PRINCESS AMARACHI Episode 14 by Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

PRINCESS AMARACHI Episode 14 by Okafor Erasmus Ugochukwu

The entire medical practitioners were in disarray trying to save the lives of Osisioma and Uremma while Akunna was being handled by a psychologist to take care of her mental trauma caused by what she experienced. Chibunna’s lifeless body was also being attended to but no one could revive him especially where he showed no sign of a pulse, showing that he was dead and gone.
Amarachi wasn’t even allowed to come to the hospital to avoid a mental trauma or injurious mental state that would affect her psychologically until the end of her life.
Chibunna’s parents were contacted to come for the corpse of their child.
The entire hospital was overtaken by unending weeping; especially Chibunna’s family and the entire students of the Economics department, and other friends.
Security men had to disperse the entire people to avoid mobbing the wounded patients or causing confusion at Odumegwu Ojukwu teaching hospital, Awka.

Amarachi was still wallowing in regrets in one of the rooms in Davis Hotel where Dave kept her, locked the door, and continuing consoling her. As this went on, they heard a knock at the door signifying that they may be having an audience.
Amarachi suddenly stood to take advantage of the incoming visitor to rush out once the door is open so that she’d find a way to the hospital to see her friends; especially Chibunna whom she wanted to see one more time before bidding him the final adieu to the afterlife.
Even though Dave was jittery and a bit afraid, he opened the door for the knocker. They were surprised to see Mkpulumma as she entered looking so worried while Onyedika waited a while and went back to his managerial duty.
Amarachi couldn’t contain her fears and tears immediately she saw her mom, so she burst into tears just as her mom did too seeing how Amarachi’s body was bedraggled with the blood of her friends.
Notwithstanding Mkpulumma’s emotional state, she had to be strong about it and cuddled Amarachi as the princess kept crying profusely and gasping for air as if she’d pass out in her mom’s arms.
“Calm down, baby,” Mkpulumma said through her unquenchable tears, “your worries and cries wouldn’t help you. I think you should be praying for them other than crying,”
Coming closer to the weeping princess, Dave patted her back gently to make her find solace in his endearing touch.
“Mom is right,” Dave Handsome said in a sad tone, “if you kill yourself as you threatened, how will you be alive to mourn the dead or see the wounded recuperate, or even take some pounds of flesh from the perpetrators that ensured that this treacherous act was fruition?”
Amarachi heeded not to the voice of the duo but kept weeping and trying to leave through the exit door but being that her mom ordered her not to step an inch let alone going to the hospital, she remained the way she was but restive, pale, and heartbroken.
As all these were going on, everybody was surprised to see Oduenyi and Chisimdi enter the room holding hands and wearing long white robes.
Everybody was shuddered, especially seeing Chisimdi dressed like Oduenyi.
Amarachi was shocked, giving her worries a break while shock and confusion loomed. Even Mkpulumma was shocked too because she never knew anything about what was happening.
“Can someone explain this to me,” The Queen said and went closer to Chisimdi but the two diviners never allowed her to touch them. “What’s happening, please?”
“It’s time for us to be relevant,” Oduenyi said, “I know you’re all confused or surprised but we’d explain later because there is no time,”
“Take us to the hospital,” Chisimdi said looking so serious as if she wasn’t the same princess that people used to know.
Amarachi was dumbfounded and perplexed about everything but since Oduenyi said that they’d explain later, she just kept calm and never said anything or did anything.
“I think we need to obey them first,” Dave said and led the way holding Amarachi with him. Others followed immediately as they left for the hospital.
Getting to Odumegwu Ojukwu teaching hospital, Dave pulled over and tried to open the door for Amarachi but the impatient girl eager to see her friends tried to rush out but she was held back by Onyedika who already envisaged her moves and intentions. He did that so that she wouldn’t act stupid or get injured in the process.
“Amarachi!” Chisimdi called looking so serious and stringent.
Amarachi was so surprised that Chisimdi called her by her first name again. She couldn’t just hold back her question this time, so she said: “Simdi, what is the problem, and why are you dressed this way? Are you a seer, a native doctor or what, and why did you come down to Awka with Oduenyi, even holding hands with him like a couple. I hope it’s not what I’m thinking…”
“Think whatever you want, my sister,” Chisimdi interjected, “I am here for a serious business, and whenever I’m dressed like this, I mean business,”
Amy was so shocked by the harsh response showing that Chisimdi meant every bit of her words.
“I’m sorry,” Amy apologised forthwith, “but if my baby I used to know is still inside of you, I know you’d explain everything to me later because a lot has happened in my absence from Ubulu and I’m surprised that Mom who is meant to be privy to this information knows nothing too, or is she just pretending about it or what?”
“I know nothing,” Mkpulumma defended, “I’m as confused as you’re but I think there is a reason why we’re here. So let’s see the doctors first and know why Oduenyi had to come down from the village to see the wounded,”
“We’re not here for the wounded but here for the dead,” Chisimdi said and continued walking into the emergency unit of the hospital.
“Here for the dead?” Amarachi asked rhetorically as she watched her sister trudging into the hospital ward.
As they were moving, some doctors and members of Chibunna’s family were seen coming out of the emergency unit with Chibunna being dragged on a stretcher to the morgue.
“Oh my God, so Chibunna is truly dead!” Amarachi wailed in pains and rushed at the doctors to stop them from taking the dead to the diener who was already waiting by the threshold of the morgue to take over.
Before Amy could take hold of the stretcher, the nurses stopped her and beckoned of Dave and Onyedika to help out.
“Madam, please allow us to do our job,” one of the nurses shouted at Amy as the struggle continued. “The boy is dead, and you can’t wake him or revive…”

“This boy isn’t dead,” Oduenyi said authoritatively, raised Chisimdi’s hands and looked into the sky, saying: “Chibunna cannot die because Chisimdi doesn’t believe he is dead. And whatever she believes, I do too,”
“I have Isioma, the sweet-scented flower with me, and I’ll prove to us all that we must not need the lineage of Ajalindu before it becomes effective,”
Chisimdi said vauntingly, “for hundreds of years after the death of Obiadada, we haven’t been using the Eke Ubulu stream flower because we believed that people meant to reactivate and make it effective are there no more. But now let’s put this into a test,” she concluded and revealed the red Isioma flower by exposing it to sunlight and aeration.
Her gesture induced a thunder that struck the hospital and its premises, causing a serious panic; even to the point that the doctors and nurses took to their heels believing that some supernatural powers were on a rampage.
Everybody was in shock especially Amarachi who was so surprised seeing that her hitherto uncaring and bossy sister could even summon the thunders at will. It was a moment of great confusion and awe.
Oduenyi and Chisimdi went to Chibunna’s position and then tore his cloth to shreds to see the bullet wounds.
Smiling as if nothing serious happened, Oduenyi said: “My lady, I think it’s now time,”
Without any rigmarole, Chisimdi raised her voice in a thunderous tone and said: “The assassins came to murder my beloved sister but unfortunately, met her friends. They were sent by Ozo bu Iwem fraternity,”
“The deadly group?” Mkpulumma muttered as she listened.
“I saw everything and called her on the phone to warn her,” Chisimdi’s revelation continued, “but she didn’t take the calls because she has a strong spirit in her too. It runs in the family blood but she doesn’t know. If she’d gone out and not interrupted by her friends that visited, she’d have been killed because an ambush was already laid for her. So not picking my call helped too, and the arrival of her friends helped more because she was safer in the house than outside,”
“The gods are wise,” Oduenyi mouthed and smiled.
“How did my sister know about all these?” Amarachi asked looking shocked and imagining such acuity and accuracy.
“According to the revelation I got,” Chisimdi continued as if she didn’t hear her beloved sister’s voice, “If Amarachi was the one dead, I couldn’t have revived her or brought her back to the land of the living but another had to take the bullet for her because there is something that Amarachi needs to do if the path leading to her destiny must be straight and lead to realisation. But that’s not what I’m here for. If Amarachi was shot, she wouldn’t have been alive to fulfil her destiny, and the Isioma flower wouldn’t have worked on her…”
“Please, will it work on Chibunna instead?” Amarachi asked looking so restive.
“Let’s find out,” Chisimdi said and raised the flower again; higher this time, drawing stronger lightning that came straight to the flower, shattered it and revealed the sweet-scented oil from the flower; oiling Chisimdi’s hands.
Chisimdi recited some incantations and started smearing the oil on the lifeless body of Chibunna; concentrating on the parts affected by the bullet wounds, and finally forcing some into his mouth.
Strange sounds possessed the environment while the sound of the flute from the flutist lingered in Chisimdi’s heart.
After a while, Chisimdi smiled and said: “He’s alive,”
The people were surprised that Chibunna didn’t move amid the incantations; even Oduenyi almost doubted the powers until they saw Chibunna open his eyes slowly; though so weary at this time.
Amarachi was the first to rush at Chibunna and embraced him, then the crowd gathered, even the medical practitioners that scampered for safety.
“May God be praised,” Chibunna’s dad said and rushed at Chibunna, and helped him get up from the stretcher.
The people started rejoicing and singing as they jubilated.
“Where are the other wounded friends?” Chisimdi asked and turned looking at the doctors who couldn’t wrap their heads around the event that just took place.

“Come, please,” one of them said and took the two diviners into the hospital ward.
After a while, the three girls came out feeling better while the bullets that pierced their bodies were seeing in Chisimdi’s palm clanking as she prayed over the bullets she extracted from their bodies.
Coming out of the ward to the hospital compound, the two diviners knelt, raised the bullets in the air and scattered them in the air saying: “Obiara igbum gbuo onwe ya,” meaning: ‘he who has come to kill me would kill himself’
After saying this, Oduenyi and Chisimdi started leaving.
Amid the jubilation, Amarachi rushed at her twin sister but afraid to touch, she kept crying and shivering saying: “I’m so grateful, baby, but you are yet to tell me why I can’t touch you and what just happened here. I am so happy but I still need explanations. “Can I touch you now, Simdi?”
“Of course, you can,” Chisimdi said, “I’m done with what I came for, so you’re now free,”
Amarachi suddenly pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “I’ve missed you, my sister,” Amy said as she watched the wounded and dead friend being taking into the ward for medical attention and examination before they could all go home.
“But one thing is very important, my sweet twiney,” Chisimdi added, making Amarachi so attentive because she’d discovered that she wasn’t the Chisimdi she used to know.
“What’s that, my love?” Amy asked.
“You left the akara business and now living in affluence,” Chisimdi reminded her, “The king won’t be found if you don’t go back into that business you dropped.
You should put on the same old apron you always use for the business. Not just the business, you’d go back to the truck business because God in heaven was happier with you then than now; not that he loves to see you suffer but the ways of God and that of men aren’t the same. You need to just spend one week in that business to help realise your destiny…”
“But my truck is no more,” Amarachi said looking confused, “how can I bring it back?”
“Think harder and know what to do,” Chisimdi voiced, entered the steaming vehicle and left with Oduenyi back to the village while Amarachi remained standing watching them leave.

The question in Amarachi’s mind was centred on how Chisimdi could use the Isioma flower and it worked wonders while she wasn’t from Ajalindu lineage. The flower isn’t meant to be touched by anyone who isn’t a descendant of Ajalindu but nothing happened to Chisimdi for touching or using it. If Simdi could use it, that means that when the king returns it would be easy for him to be revived using Chisimdi’s power, but the greatest confusion was: ‘why did Chisimdi say that if her twin sister was shot dead, the Isioma flower wouldn’t have worked on her but it worked on Chibunna? If it couldn’t work for Amarachi, how then would it work for the king when he returns since they were of the same blood?
The entire questions and puzzles surrounding how Chisimdi got her powers, the Isioma flower being effective in her possession, and the need to go back to ‘akara dika akwa’ business if she must realise her destiny got Amarachi confused. In that moment of obscurity, great concern, and bewilderment she reminisced on everything that happened but was still so happy that someone presumed to be dead was brought back to life again.
Chibunna died for a reason, because if he didn’t die, Chisimdi wouldn’t have tried the impossible just to make her twin sister happy; believing that the Isioma flower would work and it did.
Everybody was surprised and confused amid the celebration, but to Oduenyi who was already heading to a cool deli and bar to celebrate victory with Chisimdi, what just happened a couple of minutes wasn’t a magic but a divine intervention from God in heaven.

PRINCESS AMARACHI episode 14
#OpraDre

To be continued…

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