Yellow Tales of a Nigerian Housemaid (completed)

Chapter Twenty

Aunt Agnes rushed out from her room with a light pink towel wrapped round her chest. The sound of the breaking gallon must have caught her attention. I was still lying at the foot of the stairs, motionless yet conscious. I tried lifting my legs but couldn't feel them. My hands were stiff as well and my body felt like a foreign home to me. I was breathing very fast, trying to take in as much air as possible. I felt as though someone had placed a pillow over my face, the feeling was that of suffocation.

Aunt ran down the stairs with so much anger in her eyes.
"What have you done?" she asked glancing at me and turning her eyes to the huge mess on the floor. She picked up a wet broken piece and scrutinised it in total disapproval. I tried talking but found no strength.

"Stand up from there and answer me!" She screamed, very much angry  now.
I was afraid and needed help. I wanted to call out to her to help me up but couldn't let out a word.

"You are very wicked and heartless Nneogo! You are a she devil and you must pay dearly for this." She barked walking over to me. I was still there, trying to regain control of my body.

"Imagine! Do you know how much this cost in the market? Have you ever bought one before? And you think lying on that floor and pretending to be hurt will save you?" She asked with a devilish smile.

She was walking towards me, taking slow steps one at a time. I was scared she would pounce on me so I struggled so hard to feel my bones to no avail. Thankfully, when she was just a foot away from me, the passage door opened and aunt Oby and her boyfriend walked in. I could hear Mama's voice as she chatted happily with someone on phone. She was apparently right outside the door.

"What happened here?" Aunt Oby asked with a confused stare. Her eyes were all over the wet floor and her face clouded with anger. She took few more steps to me with her mouth wide open.

"Did you just break this gallon?" She asked picking up a broken piece from the floor.
"Do you know you are wicked? You are selfish, very selfish! In fact you are a devil Nneogo!" She screamed.

Her eyes were roaming around the staircase and passage, and were becoming saddened as she saw the water flowing freely towards the door.
I was still lying at the foot of the stairs, my body crawled in stiffness but my mind as conscious as it could be. I couldn't feel my legs as I tried lifting them neither could I feel my neck and arms. I could only move my fingers and my eyes. I was scared.

"Get up from there before I shred you into pieces!" My aunt barked. "How could you be so mean and heartless! Do you know how much this cost in the market?" She asked coming very closer now. I was scared she was going to beat me right there. I knew something was wrong with me and that I needed attention, but how could I get it? I wanted to call out to her and ask for her help but her mood and anger discouraged me. The only hope I had was a miracle, if I can only move my body again.

Aunt Agnes looked up at her,
"She happened! " She said.  "Just because I asked her to get water this stupid girl broke Mama's white gallon".

At the mention of the word "gallon", Mama looked up. Apparently she had been absorbed in her little chat that she didn't pay heed to the catastrophe before her.

"Whose gallon?" Mama asked ending her call and walking towards us.

"Witch! Wizard! Everything evil that's what you are!" Aunt Oby began. "This gallon has been in this home for over fifteen years and you just came from no where to break it?" She was so angry. "And you are lying down there, pretending to be hurt? Let me just get to you right now so we can see how hurt you really are!" She said handing over her bag and phone to her boyfriend who was looking at me with a creepy pitiful face.