Howard had always admired Historia.
From his childhood, he had always fancied the girl. He loved the way her nose stood straight, her lips soft and plush, her eyes white shiny balls, her waist thin, her hips wide and round, her breasts firm and her buttocks plump.
He was literally in love with Historia, she was everything he wanted in a woman.
Although Howard had always admired Historia, he never found the courage to approach her, to profess his love to her. This could be because he himself was nothing to write home about.
He was short, stout and muscled. His nostrils were big, his hair was balding, his mouth wide and his eyes so small that it looked as if he squints before he is able to see. Also, he had a skin that looked ashy and dry no matter the oil he applied on it. He looked like a bad version of a dwarf.
In fact, he was ugly. Everyone knew this, and he himself knew it, too.
Now, not only was Howard ugly, he was poor too. He hardly had money to feed himself, talk more of another person. He had no huge farmland, or many farm animals and he had no yam barn.
Everyone in the village, especially mothers, often subdued their stubborn and offending children by threatening to take them to live with Howard.
“If you don’t behave,” they would say, “I will drag you to Howard’s house this evening and he will give you the beating of your life. And after that, he will force you to live with him.”
Perhaps, the reason why he never approached Historia was because he believed that she would never love him because of his hideous look and financial status. And also, maybe because she had other rich and handsome young men to her beck and call.
One day, on his way to the farm, he saw her in front of her father’s house, feeding the enclosed cattle with foliage.
Her looks captivated him again. He wanted to see her brown eyes, her soft skin and her beautiful face up close. He desired that.
Gathering up courage, he approached her for the first time.
Immediately Historia laid eyes on him, smile left her face. It was evident that she didn’t want anything to do with him.
“Hey, fine girl,” said Howard in his booming voice. “My name is Howard, and I a–”
“I know,” Historia interrupted. “But why would I care?”
“I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little better,” He said, smiling though he was ashamed.
“I’d rather talk to these cows,” She replied before turning, and then heading into her father’s hut.
Because of her attitude towards him, and his own desire for her, Howard swore that he would teach her a lesson by making her love him.
So, the next day, he visited the shrine of Angeles the most powerful medicine man of their village.
He told the man that he wanted something that could make a girl fall head over heels in love with a man. The old man just smiled, revealing the missing tooth of his mouth, before assuring Howard that he had the right thing. The man held up a small wrap containing a powdery substance. He told Howard that the substance was a love charm a love potion. He hastily grabbed the wrap, and paid for it.
Before Howard left, the man told him that he only needed to add a pinch of the substance to the food of the girl he wanted. The man warned him not to add more than a drop, otherwise he would regret it.
Historia usually ate outside her father’s obi, Howard knew this. So, the next night, while she left her food to go and grab water from inside, he sneaked into their compound to pour the substance into her food. Fearing that the little he added might be ineffective, he poured the whole content into her food. After that, he sneaked back to his own house.
The next morning, Howard awoke to find Historia waiting for him outside his hut. Immediately she laid eyes on him, she smiled. And her eyes glittered with love, her pupils dilating. Before he could say a word, she threw herself on him, and began to kiss him.
He led her into his house and they spent the morning kissing, cuddling and making love. Towards afternoon, Historia left to feed their hungry cattle.
That same evening Simon, Howard’s best friend came to visit him. He broke the terrible news to him.
Historia had died!
She had mistakenly opened the cattle enclosure and the hungry animals stampeded and mauled her with their hoofs and sharp horns. Their legs squished her head to a bloody pulp and she died on the spot.
Howard spent the whole evening crying. As night fell, he began to get over her death, but he still found himself unable to sleep. As he laid in bed, tossing and turning, he suddenly felt a presence in his hut. Turning over, he was horrified to find the ghostly figure of Historia standing by his door. When she raised her head, he realized that the skin of her face had been ripped off, revealing the bones underneath.
Before he could react, she jumped atop him and began to kiss him passionately, mashing her bony teeth and mutilated lips against his own. She loved him even in death!
He screamed and screamed but she didn’t let go until morning. When an exhausted, disgusted and terrified Howard finally came out of his hut the next morning, he was surprised to see Historia’s father waiting for him.
Immediately the wrinkly old man saw him, he jumped onto his body and began to kiss him.
The man must have eaten the remainder of his daughter’s food, and was affected by the charm. The old man didn’t let Howard go, he even dragged Howard inside to continue with their loving and kissing.
Towards afternoon, the old man finally left. And when Howard came out, he was horrified to find at least thirty rats in front of his hut. Even before he could talk, the long tailed, sharp toothed, hairy and long eared rodents jumped on him, slithering and wiggling themselves all over him.
They must have gone through the used plates of Historia.
They didn’t let go until very late at night, and during this time, Historia returned again.
Everyday, Historia’s old father, the rats and Historia’s ghost returned to Howard in the morning, afternoon and night, respectively to make love with him. They did this until the end of his life.