The Devil Has His Money

Episode 7

Micheal Jackson comes to town

I was running but i couldn’t meet up with the tall man in black robe walking ahead of me, dead bodies littered everywhere, a woman sat on the bloody boulevard cradling her dead twin boys, she was wailing at the top of her lungs. The 17 or 18 year old twin students had been shot through the head. Where is little Pam? I felt something streaking down my left arm, it was blood.

” Kojo help me! Please help me!”

I ran towards the voice trying not to step on the litters of dead bodies on the ground how could only one man have the power to destroy so many lives? who gave him the power? I kept running towards the voice, i got to the end of the street where thousands of dead bodies had been dumped. Where is Albert? i moved bodies after bodies but i couldn’t find him. I was almost giving up when i looked up. His body, or what was left of his body was hung on a tree nearby. His manhood had been slashed off and tucked into his mouth. His legs had been cut off at the knee. I opened my mouth and screamed.

” Kojo! Kojo! ” Nma shook my sweat drenched body. ” Its okay son, its okay, its only a dream”

I sat up on my tattered mat, wiping sweat from my brows.

” Kojo what is it about? these horrible nightmares you have been having, what is it about?”

” Nothing Nma ( Mother), its just some silly things”

She gave a loud sigh and gathered me into her arms ” Son you must stop watching horror movies at your friend’ s place. They are the reason for the nightmares”

Early that morning i knocked on Npa ( Father) ‘s door, it was opened by a sleepy Afine. I greeted her and entered the hut.Afine is no longer the haughty wife she was when she newly married my father, her ‘ newness’ is slowly wearing thin so father is showing her his true colors now. My father was on his bed, he sat up and asked her to excuse us. I was shocked to the bones but i maintained my cool.

” Bonjour NPA ( Father)”

” Whatever you have to say, it better be worth it” he grumbled.

” NPA i have been having terrible nightmares concerning Albert”

He snorted. ” So you came to disturb my sleep because of that mad boy?” He made an attempt to stand up but fell back on the bed. ” Get out!”

” He’s your son! Your first son! Where is your conscience father!”? I stood up in anger, i have never talked this way to my father before but i was so angry i couldn’t help it.

” Kojo you have also grown wings ehn? You want to beat me too? ” He staggered to his feet ” In my own house? You want to climb me and ride me like a horse in my own house ehn!?

” What did we ever do to you? We used to be happy father…..although we had nothing we were happy and content with it until you decided to snatch your own son’ s girl! ” I paled at the look of horror on his face. I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out and from the look on his face he had no idea of what i was saying. Did Albert lie to me?

” Snatch whose girl! Afine? Talk to me boy! oh am getting it now! her family approached me and offered her to me! is that the reason Albert came charging at me like a mad bull? over a slip of a girl? “

I went out of the hut while he shouted at me to come back. Nma( Mother) would understand better but i was reluctant to tell her because i don’t know how she would handle it. I thought briefly of going to see cousin Mensah about the reoccurring nightmares but i decided against it. After all they were both in it. Nma ( Mother ) was washing clothes at the back of our hut, little Pam had gone to school . I took a stool and sat beside her.

” Nma ( Mother) there is something i have to tell you “

She stopped washing and gave me her full attention, anxiety was written all over her face. This was one of the reasons i was reluctant to tell her.

” What is it Kojo?”

” Nma its about……. ” i trailed of as we both heard a woman’ s voice shouting Nma’ s name at the top of her voice. Josey, a short and stocky woman in her forties ran to us. She was a distant cousin to my mother. She was also known as the town’s gossip, if you want to know the latest happening in Town all you have to do is buy her a small bottle of alcohol and she will relay every relevant and irrelevant gist to you.

” Nma Albert! What my eyes saw today you have not seen it! Wonders will never end in this our country! ” Josey exclaimed amidst pants. ” Come and see for yourself! Your Ataga ( brother_ in law) has been exposed! “

” Ataga ( brother_ in law) Kamasa?” Nma asked her.

I sighed. Women and gossip are like five and six. Kamasa is my father’ s step brother, Mensah’ s father, he is short, almost like a dwarf. He has short stumpy legs and he is as dark as sin. Fortunately for my cousins they favor their mother. Uncle Kamasa is rarely ever home, he is a hardworking farmer who is so obsessed with farming that he built a small hut there and comes home once in a while. Everyone wonders how he was able to get Mami a lovely fair skinned Ghanian lady to marry him.

Josey pulled on my mother’ s hand and they ran out of the compound, my Usain Bolt legs followed suit.

Mami sat on the bare floor crying and pulling at her hair. Ama sat on the stone step of her room, a stony expression on her face. Cousin Mensah stood arms akimbo looking at his mother. I saw my ugly looking uncle pacing up and down and muttering to himself. A crowd had gathered, since nothing good ever happens word spreads quickly like a wild fire when something does happen.

Some women tried to lift Mami up but she pushed them away. ” You have ruined my life! Kamasa you have finally done your worse! ” She cried out.

Nma and some other women lifted her up and took her to her room. I saw Albert walk into the compound and i ran up to him.

” What happened Efo( bro)” I asked.

” This morning, Mami asked Ama to sweep Ataga ( uncle) ‘ s room. Ama saw a calabash under his bed. She brought it out of curiosity to her mother. Upon seeing the calabash Mami started screaming, asking where am I? What am i doing here? She started acting weird”

” What does it mean? did Ataga( Uncle) cast a spell on her or what?”

” Obviously. she does not recognize her own children anymore. The only person she recognizes is uncle because she knew him before he cast the spell on her and brought her here to be his wife”

” Awww, that is so bad of uncle, you know i have wondered how a beautiful woman such as Mami would marry our ugly looking uncle” i said.

” The painful part is, she said she was betrothed to someone when uncle came to ask for her hand in marriage. She told him she was engaged to another and that is the only thing she remembers of the past. She has no recollection whatsoever that she has been in Togo for almost 28 years. She kept asking after her parents and when Mensah tried to hold her, she pushed him away asking who he was. Its a terrible thing”

I left my brother and went to sit beside Ama. ” come let’s go”.

I held out my hand, she hesitated for a minute or two before placing hers on mine. I led her out of the crowdy yard. We walked in silence until we got to the empty big field where football matches hold on weekend. We sat down on the green grasses quietly.

” Kojo its all my fault. Why did i show Mami the calabash? This is all my fault!” She started sobbing gently. I gathered her into my arms while she sobbed her heart out. Wow! the beautiful and sassy Ama was sobbing in my arms? Unbelievable!

” Shhhh….none of this is your fault Ama….. don’t cry now Cherie ( Sweetheart) i patted her on the back gently while my heart kept somersaulting.