THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR 2 – THE DANGER THAT KNOCKED

THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR 2 – THE DANGER THAT KNOCKED

  December 03, 2018    InspireForte Solutions

---

The noisy cock crows from the farmland where the poultry was, caused uneasy stirrings in my ears that woke me up from my deep sleep. I could kill that cock for refusing me the pleasure of a good night rest after the elaborate celebrations of last night's New Yam Festival at full moon that made sleep a stranger to my eyes. The feast lasted up from dusk till dawn as both the men and women of my village danced like there was no tomorrow. You could still feel the joy euphoria in the air at day just to show that the harvest season brings good tidings. As we know:'food is god to a hungry stomach'. Apparently the villagers were glad to welcome the season of plenty.

While growing up as a young boy, I was often bemused as to why one would have to wait till such a long time to deal with stomachic tsunami. But, my paternal uncle, De Mezie always hurled into my ears with his brisk voice that sounded like one who got drowned in a pot of local gin which we called 'etetem':'tradition my son, tradition!'I wondered if tradition would also be adhered to if food is required to save the life of the Eze Nwafor's Royal family. After all, the village catechist during every mass always drummed into our ears the ordeal of the children of Israel during their years of famine and the terrible happenings that escorted it.

Anyway, there was nothing to celebrate because life has been meaningless since papa's painful death. This has made mama become so moody that she could stay for hours without uttering a word to anyone. We miss papa so much and I could feel her pain too. The celebrations sounded to mama and I like a dirge on a grave path. We did not lack anything materially, but what we lack is emotional connection; the love and care of a father and husband. I had to talk mama out of her forlorn mood before she becomes prone to hypertension - the white man's sickness for too much thinking. As I sat close to mama trying to be a man, after all, Dee Mezie said I should be a man, we heard a loud knock that sounded like an earthquake. At first, we were wide-eyed with surprise because we weren't expecting anyone.

'Onye...ibu onye?' mama responded to the knock at the second time.

Yet no response was forthcoming. Then, we were gripped with fear and uncertainty. I lit the 'mpanaka' - the native lamp and made way to the wooden door to know who the midnight visitor was. As I opened the door, I was startled like a frightened chicken faced with death. I saw what my mouth couldn't say: 'a creature that confounded my reasoning - a midnight visitor is all my head imagined' and before I could utter a word, immediately I passed out. Mama aware of my hesitation to return to tell her who was at door decided to find out herself only for her to find my unconscious body on the floor . Yet when I gained consciousness, I could not recount my ordeal to my kinsmen, the village chiefs or, even to mama. It was like a spell was cast on me. I could hear mama wailing and the chiefs speaking in aggressive tones: 'could it be that he saw the spirit of his late father?' What I saw was more than they thought, but almost in synch with their thinking. But the haunt of the visitor filled my mind with fear and sorrow. Then danger became a visitor and fear became a mainstay as it compounded my thoughts on the mysterious midnight visitor.

To be continued…