TRAILING SHADOWS

TRAILING SHADOWS

CHAPTER 1| OH MY GOD!

"I am Sunday. And I was sent to bring you the answer to your prayers, Bolu" The man in the shimmer of white light spoke.

He had clear, almost transparent eyes that seemed to glitter with sturdy, thick nose and lips. He had a seemingly bald head, although one could not categorically say he was bald.

His chest was bare and round about his arms with bands of light that spiraled round and round. Like a snake slithering around a tree branch.

Bolu trailed her watery eyes down to the mystery man lower torso,. He had a blue black trouser with brown leather trappings. Standing aloft, he towered above her kneeling frame at a height of 6ft.

Despite that he was the definition of beauty. Any woman would kill to have him.

And she was no exception!

Bolu shivered. She wanted to say something terribly but the pain she had been through seemed to steal the words away. All she could do was to stare open mouthedly as silent tears streamed down her face.

Bolu had been through a lot recently. She didn't know why but her life just seemed to have a sort of affinity for problems. Often times, she'd wonder why her life turned out as it did.

No, not that she had lived anyhow and Karma was only repaying her… No

She was a goodnatured girl. Atleast, that was what the people around tagged her as. Most times, she would go out of her way to ensure that all went well with others.

Even at her detriment!

Twice or so, she'd lent her university school fees to friends who where in dire need of money. Althjough she only lent her school fees to them based on the reasonable reasons they had.

One had complained that her dad was to undergo surgery and the finally was unable to afford the surgical fees as at that time. She was on her way to pay her FUTA school fees when she heard this and instead sent the money to her friend. Knowing that it would cost her a lot.

And it did. She was not allowed to write examination and hence had a carry over. Although the friend refunded the money 3 months later.

But, A carry over was already seated on her plate. Yet, she didn't complain or once regret her decision.

'It was the right thing to do' She'd say whenever she was called names of all sort for that lending out her school fees.

'Look, bolu, the way you are going, you are sure to fail ooh.' Iyanu once told her.

'Well, do not fear failure;It is only an indication that something worthwhile has been done" She replied nonchalantly with a little smile playing across her chocolate complexioned skin.

"Are you not even worried about her future? Don't you want to turn out to be something meaningful in life? " Iyanu retorted. Red was burning into her fair cheeks already

"Of course, why do you think I am still in school?"

"You keep on doing mother Theresa. One day, your missus do-good would do you irreversibly harm. Wise up, babe" Iyanu shouted, gesticulating wildly with her hands.

"I don't understand you oh!" Bolu fired back. "Afterall, the holy book says we should do good at all times, doesn't it?"

"Does that mean you should make yourself a fool?" Iyanu replied with hands on her slim waist, frustrated now.

"Priest use to say, the message of the our gospel is foolishness to the world, but to us who believe, it is the saving grace of the Most High." Bolu replied, walking away before Iyanu went physical. Iyanu was her closest friend in the school but also was prone to severe anger issues.

But that was only one of the many confrontations Bolu had to deal with as she lived her life.

Often times, she was waylaid, beaten and robbed.

One time, she was even raped alongside.

But Bolu would not lay any complains. Even when she happened to know the persons behind her predicaments.

Instead, she would go to them, the next day, tell them she was aware of what they did and then say she had no grudges against them.

She was too good to a fault.

But recently, Iyanu had been dragged into her missus do-good misfortunate life. Iyanu was beaten silly after they both had been waylaid one darkened evening. They lived quite a distance from the school campus in a neighbourhood that seemed to bear eternal grudges with the electricity providing company.

The hoodlums had come to them as they walked through a corner. Iyanu made to run but she held her back.

'These men need the gospel. We can preach it to them.' She said.

Now, she wished she hadn't.

She wished she could turn back the hands of the clock and made to run with Iyanu. She wished until she got tired of wishing and began a 3-day dry fast from the time, Iyanu was rushed to the hospital, after she tried to resist the hoodlums.

In a critical condition.

,This was the 3rd day of her fast already. Her room was scattered and the clothes she had on were tattered. Hair disheveled and she hadn't been out of her room since then. Now on the 3rd day, Bolu hadn't received any conviction in her spirit that her prayers for speedy recovery for Iyanu had been answered.

Neither was she sure if God heard her pleas to end her life's affinity for trouble.

But she was determined to continue fasting and fasting and fasting. Even until the next week.

'If I perish, I perish' bolu had steeled up her mind.

She pulled fantically at her hair, ripped her clothing here and there like a mad woman. Throwing herself into fits as she crashed about the room. screaming at God.

God would answer her today. He must, or he better prepare to receive her soul.

Bolu squirmed around, yelling her frustrations at God, demanding answers. She wasn't praying now. She was Demanding.

She raised herself, weakly from the ground only to crash down on all fours. Her body wouldn't yield. Trembling, she crawled to the bed and supported her upper torso on it.

When a flash of brilliant light blinded her eyes!

The curtain fluttered wildly as an eerie yet comforting chill filled the atmosphere. Loose papers tossed about. The door that had been shut for 3 days straight suddenly opened and banged shut violently. Not that she wasn't scared.

She was!

But her body didn't just react in anyway.

She raised her left hand weakly to shade the light that beamed from this figure.

"Ar…are you an Angel?"She mumbled inaudibly, waiving her weak fingers in the air.

The figure blinked at her as if trying make up his mind. Then it advanced towards her with stretched right hand.

"Rise,daughter of man. Your answers are here. Iyanu has recovered and the perpetrators have been taken into custody."

"Young woman, arise." The figure said now. He was standing over her now. As he did, a strange rejuvenating energy began to flow through Bolu. It was warming her entire body, soothing the various places on her body where she'd self inflicted on herself.

"Are you an angel?" Bolu asked again. She angled her head from the bed to have a better view of the towering angel over her.

The figure was hesitant for a while. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he spoke

"I am Sunday and I am simply a messenger of light."

She remembered that she had read In some religious literature that angels were basically at a height of 6ft and were always in a shimmer of white or wore white robes.

This fellow, here, seemed too odd to be the angel she had been doctrinated to believe. That angel with the white robes with accents of Gold here and there and occasionally, a mighty golden sword at the side.

Her instincts were screaming at her to run. But she didn't. Not that she had the strength to do so.

She ignored the voice at the back of her mind urging her to flee as she probed this 'Messenger of light'

Weren't angels messengers of light? Was God not the almighty God who dwells in light. This 'angel' must definitely be telling the truth. She thought further.

"Su…sun..Sunday! But Angels don't tell their names. " She blurted instead.

The door opened again and banged shut loudly as the eerie chill increased . Bolu could almost feel her heart beating against her ribcage.

Something was off. Definitely, she thought

Sunday did not reply.

Instead, he opened his right palm to her. The Spirals of light at his arms had begun to glow brighter than before as an angelic sort of aura filled the atmosphere.

In his hand was a little ball of light spiraling into form as it grew. Inch by inch, it increased till it covered the entire palm.

Then the palm moved for Bolu.

She tried to rise up and jump away. But instead, the fear paralyzed her. Not like she had half an ounce of energy left.

Instead, she watched as the palm made for her shoulders and rested there.

Heaving, She watched as the light ball seemed to fade into her shoulder.

No, it didn't fade. It slowly transferred itself into her shoulder. At this, Sunday withdrew his hand and watched with satisfaction as the light ball that seemed to diffuse into Bolu began to spread.

Stretching out wisps of light like tentacles as it slowly diffused from the shoulder onto the entire body.

As the light spread through, a seemingly equivalent ball of darkness began to converge on her other shoulder that was pinned to the bed.

"Wah??.." Bolu moaned weakly as tears began to flow down afresh

"I know you have a lot of questions about all of this. But it is not to me to answer. True, Angels don't tell their names. But the term Angels is relative" Sunday spoke with clear voice that seemed to echo around the room.

Ýou're..not an angel?" Bolu gasped now, feeling more energized than before. The wisps of light had grown stronger in her already as the ball of black light that had converged at her other shoulder suddenly dispersed into thin air.

Looking down at her hands, she noticed that her hands glowed and her skin suddenly became more refreshed and brighter.

"Yes, I do. Angels, don't tell their names. That's what priest told me. Who are you?"Bolu asked with renewed interest.

The 'messenger of light' simply shook his head.

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Elsewhere, a man walked onwards. He had an emotionless face but his eyes shone of great aggression. All around him was a type of aura that flowed about causing passer bys to bow their heads at him in greeting.

His arms had bands of white light spiraling on them too. He wore a white trouser with sharp accents of deep blue. On his waist were white strange beads that seemed as if they held the trouser to his waist.

Going upwards, he was also shirtless. And yet despite that, he seemed comfortable working while stroking the white streak of beard on his taut face even with the huge strange curved blade that hung, strapless, from his back.

If one had just strolled by leisurely, then one would have assumed that the 7ft heavily built, bare chested and dashing handsome man simply was showing off to get the ladies.

However the reverse was the case. He was thinking.

For a moment, he shut his eyes and ground his teeth.

And then, Vanished.

Like he was never there.

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