I went back to the church to pick up my bike and rode straight to the hotel. I was a few minutes late, and luckily for me when I got there, the manager was called away for some emergency, one in which I had no idea about.
I quickly used the key, which I copied, to sneak into his office. I took the glass casing housing the painting down from the wall. and then I carefully removed it.
I put the casing back up and took the folded painting with me. My head was feeling a bit hey but I dragged myself to my locker and put the painting there and went to work.
The seminar was over for the day, and I went home with the painting.
my head was heavy, I felt like a hammer was hitting it from behind.
I left my bicycle and took the bus home.
i was just stepping into the compound when i saw the landlord,
He was with a couple and their daughter.
They were checking out the house, and when I came in, I ignored them and went straight to my parents' room. They followed and entered the house. I could hear them walk to check the kitchen and my room. The landlord was talking to me.
I could still hear his voice, but he seemed far away,
He was yelling that "I should leave by Monday". which was tomorrow.
I only wanted to feel better at this moment, so I took out the box from the closet and set it on the bed. I was still holding the map in my hand when my body temperature began to rise, so I decided to take a nap before checking how the map was related to the box.
My eyes were closing dreamily when I heard my name being called.
The voice grew louder and louder until I opened my eyes.
I was still wearing my blue packet shirt and black jeans, but i wasn't in Nigeria, i wasn't in my house,
This did not feel like my parents' bed. I was lying on some rocks, and as I looked around I saw carvings on the rock that enveloped me,
The rock looked like ice.
The carvings looked like that of people, not humans to be exact, but a different kind of people. I jumped in horror as I saw the person standing in front of me,
he wasn't normal, he looked like a human had a baby with an elephant.
He was as frightened as I was, when I jumped up.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
He looked at me like I was insane, asking him that kind of question.
"What happened to me?" I asked him, ``why am I here?"
"You fell off a cliff, so I brought you here to heal," he said. "Why are you asking all these questions?"
why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, still frightened. He walked closer now, his eyes wide scanning me, they were blue, like this please.
"It was my fault you fell, i chose the path, we should have followed through the marshes, but I felt you would like the bridge better, i did not know it was bad, I did not know you would fall."
I move my body and drop down, this is supposed to be purgatory. Father Timothy said if i did not repent from cussing, I would end up here, that is the only explanation, i don't buy the idea of me falling, the cold in this place is getting to me,
This is a kind of punishment for stealing the flowery painting, I am dead! "Oh, am I dead! I say out loud.
How? the human elephant person asked.
He looked confused. "you must have hit your head too bad. This is all my fault your father will have me thrown to the lions. I don't want to die. He begged, kneeling and holding my leg."
Confused I announced. "but my father is dead.
And there is no way he would do such a thing, I tell the human elephant person."
"Your father is not dead, he continued. cried this time louder than before. He was certain I had hit my head and my memories were damaged. I listened to his lamentation as he cried out to no end.
This could be staged before my punishment, this could be a reaction test, maybe i wasn't fully damned, i could still be saved if i show compassion for his plight, this is a test.
"Okay, I say, I will talk to my father about it, there will be no punishment for you.
"But you have to help me get well."
"I will," he said.
We walked out of the ice cave, and the whole place was covered in ice. this is the north pole, I said.
The human person was terrified now. he said. "We should go see someone about your head. It would be a problem if we went back home like this."
In my head, purgatory was supposed to be a desert where the sun was burning hot over your head, not a place where you would freeze to death, "which way is faster? I ask him now.
I wanted to see if he was lying to me, or if he was my tormentor. I will follow him to see the father of mine he has been talking about. I know one thing for certain, if this is not purgatory, then this is a dream. and I am still on my parents' bed, I am still sleeping.