Iheoma episode 24 – 28

IHEOMA 💐

EP 25🌿

“Miss Iheoma, are you saying that you you were dead for some time, and you came here straight from the mortuary?,” the pastor asked with his eyebrows stretched taut.
I nodded slightly as the pastor still looked like he didn’t totally believe what I had told him.
“My Guardian angel said that I will live, but only when I’ve paid the price on my head. I find it difficult to understand what he meant by that.”
The pastor stood up, and began to pace the room.
“Did he tell you any other thing apart from that? Something that might explain the price he’s talking about?”
I thought long and hærd, and it suddenly got to me.
“He said I have a great destiny, and I also remember a man from my village; Papa Ugo, saying something about the Igwe and his Chief’s life being in danger because of my destiny.”
The pastor kept nodding as I spoke, he seemed to be in deep thoughts.
“Iheoma, you need to rest. I’ll take you to the parish house, where you’ll take a bath, eat, and take a quick nap. After that, I’ll call a committee of the church elders and discuss this issue with them,” he explained.
He pressed a button on his table, and a young woman walked in.
“Anna, this is Iheoma. Please take her to the parish house so she can rest for a bit. Give her a change of clothes, and help her settle down.”

I turned in my seat to find the girl the girl Anna smiling at me. She extended her hand for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you Iheoma, I hope we’ll be good friend’s.”
As I took her hand, I felt a cold chill run through me, it was nothing I had ever felt before, as it seemed to suddenly make me cold and nauseous. I quickly withdrew my hand, stared her in the eyes and suddenly felt like I had met her before.

“Who… Who are you…?”

IHEOMA 💐

EP 26🌿

Anna looked at the pastor with concern all over her face,
“Is she okay?”

I stared at Anna, still feeling the chill that crawled up my arms, and knowing she was no ordinary person.
“Iheoma, please you’d have to follow me to the parish house. I’m a bit busy with other things.”
I watched her closely as she talked, and then it dawned on me.
“My mom, You’re my mother,” I s¢ræmed as I jumped into her arms. How could I forget the face of the woman my Guardian angel has shown me?
The nose, the eyes, the mouth, it was my very own mother.
Anna struggled out of the tight embrace, and went behind the pastor.
“Daddy, is she okay?”

The pastor began to draw closer to me carefully as though scared that I might have lost my mind.
“Iheoma, Anna is my daughter. There’s no way she could be your mother, I mean she’s probably the same age as you.”

“She’s my mom, she is. I know what I’m saying sir.”
Anna fidgeted behind the pastor, looking scared of me and my crazy reaction to her. The pastor shook his head worriedly,
“Iheoma, wait here a bit. We’ll be back.”

As the pastor walked out of the room, dragging Anna along, I ran to her and held her hand.
“You’re my mother, I know that Anna.”
She shook my hands off, and ran off with wide eyes, looking at me like I was a psychiatric case.

I sat in a chair in the office, Smiling happily, fidgeting and wondering how it was possible that my mom could still be that young after so many years.
“But, I know her face. The angel showed her to me a few hours ago.”
The pastor walked in then with some young men in tow behind him.

“That’s the young lady. Be careful with her, I don’t think she’s alright.”

My mouth dropped open,
“You…You betrayed me too?…”

IHEOMA 💐

EP 27🌿

I sat in the room where the young men had bundled me into, wondering how a pastor of all persons could betray me too. My hands and legs had been carefully tied with a rope to stop me from escaping.
I remembered the look on Anna’s face as the young men dragged me off; she looked confused. It was as though she wanted to say something, but had to keep quiet because of her father the pastor.
I felt tears dropping from my eyes, feeling like I was the most unlucky person on earth. Just when I was about to give in to despair, I remembered the words the angel had told me when I had died,
“You’re here because you refused to make use of your gift.You died because of that.”

I immediately bent my head, and for the first time since I had been going through all my troubles I began to pray. The words came out on their own, as I sat there. I had prayed for a while when felt a tap on my shoulder. Knowing I had been alone in the room, I s¢ræmed loudly out of surprise but turned to find my guardian angel pointing at the door.
“She’s supposed to die tomorrow morning, and that will be your way out of here.”
With that he vanished, leaving me wondering what he meant.
At that moment, the door opened, and Anna came in looking scared of me.
The angel’s words became clear to me then.
“You…You are supposed to die tomorrow?…” I whispered.
She stood there for a while looking confused. Suddenly she seemed to get really angry.
“I’m not your mother, I don’t know you, and I’m certainly not dying tomorrow. I feel sad that at your age you have to be a mad person, but the crazy things you’ve said, are more than enough to last me a life time.”
Her eyes began to drip with tears.
“I’m not the one going to die tomorrow, you are the one.”
The way she said it sent an alarm off in my head,
“What are you talking about?”
“A man came here talking about you to my father. I don’t know what you mean to him, but he seems angry that you’re alive.”

“Emeka?”

IHEOMA 💐

EP 28

“Emeka?”
“No. He came asking about you, saying he’s your relative and had heard news of you waking up and leaving the mortuary. He said some onlookers informed him you had come this way, and he had decided to check out the parish.”
“What did the priest say?”
“He said he’d only hand you over to him if he could prove with a government signed document that you are both related. While the man was leaving, I trailed him out and heard him saying over the phone that the sacrifice was still alive; I believe that’s you right? He said something about bringing you back to the altar before Emeka goes completely mad. Is this the same Emeka you were talking about?”
I nodded, realizing it was probably one of the occultic men that had been at the ritual ceremony with Emeka. I began to panic,
“We have to tell the priest then. Mom you have to do something, you can’t watch me die.”
Anna’s eye’s w¡dened angrily.
“Call me your mother one more time, and I’ll leave you to die. How can someone around your age mother you? Can’t you think?”
She began to walk around the room, as though in deep thoughts.
“I tried telling my father, but he has refused to hear anything about you. He thinks you’re a crazy person and made it clear to me that he’d be glad to hand you over to your family.”

Anna stopped pacing and turned to me.
“I’m your only chance. I’ll be here tomorrow morning, right before dawn to help you out of here. Iheoma, I don’t know why I’m so worried about you remaining alive, but you seem to be important to my existence.”
We stared at each for a while before she turned and began to walk away. She stopped at the door,
“We could have been good friend’s. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The door slammed shut and made me turn to the clock in the room,
“10PM. Eight hours left…”

TBC
#justicenike