22 I killed him

Those were the last words Ego heard before she was suddenly awakened by a loud thunderclap; it took a moment for her to regain her equilibrium. She slowly opened her eyes, and then looked around to discover that she was all alone in the room. She looked through the door to discover that it was about to rain; the night awash with lightning flashes and filled with thunderclaps. She was still lying on her bamboo bed and the old lady was nowhere to be found.

Her door was not locked, the wind was messing with the door – closing and opening it violently. Every other thing in the room was still intact, exactly where she kept them before she slept off. There was no trace of the old lady. She sat up and it was obvious to her that she had been dreaming since there was no other reasonable explanation to what just happened. There was no proof that another person came into the hut apart from the door that was open; which she remembered closing. The wind could be responsible for that; so this means that the old woman was in no other place than in her dreams.

This is the only dream she has had in a while that her late husband was not the primary character. She dreams of him almost every night. He would appear to her, telling her that he misses her, telling her about how he is faring over there in the spirit world and not to worry that things would certainly get better and that he is always watching over her from there.

He was even in the dream she had two nights ago; they were playing on the path to Otammiri river, Nnanna chased after her trying to catch her before she got to the river. When he was alive, she used to challenge him to race her, telling him that she was a better runner. He got to the river before her; standing with both feet firmly in the river he carried her from on top the stone at the river bank that she was standing and threw her gently into it; there they played splashing the cold water at each other. Gladness and joy-filled evidently the whole atmosphere. He appeared to be very happy just like he had been when he was alive.

After that she filled her clay pot with water and he helped her to carry it while they slowly walk back home; she kept teasing him calling him funny names; disturbing him by occasionally stepping in front of him with her hands on her waist and her legs spread apart or she gets in front of him and begins dancing just to obstruct his movement. Nnanna would occasionally stop and say "Nne you're on my way oh"

She replied him saying "Village champion what are you going to do about it?"

"If I lay my hands on you woman" He threatens "You will not find it funny oh!" He said pretending to be angry.

She folded her fist like someone ready to fight "Come and catch me if you can? You can beat other men but not me oh; I will deal with you like a child". She said slowly getting as far as she can from him.

He smiled, winked at her and said: "You are lucky I love you, if not I would have twisted that your small mouth".

"It is a lie! You can't do anything. Come and show me what you can do". Ego said smiling and so full of joy.

Nnanna threatened her by stamping his feet on the ground like he's coming after her; she screamed and ran away as fast as she could from him. Only for her to turn back and saw him still slowly walking with the clay pot.

"So you are this scared of me? Umudibia come and see your champion frightened by a woman oh!" Ego shouted.

"Umudibia come and see oh my beautiful wife Ego is threatening to deal with your champion oh!" He responded yelling on top his voice.

"Oh that's so sweet," she said with her hands on her chest; "lazy man, come get me if you…"

Ego hasn't finished the sentence when he dropped the clay pot on the red earthen path and chased after her again. She screamed and ran as fast as she could into one of the bushes close by but she had hardly taken five steps when he caught up with her; dragging her to the ground with him and rolling on the dry leaves like puppies. After a while, they made love passionately as the squirrels and birds witnessed the whole event. When the exercise was over, they both laid on the ground exhausted, looking at each other.

He was passionately staring at her before saying "I really miss you; I would do and give anything to be with you again".

The words of her husband brought pain and sadness instead of joy, he just ruined the moment with these words. She turned away from him trying to avoid his gaze before asking

"So you knew you were going to miss me but you left anyways?"

"Are you angry at me? There was nothing I could do. Do you really think I chose to die and leave you alone in this wicked world?"

Tears began streaming down from her cheek as she said "How would I know dim? You left without any word, not even a goodbye".

He pulled closer to her, gently began caressing her from her shoulders to her fingers from behind. His palms cold like it was morning during the harmattan season "I killed him and I will stop at nothing till you join him in the grave!" he whispered into her ears in a familiar voice. Terrified, she quickly jumped up and turned to find the old lady laughing, exposing all her old brown set of teeth.

That was when she woke up to discover that it was a dream. She has been having similar dreams since the death of Nnanna but since she came back from the forest, the old lady has become a nightmare tormenting her.