Episode 1

It's now five years since Uju graduated from the university and she has not been able to find a job. Not that she has not been working, but mostly, she could only find menial jobs which paid her pennies. One of the jobs even paid her as little as N15,000. There was even a time she worked at a nursery school as a teacher, collecting only N10,000 monthly. The last job she did was working as a waitress at a hotel. Her salary as a waitress was N20,000 monthly. The money was not enough, but she was just using the job to pass time. Uju was desperate to make quick cash and she was ready to do anything to save herself from poverty. It was while working at the hotel that Uju met Madam Philo, a rich woman who always came to the hotel to spend money as if she had a machine that prints cash for her.

One evening, Madam Philo was with a friend at the hotel and they were talking about their next journey to Italy. They were talking of how they would like to recruit more ladies who would follow them to Italy and earn money like them. They were bragging about the number of ladies they have taken to Italy. Madam Philo made it clear that she would like to help more women to be rich like her.

"I'm passionate about helping young women to travel abroad and to make money like me. There is no money in Nigeria. Italy is the best place for young women to live. I will help as many people who want to go." Madam Philo said. Meanwhile, Uju was eavesdropping and listening to what Madam Philo was saying as she served them drinks and fresh fish pepper soup that evening. She was so curious. She wanted to know if Madam Philo could also help her to travel abroad and make money. She wanted to ask Madam Philo if she too could be helped to travel to Italy, but she decided against it. She would wait for another perfect moment.

"I will wait when she is going, I will ask her privately." Uju said in her heart as she placed the tray of drinks and fresh fish pepper soup on the table. As she was working that night, she kept watching to see when Madam Philo would step into her car to leave the hotel. She was no longer concentrating on her job as she kept an eye on Madam Philo. Soon, the woman stood up and started going after she and her friends had finished the fresh fish pepper soup. Uju rushed from where she was sitting and followed Madam Philo to her car.

"Good evening ma. Please I wanted to speak to you earlier, but I decided not to disturb you when you were eating. I overheard when you were saying you could help ladies to travel to Italy and make money. Please ma, help me too. I'm interested. I have suffered so much in Nigeria. Since I graduated from school seven years ago, I have been jumping from one job to the other. The money I earn is so small. It cannot even take care of me not to talk of helping my parents and my siblings. As I'm talking to you, I have spent my salary even before collecting it. I have even finished spending the one for this money, because I owe a lot of debts. There is no way a young woman like me would take good care of myself with this kind of small salary. Please ma, help me. If you take me to Italy, I promise, you will not regret it. Even if it means paying you back everything you will spend, I will do it once you take me to Italy and I start working and making money. Please, even if you want me to follow you this night, I will follow you." Uju said. She sounded very desperate.

"Alright! I will help you. I like young women who are passionate like you. Get into the car. Let's go to my house and we can talk better." Madam Philo said as she engaged the gear of the car after Uju jumped in. That was how Uju closed from work that day. And that was how she resigned from her job. She never came back to the hotel.

That night, when they got to Madam Philo's house, Uju was surprised when she saw the beautiful mansion the woman built.

"Wow! Are you the owner of this house? It looks so beautiful. I can't wait to build a house like you. Please, take me to Italy, that is the place I can pluck money from the tree." Uju said as they entered Madam Philo's living room.

"You are right. In Italy, there is a lot of money such that they are using brooms to sweep it even in the streets. Once you get there, I'm assuring you that you will be able to build your own house within six months. Within a short time, you will start making money. In fact, you can even make money on the first day we will arrive in Italy. All you have to do is to obey me and do exactly as I say. Money will never be your problem again. We are travelling tomorrow morning. You are not going back to your parents' house again. Just call them on phone and tell them you have found someone to take you to Italy for free. You are an adult, you don't have to take permission from them." Madam Philo tells Uju. That night, Uju was served fried rice and chicken and she slept in an air-conditioned room. She enjoyed herself and she could not wait for daybreak so she could travel to Italy with Madam Philo. She slept peacefully with joy in her heart.

At around 5am in the money, Madam Philo woke up and called all the ladies to the living room.

"It's time to move." Madam Philo said. There were five ladies who were to travel to Italy with Madam Philo on that day. All off them, including Uju entered a waiting car and they drove out of the compound.

"But instead of going to the airport, the driver entered a bush path. The bush was so thick that Uju became afraid. The forest soon swallowed the car as they had left civilization and were heading into the unknown.

"Madam Philo said we are going to Italy, but why are we following bush path? Why didn't the driver take us to the airport? Are we not going to use aeroplane?" Uju asked herself. The driver of the car continued to take them deeper and deeper into the bush and Uju kept wondering where they were going. Her heart was pounding 'kpim kpim kpim.' When she got tired of hiding her fears, she decided to express her feelings to Madam Philo who was sitting in the front seat of the car.

"Please, Madam Philo, where are we going to? This place is a thick bush. The driver is supposed to take us to the airport so that we can fly to Italy. There is no airport in this area and we are just driving into a thick bush. What is going on? Is this the road to Italy?" Uju asked Madam Philo. Mada Philo did not answer her. Instead, she asked the driver to stop the car and he did.

"How dare you ask me questions? Are you the one taking me to Italy or I'm the one taking you there? Do you know me? Do you know the road to Italy? Don't ever open your dirty mouth to speak until you are spoken to." Madam Philo said to Uju who got scared because Madam Philo was holding a gun as she was talking. Madam Philo made sure everyone in the car saw her gun. All of them got scared and not one dared speak again.

"What have I gotten myself into? I'm in a serious trouble. I hope I have not jumped from frying pan to fire?" Uju said as the driver restarted the car and continued driving deeper into the bush.