I Know My Mother👩🏽(IKMM)✅

Night

Mama Agnes' snoring was terrible. Nneka's eyes were wide open, her body trembling in fear. She was almost caught a few minutes ago! Mama suddenly burst into her room, then left as quickly as she came. Mama's obnoxious snoring masked the sound of Nneka banging her door shut. The time to escape was near, but she had to postpone it. A few hours ago, she overheard Mama on the phone. She talked about murdering one of the other hawker girls that lived close to them. She knew the girl they were talking about: Bilkis, a short, dark-skinned and slim girl with a bad attitude and a rude mouth. She was notorious for stealing from one of the shop owners, and she threw the stolen items into a rubbish dump when confronted by a small mob of elders. She escaped with a few beatings and some scratches. She was later dubbed 'BadGyal Bilkis' by the other kids. True to her nickname, she was a pain in everyone's arse.

Nneka's feet flew over the sandy road. Pale yellow beams of light from the moon illuminated her path. The cold, sharp wind smacked her face and lifted her faded black dress as she ran. There wasn't much time left! While she snuck past Mama's room, she noticed something at the corner: a small, quarter-full bottle of a white powder. Mama used Baba Jide's poison again! Memories began to flash before her eyes.

She walked in on Mama Agnes in the kitchen.

'I am preparing this small food for Iya Bilkis' girl.' Mama scooped some sugar into a small bowl of batter.

The room smelt faintly of bones and blood.

Mama never made any food for Iya Bilkis.

Nneka slowed down as she approached a window behind Bilkis' house. She noticed a small blue pant hanging from one of the black iron bars behind the window. She realized she was just in time! The small cakes Mama baked were still untouched. Nneka slowly pushed the iron bars, cringing as they creaked. She hated their house the most; they never greased their doors and windows. She heard shuffling in the room, so she ducked under the window, her breathing silent. The person left the room, shutting the door with a loud bang.

Nneka swiftly opened the rest of the window and jumped into the room. She landed softly on the torn mattress on the floor, a pile of dirty plates towering high over it. The room smelt musty and sweaty. She found the plate of cakes and stuffed them into a little pouch she wore around her waist. A bottle of rose-scented cream at a corner caught her eye; it looked like the one she lost three weeks ago! She took it, along with two tubes of lipgloss: 'Strawberry Dream' and 'Orange Delight.' As she was about to jump out the window, a little boy entered the room. The boy was about to cry out, but she produced a small brown paper wrap from her pouch. The child was beginning to shout; she unwrapped the pouch and then blew a red powder in his face. The child slumped to the ground immediately. He convulsed wildly on the floor, his eyes wide open and his mouth moving soundlessly. He locked eyes with her, silently pleading for mercy. She grinned evilly, refusing to be merciful.

Four months ago, the boy replaced one of her drinks with gutter water; she sold it. The customer flipped out. She ended up having to compensate with some of her earnings that day; if that wasn't enough, a small crowd gathered around them, insulting and spitting on her. She found him behind a tall man, snickering at her.

Her juju was powerful.

Juju protected you; prayers motivated you.

She produced Ugu by grinding rat's blood, dried red peppers, and red sand to a paste in a wooden mortar.

She jumped out the window, not forgetting to close it before returning home. The boy lay helplessly on the floor, weeping silently, as he hoped his sister would return soon.

She finally arrived at their house. Before she snuck back into her room, she threw the cakes to a stray dog roaming around. The dog immediately wolfed them down. She didn't hang around to see it vomiting blood a few seconds later.

When she got to her room, she snuck in as quietly as she left. Mama was still asleep; her snoring was as loud as it had been before. As she tiptoed on the floor, she kicked a small spoon across the hall. It made a loud clanking sound. Mama stirred in her sleep. She held her breath, hoping she wouldn't respond. Mama must have been very tired because she went back to sleep immediately. Nneka slipped quietly into the blankets before falling into a deep slumber.

She was in a dark void; it was empty and black. There was nothing around her for miles, but she could see wisps of smoke swirling around her.

"Nneka!"

A loud voice bellowed her name. The owner of the voice was the woman she saw in her dreams some time ago. This time, she was much prettier and gentle. She clutched a bouquet of red roses in her hands, offering them to Nneka. Nneka shakily accepted them. She looked at the bouquet and saw a name written on one of the petals. The woman nodded, telling Nneka it was her name. Nana's eyebrows creased in confusion when she realized Nneka didn't recognize her. Nneka stiffened, wondering what to do next.

Never invoke the wrath of the spirits while you sleep, or they can kill you.

Nana led Nneka to the opening of a dark cave. She followed sheepishly, making sure not to question the spirit. As they walked, Nneka could see ripples forming where her feet touched; it was like she was stepping on black water. Nana smiled softly at her before they were swallowed up by the hole, the cave closed forever.

'Waaaaah!' 'Waaaaahhhh!' 'Hush, hush. don't cry so much, dearie.'

They were standing next to a woman nursing a baby. They were wealthy; the room was lavishly decorated with expensive furniture. Her phone sat next to her on their golden silk blanket, decorated with a diamond-studded phone case. The phone suddenly vibrated on the silk blanket, and the woman's face paled. Immediately a loud banging on the door was heard, and a short woman accompanied by a tall, muscular man barged in with a grey leather suitcase. The short lady began to yell at the woman and her baby.

Nneka couldn't hear their words but she saw how aggressive they were. The mother then took out a gun from between her breasts and pointed it at the short lady. The man hadn't brought any weapon with him, so he was also forced to comply. After an exchange of a few more words, the mother shot them both in the head. They slumped to the ground while she quickly dialed a number on her phone. Her face was very relaxed as she spoke.

Nneka watched her with tears streaming out of her eyes. She recognized the star-shaped birthmark on Nana's face; it was her mother's. It was her mother who protected her from the duo: her aunt and her bodyguard. Mama Agnes told her they died in an accident, but she saw the truth for herself. Nana beamed at her, but her face soon contorted into a frown.

With her hand, Nana struck the side of Nneka's head with a powerful force. Nneka was shocked into a stupor; she felt no pain, despite being dizzy and weak. Before her body finally slumped on the soft lilac cashmere rug, she saw Nana whispering a 'sorry' to her while frantically fighting an unseen enemy.

Her eyes closed, and everything became dark.

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'Iya' is the term the Yoruba use for a wife, or sometimes the mother of a child, eg Iya Susan or Iya Francis.

Hello! Kindly leave a vote and comment, thank you! I've been busy with exam preparation these days, so I won't be updating as consistently as I used to for now. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story~