Ini

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

She backed up a few steps as the creature lurked towards her. She couldn't understand the dynamics of what made this being. It looked human but its arms and legs were in angles that she couldn't decipher. Her heartbeat paced as her attention was fixated on the crawling animal.

"O-omo O-orisa I-Ife." The creature stuttered as he continued crawling towards her. Out of shock, she stood still, her chest rising and falling in fear. The creature growled as it jumped towards her; her frightened screams echoing through the small kitchen.

"No!" Inioluwa yelled as she shut her eyes. When she heard nothing and didn't feel like she was being eaten, she opened her eyes. To her greatest surprise, she was seated on the couch like she was earlier.

She looked around as her eyebrows drew together in confusion. She was back in her living room, the bag she took to the hair salon was right where she placed it when she got into the house– on the floor.

"What just happened?" She muttered to herself as she still couldn't believe what had happened. She ran her hands through her body to be sure she was alive and in flesh and not a ghost after being killed by that freakish creature. She was alive, she wasn't dead but why not? She thought to herself.

Her gaze drifted to the kitchen door as her heartbeat paced. Was the thing still there? She asked herself as she summoned bravery in her heart and reluctantly got up. Her hands shaking and her forehead sweaty, she walked towards the kitchen. She placed the side of her face on the door as she tried to listen in, but she heard nothing; it was weirdly quiet.

Inioluwa stood up straight as she wondered if this was a trap. She bit her lips in thought before slowly pushing the door open. She looked around and there was nothing, no demonic creature, no dishes smashed on the tiles, not seemed out of the ordinary.

She stepped into the kitchen and said out loud, "where did it go?"

"Ini, you're home." She heard from behind her and she swiftly turned around. It was her mother, but there was something that didn't seem right about her.

"Maami, are you okay?" Inioluwa asked, concern leaking through her tone but her mother waved her hand dismissively as she walked into the kitchen. Inioluwa narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she watched her mother take in deep breaths.

Abike silently winced in pain as she hoped her daughter wasn't suspecting anything. Truth be told, she was far from being okay. Her breathing was rigid as she forced in oxygen for her lungs and her arms and legs were hurting but she didn't want to make a fuss about it because she knew the origin.

"Let me help." Inioluwa said as she had enough of watching her mother try to carry a tuber of yam. She took it from her mother and placed it on an iron tray.

"I'll do it, go and rest." She told her mother who was a bit hesitant but eventually, she left. Inioluwa slowly crumbled to her knees in what seemed like exhaustion as she recalled the creature she had seen. She was certain that it wasn't a dream or an imagination but it was real. Something kept telling her to dismiss whatever she had seen but she couldn't, even though it seemed to be too unrealistic to be true.

With a sigh, she got up and opened the wooden drawer as she fished out a knife to peel and cut the yam. She took a small bowl and put it under the tap as she watched the bowl getting filled with water. As she watched the bowl get filled, she remembered Ayo. She remembered hanging up on him, so if what she saw was indeed true, Ayo would also recall her hanging up on him. Another side of her felt bad, their relationship was hanging on a thin thread ever since she got home. From going on for days without speaking to each other, to having silly arguments, everything was gradually crumbling alongside her mental health.