My husband is not a pãstor but a riitualiist – Episode 37
“I returned home that day, my mind filled with questions about the strãnge things the pãstor had mentioned. The idea of offering myself as some kind of payment had left me puzzled, but my strong desire for p0wer overruled any doubts. Two weeks later, I went back to the pãstor, fully prepared to pay whatever price he asked, no matter what.”
“He told me the cost, calling it the entrance and processing fee. At that time, I didn’t have much m0ney, but I managed to gather the needed am0unt from my savings. The pãstor insisted on cãsh, saying they didn’t accept transfers. Then, he handed me an address for our meeting the next day.”
“That night I was sleepless. I couldn’t stop thinking about whether this was a legitimate opportunity or some kind of sc@m. Lagos was known for such sc@ms, after all. But, since I had attended the pãstor’s church, I thought there might be some truth to his claims. I decided to go ahead with caution.”
“The day finally arrived, and I went to the bãnk before work to withdraw the cãsh. I wrapped it carefully, as per the pãstor’s instructions. As evening approached, I felt relieved to live alone, as I didn’t have to explain my absence to anyone.”
“The pãstor had set the meeting time for 8 PM. As the clock ticked closer to that hour, I followed the address to the location. What I found left me stunned – a massive compound with three impressive-looking duplex, a huge gate, secur!ty guards, and bright lights all around. I checked the address again; it matched the number on the fence.”
“With some hesitation, I approached the gate. Before I could say anything, a secur!ty guard extended his hand, expecting something from me. I didn’t understand at first, but I began to introduce myself. However, he interrupted, asking for my card. Confused, I remembered the card the man of God had given me, the one with the address. I handed it over.”
“The security guard examined it, asked for my name, and made a phone call, saying, “He’s here,” and then “Okay, Sir.” Another call followed, instructing, “Open the gate.” It seemed like he had called the gatekeeper. The gate opened, allowing me to enter.”
“As I stepped inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were fãncy cãrs parked all over the place, and big, tough-looking men, like s0ldiers, with big güüns. Two of them came up to me and simply said, “Follow me.” I followed, my mind racing with thoughts of whether I had walked into some kind of d@ngerous situation.”
“As we headed toward one of the houses, I secretly tried to take out my phone to call the man of Gōd for reassurance. But, before I could fully get it out of my pocket, one of the men demanded, “Give me that ph0ne.” I was startled and handed it over. He switched it off and put it in his pocket.”
“When we reached the door of one of the duplexes, they told me to put my hands up. I didn’t understand why, but I did as they said. They searched me thoroughly, found my house key, and took it. Then, they put a red bracelet around my neck and motioned for me to go inside.”
“Inside the first floor of the duplex, I saw a w0man standing there, as if she was waiting for me. The room was big and looked like an office, with fancy tables all over. No one else was there. The w0man pointed to another room and told me to change.”
“In that room, I found about 20 men. They were all undress!ng and I wondered why. They didn’t look happy or talk to each other. They started putting on the red shorts littered all over the tiles and walked out shirtless. I felt in a hurry, so I changed quickly, put on the red shorts too, and went out without a shirt like they did.”
“Back outside, the woman told me to follow her as we went up a staircase, just like the other men were doing. We reached the second floor, and I saw two doors on opposite sides, with some windows. It looked like a classroom, and the windows were made of dãrk glass so you couldn’t see through them.”
“On my right, there were two big guys standing by a door. The woman told us to go in, and she left. My heart was pounding as we got closer to the door. When we gently pushed it open, I was sh0cked by what I saw.”
“There were over 50 mén sitting inside, all dressed in black suits. They were all facing some older men who looked like judges, sitting behind a fancy long table. Before I could even understand what was happening, a man walked up to us and said to follow him. We turned to go with him, and then I noticed another group of men in red shorts, just like us, sitting in one corner of the room.”
“We were taken to join them. We sat down with these men, all of us wearing red shorts, no shirts, and no shoes. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on and what would happen next.”
“As I settled down in the room alongside the other men dressed in red shorts and no shirts, something unexpected occurred. Waitresses, dressed in a manner similar to those in restaurants, entered the hall carrying trays with small plastic cups. They moved systematically, offering each person a cup from their trays. I couldn’t fathom what might be inside those cups until it was my turn.”
“When I took one of the cups from the tray, my sh0ck was palpable. It wasn’t a typical beverage or l!quid; it was human b|00d. My heart raced even faster, and I glanced around the room at everyone else, who received their cups in silence.”
“Even the shirtless men around me didn’t look surprised, and it seemed like they had prepared for the w0rst more than I did.”
“My c0nfusion deepened because I hadn’t seen the man of God who had directed me there. I forgot to mention that the m0ney I had brought along remained with me until I entered the duplex. Those two b0dyguards who had collected my phone hadn’t shown any interest in the black nylon bag containing the admission fee. It was strange how they seemed to know what was inside and what it was meant for, not even bothering to ask or take it.”
“The bag was eventually taken from me by the lady I had met right after entering the duplex. I had assumed that after she collected the money, she would guide me to meet the man of Gōd who had referred me there. However, my hopes were dashed as I was instead prepared for init!ation, without any chance to see the person who had sent me.”
“As the wa!tresses finished serving everyone with cüps of húmãn b|00d, the elderly men seated behind the long table began to murmur some incãntat!ons. The men dressed in suits joined in, repeating the incantat!ons in unison. The rest of us, the newcomers who were shirtless, stayed silent, as we seemed to be the ones meant for init!ation and were not yet familiar with the incantat!ons. The room was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and I couldn’t help but wonder what I had gotten myself into.”
To be continued ✍️