My husband is not a pàstór but a riitúàliist – Episode 4
“The ñàtívé dóçtór had informed me earlier that the póíísóñ was a slów kííllér, and whoever drank it would dííé in 7 days’ time. At that moment, I lóst my señse of reasoning, not knowing what to do. I had just 7 days before I could see my three siblings for the last time. This was never the plan, and this wasn’t what I wanted.”
“Why would I kííll three of my siblings for móney when they’re the main reason I wanted to make móney by all meàns?” If I lóst them, who would spend the billións with me? Who will cómfort me? How would their siblings, Ruth and Jacob, react to this? They just lóst their Mom and Dad recently and never saw this coming.”
“This would definitely be too much for them to bear. They’re just kíds, and they have already súfféréd too much. They don’t deserve this.” These were the words that ran through my head as I críéd bíttérly, drówñíng myself in my téars”.
“It was at this very moment that Ruth and Jacob returned from their húnt for food. All the while, I was in the parlor and had left Peace, James, and Mercy in the bédróom so that they wouldn’t see me cryííng.”
“On hearing the voice and footsteps of Ruth and her brother Jacob getting close to the door, I quickly wíped my téars and pretended nothing had happened. They came in, greeted me, and went straight to the bédróom to share the little crumbs of food they had tóiled day and níght to get for their siblings, not knowing that after 7 days, they would névér séé them again.”
“More dévàstàtíñg was the fact that the next day was Sunday. Before my Pàstor left in the afternoon, he informed me that I was going to be the moderator in church that Sunday. Unfórtunately, the évííl I had planned, which was meant for good, had turned greatly àgainst me, bringing much more déstrúçtíóñ to my póór family than I could ever imagine.”
“At that moment, I thought of cómmíttíñg súííçíídé. But then, if I did, who would take care of Ruth and Jacob? Wouldn’t that be a búrdén too big for them to carry?” I said, “No, I need to stay àlive and fix this. I can’t lóse my three siblings and still leave the remaining two to súffér to dééàth. I must make an attempt. I must do something to keep them àlive, but not all three of them, as I was still hé||béñt on using Peace for a ríítúàl. I just needed to save James and Mercy, and let Peace gó in péàce for the overall good of the rést.”
“I quickly composed myself and went to see the nàtívé dóçtor, hoping he could do something to sàve James and Mercy. I met him and bróké the bààd news to him. I told him how my Pàstor came at the wróng time, dístràcting the process and leading to the involvement of my two other siblings, in such a tràgíç méss.”
“I knelt down and pleaded with him to do something, no matter the méàns, and sàve James and Mercy. I didn’t have móney, so I told him to just do it since I was already about to become a bíllíóñàire once Peace was làíd to rést. I told him I’d come back and pay him in excess, and if I didn’t, he could tàké my lífé as a ràñsóm.”
“He agreed and said, ‘I can sàve the lives of Ruth and Mercy, but in return, they will lóse something very déar to them. The góds don’t trade with móney; they trade with treasures, virtues, gifts, and precious privileges bestowed on humans by Gód.'”
“What do you mean? What do you want? Just tell me, and I will try my best to get it on their behalf,” I said. He replied, “These are not the things that you can provide. Only they possess it, and only they can give it úp.”
“They are still kííds and have absolutely nothing but their póór lívés. What exactly are you asking for? What can these little kííds give in exchange for their lívés? I’m cóñfused,” I said.
“He paused for a moment and said, ‘Ruth is not just an ordiñary gírl, but a wóman who will give birth to very brilliant and intelligent chíldreñ tomorrow. If the góds must sàve her, she must be ready to give her wómb and ability to conceíve a chíld in exchañge for her lífé. Her wómb and those wonderful kíds must dííé for her to lívé.'”
“James may look dúll, but his destiny is so bright and beautiful. He is a lucky kíd and was predestined to become one of the best lawyers the world is yet to witness. If the góds must save him, he must give úp this great destiny and become a çówàrd. His destiny must dííé for him to líve.”
“I was speechless and cónfused, not knowing what to do. His conditions and demands to sàve my two siblings sounded térrííblé and excéssive. If I told him to continue, he’d sàve them, only to súbject them to such dévàstàtíñg íñjústíçé for the rést of their líves. On the other hand, if I didn’t, they’d never líve past seven days.”
“I told him I needed some time to think about it. He said he doesn’t have much time. He said he can only sàve them on the 4th day before the 7th day they were supposed to dííé. Once it gets to the 5th day, no matter how hàrd he tried, he can néver sàve them again. This automatically meant that I had barely three days to get back to him with a final decision.”
“I went back home and started thinking about the conditions he gave me: What if I asked him to sàve them, and they grew up to become àdúlts? And by a remarkable turn of events, they discóver that I was respóñsible for their prédícàméñts. As a bíg brother, how would I jústífy my actións? What exactly would I say that would make them belíeve I did it for their overall góód? How do I explain myself?”
“Also, should their siblings Ruth and Jacob know the truth? How will they react to it? Won’t that be enough to téàr us apart as a fàmily fórever? Would they ever fórgive me? Would they, in fact, ever think that I did all that I did just because I wanted to take càre of them? Will they belíeve me?”
“If the wórst should ever come to wórst, and they all find out that Peace never dííéd because she was síçk, but because I kíílléd her and úsed her for a ríítúàl to make móñéy and take care of the rest of them, what would be their reactión? If they spreàd the néws, and my pàstor and chúrch become aware, what would become of me?”
“How do I explain myself to all those, especially my pàstor, who belíeved I was one of the most ferveñt and Gód-féàríñg members of the chúrch? How do I maintain this view in the eyes of my pràyer partners, friends, and chúrch members?”
“All these were my thoughts, and I had just three days to make a fiñal decísion. I had three days to either let my three siblings dííé and màke úp a stóry to comfort Ruth and Jacob, or sàve their líves and live to bear whatever çóñseqúeñçés it brings upon me tomorrow. I was totally cónfúséd, but I needed to be stróng and choose quickly between these two options, stàríñg at me like a ghóóst.”
To be continued ✍️