THE ORDEALS OF NNEOMA
Episode 7
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Later that night, everyone went to bed except Stella who claimed she was entering plenty of inventories.
She was all alone in the living room brooding. Some papers and a notebook were scattered on the table before her.
“I need to do something really fast,” she thought.
As she was brainstorming on what to do, she noticed a movement at the curtain of the connecting door between the living room and the lobby.
“Who is there?” she quietly asked.
Dera opened the curtain.
“Mummy it’s me.”
“You aren’t sleeping.”
“I couldn’t sleep. You can’t sleep too because as I can see, you aren’t entering any inventories.”
Stella gave her a long gaze from the corners of her eyes.
“Mummy let’s not pretend, Nneoma’s success is what’s keeping us awake.”
Stella kept mute.
“You can stop her from going to Obodo Oyibo, I have a suggestion,” Dera said in a low tone.
“What’s your suggestion?” Stella said looking inquisitive.
“I know where she kept the passport booklet, we can hide it.”
“You still think like a child, don’t you know it can be traced to us.”
“That’s true, I just wished there was a way we would make her forget the scholarship.”
“Forget the scholarship? I think you have a point.”
“How do we achieve it?”
“Leave that to me, I know what to do. Go to bed.”
“Okay,” Dera said and went back to bed.
Stella later arranged the papers that were scattered on the table, she then put them in between the notebook and carried it to the bedroom.
The following day, Nneoma’s father left for his shop after having his breakfast. The girls left for school later on.
Nneoma took the passport back to school as the teacher instructed them.
Stella quickly prepared and left the house as soon as she saw that everyone had left.
She stood on the road for a little before stopping a bus. She entered anf they left.
About an hour later, Stella got down from the bus and walked through a footpath to an old house that looked isolated.
She then walked up to the entrance and knocked, a male voice from within told her to enter.
Stella removed her footwear and entered.
An elderly man was seated on a small wooden chair, before him was a flat wooden plate with some white chalk inside. Some calabashes were scattered on the floor and some dirty-looking bags hung on the wall.
“Greetings Baba.”
“Greetings.”
He then offered her a seat.
“You are welcome, my daughter. I haven’t seen you for a while now.”
“Yes, I’ve been busy. Baba, I urgently need your help.”
“What is the problem?”
Stella then told him about Nneoma’s case.
“I want her to forget about the scholarship, I know you can do it.”
“You are in the right place.”
The man started making some incantations.
When he was done, he picked one covered calabash from the floor. He opened it and stretched his hand towards Stella who quickly dropped some money inside the calabash.
Then the Baba covered it and set it aside.
He reached for one of those bags hung on the wall and brought out a substance wrapped in a small black nylon bag.
He handed it over to Stella.
“Put a pinch of this substance over her food. When she eats it, she will forget everything about the travel.”
“Thank you so much, Baba,” Stella said looking so excited.
“Do not forget, just a pinch is okay.”
“Alright Baba,” she said and left at once.
