Chapter 3: The Internet No Gree Rest

For the days wey follow, news of the earthquake full everywhere online:

If you like, off data; e go still meet you for face-to-face gist. For Makurdi park, even keke riders dey talk as if na dem do geology for school.

For South America, one person for Montevideo, Uruguay capital, climb go top Salvo Palace wey get 26 floors, dey film as one giant wave dey come.

Na so e dey for Twitter—everybody dey retweet, dey ask how person get mind. Some say na Yoruba demon fit try am, others say na spirit push am.

The wave high pass the hundred-meter building more than two times.

Even the hawkers selling pure water for junction dey pause to watch, mouth open. Children gather for phone screen like cinema. For Iyana-Ipaja, one agbero just look phone, hiss: “E no concern me, abeg. Make I find my own bread.”

Even through phone screen, fear and hopelessness choke me for chest, e be like say I dey smell the salty, wet breeze from the deep sea.

I no fit sleep that night; every small sound for window, I dey jump, dey clutch my pillow. My auntie dey pray, dey speak in tongues for parlor.

As the person press upload, the wave just clear the whole Salvo Palace—camera and the person vanish.

That kind thing, na only God fit explain. I just dey stare screen, dey wonder if na film trick.

The video blow for TikTok Naija, pass 100 million views worldwide.

My cousin Chika even do reaction video, dey shout, "Jesu! Na wah o!"

Tierra del Fuego for Argentina almost finish.

For South Africa, people dey shout, dey run from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, but many still enter the sea.

Na so one South African expert wey I sabi from WhatsApp group send voice note: "Brother Ife, my sister dey miss since morning. Na only Baba God fit save us."

And all this one na just tsunami wey the earthquake cause.

For Antarctica itself, all the research stations suffer heavy loss, survivors no plenty.

Even penguin and seal—suppose be enemy—gather for the same ice. As dem dey talk for home, “when wahala come, even cat and rat go share one pot.”

If animal fit forget wahala, why we humans dey find fight up and down? That thought just humble me.

But no be say humans just dey look others dey suffer.

All the big UN countries join hand, start global rescue for the people wey the earthquake hit.

Big ships dey go the disaster places, engineers dey rush go help.

People from different countries dey dig together, dey find survivors.

E shock me as I see Chinese, Americans, even Naija soldiers dey work together. For once, no tribalism, no wahala—just to save life.

For this kind wahala, humans unite pass ever before.

By the seventh day after the earthquake, dem approve my application: I go follow the expert team go Antarctica go do post-earthquake survey.

As my papa go talk, "Once you don chop yam, you no fit fear knife again." Na so I package myself, dey pray make my own yam no too hard.