Chapter 4

"You said you wanted to see me," Otafion said. They were sitting in his office that was beside the church house. The office was large. The floor was covered with thick white tiger fur. There was a leather sofa on which Asanga sat facing the Prophet who sat on a swivel chair behind a huge mahogany desk. Several documents were neatly organized on the table. On the wall to Asanga's left, there was 32-inch flat-screen television screwed to it. On the opposite wall, beside the door that led into the office, was a large round face clock studded with fake diamonds. The air in the office was cool and tainted with a deodorizer. Asanga had been there many times before for prayers and to give gifts of money.

Otafion was a moderately built man with skin made fair by heavy use of body lotions containing hydroquinone. He had a crew cut but he kept a beard. His misty eyes and red lips always tantalized Asanga when she came to his office. He was wearing a black turtle neck T-shirt and blue jeans and sneakers since he was coming for morning prayers at the church house.

"Yes, Papa" Asanga said with a shaky voice, "The worst is about to happen. My grandmother is dead"

She was dressed in a multicolored flowered gown that had a low neck that exposed the curves of her breasts. Her feet were clad in red high heels.

"Oh, so sorry," Otafion said. Asanga was one of the members that sowed seeds regularly so his emotions were stirred strongly.

"I…she…Before she died, she was the priestess of a certain shrine in my village and now that she is dead, they have called me to say I was named by her to take her place."

"God forbid! What!" Otafion yelled,

"And I only have a week to accept because they have a festival that involves the shrine next week"

"This is ridiculous. In the twentieth century?" Otafion cried "This should not still be happening!"

"Papa, I am a Christian, I can't partake in such fetish things. I can't abandon my life here to go and become a priestess in some remote village"

Otafion fell silent for several moments. There was no sound in the room except for the ticking of the clock.

When he finally spoke he said:

"The devil is a liar. He has been lying from the beginning. He wants to thwart your dreams but it will not happen. God has given you the victory." His tone was slow and calculated to give the impression that he was providing information from outside himself.

"Listen to me Mama Priscilla, the Lord is your banner and your buckler, your strong arm of faith. The Lord says you should make a sacrifice and we will pray and then go and demolish the shrine."

"The shrine is in my village, Papa" Asanga said

"Don't worry the Lord will give you the victory. We will go there. You just need to sow an appropriate seed and all will be well" Otafion said

"Papa do you have MoMo so that I can send you the…?" Asanga asked

"Yes."

"Okay. I will give you a hundred thousand francs cash then send the remaining two hundred through Momo" Asanga said. She proceeded to press the keys on her phone to make the transaction.

"Have you ever been to the shrine or did your grandmother ever tell you anything about the shrine?"

"I don't remember much but I think she said that the god of the shrine, called Mukenge, led our ancestor to an oasis when he was about to die of thirst as he was escaping from his slave owners. His descendants have worshipped Mukenge ever since."

"Hmmm, that's interesting."

Otafion's phone chimed. He picked up and looked at the screen.

"Halleluyah, Praise God." Otafion cried when he saw the message from the Momo service that said he had received the money.

"Papa, when can we go?" Asanga asked reaching into her handbag and pulling out a thin wad of ten thousand francs notes and placing it on the table.

"Whenever you are ready"

*

"It really hard for get you alone," a quiet familiar voice said behind her. It was a voice she could not mistake anywhere. Asanga was about to enter her car as she left Otafion's office to go to work. Mondays were usually hectic and she was already running late. With the deadly traffic, she hoped she would make it to the office before the boss. Whoever the boss was, she hoped it would be someone nice. She knew that it would not be good to be late just after promotion so the voice behind her was about to delay her. Although she had frozen after hearing the voice, she managed to turn.

"Big mammy…" Asanga heard herself mutter

"You get for go village. Go see Nem Taseng" the old woman said. She was clad in the same blood-stained bedsheet that Asanga had seen her with in her kitchen and on the road when they ran her over.

"Big mammy what are you saying?"

"You be the next queen for Mukenge. You need for go see Nem Taseng"

"I have my life to live; I can't go and stay in the village. How could you name me the priestess?"

"Joe and David deceive me. I for name anyone in the family but they lied me that I could only name my direct child. I was in pain and I no for fit go and confirm with Nem Taseng so I named you"

The air seemed to be getting colder and Asanga found herself shivering. When she spoke, white vapour came from her mouth.

"So what should I go and see Nam Tasang for?"

"Nem Taseng. You need to go and see him to take your role. The Mukenge festival is in six days and it cannot hold without a priestess."

"No, no, no, I have my life to live here I can't go there," Asanga said shaking her head

"Priscilla please," Big mammy said, "it will bring bad luck to the entire village"

"No, I will not do it. I have my own life to live and I am a Christian I can't meddle with such things"

"Priscilla, Priscilla"

*

Asanga found herself standing beside her car looking intently at the side mirror on the driver's side. The temperature of the air was normal again and there was no big mammy standing there with her. She straightened herself and looked around. There was no one in sight. She got into the car. She turned the key but did not start the car so that the seat-warming mechanism could work. She felt the heat seep into her body and chase away the cold she had just been feeling as she thought about what had just happened.

Big mammy. Why would Uncle Joe and Uncle David lie to big mammy? They could have named their own daughters but decided to make big mammy choose her. Uncle Joe even lied that Amanda wanted the post but it was not possible because she was not a direct family of big mammy.

Asanga scowled as she started the engine. If Uncle David and Uncle Joe thought they could spoil the life she had worked hard to get, they had another thing coming. She pressed the accelerator and drove out of the church premises.