In the Lagos Local News (LLN) of Nigeria, Father Christmas was in an interview with a male journalist. "Good morning dear Lagosians. My name is Francis Ebuka and right beside me is the Father Christmas of our beloved Lagos", the journalist began, "Good Morning Sir", he greeted the Father Christmas.
"Good Morning to you too", Father Christmas smiled cheerfully.
"It's an honour to have you here", said the journalist. Father Christmas smiled and nodded his head in response. "So...the normal tradition whenever it's December 1st, you tell Lagosians what they should be expecting during Christmas", the journalist gestured.
"Well...", Father Christmas looked up in thought, "I decided there will be assorted gifts this year unlike the previous six years", he replied.
"Assorted?", Francis became amused, "This year's Christmas is surely going to be the best one yet for all Lagosians", he said. Father Christmas grinned at him. "And yes! The Lagos Local News is wishing you a successful wedding ceremony coming up on Saturday", he said to Father Christmas.
"Thank you so much! I'm inviting the LLN to my wedding ceremony as well", he said amicably. Both he and Francis Ebuka chuckled over it.
"I'll make sure to attend your wedding ceremony", Francis promised him.
The television was switched off. An angry man that was watching the news stamped his foot on the floor angrily. "The woman I love is the one you took away from me and now you want to marry her. I'll never met that happen", she said to himself. He got up from his sofa and went to the restroom. He was in his bedroom.
* * *
At night, he sat on the floor. He kept an idol in front of him. He held a silvery bowl high up and made some incantations.
He then picked up the picture of the man who was the Father Christmas and showed it to the idol. "I want this man to die, on the day of his Bachelors Party", he said to the idol. He covered the bowl with his palm and when he removed it, there was fire burning in the bowl.
He made the tip of the picture get in contact with the fire and it was being burnt up slowly. He left the picture to drop into the bowl and it got completely consumed in the fire. "What do you have that I don't?", he picked up the bowl from the floor, "Thought she was going to marry me but then you came, and I got out of the picture", he spoke to the bowl. He kept the bowl on the floor and bowed down to his idol.
"I hail you great one!", he worshipped his idol.
* * *
He paid the Father Christmas a visit. He waited in the sitting room. The house was a beautiful mansion. Father Christmas was a very affluent person.
Father Christmas walked down the stairs and saw his dear friend. "Joseph! What a pleasant surprise!", he opened his arms wide for a hug. They hugged each other.
"How are you doing Obinna?", Joseph asked him with a grin.
"You know I prefer being called Father Christmas", Obinna giggled.
"I'm your close friend so get used to Obinna", Joseph chuckled. Obinna gestured for him to have a seat and he did. Obinna told one of his servants to bring them Champagne. He had his own seat.
"Your opening your new school tomorrow right?", he asked.
"Yes oh! But it won't stop me from attending your Bachelors party tomorrow", Joseph replied feeling excited.
"Can't wait to get married, then I'll concentrate on the Christmas presents to give my dear Lagosians", said Obinna.
"You spend a lot of money every Christmas. Doesn't it affect your business growth?", Joseph got curious.
"No!", he giggled, "What surprises you? I own over 20 farms, very big commercial farmlands. With the profit I make every year, preparing Christmas gifts for the whole Lagos is nothing to me. Expenditure on Christmas gifts is one out of ten of my profit every year", he explained.
"Woah!", Joseph exclaimed in amazement, "You got a new Father Christmas outfit for this year?", he asked.
"Nah! I love the one I used last year a lot", Obinna replied. The servant came with the Champagne and served it to both of them in glass cups.
Joseph had his first sip and loved the drink. "The taste is wonderful", he said to his friend.
"Not as wonderful as you", Obinna praised him.
"Oh no! You've come again with your compliments", he laughed.
"But at least they're true", replied Obinna. Both of them laughed over it.
* * *
Joseph was at home in the evening with a man of about his age in the sitting room. Joseph also lived in a beautiful mansion and was very rich like Obinna. The only difference was Joseph got his affluence through the black arts. The visitor had finished up the job he was sent to do and had come to get his money from Joseph.
"I've completed the job Sir. I completed it this afternoon Sir", said the visitor.
"That's good. You finished up the task on time. There will be bonus for that", Joseph felt impressed.
"Thank you very much Sir", he knelt on the floor to thank Joseph.
"Please sit up", Joseph chuckled at him, "while I go get your money", he got up and climbed up the stairs levelly.
When he got to his room, he went to his wardrobe and opened it. He moved some of his clothes on coat hangers to the left and the rest to the right. A dead body of a young boy was behind the clothes. He murmured some chants before he placed his palm on the forehead of the body.
"Bring out 100k for me", he said to the corpse. The corpse opened its mouth very wide and two bundles of money came out of its body to its mouth and Joseph picked them up.
He took his clothes back to their position to conceal the corpse and he closed his wardrobe. He went out of his room, closing the door behind him.
He gave the visitor the two bundles when he got to the sitting room. "That's a hundred thousand", he handed it over and had his seat.
"Really?!", the visitor exclaimed in surprise, "That's double of what was agreed on", he reminded Joseph.
"I know...the other 50k is for completing your job before the time I expected it should be done", replied Joseph.
"Thank you very much Sir. God bless you", the visitor wanted to kneel down but Joseph stopped him from doing so.
"Yeah! God will bless me", he said dramatically. He felt uncomfortable within after hearing that name.
* * *
Just the second day of December but the whole of Lagos had already begun their preparations for the Christmas coming up. That year's Christmas was already seen as one that would be the most special yet because everyone had in mind the promise of Father Christmas; there would be assorted presents that year.
Everything was being broadcast on LLN, who also broadcast about Father Christmas Bachelors party the next day. The event was to be held at his home from 7pm. Father Christmas who was also watching the news giggled when they started talking about his Bachelors party.
He felt sleepy and yawned greatly. He switched off the television, got up, heading straight for his bedroom to sleep. That was about 9pm.
By midnight, he had a nightmare where he was being chased after by the devil. He was panting and sweating profusely, even outside dream world.
He hid behind a tree and the devil ran past him without seeing him. They were in the woods at night all alone. Obinna thought he had lost the devil and went out of his hiding place. He traipsed for a while in the woods, looking round to avoid being pounced on by surprise.
A hand with very long sharp claws tapped at his back. He swallowed dryly in fear and turned behind to see who it was. As soon as he did so, he was thrusted through at the chest with the claws. It was the devil again! It took out its claws from his chest and he fell down to the ground with blood gushing out of his chest.
Outside dream world, he was shivering violently on his bed. In dream world, because of his hesitation to give up his ghost, the devil thrusted through him again at the same spot with its claws. Immediately, he gave up the ghost.
At the same time in reality, Obinna stopped shivering suddenly and that was how he died. He laid lifeless with his mouth wide open.
* * *
By the early hours of daytime, the news of his death had already spread all over Lagos, and then gradually in Nigeria as a whole.
The Lagosians were provoked by the news of his death. At that moment, preparations for Christmas had stalled. His wedding was automatically called off abruptly.
Joseph was very happy watching the news. He saw Father Christmas supposed wife-to-be shedding tears as she replied to some questions from the probing journalists. He smiled at the TV. "If not me, no one else can marry you", he said.
He switched off his television. "Got an opening ceremony I'm hosting", he said. He was already dressed up and he left his house.
Christmas that year did not go according to plan for the Lagosians. It was celebrated though, but not as much as it would have been if Father Christmas had not died. All the assorted gifts promised, they knew they were never getting them. But what about next year?