Chapter 2: Life Among the Elders

The elders for Palm Grove Hills strong pass wetin person fit imagine. I no fit do anyhow. So I begin dey live like say I don swallow the tonic.

For camp, people dey greet me 'Junior Brother Tunde' with respect. I dey answer dem, dey smile, but for night, na only me and my conscience dey reason for darkness. I dey waka with careful step, like fowl wey no wan put leg for trap.

After some months, when I still never reach Spiritual Awakening, some senior brothers begin dey worry.

“Wetin dey happen? That time, we cleanse our spirit just three, four days.”

“Yes now, why your own spirit still dey scatter, junior brother?”

I just dey look them, dey see the sticky worms wey dey crawl for inside their belly.

When dem dey question me, na only me sabi wetin my eye dey see. I go smile, raise shoulder, but my mind dey full with fear. The way the worms dey dance for their belle, e dey make me pity them, even as dem dey claim say dem don 'cleanse' spirit.

I gather courage, ask, “After Spiritual Awakening, how body dey be?” Eldest senior brother, Musa, calm. E raise two fingers, talk slow:

“Human body get plenty wahala. Ordinary people body dey scatter, so spiritual power no dey flow well.”

E pause, palm face up, fire jump come out from im hand. E point the fire, say, “But once you cleanse your spirit, you go only feel two lines: one na spiritual vein, the other na your own vein. Na the spiritual vein dey make you different from ordinary people—this fire too come from spiritual vein.”

The fire for im hand burn orange, flicker with small blue for edge. I dey feel the heat from small distance, and my body dey tense, because for my mind I dey shout, 'Na juju be this?' Musa face no even change, e dey cool, as if e dey fry akara instead of conjure fire.

Musa call me. “Junior brother, touch am.” I touch am small, the fire hot well. But I talk, “I see…” I see say, under that so-called spiritual vein, wey connect to the belly, na sticky worm dey there. E be like say the fire and the worm born together. So, na so Musa get fire spiritual root. Second senior brother Abdul laugh. “See, me I get water spiritual root.” The moisture for air just gather for im hand, turn to ice sharp sharp.

Abdul dey laugh, im teeth white like chalk. E use im water power to turn sweat for im brow into small ice bead, then throw am for air like small trick. Everybody dey hail, but for my eye, na only the worm inside e belly dey glow.