The Mermaid

Episode 8

Agnes suddenly jerked up, panting heavily.
“No! God forbid!I reject it in Jesus name!!” She whispered, looking around.

She just had a terrifying dream of her baby, Victoria…. falling inside a well.

What could that mean?

Jumping up from bed, she ran out of the room.!

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As soon as her hands touched the baby’s neck,she heard Agnes leaving the bed and running straight towards the children’s room.

In a flash,she left the baby’s side and the door burst open as Agnes bounced in, running to her baby.

She carried her and heaved a sigh of relief then looked around.

Everyone was asleep and everywhere was so quiet.

She carried her baby and walked out of the room.

As soon as she left, Cassandra sat up her eyes glowing with fierce anger….

The next morning,Agnes came into the children’s room and woke them up.
She bathed them and clothed Cassandra in a pyjamas promising her she would go back and bring her cloth for her from their house.
Cassandra acted total meekness, crying at every given opportunity.

Later that morning after breakfast,she could hear Osmond’s angry voice in their room,argueing with Agnes.

“Don’t tell me that girl is going to stay with us from now on! Are you out of your mind,Agnes?” Osmond fired furiously. He was yelling.

“Osmond,calm down and listen to me! That girl is my late friend’s only daughter! She has nobody else now! What do you want me to do?

“To abandon her? Throw her into the circus? To pretend I don’t even know her? Let me tell you ,I won’t do it! I will not!”Agnes yelled back.

She was actually furious. How could he be so mean and callous?
“Okay. We will k I who will surfer feeding an extra mouth in this house.

Stupid woman with chicken brain! Nonsense!” Osmond spat out, storming out of the room.

He saw Cassandra who stared back at her in the living room,hissed and walked out.
Cassandra closed her eyes in fury as a voice rang in her mind.

He is the next to go…..

Agnes burst into sobs at the kind of insults she was getting from someone who said he was her husband.

How could she have married such a man?
She knew it was God’s way of punishing her and she was prepared to live by it.

Cassandra stayed in her own in the children’s room, sitting on her foam and staring into space.

The thought of Osmond filled her mind with irritation, permission to kill and evil.

How could he have made such references about her?

An extra mouth?

Well,we would see who an extra mouth is. She would deal with him and send him to his early grave.

The smell of Agnes’s food from the kitchen reached her nose and filled her with another hatred.

She tightened her wrist, knotting them into a tight fist.

Only if she could throw it away,far into the river…..

The people she had killed so far appeared in front of her, crying out blood and trying to reach her but couldn’t.

They were drowning, drowning and drowning.
She stared at them,in front of her crying and crying but their voice couldn’t disturb her.
She saw her grandmother,her first victim,crying angrily at her. She smiled mockingly as though she was watching film.

Then something occurred to her.

Danny,her dad was not among bit every other person was.

Aunty Aishat…her mum….what of her dad? Was it possible he couldn’t be among?

Well,she will go to sleep and ask queen mother. Cassandra layed down and her eye lids fluttered down,then she went into a deep sleep,to journey into the water kingdom.

Agnes finished cooking and brought the food into the dinning. She had a provision store which continued to blossom everyday even though she made large expenses from it.
Infact she was planning to employ a sales girl to help her with the sales.

Victor ran to the table, jumping up to sit down.”Mummy,carry me.” He said in his little voice.

Agnes looked down at him and smiled.
“Go inside your room and call Cassandra. Then you can come and sit down. Big boy!”Agnes said, playing with his cheeks before he ran off, going towards the room.
Victor playfully entering into their room,calling Cassandra.

He got to Cassandra’s side and hit her lightly on the arm.
“Cassandra! Mummy say we should come and eat!”Victor called bending over Cassandra who remained as still as death. She was fast asleep and only the the trumpet of life could awake her.

Victor started playing with her hair, making the sound of “voooooom” with his mouth.
He knotted her hair laughing and called her again.”Cassandra wake up leh go an eat!” He said but there was no reply.
He looked at her neck and saw her medallion.
“wow I…love it!” He cried out in jubilation and lifted the medallion, twisting it here and there, playing with it.

Suddenly,it came loose. Victor stopped as the medallion fell on his little hand.
“Aahhhh.” He said and stood up. He swayed the medallion here and there with it’s rope, running around the room and playing with it.

He hit his leg against the drawer and fell, hitting his head on the floor.

The medallion rolled away from his hand and sank into the little crack on the wall.

As soon as Victor burst into tears, Cassandra jerked up from sleep…….