My husband is not a pàstór but a riitúàliist – Episode 23
“But I was scāāred and thought, ‘What if Mr. Frank’s ignorance about me being the perpetrator he mentioned all along was an opportunity for me to attempt a different method of móñey r!tūal? What if I couldn’t use my siblings for the r!tūal because someone like Mr. Frank would always show up to thwart my plans?'”
“I became so confused, not knowing what to do. While lost in thought, I realized I hadn’t visited the hérbàlííst. I had almost depleted my savings, with only 18,000 naira left.”
“I gave Ruth and Jacob a thousand naira from the 18,000. I instructed them to clean up their siblings, wash the bedsheets, buy a few cups of rice at the market, cook, and eat, as I would be right back.”
“I immediately left home, stopped by a local restaurant as usual, had pap and beans, boarded a bus, and went to see the hérbàlííst. I was prepared to spend the entire day searching for him, as he was my only source of hope.”
“As we arrived at the bus stop, I hopped on an okada (motorcycle) and journeyed through the streets leading to the hērbālïïst’s shr!ne.”
“Amid the modest surroundings of a dusty, unpaved road in a humble neighborhood, I saw a group of people gathered together, chatting like raindrops in a pool.”
“Their murmurs and exclamations filled the air like dust, and in the center was a mæd man. Curious, I turned my head left to catch a glimpse, and then I asked the okada driver to stop so I could witness the scene up close.”
“Making my way through the crowd, my gaze fell upon the mæd man. He was dressed like a nat!ve dõçtõr, sparking my curiosity even more. Squeezing through the crowd, I approached cautiously, and a surge of astonishment overcame me, much like an electric shock. The mæd man, adorned in the very attire of a hérbàlííst, was none other than the one I had tirelessly been searching for.”
“Emotions swirled within me—surprise, disbelief, a hint of skepticism. I managed to exit the crowd and leaned against an aging tree nearby, gazing at the perplexing twist of events, lost in thought.”
“The person I had relied upon for a solution was now trapped in mædness, a direct consequence of Mr. Frank’s pràyérs.”
“The irony of the situation was like a twist of fate, transforming my possible rescuer into one that now needed a rescue. While I thought it over, I struggled with the understanding that my quest had brought about an unforeseen change in destiny.”
“With a sense of shæme, I returned home. Along the way, shāmê enveloped me, casting a dærk shadow over my thoughts.”
“The weight of d!sappointment and frus+ration weighed heavily on me as I pondered the events that had unfolded before me.”
“Realizing that the hérbàlííst, my only hope, was now consumed by mædness, left me searching for a solution. Alone and adrift, I found myself at a loss, wondering about the next steps.”
“As the day turned to dusk, a tangible sense of gr!ef settled within me like a heavy cloud. The once-familiar corners of my home, once comforting, now echoed with the remnants of my shattered plans.”
“I paced around on the dilap!dated floor in our parlor, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Amidst my contemplation, a chilling idea surfaced—the thought of end!ng my 0wn l!fe.”
“The sum of my schemes thwarted by divine intervention felt like an insurmountable fai|ure. Despite my attempts to explo!t my siblíñgs for wealth, Mr. Frank’s pràyérs, guided by a higher power, had crūshēd my aspirations and brought me back to square one.”
“Sunday was rapidly approaching, and I was certain that our çhúrçh, due to the remarkable miracles during the crúsàde, was about to be flooded with thousands of new members. We might need to rent a larger space or even consider building or purchasing a new headquarters.”
“Among the numerous testimonies that would be shared, I knew I would be called upon to testify about what Gõd had done for my siblings. This would feel strange because I would essentially be testifying aga!nst myse|f.”
“I mõūrñēd my losses and the hērbālïïst’s fate throughout Saturday, got ready for the Sunday service, and went to chúrçh with my five siblings.”
“As I had predicted, the chúrçh was filled to capacity. It was a combined service and we had to set up canopies and bring in extra chairs to accommodate the over extra 2,000 attendees. Remarkably, our membership grew from 3,000 to over 5,000 in less than a week.”
“The individuals who hadn’t been able to share their testimonies during the crúsàde were given the opportunity to do so on that Sunday. This turned out to be the longest Sunday service we had ever held, stretching from 7 am to 7 pm.”
“Due to the long list of testifiers, we were only able to accommodate a portion, with the rest postponed to the following Sunday. Consequently, I didn’t have a chance to testify, which actually suited me as I had no desire to do so in the first place.”
“My pàstór was eager to spend time with me and my siblings, but due to the late conclusion of the Sunday service, he asked me to be in his office by 8 am the next morning with my five siblíñgs.”
“Arriving at his office with my siblings before 8 am on Monday morning, I was surprised to find Mr. Frank and Mrs. Grace, my pàstór’s wife, already there. I wondered why they were present so early.”
“While they were engrossed in conversation, I sat on the long couch in my pàstór’s office with my siblings, waiting for them to finish.”
“I feigned disinterest in their discussion, but as they continued, I overheard my pàstór saying, ‘The goal is to ensure his five siblings receive education up to high school. By that time, the chúrçh should have grown enough to support their college expenses.'”
“In that moment, my world came to a standstill. It was as if the very air had been sucked out of the room, leaving me breathless. The weight of those words settled upon me, an unexpected promise that seemed almost too good to be true.”
“And so, honey , how did you end up becoming a riitúàliist 25 years ago, even when your chúrçh experienced growth and out of love, they committed to sponsoring your five siblings from primary to secondary school?”
“And please, darling, don’t tell me that you’re responsible for the dēēãth of your younger brother Jacob, who trag!cally pæssed away at the age of 37 last year. His wife is just 28 years old, still very young.”
“Did you really k!|| your own b|00d brother, just to renew your r!tūal or whatever, even knowing that his wífé was eight months prēgñāñt?” I questioned my hūsbãnd, rising from my seat, astonished by the depths of his mã|evo|ence.
He placed the bottle containing the scæry-looking green fr0g tied with a red rope at the waist region on the floor, cleared his throat, and said:
“Before I proceed, I need you to solemnly swéàr that if you attempt to reveal any of this information—both what you’ve already heard and what I’m about to disclose—as soon as you entertain the thought in your mind and dãre to open your mouth to speak, you will co||apse and d!ē instant|y.”
To be continued ✍️