Calabash of the gods(2)
I arrived in front of a broken statue, it was probably that of some obscure deity, for it was one I knew not of. There was a rundown building at the back of it. I could faintly sense the presence of lesser evil spirits in the area and the faint scent of stale divine Agbara. It instantly reminded me of my time in a shrine belonging to the 'people beyond the river'. This further increased my vigilance. I approached the building with my machete out and a charm between my fingers, ready to strike out at any moment.
Pushing open the door to the building, I was surprised to see two people inside. An old man and a young woman standing at different corners of the room. The latter was covered from head to toe in a red cloth with only her eyes visible from a tiny slit. On her head was a colorful headdress and her waist was adorned with all sorts of beads with some even emitting some semblance of Agbara. She was sure to be someone of status, which made it even odder that she was presumably traveling alone, unless she was some sort of patron of this shrine The former was dressed simply in worn-out clothes and trousers, on his right hand was a bucket and on his left hand was a staff almost all tall as himself. It was adorned with all sorts of paraphernalia, some that even I could not identify, making me come to the conclusion that he was some kind of Babalawo(5) in charge of this shrine.
"At ease, youngling, we are of no harm to you. Would you mind not standing there gawking like a guinea fowl and closing the door? I very much detest this ghastly wind." The old man said.
Snapping out of it, I noticed my machete was still clenched around my hand while I stood at the door, gawking like a fool despite the rain pouring inside. Embarrassed, I shut the door and apologized to them
"Ema binu(6). I was just surprised to find someone inside that's all. After all, this path does not seem to have been visited by people in a while." I prostrated before the old man and acknowledged the presence of the female with a nod, before setting my things besides a stone slab.
"Humph. There is not a place upon the surface of the earth and Oorun(7) you will not find men in, young man. They are parasites and cockroaches, capable of etching out their existence even in the most dung-filled corners. If you can find this place, naturally so can we." The old man scolded me.
I scratched my head in embarrassment and found a place to sit down far away from the door. It was a miracle it remained shut despite the heavy rainfall outside.
"It is a miracle this building is still standing, despite the strong winds. From the way it looked from the outside, it did not seem particularly sturdy. At least the roof should have been blown away by now, right?" My heart was filled with suspicion, coupled with the number of lesser spirits and stale divine Agbara outside only served to further cement my suspicions.
'Also, I saw no footprints on my way into the shrine. If they came here because of the rain, there should still be signs of mud at the door mat but there are none, it is like these people just suddenly appeared inside this shrine. It is best to be vigilant, these people are clearly not ordinary.' I swallowed my spit and creased my brows, my worry was written all over my face for all to see.
I clutched my bag and brought my machete closer to me, ready to strike in case anything happened. Ignoring the individuals around me, I sat cross-leg while setting up a barrier using some of my warding salt. I did not notice the smirk on the old man's face when he saw my actions. When I was sure I had made enough preparations, I calmed down and I prepared to use this opportunity to rest a bit, sleep was out of the option though.
' I am almost out of warding salt. I can only use what has been left for a barrier once or twice again. But I have no choice, who knows what these sketchy people would do to me if I fall asleep.'
Sitting down, listening to the rain, I could not help but reminisce about my adventure thus far. From leaving the homeland, to entering the Lands Begotten by the Seven Eyes, to crossing the river and arriving in a foreign land. When I left ILE, I had companions with me, but now, I am the only one left. The rest had been killed or captured by one thing or the other in that god-forsaken land. It all felt so surreal.
' They were men I selected, friends of mine, and I led them all to their deaths. I have no idea what I would tell their families when I get back. That they died serving the realm? I have no idea if any of that is even true.' All I was told when we left the homeland in search of the whereabouts of the calabash, was that it was meant to save the life of the princess.
'Maybe we were sent on a ghost-chase, meant to kill us all. But one thing is for sure, that calabash is very important to that shrine.' These thoughts made me feel frustrated, tired, and sleepy.
I shook my head and rubbed my eyes to get rid of the feeling to no avail. The sound of the rain, the cold, and the musky scent in the air, all slowly but surely lured me toward the arms of the goddess of Sleep.
'By the gods, what is happening? I lived in the garrison for months, there is no way I lack the such discipline that I would fall asleep. It must be the work of something otherworldly.' I shook my head once more to get rid of the feeling, vaguely realizing that the urge to sleep was not natural.
Panicking, I tried to pry open my heavy eyelids but they refused to budge as if the hands of daring little spirits closed them shut. I tried to stand up to no avail, my legs were as heavy as a log. I tried to scream but no sound came out.
'It must be these two, they did something to me, but how? I used the warding salt to…'
As I started to doze off, I could faintly discern the sounds of incantation accompanied by an eerie but beautiful song in the background.
"Sleep, young one. Sweet dreams are poison." I heard the voice of the old man say, Then, I fell to the ground with a thud, barely mouthing off a curse at him.
5-A priest or a master of the mystic arts.
6-Do not be angry.
7- Heaven or the dwelling place of the deities.