Ini

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓

As Inioluwa walked into the house, she realized that the house hadn't really changed. It was only the painting of the walls, the couches and the new family portrait that had changed. Her eyes darted across the room, as she remembered the broken tiles that filled the living room that still remained broken till date and the small dining room that was beside the living room. She remembered eating her first pounded yam, and how she had longed for more.

Even Aunty Jibola hadn't changed too. She still wore her wrapper over her chest as her nightware and her hair neatly plaited into thread. Inioluwa, as a child, would always ask her aunt why she made her head into threads, and Aunt Jibola would laugh and tell her that she wanted her hair to be very long. And it did work as she always slayed her shoulder length natural and thick black hair to church.

Aunt Jibola adjusted her wrapper on her chest before gesturing that Inioluwa and Ayo sit down. Ayo sat down beside Inioluwa and almost instantly, it was like the couch was pulling him in. He sank into the couch, but tried to cover up his discomfort with a smile. He also looked around the living room, eying and gawking at the contents of the room.

"It's Orisa Ife, right?" Inioluwa asked, concern laced in her tone and Aunt Jibola let out a sigh. Indeed, Orisa Ife had tormented not only her family, but the whole community.

"Didn't you see the market square? It's so quiet, because everyone's afraid. She inflicted us with ojuju." Aunt Jibola said, and shook her head slightly at the end, before seeing Inioluwa's confused face. She wanted to tell her what this meant, but she realized that they had a non- family visitor with them.

"Come, let's talk about it inside." She said, and Ayo instantly knew that she was saying this because of his presence. He hoped that Inioluwa would say that she trusted him and it was okay to say whatever in front of him. He was curious to know who Orisa Ife was and what she did to the community, but it was the opposite response he got.

"Okay ma." Inioluwa had said, and Ayo acted like he wasn't slightly offended. "I'll be back." She had added, and Ayo wished he could tell her through his eyes that he wanted to hear to. But he only nodded and feigned a smile.

Inioluwa smiled back, but it was obvious to Inioluwa that Ayo's smile was fake. She also suspected that he was curious, but she couldn't tell him because she didn't want him involved.

She left his presence as she walked alongside her aunt to her room. Aunt Jibola pushed the curtains open, before twisting the wooden handle of her room and letting themselves in. Aunt Jibola stood still as she stared wearily at the person lumped on her bed. Inioluwa walked forward before being able to identify who the person was.

It was Mofe and something was wrong with him.

Inioluwa said nothing as tears gathered in her eyes, at the sight of her second cousin. He was still the tall guy she always knew, just with stress stubble, unkept hair and he was still. But these weren't what made her tear up, it was the mucus filled lumps that surrounded his face that made her cry. She couldn't even bear the stench that oozed from him.

He was like a living dead lying on a bed.

"She did this. That monster gave him deep sleep." Aunt Jibola said, before lamenting out loud while tears streamed down Inioluwa's cheeks. "The ojuju saw him, and inflicted this on him. He just arrived to visit, if I had known that he was coming, I would have told him to stay back. Look at him." Aunt Jibola added, before whimpers escaped her mouth.

"That's why I'm here." Inioluwa said, before wiping her cheeks with the back of her palms. "To make things right."

"Didn't your mother tell you how dangerous she is? You shouldn't be here, go back home." Aunt Jibola expressed, looking back at her bed ridden son, as tears kept streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. She'd never thought that she would see her son like this–infact, no one in the village had imagined that Orisa Ife could get this angry.