MY FATHERS FARMLAND Episode 7 – 9 by Opeyemi O. Akintunde

MY FATHERS FARMLAND Episode 7 – 9

©️Opeyemi.O. Akintunde

“You can’t do this…” Oba kept repeating this phrase as he sat with his sisters in the theatre hall after the students had dispersed.

Ope was silent because she knew she couldn’t say anything meaningful at that point. All she did was to continually look at her twin. She was bewildered at Ola’s selflessness…

“ Ope and Oba, someday what I am doing right now will make a lot of sense to you…Let’s get going… I have a lot of packing to do..”

“ Where will you be staying?” Ope managed to ask as it was obvious Miss Johnson may have sold her place.

“ Good question!” Ola said managing to give a smile… “ Hmm.. I have been thinking about that and the only good idea that popped to my head is for me to get a small apartment beside the school, so I won’t be faraway.”

Ope hugged her sister in tears…

Ola didn’t want Ope doing this, if only she knew the internal battle she was facing… She didn’t want to break down and cry. She knew God was with them, but everything they were going through was overwhelming. Ola’s eye became teary but she didn’t want to betray the confidence she was trying to instill in her siblings as regards her decision, so she took a deep breath and made sure the tears did not drop. However, Oba saw the tears in her eyes and that made him walk away…

Oba went far away to the chapel, he was torn between a lot of choices.

“ God, tell me what to do? … My heart wants to stay in school and finish my education, so I can get a good job to take care of my siblings, but my reasoning is saying otherwise…” Oba said as he wept on his knees…

Ope on the other hand as she was walking Ola to her hostel said…

“ I promise not to disappoint you, I will come out in flying colors. Thanks for the sacrifice.”

No one knew what Oba must have heard from God, but on seeing Ola later that evening, he said…

“ Ola, thank you for your bravery and I totally agree with your decision.”

Ola was elated.

The next day, Ola left the school premises very early in search of a mini apartment close to the school premises. After checking out different one room apartments, she later settled for the cheapest, which was about N75,000 per year. It was in the slum part of the environment.

Ola settled in her apartment within few days with great hopes of finding a good business to venture in. She made different enquiries about the nature of business that was lucrative in the vicinity and she got about 5 different businesses she could venture in.

Ola decided to take the 5 businesses to the Lord in prayer as she did not want to invest the N270,000 left with her wrongly. This was a training their father had imputed into them. Fasting and prayer was a regular thing with the trio as sometimes when they had no food to eat, her father would tell them to turn that day into a fasting day…He thought them the importance of seeking God’s face through fasting and prayer.

Therefore, Ola engaged in a 3 days fasting and prayer program and on the third day after observing her vigil, she heard a strange knock at her entrance…

“ Knock Knock!” A strange voice called out to her…

Ola became scared. Who was knocking at her door at 3am in the morning…

“ We know you are a good girl, so we are not here to harm you, we just need the money with you…” Sukki said.

Sukki was a street urchin in the vicinity, His birth name was Sunkanmi, but he changed it to Sukki, to make it more trendy and “street fancy”. He was popularly known for robbing people, but could not be arrested as his father was the powerful herbalist in the environment. He usually got away with his crimes.

“ The money?, who told them I had money with me… ?“ Ola looked under her school box, where she had kept the money. It was still in the brown envelope Miss Johnson had given them. Ola had collected the N350,000 from Oba and had given him the N500, 000 instead, to pay ahead for him and Ope’s fees.

“ School girl, open this door… it was one of your school people that told us you have money, and we have been monitoring your movements, so we know you have it with you…”

“ Sukki , why are you speaking English to this girl… break this door down now!” Torture, one of the armed robbers said

“ Make we break this door down…” Axe said angrily too…

Ola was scared that she peed on herself…

“ Jesus!,Jesus!” Ola kept shouting as she couldn’t move from the point she was hiding in the room…She had recoiled herself into a corner in the room…

None of the neighbors came out to help. Axe and Torture started pushing the door with their legs…

“ Jesus, Jesus!” Ola kept screaming ….

But, suddenly she saw the door give way….

PART 8
“MY FATHER’S FARMLAND”
©️Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

The door came collapsing right in front of Ola. The sound that followed was loud and Ola hoped someone in the neighborhood would have at least heard and would come to her rescue. She couldn’t believe the door was down and she was face to face with the robbers..

Ola stayed glued to the spot…and she wished Rapture could just take place at that moment …

“ Where the money dey?” Torture screamed at Ola…( Where is the money?)

“ Torture calm down, you no suppose talk to school girl like dat nao…” ( You are not meant to talk to a learned girl like that!) Sukki said as he walked confidently towards Ola. Ola felt like a little child about to devoured by a big buffalo….Sukki bent down and spoke quietly to Ola.

“ Hey, beautiful school girl, Where is the money?” Sukki said as he softly caressed Ola’s rosy cheeks

“Hmmm…” Sukki said as he sniffed Ola’s body… “You smell like strawberry ice cream, my best flavor”.

Ola’s best flavor was strawberry, therefore her body cream, body spray was always strawberry flavored. Ope had always told her jokingly that someday, someone might eat her up thinking she was a piece of cake or ice cream…

Ola wished she had not taken her bath that night before sleeping as Sukki was sniffing her entire body….

Ola knew it was time to talk or else it was going to be her virginity that she would be robbed off any moment.

“ The money is under my box”, She said as she pointed towards her box…

The boys rushed towards the box, except Sukki who was looking at Ola with so much amusement in his eyes…

“ That’s the money!” Ola said to Sukki in a bid to shift his attention from her…

“ Even your mouth smells like Strawberry!” Sukki said

“ Oh my God!, Why did you ever create Strawberry, it’s about to land me in trouble!” Ola thought as she knew she had used her strawberry flavored toothpaste before sleeping.

“ I feel like eating you right now!” Sukki said

“Sukki, Sukki , Make we commot, we don carry the money..( Let’s get out of here,we have the money)” Torture said

“ I can’t leave just like that, I need to take strawberry” Sukki said as he had forcefully landed his lips on Ola’s lips…

“Please, Please… don’t please… please I am a virgin please” Ola said as hot tears came rolling down her cheeks…Fear had taken over her mind..

Sukki was taken aback, but the spirit that drove him was having a better and stronger hold on him than his reasoning…

“ Sukki leave this babe, Make we waka!” ( Sukki, Let the Lady be, Let’s get going!) Torture said as he dragged Sukki from Ola…

A fight ensued….

Sukki slapped torture…

“ You Dey mad?” ( Are you crazy?) Sukki said

“ Sukki, leave the babe, she just talk say she never know man before, no rob her body, the money don do” ( Sukki, Let the girl be, She just told you, she is a virgin, Don’t rob her of her pride, the money we have taken is okay)

“ Torture, get out of here …” Sukki said as he brought out a charm from his pocket with the intention of hitting Torture with it…

Torture stepped back in fear as he knew what the Charm could do to him. It was a paralyzing charm. Sukki had gotten it from his father, whenever they were going to do their evil works, Sukki took it along. Once it hits the target, the target becomes weak like a jelly. It usually takes 24 hours to wear off…

Ola didn’t know what it was, but she cared less. All she knew was Sukki or whatever his name was, was not going to have his way with her…

Torture stepped out of the room with regrets in his eyes. He wished he could take the paralyzing charm from Sukki and hit his head with it 20 hot times, but he knew Sukki could have him killed afterwards…

Meanwhile, Ope was having a terrible nightmare in her room back at the hostel. She woke up very restless. She knew the feeling. Something was not well with Ola wherever she was. She picked her phone and dialed Ola’s number…

Ola’s phone rang. Sukki grabbed it and turned it off…

“ Please .. Don’t rape me…” Ola begged

“ I promise to be soft and gentle, Strawberry!” Sukki said as he parted Ola’s legs….

“ Please….” Ola started raising her voice

“ If I were you, I wouldn’t do that, because this thing in my hand will turn you to a dumb girl if I hit it on you…” Sukki said , but Ola wasn’t listening…

She raised her voice and Sukki in defense hit her with the paralyzing charm….

Ola became like a lifeless body. She fell to the ground like a pack of cards…Her brain was still functioning but she couldn’t raise her hands or any part of her body, and most importantly she couldn’t find her voice…

At that same moment , Ope felt like something hit her. She suddenly felt feverish, she walked to the fan control and turned off the fan… Her roommate woke up…

“ Ope, What’s wrong?” Tise asked

“ Feeling feverish…” Ope had said

“ Oh!, sorry about that, you should visit the health center in the morning…”

“ No, I should visit Ola at her apartment, I feel something is wrong with her!” Ope said as she knew the feeling she was having

“ Really?, How do you know that!” Tise asked

“ You can’t understand, there is this bond between twins, that one feels the emotion of the other even when they are miles apart and right now what I feel is fear” Ope said as she could not explain in plain English what she was experiencing

“ Ok.., then why don’t you give her a call?” Tise suggested

“ I have but after it rang for a while, it stopped and when I tried calling back, it was switched off” Ope said as she paced around

“ That’s not a good sign…”Tise said sitting up

“ Yes!… Not a good sign, I don’t know what to do…” Ope said obviously very confused…

“ Pray!, Let’s Pray…That’s the only thing to do when you don’t know what to do…” Tise said

“ I have no strength to pray right now… Honestly, I feel like my strength has been sapped out of me..” Ope said as she sat on the ground

That was exactly how Ola was feeling in her apartment as she laid on the bare cold floor looking at Sukki who was pulling off his trousers… She watched in tears….She couldn’t move one bit and couldn’t defend herself…

She was about to be raped and robbed of her pride she had guarded jealousy for years…

“ God where are you?” Ola cried out from her heart as her voice had been stolen from her…

PART 9
“ MY FATHER’S FARMLAND”
©️Opeyemi Ojerinde Akintunde

Sukki declared war after he left Ola, because something went wrong! What?

After, Axe and Torture had left the room, Sukki had forced his way into Ola. On satisfying himself, he stood up and said…

“ School girl, I am sorry but a man has to do what he has to do…”

Sukki ran out expecting to meet Torture and Axe outside but they were no where in sight…

Sukki called out in a whisper…

“ Torture, Torture , Axe.. Axe, where are you?” He got no response. He wondered where they were.

The money!

Sukki knew Torture could not be trusted with money! Sukki ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards Torture’s house.

As soon as Sukki was out of sight, Torture and Axe came out of where they were hiding.

“ He don go” (He is gone!) Torture said

“ Torture you sure say this thing wey we wan do no go back fire?” ( Torture Are you sure what we are about to do won’t back fire?)

“ Axe, Na if we no do Wetin we wan do now, Na Dat time, we go see fire” ( Axe , it is when we fail to do what we have to do now that we will experience fire) Torture said

Torture had convinced Axe when Sukki was indoors with Ola that, they should betray Sukki. He had convinced Axe that it was bad of them to rob the innocent girl of her money and her pride. He said he didn’t want to experience God’s wrath. They had agreed that once Sukki left, they would return the money to the girl and lie to Sukki that policemen had accosted them while they were waiting for him outside and since they wanted to cover his evil deed, they gave the money to the officers…

It seemed like a perfect plan…

As Torture and Axe got back into the room, they saw Ola lying helplessly on the floor with her two legs spread wide apart. Her eyes were pouring out tears on its own…

“ School girl, sorry for wetin Sukki do you…Take, Keep your moni, Sukki no know say we come here, so if morning reach wash yourself, run go keep the moni, for bank..” ( School girl, We are sorry for what Sukki has done to you, Have your money. Sukki doesn’t know we came back here, so once it’s early in the morning, Hurry and keep it save in the bank)..Torture said pointing the money towards Ola who was looking at him helplessly.

Torture expected her to stretch forth her hand to receive the money, but he noticed Ola didn’t move…

“ School girl, School girl “ he moved closer to her to be sure she was still alive. Recognition of what was happening to Ola dawned on him. Sukki had hit her with the paralyzing charm…

“ F**k Sukki…, God punish Sukki” Torture dropped the money and lifted Ola from the ground…

“ Torture.. Wetin You Dey do?” ( Torture what are you doing?) Axe asked

“ You Dey blind ? You no see say Sukki don weak this girl?( Are you blind?, Can’t you see Sukki has made this girl weak?) Torture said as he placed Ola on her bed.

“Enter her kitchen, look for water and salt” ( Get into her kitchen , bring water and salt) Torture said loudly at Axe.

Axe dashed into Ola’s mini kitchen and scattered the whole place looking for Salt. He saw a small container with the label “ Sugar”.

He brought it out to Torture….

Torture looked at the inscription…

“ You be mumu… You know read say Na suuugar…” ( You are a fool, can’t you read the inscription “ Sugar”).

Axe ran back bringing the second container with “ Salt” inscription on it.

He took a bowl and poured in water…

“ Na in be dis!” ( This is it) Axe said

“ Mix salt for the water” Torture said as he looked for a nearby cloth…

Sukki had told Torture in time past, that his father had told him Salt was a neutralizing ingredient. Sukki had told him, if anyone ever hit him with a charm, he should get water mixed with salt and make some incantations in other to regain his strength.

Unfortunately, Torture was confused, he didn’t know the incantation. He really wanted to help the innocent girl. Then something else dropped in his heart as he saw Ola’s Bible on her Bed.

In his lack of Spiritual knowledge, he picked the Bible and placed it on Ola’s chest and as he dabbed Ola with the cloth he had soaked in the salt water, he kept shouting…

“ Jesus!, Jesus !”

Ope had laid back on the bed crying, she couldn’t tell why she was crying but she felt she was about to loose something precious to her….

Tise couldn’t pray as she had to console Ope.

“ Ope, I really don’t understand why you are crying!” Tise said in frustration

“ I have a feeling Ola is dying…” Ope said

“ I reject it in Jesus name!” Tise said

“ You know what, I am not going to join you in this pity party “ Tise said as she also started shouting

“ Jesus!, Jesus!”

Micheal had woken up from a frightening dream. He was the boy who had hugged Ola after her speech at the Theater hall.

He had seen the girl, Ola, who had sacrificed her education for her siblings in his dream…

He saw her walking away from the school, he saw her siblings trying to reach out for her, but they couldn’t get hold of her hand. He saw her twin sister crying and he also was crying, blaming himself for not helping her…

Micheal woke up frightened, and he suddenly felt he should have helped the Lady.

“ But, I was the one who anonymously contributed N100,000 out of the N500,000 that the student body gave her!” Micheal tried to convince himself of helping Ola already

“ But you have the capacity to do more!” Micheal’s conscience replied

“ Ok.. I will do more…” Micheal said as he went back to sleep…

“ Won’t you at least pray for her?, that’s another way of helping!” Micheal’s conscience pricked him again…

Micheal sat up and also started calling out the name of Jesus!

“ Jesus!”

Oba had a terrible night as he had over 10 dreams of seeing different graveyards… He woke up trying to do his devotion, when he checked his phone and saw Ope’s 20 missed calls. He had put his phone on silent.

“ 20 missed calls!” He knew that was not a good one…

Ola knew her strength was coming back to her. The more the robber was calling ‘Jesus’. the more strength she was gaining…Strength entered her hands. She moved it…

“ She don move her hand!” ( She has moved her hands) Axe said

“ You sure?” ( Are you sure?) Torture asked

Axe nodded…

“School girl, if you don Dey Get strength, tell me!” ( School girl once you start gaining strength, tell me!) Torture said…

Ola nodded her head , and Torture was elated…

“Jesus name Dey work ooo” Torture said in excitement….

“ Torture, Axe…Torture Axe!” Sukki’s voice rang loud from a far distance…followed by sporadic gunshots…

“ Where una dey, bring my moni or else blood go paint street” ( Where are you, bring my money or else there will be blood shed.)

Axe and torture froze in fear…

“ Torture, I tell you,make we carry this moni go give him…”( Torture I told you, Let’s give him the money) Axe said in fear

“ No… No…” Torture took the money and hid it in Ola’s kitchen. He grabbed Axe hand’s and dashed out of Ola’s room…

Ola wanted to tell him thank you but her voice was gone…

Though Sukki had raped her of her pride, but she still had reasons to be grateful, she was still alive…

Ola laid on the bed hearing the sporadic gunshots…

“ God, please don’t let Sukki kill Torture and Axe…” the compassionate Ola prayed silently in her heart as still in her pain she was thinking of the wellbeing of another person…,

The battle became bloody… No one could come out of their houses. Sukki had asked for the money and Torture had lied the police officers had taken it from him. Sukki was ready to let all hell loose… His father did not help matters too. His father told him he would back him up to fight the police….

Sukki kept shooting with the hope the police will show up….

Torture knew what was best for him and Axe. They hideously fled Town….

Ope and Oba tried to get out of school by morning to see Ola, but because of Sukki’s display of gunshots, the school management had ordered the security not to let any student out of the gate….

Ola was all alone in her room……and all she could do was ask God for Mercy. She wanted to make heaven if death came calling…. and she kept asking God a very important question…

“ God, I fasted and prayed for three days and the only prayer I prayed was that your purpose be established in my life…Is going through Rape part of your purpose for my life?”…..

MY FATHERS FARMLAND
#OpraDre

To Be Continued….

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