"That's great to know, really impressing. Someone made yam porridge from the yams the gods kept throwing at him. Someone has made something out of the little that this forest has provided him".
"Nda! Sorry to interrupt you, but one of the men found this beside the hut" Onumara said presenting Ego with a little stem that contained some green leaves. She took a good look at this strange stem that was supposed to mean something but nothing came to mind.
"What has this got to do with the disappearance of the old lady? She asked looking surprised and pointing at the stem.
"Did you in any time come in contact with it?" Onumara asked.
"You really expect me to remember that?"
Onumara nodded to symbolize a yes.
"Well, I don't remember. Is it dangerous?" she responded.
"This plant has been responsible for keeping people lost for hours, sometimes even days without them being able to locate their way home. If one comes in contact with it, it causes delusion. Making them see things and people that are not really there. It can make one hallucinate for days and sometimes just hours; it has a different range of effect on individuals. If they are not found by other people and resuscitated by screaming out the person's name. It could lead to severe accidents, sickness, and starvation which can result in untimely death" Onumara explained.
"My fathers!" She exclaimed, "That means this is the Ndu Nkita?"
"Yes, it is. So you have heard of it before? Onumara asked.
"Of course, I have but I am not familiar with it. Have not even seen it before" She said.
"So you didn't touch any plant like this on your way into the forest that particular day? Ndubisi asked making his first contribution.
"How am I to remember that? It is like asking someone who just emerged from a stream to point at the fish that beat him on the buttocks". She replied to him with a weak smile.
"It is not like that, everyone I have seen that came in contact with the leaf remembered when they touched it and how. You can't be an exception. So slowly in your head, examine your journey right from when you entered the
forest to when you met the said old woman. I'm sure you will recall something" Onumara advised.
She took a deep breath, driving out the growing tension. Then slowly took a walk down the memory lane in search of when she probably touched the said leaf that Onumara was dangling in front of her. After a couple of seconds, it all came hitting her like rushing wind.
"Oh, I can remember" she shouted, hesitated then continued "I first came in contact with the leaf when I found Nti Ngbada. It was there beside it. I must have accidentally touched it when plucking the other leaf. It was after I touched it that I began hearing footsteps behind me which turned out to be a dog".
"Which dog?" Ndubisi interrupted.
"Ogologo, owned by the old lady I met afterward".
"Alright!" he responded.
"After the dog, I met the old lady on my way home. I helped her, we both came back to this hut that night, had dinner together and a chat. When I was pressed, I came out to urinate. That must have been when I touched it for the second time. Before I began hearing people coming and they were after me. I ran to escape from them, then met the old lady again, who then took me to that hut you described earlier where I was persecuted by my in-laws, a chief priest, and others. I woke up back at the hut" she concluded.
"That must be the reason why I found you down with severe fever. It must have been because of the prolonged exposure to cold" Ndubisi added while nodding.
"So does this mean that everything I saw and experienced after I touched the plant at the initial part of my journey to when I woke up was all an illusion?" she asked, finding it difficult to believe herself.
"Yes, they are. I know you must be finding it hard to believe but the old woman, the cute dog and every other thing you experienced were not real. They were just all in your head. The plant was messing with your mind and head" Onumara confidently assured her.
"How can you be so sure? You sound like you are talking out of experience?" she asked him.
Onumara chuckled "No, I have never had such experience but have watched people resuscitate others, have even gone out with a search party to find people lost because of it. It is common in my own village.
"So how one can prevent himself from the effect of this strange leaf?" Ndubisi asked.
"It is very simple; just make sure you have bitter kola with you. It prevents you from its effects" Onumara answered.
"Hmmm, alright," she said as her thoughts became hazier or rather clearer. The old lady, her dog, and her persecutors were all just in her head, all thanks to Ndu Nkita. She was saved and rescued by this young man and not the eerie old lady as she had assumed. She had always wondered how the old lady managed to carry her from the said grave to the hut. Turning to Ndubisi she said "Well, since the old lady we came in search of doesn't exist. We can't go back empty-handed. Ndubisi, I want you to leave this forsaken place and move in with me. My business needs a man of your skill, experience, and self-assurance".
He was flabbergasted by Ego's offer even though she had been angling for it. There is no way he is turning that down but he had to play hard a bit, so he said "I am really comfortable here. By the way, what assurance do I have that the words of my excommunication would not have gotten there?"
Ego came closer, placed her right hand on his shoulder, looking him straight in the eyes, she said "Ndubisi you saved my life, let me repay you. Come work for me, I will provide you with everything you need. I will assist you in making all your dreams come true. As for your false banishment, I will deal with that. I assure you that no one will discriminate you". She hesitated then said with finality "So what do you say? Are you in or out?"
"In" Ndubisi shouted laughing.
Ego left the Ajofia that evening with him after he had gone to pick relevant things from his hut and freed his rabbits, as he would not need them anymore. Ego thought she was doing good, repaying a debt.