Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3
“Praise the Lord,” she shouted
into the microphone.
“Halellujah,” chorused the
congregation.
“Prai-prai-prai-praa-a-ise the
Lord,” she shouted again.
With her right hand she held
unto the microphone and with
her left hand she waved in the
air. She was elegant in her
apparel, with a hair scarf that
stool like a crown on her head.
Everything she wore wasn’t
cheap, a clear testimony to my
benevolence. I wasn’t just an
inlaw, I was also like a son. Or so
I thought.
“Halellujah,” the congregation
chorused again.
“Umu chineke ibe m, soronu m
kelee chineke,” she started her
testimony, “my brethren, follow
me thank this our god. I don’t
know how to start thanking him.
I call him ebube dike, oloro ihe
loro enyi, el-shaddai, miracle
worker, kabiyesi, oghenedo,
Jesus igwe.e.e!”
She made a dance move like
someone posessed by an unseen
spirit. The she began to sing.
“There is something that makes
me come into your presence, my
helper,” she sang and the
congregation joined her.
I sat quietly at the last row of the
seats and watched in
bewilderment at this evil woman
that just masterminded my
death. She was evil, she was an
elder in the church and she was
supposed to be a born again
christian. I looked at the name of
the church inscripted bodly
above the alter, “Holy Ghost
Deliverance Ministry.” Such a
perfect name. I’m the ghost
that’s going to deliver her today.
“There is something that makes
me come into your presence, my helper,” the spirit that posessed
the woman seemed to have
taken over the congregation too, they went up in a roar, “My
helper o-o, my helper. My helper o-oh, my helper. There is
something that makes me come into your presence, my helper.”
“My testimony is very long but I
will try and cut it short,” the
woman continued, “my daughter
was attacked by a ghost but
survived.”
The church went up in an
uncontrolled murmur. Some
people adjusted their sitting
position, the testimony was
getting interesting. The person
sitted next to me looked at me
and said, “wonder shall never
end.” I responded, “Ghost kwa?
Mhhh!”
“My daughter’s husband died
few days ago and disappeared
into thin air.” she continued,
“We’ve searched for him
everywhere but can’t find him.
My daughter is devastated
because she loves him so much.”
She started to sob. A dead silence
fell upon the church. Nobody,
including me, wanted to miss the
story.
“Some days ago, Chioma my
daughter got a video call, when
she picked, it was the ghost of
the dead husband that appeared.
He attacked her, causing her a
parcial stroke. Today she can’t
walk properly and is speech
impired but is alive……praise the
Lord.”
The congregation shouted,
“halellujah.”
“That ghost is wicked but the
god I serve is greater. He wants
to kill my daughter, a woman
that loved him so much and took
good care of him as a wife
should. My daughter will recover
fully soon and the enemies shall
be put to shame in Jesus name.”
“Ame-en,” the congregation
shouted.
“My brethren,” the woman raised
her voice, “if you are praying to
this our god, don’t……”
FLASH BACK
I remembered all I did for this
woman, a woman I called mother and treated as such. From the moment I entered into her daughter’s life, the family’s life changed for good. She used to
fry akara at a bus stop in
Iganmu, I opened a mini
supermarket for her and she was doing well. I paid the other of her children school fees. I
stopped her husband from being a gateman and gave him two commercial buses to be managing.
When her husband
died a year ago, the burial was
on me and was befitting. Where did I wrong this woman? I once loved her as a mother but now I hated her with passion.
BACK TO PRESENT
“Praise the Lord,” she shouted
after ending her testimony.
The congregation responded
with “halellujah.”
“Prai-prai-……….”
I had heard enough, this
nonsense has got to stop. I
looked at the name of the church
again, “Holy Ghost Deliverance
Ministry.” I stood up from my
seat, this is deliverance time.
I started walking down the aisle
to go take a seat at the front
row. Then our eyes met, she
froze.
“Prai-prai,” she stuttered.
She looked sideways, looked at
the pastor like she was expecting
someone to come rescue her and
then back at me. People were
confused at her sudden change of countenance.
Her face was
terrified and her complexion was beginning to change. She was becoming a ghost. I gave her a cruel smile.
“Prai-prai……no, no, it’s a ghost,”
she was screaming. “Take him
away from me, he’s a ghost.”
Her eyes rolled, and like a sac of cassava flakes she collapsed on the hard floor.
The speakers made a cracking noise as the microphone hit the floor.
As quietly as I had entered the
church I vanished.
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