ALIYA

Prologue 🌸

Enugu, Nigeria.

Years ago.

...

It was quarter past six in the evening but the weather appeared relatively older than that. Wind began blowing intensively, it was obvious to the eyes of the masses that heavy rainfall would certainly be experienced.

Aliya ran helter skelter back home from her mother's provision shop which was few kilometers away from their house. And as instructed by her mother, she packed all their dried clothes inside and made sure their livestock were intact in their barn.

Immediately the rain began to fall, NEPA took their light - leaving the entire district in darkness. Everywhere became stone cold. Aliya quickly lightened the kerosene lamp in the living room as soon as she was able to get her hands on the matchbox which was kept on top of the table. Thus, she waited patiently for her mother's return in an armchair. She was eager to see her mother back home.

As the rain continued falling and becoming heavier, Aliya worried that her mother might not be able to return back home that night. You know how worried every child could be in such situation, right? She peeped through the window, but there was no sign of her mother. A sudden fierce thunder preceded by a powerful lightening frightened her. She quickly ran back to the chair and squeezed herself in it. There, she slept until she was awoken by weird voices in the morning.

*******

Back in the village, the family of Great Chukwuka were about to be fed a seemingly good news. Inspector Emeka, the one and only police officer in the family ran helter skelter to break the news flown to him by his informant from the city. He was eager to break the news to everyone in their family house, and as soon as he stormed into the compound of the house he started shouting nonstop - calling everyone out of their apartments.

"Emeka will you stop shouting!" Eze, the eldest child in the family said. He was the first to come out. "What is wrong with you this early morning, Emeka? You must have a good reason for waking us up or else I will cut your tongue this instant!"

"My brother, I have a good reason. But I fear none of you will believe what I am about to spill out" Emeka said while panting.

"What happened, Emeka?" Chioma chimed in as she stormed out of her own apartment.

"It is that Awusa (Hausa) witch o, the wife of our late brother" Emeka said shaking his head expressing bitterness.

"Azima? What happened to her?" Eze wrinkled one of his brows.

"She was hit by a strong lightening yesterday in the evening" Emeka said and then continued. "Just recently my informant called and informed me about it"

"You sure say this no be fake news?" Okechukwu, the no nonsense in the family chimed.

"You see?" Emeka shook his head disappointedly. "I said it, none of you will believe me" He turned about to leave.

"Ah, Emeka wait na" Eze stopped him. "If what you said is true then the wiseman was right about brother Okafor's death. Azima was the one that killed him, she killed her own husband and now nemesis has caught up with her!" He said widening his Kolanut stained teeth. "The gods never sleep!" He rejoiced.

"Indeed you are right, brother Eze!" Chioma uttered and continued. "I knew right from the beginning that Azima was a witch and I had warned brother Okafor not to marry her but he refused. He stole her from her family up north, brought her down here, married her... and as if that was not enough, he converted himself to her religion - Islam!"

"Ahh, what brother Okafor did is still paining me o! The village no longer respect our family anymore, and it is all because of that Awusa (Hausa) witch he married. Thank God she's now dead" Okechukwu said.