FAITH WORKS. EPSDE 12. The night was dark as the moon went to ‘sleep’, the crickets were busy screeching away, there were occassional cooes from some forest birds. Each time a hooting sound was made, it reminded Lara that Deji and her fetish oldman would be there any moment. Slowly she walked to the window, peeped outside- there was light enough for her sharp eyes to see clearly. After several attempts, she jumped out through the window- escape on her mind. She tip toed gingerly away from the main building… “Not so fast” she felt a gun noozle on neck. She froze for a moment, different plans flooding her mind. “so you want to escape? Ehn?” a masculine man asked, his gun still on her neck. “No” she whispered turning to face him. “I actually came to see you…” she said quitely. “See me?” he chuckled. “yea, I..erm..erm…need..to talk…to …to..you.” she stammered. “hmn.” he grunted “you are not smart, get back inside!” he ordered. “please…” she edged closer to him, making the gun slip off her neck. “I..errm…you know…I might be killed tonight…” she said slowly placing a hand on his shoulder. He pushed her hand away, but she brought it back to its place. “I just want one thing from you.” she said sweetly. “I’m sorry…I don’t do pregnant women.” he protested trying to push her away. “Don’t mind my bulging tummy, just…let’s..just… savour…some…you know….” she let her fingers run on his broad chest. Lara smiled to herself as his breathe became faster, she edged closer to him, her protruding belly pushing against him. He held her close,their face touching. Lara held him with one hand while the other hand worked out her plans. Cunningly, she let him drop his gun, she kicked it far away from them with her legs. Just before he recover from his gust, she gave him a sharp jab between his legs, her knee cap devoured the ‘position’. He collapsed with a yelp. Lara turned swiftly, and ran as fast as her pregnancy would allow her. She ran blindly into the forest, she knew one way or the other she would escape. She heard several gun shots, they were coming after her, she increased her pace. The gun shots came closer, she knew they would overtake her, so she decided to hide. She looked around her, no where to hide. She scrambled up a tree not minding the sharp pains on her waist. Just as she relaxed on the tree, she saw them, many of them. “That daughter of a b-itch!” one of them cursed. “I’ll kill her with my barehands.!” Lara held her breathe, she put her hand around her mouth. Her Baby was fluttering violently, it kicked hard against her that she felt like screaming. A sharp pain below her abdomen almost gave her away. “Ouch!” she said. “Did you hear that?” the kidnappers asked themselves, “She’s around here, disperse and look for her, I’ll wait here” one of them suggested. They all dispersed in different directions, except for the one standing beside the tree. Lara’s eyes widened with terror as she felt something crawl on her legs. She sat still and bit her tongue. Snake! She almost fainted. “Haaaaa!” she screamed as she fell off the tree. She landed on the man under the tree, he served as a cushion. “Snake o! Snake!” the man screamed in terror a the snake wrapped round him. That gave Lara the oppurtunity to crawl away under some bushes to hide. She was in deep pains, she wondered if she would die. The pains around her waist increased in momentum. “Wetin happen?” the group asked rushing back. “e be like say that girl don turn snake o” the man exclaimed in terror. The whole group stared at the dead snake in fear. “Make we go call Baba” they said before running away. Lara hid herself properly under the bush, her face washed with tears. “God please help me.” she wept silently. Thunder rumbled loudly with lightening flashing.Lara looked at the sky with fear, it was dark and pregnant with rain. “Yekpa! Rain? Not yet please.” she muttered. The rain poured heavily, Lara thought she would die. She wept and prayed as long as she can. “God please, not for my sake…but for this baby… please.” she shivered under the rain. It seemed God answered her, the rain stoped. Lara began to crawl farther into the forest in pains, she could no longer stand up. She wondered what part of the world she was. “help will come” she muttered to herself. She had faith in God. Somehow, she suddenly felt; she won’t die in the forest. ***************************************** Lara lay-sprawling on the ground till daylight came, she remained fixed to her position too weak to move. She was surprised she survived the night. She felt her belly; the contractions on her pelvis had stopped. Maybe her baby ls dead-she thought. “God forbid” she thought aloud. She won’t go through all this troubles in vain. With difficulty, she sat up to survey her surroundings. She was sitting in what looked like a small farm, behind a house. She held her breathe; was she back to square one? She saw a young boy walk out of the house to empty his bowels. She shuffled behind some cassava plants… The shuffling sound got the boy’s attention, he looked around, walked towards the farm. “Who be you?” he asked angrily. Lara kept her eyes fastened on his, too scared to speak. “I say who you be?” he asked again. Lara kept mute,what would she tell him. Her abdomen contracted painfully, she let out a shrill The boy looked scared. He ran towards the house. “Maami…maami…come and see o, one woman like that.” he shouted as he ran. “Obirin-woman? What is she doing there? Ehn?” a fat woman ran out of the house. “Who be you?” she asked bending to peer at Lara. Lara couldn’t reply, she kept pointing at her abdomen as she writhed in pains. The woman got the message. “Jide! Jide o! Go and call your father.” She shouted at her son “Yee! Mo ku!” Lara screamed as she battled. “So you be yoruba?” the woman asked quitely. “My waist! My legs…my….yeee!” Lara screamed. She was in labour. The woman’s husband came out, and they both helped Lara into the house. ::::::*********::::::: Tony gazed at their mini-gardem from his bedroom window. Another day without any news from Lara. He’s been having nightmares lately, everything was filed with bad omen. “I wonder why that girl is so ill-lucked.” he said aloud. He hoped to see her alive. Some noise coming from the parlour jolted him back to reality. Some people were quarelling. “so after all your son did to my friend, he still had to use her for rituals!” Deji screamed “Useless Igbo people! Weere! Awon Olori buruku!” Funke clapped her hands. “Mum? What’s going on here?” Tony asked his mother. “These people just came in and…” Amara tried to explain. “Useless impotent eediot!” Deji spat at him. “Produce my friend for me oooo!” “What’s this chaos all about? This shouldn’t be happening.” Tony tried to be calm. “May Sango strike you down! Oshi! Who is chaos? If you know what is good for you, produce my friend o!” Deji shrilled. “Yes o! Deji omo mi! Show this useless Igbo people that Yoruba’s are not cool!” funke gingered her up. “Please, for the sake of peace, you should leave now.” Tony said authoratively. “Leave where? I’ll show you, I grew up in Ajegunle! It seems you don’t know me wella, I’m the ‘Deji toh badt’, the female version of an agbero!” Deji demonstrated before them. “Mum please go inside” Tony told his mother who was shedding tears. “You are not going anywhere o! Produce Omolara o! Dead or alive, we want her now!” Deji ranted. Tony felt his head spin, he was too weak to face such trouble. To think that Lara isn’t there to support him.. He slumped slowly to the ground. “Tony…To…” Amara rushed to her son. “you’ve not seen anything yet, Sango will strike you down, one by one.” Deji clapped. “Lets go!” she told Funke who followed her out of the house. “Tony, are you okay?” Amara shook him. He shook his head slowly in pains, sobbing silently. He just hope his greatest fear won’t surface. “please help me…I…don’t…want…to…to… die..please” Lara pleaded with the strange family crowded around her. She was losing much blood already. They took her to the hospital, the journey to the hospital was tedious- Jide’s father had to strap her to his back cos she couldn’t walk. At the hospital, she was taken to the intensive care unit. “Where’s her husband?” the doctor asked the family. “we don’t know o! We just saw her this morning.” Baba Jide explained. “She’ve lost much blood…it’s going to be hard for her…” the doctor shook his head. “please doctor help her.” Mama Jide pleaded. “We’ll try our best, just pray.” the doctor assured, before proceeding to the room where Lara was. ……… “Nurseeeee….I don’t have strength again oooo!” Lara screamed as she struggled. “Please dearie….I understand, just a little push… please.” the nurse attending to her soothed her. Lara wished a million times Tony was with her, she craved so much for soothing words. Here she was, struggling to give birth. “Yes…we’re progressing, put in more effort….” the nurse urged her on. “she’s going to have twins…” the doctor whispered to the nurse. Lara heard them “Twins? Haaaaa! noooo! God won’t be so wicked to me!” she screamed in terror. “The baby’s head is out.” the nurse announced. “Push harder!” the doctor ordered. Successfully, she gave birth to twins, she soon forgot her pains. The nurse gave her a baby wrapped in some clothes. “Its a girl!” the nurse told her. “the other one?” Lara asked. “It was a boy.” the nurse said sadly “Was?” Lara queried. “I’m sorry…he died few minutes after delivery…” the nurse explained “Take heart.” patted her back. Lara smiled, she couldn’t cry, why would she? She hugged her baby. “I’m happy to have just her.” she whispered to the nurse. “Your family are here to see you.” the nurse told her. “Family?” Lara looked confused. Just then the door opened… “Congratulations.” they chorused Lara smiled. Family? Yes they were her new family! They brought her to the hospital, they saved her life! “Thank you sir, Madam.” “o ga oo! This baby big gan!” Jide’s mother peeped at the baby. “We didn’t have enough time to introduce ourselves earlier.” Jide’s Father smiled. “My name is Shina, this is my wife Ronke, and my son Jide.” he said quitely. “we’re from this village, kokotoro” he explained. “My name is Omolara Popoola,” Lara began. “I don’t know where I am, but I used to stay in Lagos with my husband… Before…I was kidnapped” Lara explained in a tired voice. “Kidnaped? Haaa! When? how?” Ronke shrilled. “Its a long story…” Lara shook her head. :::::::::***u**:::: Lara shut her eyes in pain, as her baby’s mouth took hold of her nip-ple. “Kpele.” Ronke said gently. Lara nodded, they were indeed a family. The family could be termed kindness itself. The food she ate, her baby’s clothing had been free, she enjoyed her stay with them for the past two weeks. “You don’t want to name your daughter ehn? You’re just calling her baby.” Ronke complained. “uhn” Lara grunted, as she rocked her baby. “That’s not how to do it.” Ronke collected the child from her, and began rocking it till it burped. “Baba Jide and I, had a discussion this morning…” Ronke shifted closer to Lara. “We’ve decided to take you back to your family.” “I suppose, you still remember your address.” “Thank you, but I don’t know my way out of here.” Lara explained. “Baba Jide’s friend has a car, we’ll take you when ever you are ready.” Ronke said again. “Thank you very much.” Lara was elated. The thought of going back home was enticing. “Thank you ma.” she hugged Ronke. She imagined what it would be like to be with Tony again. WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 13 THE FINAL EPISODE
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 10:13:21 +0000