Lie

"Good afternoon sir." I greeted. 

"Good afternoon, my son." He replied my greeting and raised his eyes up from the bible for the first time to look at me. I discussed that he was shocked when he saw my face.

"Did you eat that food?" He asked, with fear in his voice.

"I.... I can't get you Sir." I said and then Iwent to sit down on a chair. "Which food?"

"You understand better than I do, Adebayo." Pastor Oluwashola said. "She had come to your house today to give some food to eat, did you eat those foods?"

"Foods?" I asked with surprise. "I can't get you, Pastor. Who is that 'she' that came to give some foods to me. An what kind of food did she give me."

"Enough of this pretence, Adebayo." Pastor Oluwashola said. "Your life is in a great danger as you've consumed those concoctions. I'm scared you might die in three days time."

"What!" I looked at the Pastor with a great sign of shock written on my face. "But, Pastor. I..... I haven't taken any concoction today."

"Omode o moogun, o n pe e l'efo" Pastor Oluwashola dropped this Yoruba proverb which means; A child that does not recognise a medicinal herb will surely call it a vegetable. He continued; "Even after knowing that she is a demon, you accepted her into your life in the name of love."

Then, I had a better clarity of what the Pastor had been trying to say. I adjusted myself on the chair and then faced him.

"Are you talking about Joygiver?" I asked him.

"Is that what she called her name for you?" Pastor Oluwashola replied to my question with a question. "Her real name is Destiny stealer and that is her main purpose in life. She shouldn't be called Joygiver as she gives no joy to anyone rather she brings sorrow into People's life. She is devil's ambassador on earth."

"But she is a goddess Sir." I argued.

"She told you she is goddess because she knows that you will stop loving her if she tells you the truth about her." Pastor Oluwashola said 

"She already told me everything about her." I said.

"She didn't tell you everything." Pastor Oluwashola said. "There are still some truths she is hiding from you."

"And what are those truths you think she is hiding from me?" I asked.

"She has three eyes." Pastor Oluwashola said. 

"Of course she told me." I said. "She even showed her third eye to me."

"And, did she tell you what the eye is used for?" Pastor Oluwashola asked. 

"What her third eye is used for?" I was confused. "Is the third eye used for something? Does it have a purpose?"

"Never mind." Pastor Oluwashola said. "She came to you today and gave you some foods, did you eat them?"

"Why not?" I said. "She is my girlfriend now, and I'm expected to eat whatever my girlfriend cooks."

"Did you know when she cooked those foods?" Pastor Oluwashola asked. 

"Not at all, Pastor." I replied. 

"As you've consumed that food, your lifespan has been reduced to three days." Pastor Oluwashola said. "So in three day's time, you may die."

"Do you mean she has poisoned me?" I asked in surprise.

"If you call it poison, it's still the same thing." Pastor Oluwashola said. "Those foods she gave you were not cooked. She commanded the raw food items in your house to transform into cooked food with her super powers."

"No wonder why the foods were ready in ninety five seconds." I said to myself.

"She transformed the raw food items in my house to cooked foods." I said. "Does that ask the food to kill me? At least, she on my transformed, she didn t poison the food."

"You are kidding, Ade." Pastor Oluwashola said. "The one who transformed raw food into finished one is capable of commanding the food to kill you."

"But, she also ate part of the food na." I said.

"Adebayo, even when I said you will die in three days time, you are still questioning me." Pastor Oluwashola said. "Are you not afraid of death."

"All human beings are bound to die one day." I said. "Just answer my question. Is she going to die as well, she ate part of the food."

"Do demons die?" He replied to my question with a question. "Demons can only be destroyed. They can't be killed."

"Hmm.." I sighed. "Finally I landed myself into a very big problem."

"Exactly." Pastor Oluwashola said. 

"Is there a solution to this or not?" I asked. 

"There is." Pastor Oluwashola said. "You have to come back tomorrow as I have to prepare a special ointment for you. This ointment will kill whatever poison it is you have taken in."

"Thank you very much sir." I said as I prostrate before him. Then I rose to my feet. "How much should I bring along with me.

"You are not expected to bring any amount." He said. "Peace be upon you."

"But, won't you need some money to buy materials for the ointment?" I asked.

"I have the necessary materials for the ointment at home." Pastor Oluwashola said. "You don't have to worry yourself on that."

"Hmm.. Okay." I sighed. "I will take my leave now sir."

"Alright, may The Lord be with you." Pastor Oluwashola said as I turned back to go. Just as I entered my car, I received John's call.

"How far, nigga?" I said as I picked the call.

"Hey, buddy. Where are you now?" John asked. 

"Inside my car." I replied. 

"You are funny." He said. "Will you be able to make it to my place today?"

"Why not?" was my reply.

"Thanks, please come fast." He said. "I have some very important to tell you."

"Okay, no problem." I said and then dropped the call.

"What could that be?" I asked myself. 

* * * *

"Hey! Bayo. Are you still with that girl." John asked me after we've cracked jokes, seated on couches in his sitting room for a while.

"Which girl are you talking about?" I asked as I sipped from the glasscup of juice before. 

"That goddess." He replied. 

"Which goddess?" I asked. 

"Stop it." He said. "You know who I was talking about. That girl whose name ends with 'giver'. Your crush."

"Oh! Joygiver!" I exclaimed in pretence. "You told me to stay away from her as she is a goddess. We all knew that ever since she escaped from me in the pub that day, she hasn't come back to me."

"Stop pretending, Bayo." John said. " I know everything."

I looked at John with a mixed feeling of surprise and fear.

"What do you mean by you know everything?" I asked. 

"You see, you've made Joygiver fallen deeply in love with you and now she can not do without you." John said. "Earlier she came to fight me in my dream for revealing her secret to you but I don't know what you did, she fell deeply in love with you that she came back to beg me. She even said I should not let you know that she fought me earlier as she doesn't want to lose you. She is the girl you need, Bayo."

"To help with her love!" I said in anger. "Do you know what the Pastor told me today?"

"I called you here because of that." John said. "Joygiver had come here this afternoon to tell me all what she has heard your Pastor Oluwashola said to you."

"But, Joy didn't follow me to the Pastor's place." I said in surprise. 

"She has that ability to follow you without you knowing it." John said. "But have you started doubting her because of what the Pastor told you?"

"I.... I..... actually." I stammered. 

"I want you to believe that whatever the Pastor told you about her is not true." John said.

"My Pastor will never tell a lie." I shouted. 

"Joygiver will never try to hurt you too." John shouted. "She appeared to me this afternoon, crying profusely. I asked her what happened and she told me that you no longer trust her. If she really wants to kill you, will she feel sad if you no longer trust her? Think about this, Bayo."

"But, I've never heard a lie from my Pastor." I said.

"If you really love Joygiver , you will not believe what the Pastor told you about her." John said. "Before your arrival, Joygiver had revealed the Pastor's secret to me. But she will make that explanation to you by herself. I just want to tell you that Joygiver really wants to spend the rest of her life with you."

"I'm sorry." I said with a feeling of regret.