Chapter 6: The Job Offer

"Oga Long, how far, we still dey far?" The mama for back seat ask me small-small, maybe because I don quiet since.

Her voice soft, e get the worry of person wey never sleep well for days. The pikin dey hug her tight, like say she dey fear make e vanish.

"No far, just about thirty minutes," I check Google Maps yan. Where we dey go today na Okeji County, Odo-Ofu Bridge, Umuagu Hill Cemetery. Even though dem call am cemetery, na just abandoned graves dey there.

For my mind, I dey calculate time—make we reach before sun high. For Naija, once darkness enter, wahala fit begin. I dey look sky, dey pray say make no rain spoil road.

I carry the mama and pikin by train reach Okeji County. We try find taxi, but as drivers hear the address, dem no gree even open door. We no get choice, so we rent car by ourselves.

One driver even cross himself when we mention cemetery, talk say, "Oga, na only madman go enter that side for this kind season." The fear dey real for their eye. Na so we enter self-drive, mama dey hold prayer book, pikin dey pray under breath.

I look passenger seat, where I drop the tools wey I buy: shovel, petrol, axe, crowbar... and that soul-beating whip wey I dig come out from under cupboard.

For my mind, I dey wonder whether all these tools go fit work. Sometimes, na only prayer dey save man. But as I hold that whip, my spirit strong. I talk for inside, "Make today end for good." As I hold the whip, my heart dey race—today, anything fit happen.