Just a Tear: Episode 29 by Ngozi Lovelyn O.
"Nneoma, to tell you the truth, I don't know, I am just following the address my father gave me"
"Your father? Do you have a father?" Nneoma asked
"Nneoma, we will still find out. But I was told to protect you. That is what I will do. I will not allow anybody to harm you, you hear?"
"But Ekene I am scared, it has been long we have been walking in this bush. When are we going to finally see the main road?"
"You don't have to be scared Nneoma, I am here with you. Hope you like big buses?"
"Yes! yes!! It used to move vooom! vooom!! vooom!!!, pipiiiii!!!....Yes I love big cars." Nneoma said smiling, shaking her hard
"You will enter one today. Mummy said that it will take us 9 hours to get to the city"
"Really?" Nneoma asked in sheer joy
"Yes Nneoma, you will enter the big bus" Ekene replied
Etiele did not travel with them to the city, because she had full confidence in Ekene. The little Ekene had protected her and Nneoma during difficult times. People in the village saw him as a powerful man who reincarnated in the form of Ekene. When they heard he had left the village, they all felt bad. They cried that they did not had the opportunity to bid him a proper farewell. They relayed their hope on seeing him oneday.
And another reason that prevented Etiele from joining them was her farm stocks and livestocks. She had to stick around to take care of them.
Osonye quickly left the village to the Wise Queen's place after Etiele failed to reveal to her where Ekene was headed.
"Osonye, the children you are looking for are coming straight to you" Wise Queen said
Osonye became frightened and asked: "Wise Queen, I don't understand, they are coming to me, how?"
"You will soon find out. You might think the task has been made easier for you. But you have to be very careful, because any simple mistake you make now will ruin you forever. This problems would have been avoided if only you had carried out my instructions years back. Skillfully carryout this task, avoid mistakes, destroy the girl and render Ekene useless, apart from these, you are doomed forever. Now go!"
"Wise Queen, I am confused, you are just speaking in a language that I can not understand."
"Osonye, I don't want you to come back here again. Ekene's spirit is not the type I can keep messing around with. To tell you the truth, I am scared of him too. Now leave and never return"
"Bu......bu........bu....."
"Osonye leave!" The wise Queen cut in, ordering in a very deep cracked voice.
"Why is she blocking me from seeing her again? And why is she scared of that child, Ekene? Who is he sef, that he can not be killed? How is that even possible? If this did not work out, I will just stick a knife through his heart and end him once and for all. Oh Nonye my friend, if only you were here, this thing wouldn't have been difficult for me"
Nneoma slept throughout their journey. Etiele did not follow them but she gave them her last savings which she believed will sustain them through out the journey.
But hours they left, Etiele started loosing her confidence, wondering why she allowed them to leave all by themselves.
"Oh my God, what was I even thinking? Am I not a bad mother? I left the care of my little Nneoma in the hands of little Ekene to wander the world all by themselves..I was having a strong conviction earlier that nothing will happen to them, and now my faith is failing me. What if Ekene fails to locate his father? That means they will be wandering about the whole city. Oh Lord, why is it that this thought did not come to me before they left? I think I have to go for them before all these evil people in the city catch them. I have the address he gave me, I will locate them there first to know if they later made it to the place"
When she was trying to gather some of the things she will use for the travel, suddenly she fell asleep and the voice spoke to her, telling her not to worry, that Ekene does not need the help of any human in fulfilling his destiny.
"Who said that? Etiele asked as she jumped from her sit: "Who is there?... But nobody answered. She then recalled how Ekene told her about the voice he heard and the description he gave sounded exactly like the one she heard.
After the long journey, Ekene was successful in locating his father's house. After some minutes he knocked on the gate, his father opened.
"Eh, who are you?" Kanayo asked
"Father, is me Ekene, don't you remember me? You are just exactly like I saw you in my dream" Ekene said
"Hey! Boy, better say who you are looking for because I'm very busy washing plates in the kitchen?"
"She made you to be washing plates too? Don't worry father I have come to set you free?"
"Set who free? It is you who needs to be rescued. Bad boy like you."
As Kanayo was still speaking, Ekene who saw that he won't be opening the door for him, slipped inside the compound in between Kanayo's two legs.
And started running as his spirit led him towards the place Osonye buried the charm she used on Kanayo.
"Hey, this boy! Come back here? I said come back here! What kind of problem is this?" Kanayo asked as he pursued after him.
When Ekene reached the flower bed, he knelt at the exact spot she buried it and started digging.
As soon as he dug out a bottle, he hit it on the ground and it broke.
Immediately, Kanayo fell to the ground as Ekene and Nneoma rushed him.
"Father! wake up. Father are you alright?"
"Father?" The name rang in Kanayo's ear. And he rose from the ground, started watching Ekene and Nneoma who were watching him, looking so concerned.
He looked at himself and the kitchen apron he was wearing.
"What happened? And who are you two?"
"Is me, your son Ekene, you remember?"
"My son? But my son is still small. He is two years old"
"No father, I have grown now. It seems the events that happened after your incidence did not register in your mind"
"Watch it boy, you are insulting me."
"We are in 2017 now. OK come inside let me show you a calendar or you switch on the television"
When he entered inside, the settings of the house had changed, it was not the way he remembered them to be. And when he checked the calendar, he realised that it was 2017, he became shocked on how he thought he was still in 2007.
"But how come, did I have an accident? What is happening to me?" Confused Kanayo asked
"No Father, I think I know what happened......."
"Wait a minute!" Kanayo cut in:"Why do you keep calling me Father?"
"Because you told me in the dream. Father I have forgiven you for fenying me the way you did. You have suffered enough for your past mistakes, so God has decided to rectify everything again and give you your life back. You have been used to teach lessons to people who might want to make the same mistake you made."
"Did you just say "Dream"?! Ok, But how do I know you are my Ekene?" Kanayo asked
"I don't know, I have just told you. But if you still don't want me, then I will leave."
"Leave? But where is your mother, your father, your house? You must have a home you come out from everyday, where you sleep because you did not just fall down from heaven to break that bottle."
'I jusy told you, I am your son. You have been calling for my help to save you from your wife's charm"
Immediately he called charm, he remembered Osonye: "Oh my God! That evil woman! Now I see, everything is becoming more clearer to me now"
He was still reminiscing the last encounter he had with Osonye when he was having a strong conviction that she had a hand in Ekene's disappearance, his mind clicked to the picture Ifeoma gave to policemen
which displayed off Ekene's visible birthmark.
"OK, if you say you are my son, let me check something on your right shoulder."
"You want to see my birthmark?" Ekene asked as he unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it off and said "Here is it. Do you believe me now?"
Kanayo fell to the ground in tears... Held Kanayo and hugged him so tightly with tears in his eyes, Ekene responded the hug and they embraced tightly.
"My son, you came for me? My Ekene...oh ooomy God! I can't believe this.. Am I dreaming? If it's a dream, please nobody should wake me up." Kanayo was so lost on the words he will use to describe how he was feelings at that moment.
After the father and son reunion, Ekene told Kanayo to continue acting as if he was still under Osonye's charm so that they will figure out her next plans and use it against her.
He was shocked on the kind of wisdom his 12 year old Ekene possessed..
To be continued....
Ekene!! What a destiny child....
Just a Tear by Ngozi Lovelyn O.
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