Spirit daughters

My sister and best friend Nnenna was smiling at me from the edge of the world, with the beautiful serpent around her neck. I was so happy to see her again after a long time. She said she would have loved to embrace me but she couldn't. Suddenly , the happy faces of women and men adorned in white robes appeared behind her, their hands stretched out towards me . They were all smiling at me and calling my name.

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Nnenna turned to look at the people at her back and her smile Suddenly vanished. I saw the terrible fear in her eyes and she barked at me to go back home.

" Go back to mother, the time have not yet come for us to be together", Nnenna said.

" But sister I want to be with you, our people are calling me already. I haven't seen such kind faces before".

"Don't listen to them! Don't even look at them again!, Nnenna screamed in a shaky voice. I asked her why, but she told me that I wouldn't understand.

She pleaded with me to remember how her own death had caused so much sorrow to the family. " If you come with me, our family would never remain the same again, pls go back to Mom, she's waiting for you".

But i wasn't listening, I have missed my sister for a very long time and I can't afford not to see her again. But Nnenna continued to beg me to go back home. She mentioned that she took a great risk coming out to speak with someone from the land of the living and she will definitely be punished soon. She told me that she was desperately trying her best to buy me more time just because of Mom.

Before she could finish what she was saying, her immaculate gown turned red as her body became covered in blood. Her cries of agony pulled at my heart strings and I reached forward to help her .

A dark rift suddenly appear on the ground below and continued to widen the gap between me and my sister. Nnenna screamed at me to remain where I was standing.

" There's absolutely nothing you can do to help me, chioma , go back home before it's too late". Nnenna cried and blood poured out of her eyes. I became alarmed with panic seeing my beloved sister in such excruciating pain.

Nnenna repeated that she had started paying the price of disobedience for coming out to talk to me. She warned me that things could get worse for the both of us if i don't leave now. Her words stopped me in my tracks, and I took two steps backwards.

" Go back to mother, she is waiting for you. Run, go back now! " With blood in her mouth, each word she uttered shot a fresh wave of raw pain through her soul. Watching her suffer like this broke my heart into a thousand pieces.

With a heavy heart, I turned around and began to run away, screaming band crying.

I opened my eyes and saw that my room was filled with alot of people. Mum held me immediately and began to cry. I was surprised when I saw my science teacher in my bedroom. I asked what was happening and i was told that I had fainted in the school's laboratory. He explained to me that they had been trying to resuscitate me for a long time but I remained unconscious. Now, Every one was happy and praising the almighty for bringing back to life.

Mom was still holding me and I felt sorry for her. She had already buried three children . I wondered wether her life will ever remain thesame again when I finally go to join my elder sister. For indeed, I must return. I and my sister were not normal girls. We were the spirit children of the river goddess ( ogbanje) . We would finally leave the world few days before or after our 15th birthday to the spirit world were we truly belong.

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Nnenna had mentioned that she was trying to buy more time for me in the mortal world, but i wasn't happy about this. Ofcourse I don't belong here and the sooner I leave this inferior world, the happier I shall be.

I looked up and I met my father's eyes. I noticed he had also been crying and I felt sorry for him too. Suddenly his eyes flickered and a look of anger and aggressive determination appeared. He left the room without saying a word to me.

As a spirit child, I have been blessed with clairvoyance. The moment dad left the room, my instinct told me that he already knew who I was and that he was prepared to do anything just to make such I don't return to my sister in the spirit world. Cold fear gripped my heart and I began to panic.

Had Nnenna revealed herself to dad too? Had she told him how to break the curse?

Oh , how could she betray me like this..... With a sick feeling of defeat in my stomach, I held the woman who brought me to this world in a tight embrace and began to sob wildly as if my whole world had suddenly come to an end.

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Very sorry I couldn't visit your artcles yesterday. I was very busy visiting with the Eid celebration. By the time I returned home, I was so tired.. I promise to go through as much articles as I can before the end of the day.

Thanks for reading. 💖💖