By Amie Sillah Magi He visited his brother and confided in him. He found his brother dozing on his settee and he woke him up. “You startled me! What’s up my brother?” Maga asked as he robbed his eyes. “You know you are the only blood brother of the same parents I have in this whole wide world.” “I know.” “Thank you for the love you showed me throughout the years with my family. I’ve come formally to inform you that the mansion the girls’ spouses built for me is now completed and I’ll transfer in a week’s time; you can take charge of the Qur’an recitation at the new compound. The girls and their husbands will come by the weekend.” Magi gave Maga D5000, a crate of soft can drinks and two kilos of Kola nuts. “Our family is blessed Allah has clapped for us and as it is said as progress is realized jealousy and grudge increases in the midst of poverty and squalor. We have to find ‘juju’ to fortify ourselves and you have to permit me to paint the whole town red, God has done it for us and I am happy for us; I trust our in-laws ,these boys are equal to the task.” “Allah will protect his children; I’ll not go to any witch doctor for any juju. My hands are clean,” Magi posited. Magi called Sap. “She has gone to her parents’ village to attend a wedding ceremony, I’ll inform her of the good news when she arrived.” “Please do.” “Also greet all my nieces and their husbands, greet them for me O!” Alone Maga seethed with anger. “This cannot be, over my dead body! How can I stoop over my dull, ‘munku’ brother? That can never be!” He swore. Tragedy Jaa is heartbroken as she rolled upon the ground held by Sap and her friend Yaa Baajen. “No! This cannot be! How? No!” “Allah give and take as we are all pilgrims on earth. Magi was a good man, husband and father, may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace,” Yaa consoled her friend. “Magi was never sick, how could he just die like that? He slept and never woke up!” She wailed and rushed to get into the room where his corpse is laid. “Let me go and wake him up, he cannot die, the mansion is ready, the children and their husbands are to come by the weekend, Magi! You cannot do this to us!” Jaa wept bitterly. Maga He wept. “My brother dead! No it cannot be true! Allah where are you? This is not natural, it is the work of the devil and I’ll surely dig into it; how can my brother die just like that? How can my healthy brother die in his sleep? Those who do not want to see progress in our family will die of grudge.” The Boys “This is not fair O! How can uncle die in his sleep? Such a nice, peaceful man, he never shows us any grudge despite the treatment his brother our father showed him, he shares everything he has with us encouraging our in-laws to financially support us. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace, amen O! Amen!” The boys wept bitterly. The Guests Spouses arrived and found a compound filled to the brim. “What is happening here?” The girls asked, scared with eyes wide opened. “Your father did not wake up this morning and still refused to wake up!” Mama explained through sobs. The girls dropped onto the ground fainted. Each spouse held his wife. “Water! Water! Bring water and now!” The spouses shouted. “Hold your wives I don’t want triple tragedies in our compound,” Cow Maga posited. “Water!Water!” The boys shouted but their dad looked sternly into their eyes. The women brought water for the girls. After the Burial “This is not a natural death, Papa was never sick, he was very healthy and it happened just when you are about to go and occupy the new mansion. I suspect foul play but Allah is not asleep, the criminal within or without will one day confess and be exposed for life,” I.J posited through sobs. “Papa is an epitome of peace in this village, may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.” Sura prayed. The girls sobbed uncontrollably as their husbands counseled them. “Take heart, all will be well with this blessed family, Papa and Mama have worked hard to build it up through thick and thin. Let us hold ourselves together for Mama’s sake to make her bear the irreparable loss,” Tunde advised. “Mama has to quickly relocate to the new house immediately because Papa’s presence is all over the place,” Sura posited. “Papa’s spirit will haunt down his assassins,” T.J posited. Maga At night in bed, he contemplated to also kill Jaa. “She is blocking my way to get the in-laws to buy me a new truck and also to refurbish my house; I’ll deal with her sooner than later.” Baabalawo (Witch Doctor) “I want you to kill his wife just as you’ve kill him,” Maga requested. “That is an uphill task Jaa’s spirit is very strong as a woman with a clean heart and of faith but I’ll try to make another poison, try me in a month’s time,” Baaba posited. “I am happy with the task you’ve perform so far so good,” Maga posited and left. Hallucination He hallucinated to have seen Magi’s apparition talking and warning him. “Maga! Maga! Desist from evil act, I have the power to kill you but I’ll not as my only blood brother, leave my wife and family alone, what else do you want from my family?” He screamed and apparently the apparition disappeared. Baabalawo (Witch Doctor) “The apparition appeared to me last night. What am I going to do?” “I’ll give you a charm to tied him up and he’ll never appear to you again.” “You better do, I am very pissed off with my brother’s ghost,” Maga complained. He gave him some powder to be sprinkled at the back door of the mansion. “If you sprinkled the powder Jaa as she treads on it will die.” “Are you sure?” “Do you doubt me and my charms? Go home and listen to the good news.” Alone “What you sow is what you reap! I am not part of it O! I am just paid to do this work for you.” Baabalawo posited. At Night As soon as it is dark, Maga went to sprinkle the powder at the back door of the new house. As soon as it is done a figure in white robe swept the dust and sprinkles it at his back door. In the Morning Jaa came out and inspected the whole compound, she shook her head. “Magi! Where are you my husband? They killed you to prevent you from enjoying the sweat of our brow but they have failed miserably, you are now in the bosom of the Lord, rest in perfect peace,” she prayed for her husband. To be Cont. ]]>
