THE EVIL TEDDY Episode 9 – The Mystery Man
Jessica was helping Chef Frances make a special traditional soup for lunch in the kitchen , when a call came through , she got dry towel to clean the water from her hand , she picked her IPhone fourteen and put it on her ear .
“Hello Mama Anabi how are you doing ?”Jessica said to the person on the other side of the phone . “Madam Jessy am not good oh, am not good oh , my own have finished o.” Martha’s mother said sobbing on the phone .
” Can you stop crying and talk to me ? what’s that problem.” Jessica worried , tension kicked in her stomach .”Madam My pikin done die oh! Martha done die o , them kill am for me o!” Mama Anabi said , Jessica was too stunned to speak .
“Tell me you’re joking Mama Martha who killed her ? Jesus this is not something to talk on the phone , were are you?” Jessica said rushing up the stairs , how could Martha just die like a chicken , she wept as she climbed up the stairs , Lilley ran after her mum .
“Mummy what’s the issue ?” Lilley asked worried . “Lilley please go to your room .”Jessica said ,Lilley heard her mother’s voice from her room crying over the phone , talking to her father telling him Martha was killed .
Michael told her he would meet her at Martha’s parents house . The black SUV climbed through the muddy and rocky ghetto road , making it’s way to the home of mama Anadi , a poor banana seller who had the ran into Jessica , her act of kindness endeared her to Jessica , she had picked Martha up , and sponsored her through secondary school , she was waiting for her admission list when she had suddenly died , Though Martha was sometimes mean to Lilley , Jessica knew she loved her daughter. Lilley was a hard nut. it was herculean task to keep her on leash, she gave Paula and Martha a tough time.
She had been to Martha’s parents house a couple of times , people sat outside the house , on chairs and long wooden benches , arms across their chest in a sorrowful gloom, Martha’s immediate Younger sister walked up to Jessica.
“Welcome ma .” She whispered , her eyes were red like the embers of cigarettes, she had been crying all day. “How are you Efe? where is your mum and your dad .” Jessica asked , Efe led her inside the house , The people sat all around the sitting room , consoling Martha’s father and mother , Jessica recognized the old couch they had changed in the mansion, Martha begged Jessica to give it to her , she loved the girl .
“Aunty Jessy what am I to do ohh? Aunt Jessy they have killed my child oh, the one who has been cleaning tears from my eyes on , see this house for five years we couldn’t finish it , Small Martha built it , Martha no dey find trouble oh , Martha no dey find trouble, who killed my Pikin e no go better for am!” Mama Anadi cried. she was sitting on bare ground unconsolable.
“Mama Anabi stop crying , I know how painful it is to lost a child .”Jessica said , truly she had lost over four pregnancies,so she would understand one bit of her pain .
“Why did she come back oh! she didn’t tell me she was coming o! Aaah! they’ve cheated me! My daughter Martha is in the mortuary, aunty Jessica why did Martha come back ? My jealous enemies. they have killed my daughter! I done die! My own done finish!” She cried rolling on the ground , Jessica embraced her tight.
Soon Michael came to the house , the weeping was heart breaking , he sat with Papa Matthias , a taxi driver and a father of six , Martha had brought so much hope to the family, and she was plucked pre maturely away from her family.
Plans were made , Martha’s body was taken to the Gudu cemetery three days later after a wake keep at Last Gate karmo, according to the tradition of their home town a child couldn’t be brought back home to bury , when she died as a teenager, Martha was only nineteen years old .
Michael paid for the ambulance and casket , the girl was buried on Tuesday at about one P.M .
“Mama Anadi , from this day on I’ll take full responsibility of your children’s school , I’ll make sure I Take care of your family, we are very sorry about your lost.” Michael said to Martha’s parents . He gave Matthias the father a brown paper envelope.
“I saw your taxi is old , in that envelope is a cheque of three million naira , please buy a new golf car, so you can Take care of your family.” Matthias was too stunning to speak,he fell down on his face and held Michael’s leg , he sobbed like a baby refusing to get up from the ground, even when Michael tried to race him up .
“Mr Matthias please get up , I am just Human , your daughter was a great help to us,her death hurts us so much .” Reluctantly the man got up. Jessica sat beside her husband, placing an arm on his shoulders, she still had a teary eyes.
“Mama Martha , if money could bring back your daughter, we would have paid for it , we had promised to sponsor her through secondary school and university, now that she’s no more , even though we promised to pay the school fees of all your children until they’re done with school. We have decided to start a business for you, this is a cheque of one million naira.” Mama Anadi couldn’t say a word , she wept with mix feelings , Jessica embraced her .
For two months Lilley impatiently waited for Gideon’s return , they was a kind of emptiness in her stomach, she didn’t fully grasp the idea of death , she couldn’t believe Martha was gone forever, when she remembered how they spent good times together at the mall , when her parents took them out , she couldn’t help bye let the hot salty tears fall from her face, some made it into her lips .
The kind of sadness that filled her not Eddie or Bestie could help ease the pains , she regretted the times she made Martha yelled at her , she begged God to accept her soul into heaven .
Her scores were dropping drastically in school, Mrs Chioma called her and tried to know what was making her sad , and making her scores drop , but Lilley got nothing to say .
She had to put a Call to Jessica to inform her of her daughter’s bad form , Jessica tried speaking to Lilley couldn’t say anything.
She was booked to see a therapist, after three meetings, they stopped going for sessions , because Lilley would just sit there and watch , never responding to the doctors questions, the doctor didn’t believe that Lilley could speak .
Lilley was in school towards the end of the term , when she saw somebody on crutches, wobbling with a group of friends towards the cafeteria, she thought she was dreaming , the nine years girl began to dodge the girls and boys ,as she ran towards the boy .
“Gideon! Gideon!” Lilley cried , pupils stop walking to see who Lilley was calling after , when she saw him , she almost knocked him down , she embraced him,the clutches fell from his arms .
“I thought I lost you .” Lilley said with a teary eyes , Gideon was too stunned to speak. Lilley looked round about him , she couldn’t understand what happened to him , why he was on clutches . “What happened to you Gideon ?” Lilley said .
“Can we talk ?” Lilley asked , Gideon nodded ,he grabbed his clutches,he wobbled towards the school park,they sat on the concrete bench , Lilley felt the spark had quenched.
“What happened to you Gideon? Why are you using those clutches,were you in an accident?” Lilley asked ,Gideon could not look at Lilley, he focused his gaze on the green field in front of him , and the sunlight still rising in the east.
“I wasn’t in an accident, I was attacked.” Gideon said and remained silent. “Attacked by who or what?” Lilley asked.
“Do you have a big Brown Teddy bear ?” Gideon asked Lilley, she felt embarrassed, being asked such a question. “Answer me Lilley ?” Gideon asked.
“Yeah I do .” Lilley said . “Your Teddy bear is possessed,it attacked me at home, in the dead of the night , it mauled me like a rag doll , it threw me from the window of our apartment, three story high , I was lucky to fall on the balcony one storey below our apartment, I broke my shoulders almost every bone in my body , see my leg .” Gideon said as he pulled down his stockings, Lilley could see the scars left behind by surgery, he pulled up his shirt and showed her stitches.
“While I was still unconscious in the hospital, it came again to warn me to stay away from you,if I didn’t that it would make sure the work is done well the second time.” Lilley’s lips were dried, he tried to speak she was devastated by the news she had just been given.
“Does it mean we Can no longer be friends?” Lilley asked Gideon ,he nodded.”Am sorry Lilley my parents asked me to stay Away from you, please don’t call me again .” Gideon said as he struggled to get his clutches under his arms ,he began to wobble away ,Lilley ran after him ,and held his arm.
“Gideon please,you are my only friend,you cannot leave me .” Lilley said ,Gideon turned to her with anger in his eyes. “Don’t you ever touch me again Lilley! just find another friend , don’t call my name again .” Lilley remained in the field weeping her eyes , it was crazy for anyone to say her toy attacked them.
She wept all the way to class , she couldn’t wait for the day to be over , when the announcement for closing was made , she was the first to run to the school garage.
Parents came to pick their children , Jessica didn’t come on time, Lilley saw Gideon wobbled into his mom’s white ford , he kept staring at her from inside the car ,as they drove away,Lilley turned her gaze from him as they drove away, she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Soon her mother’s car drove in, Lilley slowly walked to the car , Jessica embraced her daughter, Lilley was looking more depressed that than she had ever been before.
When they got i got into the car she turned Lilley . “Baby what happened?” Jessica asked her daughter who was heaving and pouring tears from her eyes .
”Mummy Gideon came to school today , he said he’s no longer friends with , he … said … He said am no longer his friend.” Lilley stuttered as she spoke. Jessica embraced her daughter,and kissed her head, hugging her tight inside the car .
Lilley went straight to her room and dumped herself on the bed ,no bothering to remove her uniform.
She stared at Teddy and asked herself if Nanny and Gideon could all be lying ,Gideon didn’t know her house,but he perfectly described Eddie .
Jessica called Lilley into her room .”I got a news that would lighten up your day .” Jessica said leading Lilley into her bedroom.
