OPHELIA

Chapter 30: Exorcist!

Dairy, dairy, dairy… that was all I thought about through dinner. I stormed to my room, pounced on the bed and turned its pages.

I made my decision dear diary—I choose God…I guess it’ll be me and you on the streets. My Brother asked me to leave. I thought he would at least consider what we’ve been through. But he didn’t. I feel disappointed and yet appointed by God…

“What are you doing?” Ma’am Veronica sloughed in. The book fell with a petrifying thud.

“Ummm….” I picked it up.  Crap! She seemed to have recognized it…or not.

“We are going to see your therapist tomorrow.”

“Again; must I?”

“You must; so rest early. Are we good?”

“No. I don’t want to see a therapist.”

“Why sweetheart?” She stared intently. “I promise you will love this one. Trust me.”

Trust? I smirked. “The last time a woman asked me to trust, I was sent to a brothel… I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.”

She shifted her gaze to the diary; “I see you are reading daddy’s dairy?” How quickly she changed the subject.

“I found it; I didn’t think…I haven’t really read... I didn’t mean to…I just…I…”

“He wouldn’t mind but you should ask first.”

“I’m sorry...”

“We are leaving first thing tomorrow morning.” She exhaled.

I preferred Pastor Man doing this therapy business. I derived a sick pleasure when he cajoled me to do it. She of course wasn’t cut out for my drama. I was bugged by the disrespect that seated my conversation with her and my unapologetic apology. But not even a therapist had the permission to throttle my excitement.

It was 10pm; Pastor Man wouldn’t be anywhere else than the library. I was eager to read on hence his permission was paramount. I placed my steps with caution as I approached him.

“Good evening Sir.”

“Shshsh…” He wrote vigorously. It was a wrong time I had to leave.

“Wait; I’m coming.” Thank God! I sat on a step of the ladder leaning on the book stand. I counted the strides of the clock to distract myself or should I say to stop my eyes from scrutinizing his features in comparison to my Dad’s. I realized their resemblance was unashamedly striking.

“What’s happening?”

I startled and stood. “Ummm, can I read your diary? I found it in the store room.”

“My dairy?”

“Yes this one…” 

When our eyes met, I could swear something grumbled in me…it made me dizzy and weak in the knees.

“I want to learn a thing or two?” I leaned on the ladder.

“It’s okay.” He returned to his writing.

“Ummm… sorry…Thank you. But I have one more question… I found this picture. Is this your brother?”

I moved closer but each step made me twice as drowsy till I staggered. Then a voice inside my head...

“If you move closer, I’ll kill you.” I took another step. “I warned you."

Immediately, I slumped to the ground. I could feel my surrounding, I heard Pastor Man’s voice but I couldn’t move myself, as though I were paralyzed.

“Ah..Get up from the floor.” He said.

“No!” I had no control over my mouth.

“Ophelia.”

“I will kill her.” Who the heck was this using my mouth?

Pastor Man’s voice thundered. “You’re too late; get out in Jesus name!”

“No!” It screamed.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

It released exasperated breaths. “I will be back…”

Immediately, I had control of my self—had I been exorcized? It said it would comeback. Somewhere between embarrassment and freight I mustered the courage to stand up.

“Get a chair.” Pastor Man said.

I sat across him. I couldn’t look him in the eyes; my entire being would ache. He shoved a Bible to me.

“Open to John chapter 1 and read verse four and five.”

My hands trembled; it was like electricity coursed my body.

“Verse four and five; in him was life; and the life was the light of men and the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.”

“Who is the scripture talking about?”

“Jesus?”

“Good. Maintain eye contact. Where is Jesus?”

“In me.” I blinked away.

“If he is the light and in you, as I have been teaching, darkness can’t stay in you…I said maintain eye contact.”

“I can’t”

“You can. You have control over it.”

You know how they say the voices cry in hell yeah? My tummy felt like hell and those estranged voices were ardent.

“Repeat after me...Jesus in me, drive out all darkness.”

“Jesus in me; drive out all…” My chest tightened, my nostrils blocked. It was a chorus similar to death ringing in my head.

“I can’t say… they’ll kill me.”

“They can’t; you have the Lion of Judah Let him roar and let’s see the dog with guts to bark…Say it.”

I rode on his confidence. “Jesus in me; drive out all…all… darkness.”

A cold fire travelled down my spine into my tummy—the fire felt like a hand uprooting things from within me. I felt a surge of anger and energy and I gripped the edge of his desk any harder and it would crack.

“Don’t mess up my desk or my library…The angels are working; stay mentally relaxed. I’m coming.”

With how calm he passed instructions, I was beginning to think I was the demon but I couldn’t control how I felt…

“Relax; I can’t work when you’re tight.” It was Jesus—his voice brought safety. I lay on the desk and allowed him to work.

Prior to this I learnt sex wasn’t only a matter of flesh rubbing against flesh but primarily of collecting the ‘evil spirit’ associated with a partner’s life.—something about souls entangling and spiritual oneness with a partner becoming established hence you share in their woes. I obviously had a drum full of woes. But as the power of God moved in me, the peace that followed was magnanimous, so much so that I fell asleep.

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Beloved sorry for the late update ❤️🙏