By Jessica-Ken:
☆☆
10 – NARI
The bird transformed, and Olamma was seated on his bed.
“Jesus!” Obiajulum shouted, staring for a moment—before asking, “What do you want?”
The girl ignored his question, and said, “I am Nari.”
He asked, “Na what?”
The girl repeated, “Nari,”
Obiajulum gulped. “But you’re Olamma,”
The girl nodded.
“You told us your name was Olamma.”
Nari laughed. “I gave you that name so my true form wouldn’t be known. I am a princess—over a thousand years old—birthed from two worlds.” She brought her head down, and said, “I am half human—half mermaid—she looked up at him—I am next to her demoness, my mother.” She ended with a snarl, “I am… NARI!”
Obiajulum felt his blood boil. “Just what do you want from me?”
She chuckled. “In my kingdom, we go not with the years human do.” She ignored his question still.
“Haven’t you had enough?”
Nari cackled at his enraged voice. “You haven’t seen…”
She was dragged out and pushed to the floor, this making her growl and say, “You’ll pay for this, mark my words! I will not let you humiliate me—”
The room was quiet again as she disappeared.
**
Nari visited Nnando’s home that same day. She took possession of her body and led her to where Adanne was. Nnando made a hissing sound, walking into her room—Adanne was having a bad dream where she was being chased by an old woman with a knife. The old woman was getting closer, and she screamed, jerking up. “N-Nnando?” Her friend raced towards her, grabbing her by the neck. “Nn-Nna—Nnando—”
She gagged and struggled, staring death in the face, as she clawed at her friend’s hands.
Nnando strangled Adanne and made to the kitchen to grab a knife. She hurried upstairs where the kids were, grabbing the little one as she slit his throat while his brother watched.
Chiaobi was terrified seeing his baby brother lying lifeless. He made to run, but his mother’s friend got him too. Slitting his throat, he was gone in a flash. Nari having accomplished her mission… slit Nnando’s throat and had her joining them, while she appeared back at Obiajulum’s house.
Obiajulum was devastated as she told him everything. He cursed the day she ever came into their home, and was blinded instantly as the girl disappeared.
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Wretched>>>Miserable, unhappy, afflicted—distressed.
Obiajulum’s life was meaningless—all the riches he had acquired over the years could do not a thing to help him regain his sight. He couldn’t do anything but stay at home, where his parents took it upon themselves to take care of him.
Many times he was accused—of using his wife for ritual, and killing his sons, only for it to go bad—his late wife’s mother adding to the pain, often times accusing him of killing her daughter and grandkids. “You must produce my daughter, you son of a devil!” she’d yell. “All this wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t slept with that harlot—”
Obiajulum would think of her words and weep, remembering his life before. “You have won,” he thought of the pains he was made to bear. “You have really won—”
The chief priest and his cohorts beamed, seeing the wretched life they had brought…
✍️
Not every story has a happy ending…
~Wretchedly Rich
❣️ Jessica ✍️ Duru ❣️