When
the movie Cynthia was watching finished, she went out and put off the
generator. Then she locked up the doors and parlour windows. She then went into
the room she shared with Mabel, opened the curtains and lay down on the bed
beside Mabel.
“Oohm these mosquitoes,” she said and hit
her neck. She got up and confirmed that the window net was properly aligned to
the window space. Then she lay down again. Soon she was asleep.
Mabel thought she had overcome the
pain of the heartbreak but that night, it surfaced again. She had a bad night.
She kept turning from side to side and moaning. Their mother could not sleep.
She kept coming into the room to check on Mabel. At times she would just stand
by the door and flash her torch light. At other times, she would come close and
touch Mabel. Her frequent coming in kept waking Cynthia up.
“Don’t
worry,” Cynthia told her when she came the fourth time. “She will be fine. I am
here with her.”
“Are you
sure?”
“Yes. Go and
sleep.”
Their
mother went back to her room.
Mabel kept turning and moaning. Cynthia
couldn’t sleep long at a stretch. She kept waking up. At a point, she had to
hold Mabel’s hands. She felt bad seeing her sister going through such pains.
After a while, she slept off.
Around 4 am, when everyone was
asleep and everywhere was quiet, Mabel shouted “Noooo” and sat up. Her mother
ran into the room with her torch light. Cynthia rubbed her eyes and sat up too.
“What is
it?” she asked.
“I had a
bad dream,” she replied.
Her mother held her shoulder.
“What did
you see?” she asked.
“I saw
Segun and one old woman laughing at me. Then she dragged him and disappeared.”
“Don’t
bother yourself about the dream. Come and stay with me in my room.”
“Mummy
don’t worry I will be fine here.”
“Do you
know how many times I came here to check on you and met you turning on the bed?”
“Ah ah
mummy you worry yourself too much.”
“I had to
tell her to stop coming,” Cynthia said. “That I will take care of you.”
“I am fine.
It is just a bad dream. This will pass.”
“No. Come
over to my room.”
“Mabel you
know mummy will not rest unless you sleep in her room,” Cynthia said. “Just go.”
Mabel
sighed and didn’t move.
“Mummy don’t
worry yourself na,” she said.
Her mother held her hand to pull
her up.
“Oya wait let me get my wrapper.”
She reluctantly got her wrapper
and stood up.
“Come and
stay where I will keep my eyes on you,” their mother said, leaving.
Mabel
followed her.
“So you people
want to leave only me here?” Cynthia said. “It will not work.”
“You sleep
alone here every night,” Mabel said.
“Not this
night that nightmare is happening.”
Cynthia
got up and followed them also. Mabel and Cynthia lay on their mum’s bed while
their mum opted to lie on the couch in her room.
“Are you
sure you can sleep there?” Mabel asked her mum.
“Don’t
worry about me.”
“I would
have stayed in the other room. I told you I will be fine.”
“Go to
sleep my dear. You are not going anywhere.”
Mabel
and Cynthia soon fell asleep. Their mum made some silent prayers. Soon she fell
asleep.
In
the morning, she was woken up by some shouting in the compound, she opened her
eye and saw only Cynthia on the bed. Mabel was not there. She jumped up.
“Mabel
Mabel,” she called and ran out of her room.
(...to be continued...)
Nedu Isaac
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