit, mouth dry. E be like my world dey break.

My sister-in-law waka come near me, carry her hand gently hold my own. “Idowu, no fear. I no go let anything do you.”

Her fingers cold, but I feel comfort. The way she hold me, e resemble how mama dey hold pikin wey fever dey catch.

I look her hand. Something dey off… How she take sabi all this?

Her wrist dey soft, but I feel say na strength dey hide inside. I dey suspect, but my brain no gree join all the dots.

I sharply change am, hold her wrist, look her well. “Who you be? Nobody for village know say Uncle Rafiu don die. How you take know?”

My eye dey red, like say I wan vex. I dey wait make she talk, heart dey knock chest.

She just look like goat wey see lion, her eye dey run. “Idowu, abeg no ask again. I… I no fit talk. But believe me, I no go ever lie give you.”

Her voice thin, almost like she dey beg the ground to open carry am. I feel small pity for her.

I hiss, shake her hand off. “You no talk anything, but you want make I trust you. I look like mumu for your eye?”

My chest dey rise, I dey vex. Nobody dey like when secret dey too much.

As I dey talk, I reach for the door.

The wood cold, hand dey shake. For my mind, I wan just run commot everything.

My sister-in-law sharply hold me from back.

Her arms tight, her chest press my back. I feel say she dey shiver.

Her body soft, warm, na so my back stiff.

That warmth dey confusing. Fear and small pleasure dey fight inside my heart.

She dey cry, voice dey break. “Idowu, I swear, I no fit talk, but you no fit go outside.”

I hear wetness for her voice. The cry true, no be fake.

“If you commot for this room tonight, na death straight.”

Her words hang for air, like thunder wey refuse to fall.

“But if you stay, no evil spirit fit touch you—dem no fit enter.”

I dey reason am—if na true, I safe. If na lie, I don die.

“This room na your grandpapa build am special to protect you.”

My mind flash go those old stories wey papa dey tell us about grandpapa—how him go travel far, bring red sand from Oyo, mix am with wood from sacred forest.

“If you no believe me, at least believe your grandpapa.”

I remember grandpapa—him big walking stick, the way im dey pray with cowries before any yam festival.

“You sabi my grandpapa?”

She look down, hand dey shake. Something deep dey her eye.

“I…” She open mouth, but no talk again.

I dey wait, but she just swallow the words like hot eba.

I reason say no matter how I press am, she no go talk more.

Her mouth harden, she dey look ground. I fit see say pain dey her face.

But whether na because she call my grandpapa, or the way she dey beg touch me, that moment, I decide to trust her.

The air dey heavy, but I move. I hug her, sigh. “Okay. I believe you.”

She smell like rain for dry season—fresh, with small pepper. As I hold her, my body calm small.

She just release big sigh, body dey shake for my hand.

Her chest dey heave, tears dey stain my shirt. But I no vex. That moment, e be like say spirit dey watch us.

Her hand come dey pull my cloth small small.

She dey touch me like person wey dey beg for light inside dark room.

I know say e no good time, but I be man. For woman like this hand, who go still bone?

I dey try hide my body reaction, but my hand no dey obey my mind. My head dey scatter.

As I dey kiss her, na so knock just burst for door—gbam gbam gbam.

The knock loud, my heart nearly stop. My mouth dey open, hand dey freeze.

“Idowu! Open this door, you no hear me call you?”

Na Uncle Rafiu voice.

If say I fit run inside ground, I for disappear that moment. The voice carry power, na real command.

Fear just grip me. The knock no stop.

The sound dey scatter my brain. E be like masquerade dey knock for festival.

“Open! If you no open, I go break enter!”

My chest tight. My breath short. The air dey heavy.

“I fit come in?”

The voice change, small smile dey inside, but I know say wahala dey.

My sister-in-law shake head for me.

Her hand tight for my arm, she dey look door like say she fit burn am with eye.

She talk calm, “No worry. He no fit do anything. Na just mouth.”

Her confidence strong, but I still dey fear. She squeeze my hand.

“This room—the door, the pillars—na all mahogany wood dem use build am. Even the cement get yellow prayer paper inside.”

My grandpapa sabi those things. E no dey play with tradition. I remember as we dey mix cement, he put something yellow inside, dey mutter prayer.

“As far as you no invite am, no evil fit enter.”

The way she talk am, I feel small hope. I just dey nod, dey recite prayer for my mind.

As I hear am, I come relax small.

My back still dey wall, but my spirit no too dey shake like before.

Uncle Rafiu knock tire, see say I no answer, he just curse waka go.

Him footstep loud for corridor, like old drum. The air free small after he commot.

After he go, my sister-in-law wan continue.

Her eye dey search my own, but I just shake head. She gree, lie down beside me.

But no matter how she try, my mind no dey. I just hold her, sigh. “Abeg, make we just sleep.”

I close eye, but sleep far from my face. My head dey full with spirits and old stories.