Chapter 2: Suspicion and the Lake

As we hear that question, Morayo and I pause for where we dey gist, then we blink our eyes sharp sharp. Morayo even use style look my own face, dey find whether her own eye dey work well. Me sef blink sotay my eye dey water. I come try smile make e no feel anyhow, but my mind dey turn like okada wheel.

Our son dey study my face, but e be like say he no dey see anything. He just continue, "No be say una eyes dey pain una as una no dey blink?"

I try laugh am off, "No worry, my pikin. Nothing dey do us." But true true, the thing dey worry me. My wife mouth even dey open, she try talk, she no fit. Chijioke just dey look us with him small hand for chin like old man.

The thing shock me small. I come close to am, blink my eyes many times make e see. "You see as I blink now?"

I even use my finger open and close my eyelid slow slow make am sure say the pikin dey see me well. But Chijioke just dey step back small, like say I do magic for front of am. My heart begin beat like talking drum.

He shake head, worry full him face, fear dey inside him voice, "Book talk say if you no dey blink, e no good for eye, but I don dey notice say una never blink for days now. Even when una dey sleep, una dey open eye."

Morayo hold her chest, look me with one kind look. "Chineke!" she talk under her breath. Me sef begin think back, dey ask myself, when last I remember close eye for sleep, true true?

As he talk finish, before Morayo or me fit reply, he come frighten himself. He rush enter Morayo hand begin cry.

Chijioke grip Morayo wrapper like say na lifebuoy. The kind cry wey come out from him throat na the one wey dey make mother heart shake. I see tears dey drop from Morayo eye too, she dey pat am for back, dey whisper, "Nothing dey happen, my son. Nothing dey happen."

He sob dey come out like say him dey choke: "Mummy, abeg blink your eye na."

I try touch his head, but the boy no gree. For my mind, I dey pray make this wahala no pass ordinary.

No wonder, for the past two nights, he dey waka come our room for midnight, just dey stand for our bedside dey look us. If we ask am why, he no go talk.

Sometimes, as I dey sleep, I go just feel say person dey look me. I go wake, see Chijioke dey stand for door, shadow dey cover him face. The thing dey make body cold, but I no want show fear make am no think say something dey worry me.

This thing really shake me and Morayo.

We even stop our usual night prayer, because every small sound, Morayo go pause, look Chijioke. I go try joke to lighten the mood, but laughter no dey reach mouth.

Just now, we dey reason whether make we carry am go see doctor for the teaching hospital. We dey think say maybe na that strange thing wey happen for my village dey worry am.

Morayo open her phone dey scroll contact for her cousin wey dey UCH, dey whisper say, "Maybe na spiritual attack, maybe na only malaria." My mind dey turn between doctor and prayer house.

But that thing no too scary—just somehow.

I try remember wetin happen. If to say we see masquerade for bush, I go understand. But this one, e just dey somehow. Na like rain wey fall without thunder.

Na so e take happen:

The day fresh for my mind, because that journey no be small thing. We waka enter bus from Dugbe park, the bus dey shake sotay I dey pray make we no enter gutter. Chijioke dey ask, "Daddy, when we go reach?" every five minutes. We buy fried corn and coconut for road, dey enjoy breeze as we climb hill.

For some years now, the heat for Ibadan dey reach almost 40°C. This year, we plan go Jos to dodge heat, but we hear say my old home for hill near Oke-Ado don turn to holiday resort.

My wife laugh say, "Na your people sabi chop money sha. Everywhere na resort now." I just shake head, remember the time wey that place na bush, and only villagers sabi road.

Morayo never go my village before, she dey eager to see where I grow up. Me sef, I never go there for over ten years, so we change plan last minute.

She dey tease me, "I wan see the yam wey give you this your big head." I laugh, remember all the old men for compound, the smell of smoked fish wey dey greet you from kitchen.

My old home dey for hilltop, more than hundred kilometers from Ibadan. Before, na small village, just like twelve compounds. Each compound get him own oriki, and old mama dey sit for front dey plait hair or dey peel cassava. I remember how evening dey quiet, only crickets dey sing.

Some years back, hikers find trail reach there, see one lake for hilltop, like paradise. People begin come dey visit. Before, the only visitor na people wey dey come look for local herbs. Now, oyibo people dey snap picture, even small children dey carry selfie stick up and down.

Because the hill high reach almost two thousand meters, summer dey cool, only about 18°C. Na perfect place to dodge heat.

Morayo come talk, "This kind cold, if you no wear sweater, you go catch catarrh." We pack enough cardigan, but Chijioke still dey shiver small for night.

The lake name na Iyi Nwanyi—Woman’s Bathing Pond. Dem dey call am Iyi Nwanyi—"the woman’s pond," elders go warn, "Nwoke adịghị abanye n'abalị"—man no dey enter at night. Dem talk say na where spirits dey bath, na im make dem give am that name.

Some of the elders for the village talk say if you hear song by midnight from that water, make you run. Nobody dey play for that side at night. But as tourist come, all those story just turn to joke.

But as pikin, I no too understand the name. If na where spirits dey bath, e no suppose be ‘Iyi Agbara’—Spirit Bathing Pond?

Even Chijioke ask me, "Daddy, na only woman spirit dey bath?"

Even though the three Igbo words for ‘Iyi Nwanyi’ and ‘Iyi Agbara’ dey similar, if you change how you arrange am, the meaning go change.

Na my late grandmother teach me those names as she dey roast maize for kitchen. She go say, "Ifeanyi, you get to sabi difference if you no wan chop spirit slap."

Na for this Iyi Nwanyi the strange thing happen.

The air that night thick with scent of wet leaf and bush meat wey dey roast for nearby canteen. Old women dey roast corn for roadside, small children dey chase goat for compound, and church bell dey ring faint for distance. Everywhere just dey quiet, only sound of frog and small water ripple.

That night of August 11, three of us dey waka for wooden walkway by the lake.

Morayo dey hold my hand, Chijioke dey run front, dey laugh as he chase after fireflies. I dey watch dem, dey thank God for small joy.

One side na thick bush; the other side, the lake dey shine with orange-yellow security light and moon. Fireflies full everywhere, their green light dey like star for night. The place fine well, people dey snap picture with phone and camera.

Morayo snap my photo with Chijioke for bridge, say she go post am for family WhatsApp. I pose with my son, both of us dey smile, breeze dey blow for our body. The air sweet pass cold mineral for afternoon.

We don stay there more than two weeks, but the beauty still dey shock us. City no get this kind thing at all.

Every day, I dey thank God say we fit run come here. No generator noise, no danfo horn, only sound of nature. The cool breeze dey calm body, na different life from Ibadan wahala.

E different from how I remember my village: after my parents die, my memory about home just dark and blur, only some kind twisted picture and one heavy, uncomfortable feeling remain—like say leech dey cover my body.

Sometime, na only sound of mortuary siren dey ring for my ear when I remember home. That loss pain me pass malaria headache, but I still dey try remember the sweet part.

That feeling make me look east, where one stone house used to dey. Now, e don disappear.

I go there go check, but only weed and broken bottle remain. Old memories try come back, but I push them away, focus on my wife and pikin laughter.

My son dey catch fireflies as he waka. The side of the walkway near the lake get wooden rail, so we no too fear say he go fall inside water.

Morayo even warn am, "If you fall, no expect mummy to swim come save you o." We laugh, Chijioke say, "I be big boy, mummy."

Dem say dem put that fence after some children fall die for the lake in the past two years.

Village people still dey whisper about those children. Some say e get wetin dem see for water before dem fall, but government only talk say na accident. Since then, nobody fit waka the walkway without holding rail.

Sharp sharp, by nine o’clock, even though breeze no dey, the lake just start dey shake anyhow, water even splash reach walkway, wey dey almost half meter above the water.

I grab Chijioke quick, hold Morayo hand tight. Everybody dey look water, some dey shout, "Blood of Jesus! Chineke mo! Wetin be this?" Some dey record with phone. The air just cold suddenly.

E be like say something big dey under the water, dey fight to come out, like say e wan fly go sky.

People dey hold each other, some begin pray. Morayo dey whisper Psalm 23 under her breath. Me, I dey look for nearest exit, dey prepare run.

But ground no even shake at all.

That one surprise me. Na only the water dey move, the bridge no shake, even tree leaf no dey waka. My leg even dey steady, but my mind dey jump.

After some seconds, the water begin dey move in circle, then one big round hole—vortex—about one or two meters wide appear for middle of the lake.

Chijioke mouth wide open. Morayo hold am tight. I fit see the water dey turn, the light for security lamp and moon dey scatter inside the hole, e resemble big eye for night.

The thing last like three minutes, then water calm down, as if nothing happen.

Everybody just freeze. Some begin pray, some dey snap picture. One small boy for back begin cry, "Mummy, I wan go house."

People post the thing for WhatsApp and Facebook, everywhere scatter. Bloggers, tourists rush come see, government even send people go check the lake.

One Channels TV van park for junction, camera man dey sweat as he set tripod, reporter dey arrange powder for face. Old women begin form prophetess, dey say the end don near. But after two days, new gist don cover am.

Dem no see anything for bottom. Since e no be danger, dem leave the matter.

Village head talk for radio say make people calm down, say na only nature dey play. But deep inside, everybody dey fear.

People yarn all kinds of juju story online for some days, but e fade quick as new gist come out.

One Twitter person talk say na mami water dey find phone wey fall inside last week. Another say na Fulani cow dey bath for midnight. Everybody get their own story.

That time, my son no even fear—he dey happy, dey curious.

Chijioke dey point, "Daddy, see, see!" He wan jump go water if no be say I hold am. Him eyes dey shine like person wey see magic.