CHAPTER 1
There have been claims in the land, by the elders, that words can bite and could inflict too great a pain that does not only shatter a soul but can also destroy nations, raising to dust that which took years to build. Somewhere, there have been claims also, that kind words could suture a bleeding soul and could bandage wounds, creating peace where war and strife rule. But what happens when words fail? What happens when silence speaks vehemently?
Such was the case in Ogi, the youngest village in Alaocha. It was the later hours of the evening, a mature night when men and beast rested their bodies after toiling all day long. Oma had just finished her routine of pouring out her libation to the god of fertility, Ana, when the footfalls on the grasses caught her attention. At first, she thought it was her father who had come to fellowship with her, as it were whenever he was less busy. But the distance ahead remained bare, and she could not make out the silhouette figures that remained within the tongue of the penumbra shadows, cast by the torchlight dancing in its stand.
"Who is there?" She asked as she raised the torchlight over her head, hoping to cast away the shadows that gathered around her.
"It is me, Kachi." Said the deep voice. "I have come for you."
Come for me? The words resonated again in Oma's head like a metal gong. Why would anyone want her? She was her mother's only child, and though her beauty was a charm in the eyes of men, people despised her, because of what she was. There was no denying it, she knew what she was and she was not going to hide it. Even though society still shakes its head with regrets whenever she walks past, even though her parents still despise her, she would not deny her nature. It was the purpose for her very existence. The reason she breathes and lives. Why then would anyone desire her?
"Biko puo (please leave). I have nothing to offer you, Kachi. Please go away before my father finds you here." Oma hissed, and returned her attention to the dead fowl she had sacrificed to the gods.
"How can you say you have nothing to offer me when you are the prize I seek?" Kachi asked, stepping forwards into the light, "This battle I fight is for a place in your heart. It's a battle that has drained everything in me. I can feel the force of nature calling out to me, yelling at my foolishness. But I seek you, Oma. I would journey through the underworld if that's what it takes to rescue you from this life."
"Rescue me?" Oma glared, angry that he had mentioned it, "I see it now. You have come to mock me. You have come to remind me of the tragedy that has befallen my household. So much for love, isn't it?"
"No, I will never do that to you, Oma." Concern wrapped Kachi's voice as he took some steps forward. "The winds hear my voice and the grasses are a witness to the words I speak. I have not come to spell empty words, neither have I come to add salts to your injuries. I have come with a solution, one that would make us bind together, forever."
Oma laughed, a burst of bitter laughter that would surface into a sob if she was not careful enough. "There is no forever for us, Kachi," She whispered, forcing back the tears. Kachi was the greatest warrior in Ogi, and even though Oma finds him rather handsome, she was not ready to be tangled in his proposal. The chains of matrimony were the reason she was making this sacrifice while the village was fast asleep. She knew what she was. And even though she was finding it hard to admit, a little part of her wanted Kachi, it was part of the reason why she didn't want to bring him into her life. She was deeply in love with him. But expressing that was also dangerous. The best way was to stall and pray to the gods he goes away. That's the beauty of true love, the elders had claimed: The ability to let go of the things you hold dear, just to keep them safe.
"Please, Kachi." She said, walking close so she could feel his bulging muscles. His heart was racing under the firm chest, and she could sense the fear in his brown beautiful eyes which contrasted with the white cowries on his clean shaved mustache. Everything about Kachi was beautiful, everything but his proposal.
"You are the sun and I am the moon." Oma continued, "Bright is your radiance, one which even a blind girl could see. I am nothing but the flicker of the shadow that passes away when the sun shines. The moon and the sun cannot exist simultaneously. One must step aside for the other, but never the two together. I am sorry if this causes a burden on your soul, but it is the truth."
"You are not listening to me, my love." Kachi said, taking her hands into his, "I find a way out. A solution for us. A way out."
"There is no way out, Kachi. For I take my last breath today because when the sun shines, I will be like the words of tomorrow, with emptiness and memory to take my place. There is no way out, death is my greatest ally."
"What if we could cheat? Can you cheat death?"
"It's unheard of," Oma snapped. Was Kachi being serious or was he trying to mock her? No, he had said so himself, he was not mocking her. There was truth in his eyes, one she had not seen there before, one that discomforts her. The truth was love. A love that conquers all. A love that can cheat death?
"Here," he said, placing a wrapped leaf into her palms, "I got it from a witch doctor in the nearby village. It's a sleeping potion, one that could put you to sleep for a day or two."
"This is absurd, Kachi," Oma shook her head. Hot tears were dropping from her eyes now, "I would be buried alive because of what I am. There is no life for me. Death is my ally and it would be wise if you stop acting as if you care because it scares the hell out of me. I don't want to lose you too, I don't want the spirits to come for you?"
"What spirits?" He asked, and his eyes widened with surprise.
Oma continued to sob. She had not told him before. The spirits were the barrier in her life. They were the ones that had built this cage of reincarnation and had prevented her from living till old age. But how would she make him understand? How could she make him see reasons why their love would never work?
"The daughters of the night." Oma cried, unable to constrain the anger and the anguish that was sipping out from her pores like sweat, "They are responsible for all of it: Ginika, Dinta, Ikem, Nnama, Chika, Buchi, and Ifeanyi." She could see their faces, their smiles and the pain in their eyes as they all met their sudden demise. She had warned them but they wouldn't listen. She had warned them, just as she was warning Kachi at the moment, "The daughters of the night are responsible for the death of my seven husbands. They had killed every single one of them, just for fun and their silly games. Will your head be the eighth?"
Kachi paused for a while. Fear was dancing in his eyes now, the bravery she had seen earlier was gone. He was not as confident as he had been some moments ago. Not that she blamed him. Who wouldn't be afraid?
"No," Kachi shook his head, surprising Oma. The confidence in his eyes was back again, more convincing than the first.
"No? What do you mean, no?"
"I might not have the answers at the moment but I am not letting you go. You didn't ask for this life, it is unfair to you."
"Life is unfair," Oma said regrettably. She wanted to tell him that she had chosen this life, every part of it. They were allowed to choose the family they would be born into, and she had chosen this one, just as she had chosen her fifteen reincarnations. She had enjoyed every bit of it. But this feels different. And she cannot explain why.
"Let's deal with the villagers first." Kachi's voice was firm as he squeezed her hands gently, "Just promise me that you would do as I say, and promise me that you would drink this potion before they bury you alive tomorrow."
Oma hesitated, shifting her attention from his bright brown eyes to the leaf in her hands. She was supposed to die so that she could be reborn again, in another life and another body. Taking the potion would mean breaking the chain. She would not only be cheating death but would be breaking her vow with the Daughters of the night. She was an Ogbanje. She has always been. But why does it feel so different?
"Promise me, Oma," Kachi said again, pulling her forwards so that their forehead almost touched.
Oma nodded. She couldn't say the words, saying it would be to betray him. She needed to reassure him that she was by his side, that she could defile the daughters of the night all for love. But she was unsure herself, this decision was like the weight of the world, resting upon her shoulders. What will she do? If she defiles the mistress of Evil and cheat death, they would come for her and everything she holds dear. On the other hand, if she obeyed her sacred vow and died, it would mean losing Kachi forever.
"I will see you again," Kachi kissed her forehead.
Oma could not say a word. She just stood there in silence. A silence that spoke louder than words.