Chapter 9: Thunder Ascension and Golden Return

We quiet small.

Our breathing dey loud. Our hand dey hold each other. Na now our real destiny dey start.

"Na just to become immortal, e suppose thunder like this?"

I ask, but my mind dey calculate escape route. All the juju for world, I never see this kind.

Ijeoma look me. "You sure say you fit handle am?"

Her eye dey search my face—na fear, na hope, all join.

I swallow. "I no sure."

Truth be say, na only God know wetin go happen.

Ijeoma swallow too. "Me too."

We dey reason our life for eye. No hiding again.

Before she finish, lightning tear our cave open.

The light blind my eye. If I close eye, I still dey see am.

Everywhere dark, cloud dey roll, blue and purple lightning full everywhere, ready to strike.

Na real spiritual thunderstorm. Even stone dey shake for fear.

One thick purple lightning just land, all I see na deep purple.

My body dey float. My spirit dey fly, but I no fit shout.

All my sense vanish at once.

E be like say world end, but I still dey alive. No pain, no joy—just empty.

Except the word "die," nothing dey my head.

The word dey echo. My mama face flash for my mind.

As the thunder strike, I remember Akure orphanage, the taste of garri soakings, the sound of ogogoro bottle for morning.

E be like say na only small time pass, but e also long.

If dem ask me, I no fit explain.

Na hearing first come back.

Sound dey crawl back to my ear, like old radio wey dem repair.

For my ear, na distant, spirit bell.

The bell dey loud, but e also soft. E dey call spirit back to body.

"Gbooo—"

E ring once, the vibration pass my bone.

"Gbooo—"

Second time, my eye dey open small.

"Gbooo—"

Third time, my spirit nearly jump.

"Gbooo—"

Fourth time, I begin fear. Na which kind bell dey ring like this?

......

The air dey heavy, like something big wan happen.

Wetin dey ring like this?

My mind dey race, but my body still weak.

Na Contest Bell?

For my soul, na only one bell fit shake world like this.

Why e no wan stop?

Spirit dey answer spirit. E be like say all the ancestors dey call us.

My eyelash shake as I try open eye.

Na slow motion, but e finally open.

Sky dey bright, me and Ijeoma dey inside big golden hall.

The gold for the hall dey shine like new Naira notes, everywhere just dey dazzle.

The hall big, gold everywhere. My heart nearly stop. Ijeoma dey by my side, we dey kneel for ground.

Thousands of celestials from everywhere dey look us like say we be juju.

Their face mix—fear, respect, shock. For this place, na only main character fit get this kind entrance.

After some time, one person recognize us.

Na old celestial elder, e beard long, e voice like drum.

"No be the two wey jump Odo Platform over two thousand years ago…?"

The shock for their face fit fry egg. Everybody dey look us, dey whisper.

So… we really ascend?

Na miracle, na trouble, all join. My mind dey jump.

Wait—this one mean say I go see Musa again?

Inside me, na only one thing dey ring: wahala never finish.

As I kneel, I dey reason—if juju no kill me, palace gossip go try.