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MAGBO THE SEER (Episode two)

 

Magbo now finds it uneasy to sleep well at night. He always had terrible dreams and worst of it all is that the witches never stopped holding their meetings every night and tormenting him as well. Day by day he could only wish that night never comes, for he was so scared of having to sleep in his room alone. On several occasions he had pleaded with his parents to let him spend the night in their room but they always dismissed the idea, scolding him for being too scared for no reason. Magbo knew deep within him the cause of his fear, he wished God would open the eyes of his parents to see the witches someday. For now, he had to bear his cross alone.

Magbo was very pleased the day his mother told him that Granny will be coming to stay with them in three days’ time. He was very fond of Granny right from when he was 8months old. She was like a second mother to him, he couldn’t wait for three days to come, the nights seemed to be longer than a week but patiently, Magbo waited and suffered alone at night. On Some occasion, he had screamed and rushed to wake up his parents but as usual all they could say are those same words “go back to bed” “it’s just a dream”.

Granny’s arrival brought great Joy to everyone especially Magbo. Magbo’s mother prepared a special meal that evening and everyone ate happily. Magbo was happier than everyone else because Granny was about the only person in the house who understood him.

Granny promised to tell him a bed-time story to rock him to sleep. Granny is a great story teller and he was looking forward to an exciting experience. For the first time in a month, Magbo had totally taken his mind off the witches and all the stress he had been going through. He just couldn’t wait for story time and story time was bed-time.

Granny’s story was a very interesting one. The story was about the greedy tortoise. Granny watched as Magbo slept off soundly before retiring to the guest room where she will be lodging all through her visit.

 

At exactly 3:15am, the witches gathered again at their usual venue. They were boasting of how they have inflicted pain on people who dared to challenge them. Magbo could not sleep any longer. Each time the witches gather for their meetings, it seems as though sleep runs away from him. He listened frightfully to all their wicked talks as he laid on his bed. One of their discussion really struck him and made him stand up from his bed. A witch has just sought for revenge on someone who had used a car to splash water on her. “I want to seek for revenge on that foolish man that splashed water on me today”. One of the witches spoke up; “who is it that tries to challenge one of us, a member of this fraternity”. The aggrieved witch shouted; “he must pay with his life, he shall die in that same car he used to splash the water on me! Yes!, even though he had done it mistakenly, I will not relent” another witch echoed; “I agree with you! No one offends a member of the great fraternity and goes scot-free, he must die” They all gave their wicked laugh as usual “Ahahahaha- Ahahaha”.

At this moment, Magbo was already shaking like a leaf as he stayed glued to his bed. He thought of what the witches have just said. Something sounds familiar in the incident though Magbo could not tell what it was. He went into deep thought for a moment and remembered what happened earlier yesterday. While Magbo’s Dad, Mr Muyi was driving him to school that morning, they came to a porthole containing a pool of rain water. Mr Muyi was not watching he drove fast into the pool of water before realising that he had splashed water on an elderly woman. Immediately, Mr Muyi stopped his car and came down to beg the woman, but she kept on raining down heavy curses on Magbo’s father. Mr Muyi even knelt before her but the woman left with a wicked comment; “We shall see”.Magbo has never seen his Dad as humble before. Magbo also remembered vividly how the onlookers were surprised at the turn out of the whole situation. Another woman who had been watching the scenario from her shop just beside the road had asked Magbo’s father if he had offended the woman in the past but Mr. Muyi swore that he was meeting her for the first time in his life. The woman had to warn Mr. Muyi to be careful, that not all people are ordinary.

Magbo was in great fear now, “what could they be up to?”, he wondered. “Could it be the same woman Daddy has spilled water on yesterday?” he reasoned; “What if I just peep from my window, I might be able to tell if she is the same person” Magbo stood up and tiptoed to the window, he peeped through and he was shocked at what he saw. The five witches are now in his compound and they were invoking the spirit of death on anyone who drives the car. His dad’s car. Magbo felt like fainting, what could he do, he was just helpless.

                                                                                                                     (To be continued...)