Since I no fit talk am, I must to write am. If I talk am, na church dem go carry me go. Or dem go flog winch komot for my bodi.
I no sabi wetin carry my hand touch wetin I no suppose touch dat day. Chai! If to say I for hear word.
I remember di day like say na yesterday.
“Wetin be dat for ground?”
“I no sabi. Make we dey go. Hunger dey catch me.”
“Wait first.”
“Free am Dotun. Yu dey alright at all?”
Now wey I dey reason am, e be like say di tin do me winch. Normally, I for free am.
“Guy, dat tin be like charm. I say free am. No go turn to yam o.”
Di tin bin true-true look like charm. Haw I wan take talk am? Di tin bin look like small Iroko man, and im kon get red cloth for bodi.
“Dotun! Dotun!!”
‘’Wetin?”
“Jesus! Yu don go touch winch. Yu standa der hold di tin for hand dey look am, gidigba. Yu bin no dey move.”
“Calm down, oga. I bin just dey observe am.’’
“Make we dey go.”
“Badman, shey yor mumsi get food?”
“I no sabi. Na di two of us komot school now-now. As we dey reach house like so, no talk like dat make mumsi no hear yu o. She go feel like say yu just wan chop ha food.”
“Omo, if yu no get food for house, I don cast. And e go better make I dey go my house.”
I hide face smile. Seyi be my number one padi and im too funny. Im too like food.
Make I tell yu small about mysef. I bin just dey mind my business before dat day.
I be di kind boy wey yu go call ajekpako. My life soft, but e no too soft. Na me, my mumsi, my popsi, and my sister wey dey school for Unilag. Me sef, e remain small before I go go university. Di truth be sey I no wan go. Dis one join di tin-dem wey I no fit talk komot.
“Mama, I don come back. Seyi dey here too.”
“Good afternoon ma.”
“My pikin! Welcome. Dotun, food dey kitchen.”
“Thank God!”
“Put for una two but no finish am o. Leave plenti for yor father. Make im see food chop wen im come back from work”.
“E seun Iya”.
“And if yu sabi wetin good for yu, I no wan come down see plate for sink.”
“Oboy, yor mama dey cook.”
“No be lie… Hu be dat?”
“Ehn?!? Wetin?”
“I see man for window, just now…”
I standa go check, but I bin no see anybodi. Awa house na compound wey get fence and gate. Window bin dey open small, so I suppose hear gate.
“I sure sey I see persin now-now.”
“Last-last dat juju wey yu touch don dey make yu mad”, Seyi talk kon dey laff.
“Make thunder no fire yu o!”
True-true, wetin Seyi talk bin enter me o, because I bin sure die sey I see man outside my window. But as I dey tink am, I bin no fit remember wetin im look like. E no normal at-all-at-all. I kon dey feel like say dat tin wey I touch be charm true-true. God abeg! I know sey I no too dey follow yu talk, but make I no mad o. Maybe di persin run jump fence as I standa to come check window. Yes, na wetin happen be dat.
“E be like say I don too taya. Omo hurry chop, make we wash plate do assignment.”
“No rush me. If yu don belleful bring yor plate make I help yu.”
“Wen yor papa dey come house?”
I laff small before I answer am.
“Like seven.”
“Make I try do sharp-sharp I no wan jam am.”
Seyi be like me for dis university matter. And as time dey reach make we write exam, popsi dey everly ask wer we wan go, and wetin we go study. Im don already tell me wetin I go be—na doctor. But Seyi neva fit answer dat question. Im lucky sey im people no dey too stress am.
We bin chop, wash plate, do assignment. Na Thursday e be dat day. I yarn Seyi sey after school on Friday, I go come im house make we nak pad. Popsi come house. I serve am food, run awa normal convo—”Haw far school?” “Hope sey yu dey study everyday.” E dey hardly pass school matter wit my popsi. We later do devotion, wer I dey everly do like say I dey pray wen true-true I dey reason oda tins.
I reach my room. I dey share am wit my sister. But since she no dey around, na only me get am. Make I sleep. Light bin no dey so I on lamp wey dey cupboard close to my bed. I like to dey sleep wit light. Popsi dey shout me, sey NEPA expensive, or sey I no be pikin. Mumsi dey come off di light wen I don sleep.
As I on di lamp, I see di Iroko man on top my pillow.
“Jesus!!!”
I carry hand rub eye. E still dey der.
As I dey write dis line, I don sure sey di tin get extra winch wey been dey pull me like say I be fly wey dey follow shit. Because normally, I suppose run komot room, hala my people make we cast and bind, or last-last just run far-far from di tin. I no suppose touch am again, like say I be oyinbo for film wey no dey fit see danger.
As I touch am, e do me like say I sleep wake up. Na haw I fit talk am be dat. I bin sabi sey time bin pass wey I no fit remember. I standa look aound. Di Iroko man no dey again. Before I go confuse finish, I see sey persin dey inside my room.
Di persin start dey waka come for light. I fall on top bed. Fear hook me sotey I no fit even shout. Im kon stand for light. I bin fit see am koro-koro. Na man. And even as I no fit remember am, I sure sey na di same man wey bin dey outside my window. Di man tall, get long dada wey reach im waist, wey im tie go back wit red cloth. Im muscles boku. Im bin no wear any cloth. And since I dey for bed and im dey stand, na me and im gbola dey look awasef for eye. As I look up see im face, I nearly faint. Im face handsome die, but wer im eye suppose dey, na gold balls kon dey der.
“Hu yu be?”
Na dis mumu question I fit ask instead of to shout, dey beg God to come protect me. But last-last, I bin wan sabi.
Di man open im mouth and na thunder I hear for outside my house. E no end der. Fire kon komot from im mouth.
“Olorun gba mi!”
As I wan finally shout, Im stretch im hand touch me for shoulder. Again, e be like say I sleep wake up.
Dis time I no dey room again. I standa for forest and sun dey shine. I turn see sey di man still dey. Im bin no naked again. Im dey wear wetin be like skirt for waist. Funny tin be sey, as matter don strange well-well like dis, e be like say my sense come back. I bin no dey fear again.
“Wer we dey?” I ask am.
Di man no answer. E look like say im dey focus on sometin, and I kon see sey im bin dey smile.
“My wife!”
Which wife? I no dey see anybodi. Na wetin I bin tink. Di man kon start dey run. As I wan follow am, I see sey I dey follow am. Make I explain. As di man dey run, e be like say e get rope for waist wey carry me dey follow am. I kon notice sey, I no dey see my bodi. I bin no get hand or leg, but I dey follow di oga as im dey run. And make I tell yu, no be ordinary run. Yu sabi haw e be wen yu dey inside car. Wen yu look outside, na so trees go dey pass yu. Di man fast pass like dat.
“My wife, I go catch yu!”
I kon see persin wey dey far, wey dey run too. Wai di man dey pursue im wife? Wen matter don kolo sotey yu no fit understand, na mumu question yu go dey reason, because na mumu question get better answer. Haw oga take dey run fast pass car? Haw I take dey follow am? Haw I even take enter forest? Na question I suppose to ask, but I bin sure die sey e no get answer wey go make sense.
Night kon reach and di man still dey run. Di man no dey taya? I bin no kon dey see di persin wey di man dey pursue. Sun shine again, di man still dey run. Wetin funny be sey, e no feel like one full day don pass. Hunger no catch me. Sleep no catch me. And na only trees I bin dey see di whole time wey dis man dey run.
Di man finally stop dey run. I kon see sey we bin dey stand for front of water. Na only water dey for awa whole front. For awa back, na forest. Di man start dey laff. Im kon jump inside di water. Yu mean sey di persin wey yu dey pursue dey inside water? Yu sure sey dem no still dey inside forest? Oga wait, I no fit swim! Na wetin I bin tink but before I go say pim, I follow am enter di water.
E no matter sey I no fit swim. Di man bin dey swim like fish dey go down-down, and I bin dey follow am like wen we bin dey run for forest and I bin dey breet normal, and I bin no feel like say I dey water at all. I just dey see sey na water we dey and I dey see clear. Wetin I see ehn, I no fit talk am. Like true-true, I no fit talk am because e bin too much and e be like say my mind knock. I just know sey I see tins wey persin neva see for dis world. I kon notice sey light bin still dey even as we dey go down. We kon reach wetin be like mountain for water, and di mountain get hole for side. We swim enter am. Wen we komot from di oda side, we bin dey—I no dey lie give yu—for sky.
Di man bin dey standa for sky like say na ground. I look back see di mountain, but e no make sense. Haw we dey inside water, enter mountain, kon dey for sky like bird? For awa front, I kon finally see di persin wey di man bin dey pursue. I see sey na naked woman. Wai everybodi naked? She bin dey float wit us for air. She bin no dey look us so na ha back I bin see. Di woman bin get bodi. She kon talk.
“I no fit run again, Oluwa mi.”
She kon turn face us. I bin no fit look ha face. No be sey she ugly. But as I try look am, e be like say I dey blind. And wen I bin try open my eye, my head shift go anoda place.
“Iyawo mi, come.”
Di man don standa for my front dey block di woman, and I see sey im ma don naked. For my front, dem start dey kpansh. As e dey happen, thunder full sky, and e be like say I faint.
Wen I wake up, I dey for my room on top my bed, and na morning. I remember sey I bin tink sey everytin na dream. As I standa, I see di Iroko man for floor and di place wey im dey, na charcoal full am like say persin burn sometin. I kon observe sey di charcoal take form of word…
SANGO.
Writer: Daniel Solace; Illustrator: Oritseshemaye Onakpoya
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