Chapter 9: Watching the Ritual

Plenty bronze bells dey Palm Grove. Under painted roof, for octagon pavilion, even training ground get bells for palm pillars. Na here outer disciples dey take tonic. Second senior brother Abdul hold im cutlass, stand for up, dey look as outer disciples dey come in line. E raise eyebrow, smile:

“Our Palm Grove no be like other spiritual camps. We gentle pass. The tonic dey nourish—e no go make person burst die like other places.”

“You too dey fear.”

I carry two palm wine gourds, climb platform too, throw one give am, talk:

“No good make person waste Grand Elder effort anyhow.”

“No worry, this time you go reach Spiritual Awakening.” Abdul drink wine, smile as e wave, tell outer disciples:

“Time reach, swallow the pill, guide your energy, cleanse your spirit.”

Abdul dey act like everything normal, e even wink at me as if say we dey play. The air full with smell of palm wine, sweat, and new leaf. The other disciples dey eager, dem dey jump small, dey wait to collect their own tonic as if na festival day.

I just stand one side dey look, like outsider, dey watch as outer disciples happy collect tonic, then swallow am with full faith. I dey look those pills well. Hundreds of cases dey my front. Abdul follow me watch am for whole day. So, I fit see how the thing dey take root, begin grow. First hour after dem swallow, the golden shell melt. Second hour, the worm go stretch im small tentacles, pierce stomach, dig reach belly button—na that place dem dey call spiritual center. Next, e go begin chop stomach acid. Until sixth hour, disciple go begin feel small stomach pain. Na because sticky worm, from stomach, carry some tissue, float go spiritual center like vesicle—like cotton seed, begin root. Seventh hour, the worm don hook well for spiritual center, spread im fine tentacles, enter vein, dey chop flesh, dey collect nutrients, join with the person body. After two, three days of biting, the person skin go remove all mortal dirt. Na so… dem dey cleanse spirit.

As I dey watch, I dey feel one kind cold for my chest. Some of the disciples dey complain of small pain, others dey act like e be normal. But I sabi wetin dey go on for their body. The elders dey praise dem, dey clap back, but na only me dey see the true horror for their belle. For my mind, na so this camp dey raise monster, dey call am holy.