Episode 17
Mamiwota Is After My Life ๐ญ
The battle between the priest and the goddess continued.
“I gave that child to my subject when she ran to me for help”. The goddess argued.
“That is not true. The seed was already planted before she came to you, and you knew it”. The priest retorted.
“But I nurtured it”. She insisted.
“No, you didn’t. All you did was possessing the young soul, and manipulating the mother”. The priest accused.
“Enough!. The goddess exclaimed with a loud voice.
….. I won’t let you take this soul away from me now!”. She spoke with so much authority.
And with that, she turned towards a different direction, and continued dragging me along.
The priest moved forward, and stretched fort his hand to me, but before I could grab it, the goddess turned around sharply and flung me away.
All the strength in me disappeared instantly. I lay motionless at the spot I landed, watching another round of combat between them.
The goddess showcased a great display of power, but towards the end of the combat, the priest overpowered her, and she fell facedown with a great splash.
The priest walked towards me, and offered me his hands for the second time.
“Stand!”. He commanded
I watched his hand for a minute, unable to raise a finger.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to stand!”. He said again.
I felt a little strength returned into me so I quickly grabbed his hand, and stood up immediately.
As soon as I was up, we started walking out of the deep, still holding hands.
The priest really came at the right time. Only the lord knows what would have been my fate has he not shown up by the time he did.
As my heart was still filled with gratitude, I heard the shriek cry of a baby from behind me. I turned instantly to behold the goddess already on her feet. She was cuddling a n***d baby that looks exactly like mine.
My baby!. I felt my heart beating fast.
“You have two options. Stay back here with your child or go back to the earth empty handed”. She said.
Ofcourse I would choose my baby over and over again…. she’s brought so much joy into my home.
Like she knew what was in my mind, the goddess smiled.
“Come on here, and have her”. She said, offering me the child.
I looked at the priest with so much confusion in my head.
“Let’s keep moving”. He said.
“You can’t leave your baby here. What will the people think of you?”.. The goddess said.
“Let’s keep moving forward”. The priest repeated.
“The earth is not nice to the barren. Stay back here with your child, and be happy”. The goddess said.
I gave her argument a quick thought.
She is right. Going back with the priest means going back to barrenness, going back to family rift and embarrassment from different angles.
I snatched my hand away from the priest’s.
I’d rather stay back here with my child than going back to that h@tred-filled earth.I started walking towards her.
“What about your husband? Are you leaving him behind?”. That was the priest’s voice from behind me, interrupting my movement.
I stopped at a spot to give it a quick thought.
My husband?. I thought.
“Husband that may leave you tomorrow for another woman?” The mamiwater’s voice interrupted my thoughts again.
And for the second time, she was right. If I leave here without my child, I’m sure my mother inlaw would bring in a strange woman for her son, and I would be left heartbroken.
I started moving towards her once again. But again, the priest’s voice interrupted.
“Remember, you can always get another husband, another sister, another child. But what about your mother? Are you also going to leave her behind?”. The priest voice said.
And for the first time in that meeting, he was making sense. How could I have forgotten to keep my hope alive.
With that last thought, I turned my back at the goddess and moved forward, held the priest’s hand, and together, we walked out of the ocean.
As soon as we stepped our foot on dry land, the water caught fire, and under a twinkle of an eye, the sea evaporated.
I was still marvelling at the wonder when I heard a voice called my name twice from behind me. Everything went blank. I closed my eyes for a second, an on opening, I found myself lying on a bed in a strange room filled with strange faces.
Though something, connected from my head into my nose, prevented me from speaking, but I could see clearly.
A man and a couple of boys were standing by the door, praying fervently and speaking in tongues.
Sitting on the bed at my right hand, with his back turned to me, was a young man on a faded blue t-shirt and black pant. He smells so much of petrol. On a plastic stool before him was an elderly woman in white lace and blue head tie. Her eyes were closed a*s she responded hopefully to the prayers. A young lady was sitting on a low bench beside her with head bent over the foot of the bed. I turned to look at my left. An elderly woman was sitting with her hands on her jaw. She seemed so disconnected from the others. When she looked up, I discovered that her eyes were red and swollen, indicating she has been crying.
I looked away from her, and focused my gaze at the young man sitting on the bed.
Where am I, and who are these people?. I wondered.
Just then, the curtain opened and another young woman stepped in. She was holding a sleeping baby in her hand.
I watched her walked towards the absent-minded woman and tapped her gently on the shoulder. The woman was startled at first, but after a sec, she sighed in recollection.
“I have put her to sleep”. The girl said, feeling proud of herself, and gently putting the child down at the knees of the elderly woman.
As the woman was still adjusting the child, something like a force forced itself away through my nose, and I sneezed loudly.
There was a brief moment of silence as everyone paused to take a look at me.
“She is awake!. The young man exclaimed, happily.
…. Sasa, get the doctor!”. He shouted at the other lady who stood up immediately, and ran out of the room.
The prayer team lifted their hands onto heaven in thanksgiving.
“Thank you, Jesus”. They sang
The young man held me on the head, and gave me a peck on the forehead.
“Welcome back home, my love”. He whispered into my ear.
Before I could react to that, the curtain was flung open and the young lady entered, followed almost immediately by the doctor.
After a quick examination, the doctor removed the material from me, and a mt same time, I felt something heavy left my body.
“Oh, my goodness!”. I exclaimed in recollection.
The prayer team were no strangers. They were the priest and his young prayer warriors. And the rest were my family. The young man was actually my dear husband. His mother was the one sitting on the plastic stool.
Thank goodness she is back to her feet.
The lady sitting next to her was Sasa.The lady that entered with the child was my younger sister while the worried elderly woman was…. my mother. She has been hospitalized even before I put to birth.
“Mama!”. That was the first word that came out of my mouth before I broke down in tears.
She stretched fort her shaky hands to me, and I grabbed it, using it to wipe my tears.
The vicar moved forward, and tapped me on the toe.
“God won the battle for us”. He said.
“Hallelujah!”. Everyone in the room chorused.
He said a silent prayer for me before he took his leave.
Hubby went to see him off.
“Where is this?”. I asked no one in particular.
“This is a hospital. You were rushed in here after you collapsed in your room four days ago”. Sasa explained.
“Four days ago? How long have I been here?”. I asked.
“Today is your fifth”. My sister replied.
I turned to mother once again.
“Whose baby are you holding?”. I was curious.
They all exchanged glances.
“Our baby”. Hubby replied from the door.
I watched him moved forward, and resume his position.
“Whose baby is this?”. I repeated.
“It’s our baby, Chinenyenwa”. He replied for the second time.
I tried to sit up, so I could see the baby’s face clearly, but the drip on my wrist wouldn’t let me.
But I was sure the goddess took her away. How come?
Final episode tomorrow.
#Story from Joy Ifunanya
