GHOST (The Shadow in the Dark)

part thirty three

It was on Friday when I decided to visit that river, to make sure I kept the memory of his existence, to make sure I felt that constant void in my heart, I did not deserve to heal. I brought out the band he gave me and wore it. He had said I should press the round stuff if I missed him. I missed him a lot. I applied pressure and I watched the band open to something that looked like a watch but with tiny buttons that had a Nokia torch settings. I looked at it for a long time wondering what to do with it. I decided to type.
‘I miss you and life is meaningless without you’ I saw a send button and pressed it.
I sat down waiting, I had no idea what I was even waiting for. After waiting for more than an hour without any response, I started my journey to Ekosodin River.
     Ghost had always taken me there at night so I had no idea how to locate it on my own, I asked around and got directions. As I walked, I saw hills in front of me, some were grassland while some were settlements, it was so beautiful, nature was beautiful. I felt like I was breathing for the first time. I watched the way the hills became taller as I got close. I would have loved to explore it and watch the stars with Ghost, the emptiness and void came back as I remembered Ghost. I continued my journey and had to continue asking for directions till I got to a secluded area. There were no more settlements, just a few farmlands and wild trees and grasses. I became tensed as I followed the footpath, I became confused when I had to choose between too many paths. Some group of boys came out of another path. I asked them the direction to the stream which they pointed out. I followed it straight and was overwhelmed when I burst out to the open and the stream. It was different in the day and there were boys swimming. They were students who stayed back after their exams. Two indigenous girls were just through with washing their clothes, they left few minutes later. Another girl was sitting on a fallen bamboo tree at the hill by my left. Down the hill were some group of boys smoking and watching those swimming. They had somehow constructed the bamboo to serve as chairs and so many bamboo trees were serving as shades.  One of the boys swimming asked me to join them but I smiled and just played with my legs. 
“Is this your first time lady?” one of them shouted, he was resting his back by my right at the bamboo trees that were submerged in the river which contributed to the parting of the straight creek to two reminding me of the time Ghost did the same while I practiced what he had taught me. The second creek which was by my right before the bamboo trees was foaming and flowing angrily.
“That area is for the gods, nobody enters there, many have drown there” the boy continued.
“I am Kome, what’s your name?”
“Are you Isoko?” I asked.
“Yes” he answered in Isoko.
I told him I just came to watch the river in Isoko. His friends started hailing him and calling him bad guy. I felt shy and looked away concentrating on the second creek he said belonged to the gods. I turned to locate where Ghost used to build the tent. I felt that emptiness and I wished I could feel pain.
“Why don’t you try do something, you cannot just come and watch.”
I turned to look at the speaker.
“My name is Osama.”
I nodded. I wanted to try out what Ghost had thought me so I pulled off my top and gave it to the girl, with my phone and the hand band. I was putting on singlet and it was covering me well.
“Are you going to swim with your bra?” the girl asked. There was a boy sitting close to him. I felt embarrassed.
“Don’t be shy. It’s a normal thing.”
I removed my bra and gave it to the girl, then I turned to climb down.
“Just jump” Kome shouted but it felt high to me, so I ignored him and gently climbed down then attempted swimming but it was like I had forgotten everything Ghost taught me. Kome swam to me.
“Can I teach you?”
I looked at him. He was not looking that bad.
“I don’t think I want to learn, I would prefer to watch the sky while lying on my back.”
“Okay, let me help you.”
He stretched his hands towards me and I allowed him. But I told him to stop, ran back and called Ken. I took a selfie and sent it to him. I wanted him to know I was okay. I went back to join Kome.
“Your boyfriend?” I shook my head.
He pulled me to where my feet could no longer touch the ground, then stretched his palm for me to lie on.
I felt a bit elated as I watched the cloud. It was not sunny because the cloud was thick and heavy like it was about to rain. Guys started hailing Kome as he spun me round but slowly. I was supposed to be excited but it was not there, I only felt a piercing pain in my heart, something I had never felt before. I rubbed my heart and allowed the pain, it was the cost of my actions.
“You are crying. Are you okay?”
I shook my head and told him to take me back to the bank which he did.
“Can I have your number?” he asked as I climbed back to take my stuffs.
“Maybe next time.”
“O boy how far na. No market?” I heard one of them asking as I packed my things and thanked the girl. They all started laughing but Kome ignored them.
“You never told me your name” Kome shouted in Isoko.
At least I could give him that.
“You can call me Ella.”
“That’s a beautiful name. I hope you will keep to your promise next time and your hair is beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
I looked for where to put on my bra and sighted bamboo trees not too far from the river. I ran there and quickly wore my bra and top but removed my singlet. Just when I had tucked my singlet into my small bag, I heard a voice.
“Girl howfa na?”
I turned and noticed two things. The guy was unfamiliar from the faces I had seen swimming and the swimmers were all hurrying out of the river and dressing to leave. I saw the back of the girl who had held my bag for me. She was running like she was being chased by a wild animal.
“I dey talk to you.”
I turned back my attention to the guy. He was on a yellow T-shirt with different blue and white foreign inscriptions. His jean was blue and old and sagged. But the disturbing part was his eyes. It was red and I could smell cocaine and cigar from his clothes. He had a round and dark face.
“Hi” I responded zipping my bag.
I saw Kome and Osama with the other guys walking past me.
“Kome wait for me” I shouted.
“Did you come with them?” the guy on yellow asked.
“No, but I’m going with them.”
“Chill, let them go, we go escort you go back. My friends say make you come greet them.”
“I don’t understand what you mean but I don’t want to. Thanks for the offer though, but I’m going with Kome.”
I tried to leave but he blocked me.
“See this girl oh, you nor dey even look my way, I dey talk to you and you dey misbehave. You want them to suffer?”
He pointed at Kome and friends.
“Oya start going now, if you nor want fuck up, disappear right now” he shouted at Kome and friends.
“Bros we nor want trouble, we go wait for am for front” Osama said.
“You dey craze? I say disappear, this guy? You, I don mark you. I nor won tell una again. Vamoose now.”
I saw the fear in their eyes and the apology as they started running leaving me alone to face the guy on yellow.
“Come, we nor go waste time. My oga won just greet you, we want to know you.”
I could see he was already high and it would become messier if I refused. I just needed to apply wisdom. It was a river and it was broad daylight. Indigenes would soon come to wash or fetch water.
“Just to greet?”
“Is that not what I have been saying, just dey here dey form stubborn, I nor like stubborn people. I’m not even forcing you.”
There was no need to tell him what he was doing was seen as force by the law. I followed him to the far side of the hill and met four more guys. The smell of hard drugs was too high and thick that I coughed and covered my nose.
“See am, she for dey form stubborn before because she dey think say those boys go protect am” the guy on yellow said to another guy who had no clothes but a sagged trousers. The others were staring at me and I could see lust in their eyes and it made me panic. I turned and discovered nobody was coming down the river.
“Good afternoon. I was told I have to come and greet you.”
The guy on yellow grabbed me from behind as I spoke and I turned and pushed him away. He looked like he wanted to slap me but was stopped by the half-naked guy.
“I tell you to touch am? You dey craze?” he said slapping the guy on yellow who apologized.
“Sorry for his behavior. How are you?”
“I am fine, can I go now?”
“Why are you so much in a hurry? I want us to be friends, you look scared.”
I looked at him, I wanted to slap him.
“Of course I am supposed to look scared. You bullied guys I was supposed to go back with and forced me to come and greet you. What were you expecting, for me to be happy? And please I can’t breathe, whatever you are smoking is disturbing me.”
They all started laughing.
“The girl fine, come smart join” one of them said. He was just on boxers.
“Can I go now?”
“Don’t worry, you will soon go, just come sit down and have little chat with us. All of you stop smoking, she hates it.”
He held my hand to take me to their sitting place but the ice was so sudden that I pushed his hand away.
“No, he said I’m just supposed to come and greet and that’s all. I don’t want to sit down.”
“Is it because I’m giving you a VIP treatment. What is wrong with asking you to come sit down and chat? You were okay with another guy few minutes ago.”
“And that is none of your business. I was okay with him but not with you and you don’t use force to make friends.”
“See I’m getting tired. Just come sit down and give me your phone number then you can go.”
“But I don’t want to. My answer is no.”
“Then you are not ready to go. I hate stubborn girls. Simple instructions. What is wrong with you? Don’t you know it’s a privilege to be my girlfriend?”
I was also tired.
“I don’t want to sit down, I don’t want to give you my number and I will never be your girlfriend. I am done here.”
I turned to walk out but was pulled by my blouse, the force sending me to his bare chest which was sweaty and disgusting. He started pulling me towards a small path. Fear gripped me because I understood the implication and I knew there was no Ghost this time.
“Let me go” I shouted and struggled to pull free.
He covered my mouth with his palm and I bit him. He slapped me.
“I go teach you respect and no one will come to your aid.”
The others were already on me to render help and I felt this was the end. They were going to rape and kill me in broad daylight. If only they would just kill me but rape was another thing. They were trying to lift me to the secluded area when someone came.
“Oh my gosh! Finally. I thought I had missed my way. Wow, this is so beautiful.”
That voice sounded familiar. I turned alongside the guys. She had burst out from a path that would not lead back to Ekosodin. I never believed Ghost when he talked about his sister but seeing her clearly was something else. She was damn beautiful. She was on high heel booth and a long siphon red gown that was split almost to her waist on both sides revealing a red bikini pant. The front of the gown was a bit exposed, revealing her busty breast. She wore farmers weaved hat and a sunshade, then a red back bag. She removed the cap and sunshade and wiped her forehead like she was wiping out sweat. It was very obvious she was Fulani like those from Niger. She was very light skinned like the colored but her face showed it all. She had that pointed nose, full forehead and eyes that were neither small nor big. She reminded me of Jamila. I always saw them like the Chinese who had same face. Her hair was touching her waist. Someone could actually mistake her as a white lady from a distance but would later change it to a colored except those that were conversant with her tribe. I had not studied her that night but I had that idea that she would look like a man because of the way Ghost kept describing her but she was all feminine, endowed front and back and it looked like she knew it. I felt ugly. I was dark, not too tall and slim. She was tall, average body for a sexy female and beautiful. I had no idea what why she was at the river, then I remembered the hand band.
  She rushed close to us smiling. She got to the edge of the hill and stared at the river. They had already released me all salivating while looking at her.
“Oyibo you miss road?”
“Hi, I’m Sabrina, what do you mean by that?”
And she was using American ascent. I might have mistaken her but Mark had called Ghost’s sister Sabrina.
“We are asking if you are lost?” the half-naked guy asked after giving a stern facial warning to the guy on yellow.
“Oh no. I have heard of Ekosodin River and I’ve always wanted to see it. It took me some time but I finally located it. It looks inviting. Is it safe to swim?” That ascent again, it was confusing me.
She did not wait for them to answer before pulling off her gown to reveal her red hot swimsuit. I had mistaken it for a bikini pant. She turned to look at us. I had already shifted away from them and they did not mind.
“Yes or no?”
“What did you say?” half-naked guy asked scratching his head. I looked down and regretted looking. I could see the bulge in the boxers of the other three. Half-naked guy and yellow shirt guy where the only ones on trousers.
“I was asking if it is safe to swim.”
She turned and showed them her endowed buttocks shaking it like she was warming up to swim. Then I understood what she was doing. Ghost had said something like that before. She was baiting them. No wonder he said I was a terrible actress. She was good because those guys were already incensed with lust.