The peals of thunder drowned out my shout as I woke up from my slumber. I sat upright with a bolt, sweating profusely under my blanket. My chest heaved as I panted, every breath making rasp sounds as they passed through my lips. My heart pounded loudly as if trying to reproduce the sounds of the talking drum that my father was fond of playing. "It's the same dream again…". My mind raced as I recalled the vision I kept having over and over again for the past few months. "It's getting more and more frequent. Shey I won't have to go and see a priest like this?" I thought, totally dreading such an experience. The thought of priests always left goosebumps on my skin. Their garments and masks are creepy, as if hiding something on their faces from the world. Which is why I tended to avoid going to see them for whatever reason as much as possible. Whatever they were hiding, as long as it didn't affect me, was none of my business.
I got up and washed my face in the basin before walking over to the refrigerator and grabbing myself a bottle of water. "I would need to tell grandfather about this re-occurring dream. It's too ominous and getting too frequent." I concluded as I downed the bottle's contents. The rain kept falling and the thunder rumbled on in the distance as if waking me up was the main purpose for its earlier presence. "Nawa for this thunder oh. But I guess I should be grateful." I sigh and mutter a quick prayer of thanks and protection to Eledumare. Mom always said that I should learn to continually thank Olorun and ask Him for His mercies every day. Now it's become a habit, whether I liked it or not, to constantly mutter such prayers in the face of major or minor events.
I returned to my room and prepared to sleep again. After continuously tossing and turning, I finally managed to fall into a deep sleep. But it seemed fatigue had taken over my entire body because I didn't wake up when the rooster crowed or when my alarm rang and it was not till I heard a great booming voice saying "Dide, my friend!" that I opened my eyes to see my father staring at me from my bedroom door. Instantly I looked out my window and saw how high the sun was in the sky and instantly panicked. I literally jumped out of bed, greeted my father the traditional way by prostrating and saying "Ekaaro Baba." Then ran straight for the bathroom. I had a quick shower while brushing my teeth, which is a very arduous task if you don't know what you're doing, and dressed up in my simple black and red hooded buba and cream cargo shorts. I grabbed my boots from the rack and raced downstairs with them in my hand. As I got downstairs, I saw my mother, serving up a bowl of pap and akara to my father who, it seemed, had only come up to wake me. "E kaaro iya." I greeted; my back slightly bent with my body leaning forward in prostration as I dashed into the kitchen to grab my breakfast. "Kaaro omo mi (My child). And hurry up, you're going to be late." My mother called after me as I disappeared into the kitchen. "Young man, hurry up and eat something quickly. You'll need it today. And haven't I told you to stop sleeping late?" My father berated while pouring honey into his pap and tossing an akara into his mouth. "I'm sorry, baba. I was studying for the exams." I said sheepishly as I walked out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl of pap in my hands. I could tell from my mother's worried face that I did not look good. I could almost see the bags under my eyes reflecting in her pupils. "It's good that you're studying but you also need to create time for rest. I'm just thanking God that this is the last one before the holidays. After this please make sure to get some sound rest, sho ti gbo?" She said. "Yes ma," I replied. My mother's care can be adorable. But also it can be downright embarrassing. Thankfully today was one of the better days.
"Wasn't it you that said he should read more and study harder to make up for his inability to perform Juju- Yeee!" My father's hand turned bright red because it got smacked by my mother's serving spoon for attempting to take his eighth akara. And also, for tactlessly bringing up a sensitive topic. I sighed and continued eating as if I was fine. Truthfully, I was not. I had just been reminded of how different I am from everyone else. So different I became a laughingstock and a byword amongst my peers. Unlike everyone else, I couldn't use juju. The ashe I gathered to perform it won't manifest. Which makes for a humiliating moment during practical classes. I sometimes try not to stand out during classes but for some reason or the other, the teachers would often call on me to use as a punching bag for practical demonstrations. Of course, I never told my parents. Telling them won't solve the issue at its core. So I just let it be.
Mother gave Father the stink eye and started questioning and berating him for his lack of tact in talking about such a sensitive topic and also for daring to finish the Akara she made without even letting my baby sister taste it. As they squabbled with themselves, I quickly glanced at my watch, put on my boots, said goodbye to my parents, and rushed out of the compound. Since I was nearly late, I needed to move quickly. I channeled ashe into my legs and began to run. Using this method, I would be able to save time on the trip to school. A trip that would take thirty minutes at a brisk pace was covered in twelve minutes. I looked at the time, inwardly cheering that I still had ten minutes till the exams for today started. And even though it was a practical exam and I could not use juju, I was confident in my skills. I quickly entered the school grounds and, while ensuring I was safe from a particular group of… people, I made my way to the exam hall.