C2 THE QUEST

That Saturday morning, the sun was shining as never before, which was the actual day set to visit the native doctor. Essien and Prissy dressed up, waiting for Bassey to arrive and take them down to the native doctors. He determined to see the native doctors and was ready to face any challenges ahead. Bassey came in and asked Prissy and Essien to sit down so that he could tell them the names, locations and other details of the native doctors.

“The first native doctor is called Oroduku from Etim after the forest of Edimum while the second native doctor’s name is called Ikemakan from Ifiku, his shrine is just after the two biggest rivers in Ifiku, he is very strong and great” said Bassey.

So they carried some food and water into the car and the quest to see the native doctor began. They got to a place called Ikum center, not too far from the area Essien stayed before, and Bassey asked Essien to stop the car,

He asked again “are you ready for this quest”

“Yes we are” they responded in affirmative.

He heaved a sigh and grinned menacingly.

They drove a very long distance, got tired and decided to stop and get refreshed. They ate and drank some water from the things Prissy carried along with them in the car and continued their journey. They got to the end of the wide tarred road, then had to get down from the car and go on foot to the place where they would see the native doctor, they began to walk in the bushy paths; the grasses were bigger and taller than they are, the journey was so far, Prissy had to sit down to take some rest because the weather was mercilessly scourging. But she got back on her feet because of her determination. Although, the end of an adventure may either be positive or negative Bassey encouraged Prissy to be strong, moreover, if she was that weak, when going to see the second native doctor, what would she do?

Prissy asked Bassey if he had ever seen the second native doctor. Bassey said no he hasn’t, he narrated that he was supposed to see the native doctor when he accompanied his friend and his dad. According to Bassey, they all passed through the procedures but the native doctor appeared only to his friend’s dad. He told them that the native doctor appears only to the people who are in dire need, so he hasn’t seen the native man yet and he believes he won’t see him when Essien and prissy will go because he is not directly involved, maybe it would be only Essien and prissy who will see the second native man.

They finally got to the forest of Edimum, and the problem now was how to pass through the forest that leads to the native doctor’s shrine, Essien asked Bassey why they can’t walk through the forest and get to the shrine since the shrine was right within the forest, Bassey told him not to because he might die if he tries, they needed approval from the native doctor before they can pass the forest.

“But how would we get a go-ahead? Moreover staying here and waiting for a go-ahead is very risky as there are wild animals deep in the forest and other dangerous things. The challenge here is: who will help us when we get attacked?’’ Prissy asked, trembling with fear.

As they were still contemplating, the leaves on the trees started whistling and a serious wind came, the cloud turned seriously dark, Essien, his wife and Bassey fell into the thick bush, for about thirty minutes the weather wasn’t stable. Just as it was about to get stabled, an ear-piercing thunder struck non-stop for about two minutes, this was indeed terrifying

“No matter what it will cost, I must endure till the end in this quest to have a child’’ Essien thought.

Immediately after the thunder storm, came a heavy down pour; there was nowhere to run to, no place to hide, where they parked the car was very far, they looked deep into the forest behold the rain wasn’t falling in there, it only fell around where they were. Prissy wanted running into the forest to take shade but Essien reminded her of what Bassey had said earlier, “nobody goes into the forest without a go- ahead from the native doctor” so they stood under the rain till it stopped.

Immediately the rain stopped a voice came from the first tree directly in front of them and echoed “you all have passed the test for waiting, having endured all these experiences you are permitted to pass through to see me".

They were so happy despite the fact they were still wet and cold from the rain but at least they can now achieve their purpose of coming. In the forest, they saw so many wild animals standing and walking around, suddenly, a lion roared close by and they stiffened, Prissy quickly moved and stayed behind her husband, although Essien was also scared, he pretended not to be, so that Prissy will not notice, what actually kept Essien going was the approval by the native doctor for them to pass through the forest and his assurance that nothing was going to harm them.

When they got to the middle of the forest, the same voice that spoke from the tree spoke again

"Stand still for five minutes and then jump up five times and start laughing like you’ve never laughed in your entire life"

So they did as commanded by the voice and immediately the native doctor appeared to them physically, the native doctor called them by their names one after the other without asking them for their names. He asked them to walk into the shrine, from that spot where they stood to the shrine backward and they shouldn’t be afraid of anything because everything in the forest was controlled by him, that is if they all walk according to his instructions and principles. Essien was about to ask a question the native man then disappeared.

So they did as commanded by walking backwardly into the shrine.

Essien felt sorry for his wife but could not express or show it to her at that particular point because he wasn’t sure the native doctor’s conditions and laws allows emotional expressions, so he kept quiet. Moving backwards, they entered the shrine, behold, the native doctor was already there: Essien was terrified by the terrible signs and wonders the native doctor had performed.

First, if a person enters the forest without a go-ahead, he or she will die, secondly, making rain to fall at just the position they stood, thirdly, speaking through a tree and many more. Essien was somehow happy that at least the issue of childlessness will end. The native doctor asked them to sit down; Essien was about to tell the native doctor the reason why they were there but the native doctor asked him to keep quiet that he knows all

“...you are all here because you need a child which you haven’t had for past ten years,” he said authoritatively.

The native doctor told them that the problem would be solved, it was just a trivial problem compared to what he had done. It will be left for them to choose if they will accept the conditions to the solution path after he shows them. Essien said he was ready to do or pay any amount of money if only it will resolve the problem on ground, the native doctor asked Essien to pay three hundred thousand for a white chicken which was already in the shrine and that was the method he used for anybody that comes to the shrine, before starting anything the white chicken blood would be used to wash the faces of the people coming for solution in order for the gods to see their faces, problems clearly and proffer solution. Essien paid for the white chicken, as a sign of obedience, he crossed the chicken over Essien and Prissy’s heads three times with some songs of incantation.

He lifted the money high to the gods dancing and making some enchantments then asked the two of them to kneel with their hands raised, then dropped the money on a goat skin and took them out of the shrine, he killed the chicken and extracted the blood and used it in washing their faces. He took them back to the shrine and the welcomed them once again, with the purification the gods will now see them, the native doctor began some incantation and he told them that to have a child is simple, but that will be after he gives them the two options he has. Essien and Prissy would have to go home to think about it, after twenty one days of deciding on which of the options to go with, they will return to the shrine to get started.

The first way is that Essien and Prissy will bring a white chicken which will be killed that very day and the blood will be kept in the shrine for thirty days of empowerment and after the empowerment Essien and prissy would sleep in the shrine for fourteen days and nights, at the end of which Essien will be given a ball to stab and when it’s stabbed Essien’s mother will die. It has to be like that because a spirit must form another spirit, Essien who had lost his dad a very long time and the only person that makes him happy as a parent was his mother, wondered why he will kill his beloved mother because he needed a child.

The native doctor proceeded, the second method which was that Essien will pay five million naira, Prissy will sleep in the shrine for fourteen days while Essien will be in the house, when Prissy returns, Essien will embark on sleeping in any cemetery for ninety nights and before the end of a year Prissy will conceive and put to bed, he said Essien could go to work or stay in the house during the day but when it was time to sleep at night he must return to the cemetery and when it’s morning from 4:am he can return home in the total of the ninety nights. Essien asked if it was obligatory to sleep in a cemetery with ghosts and spirits, the native doctor said: “yes”, it will help him get closer to the spirits. So they can come back after twenty one days with a decision, but before leaving Essien should empty his pocket and drop all he has come with So dropping them they left, they got to the house very tired, Essien and Prissy really appreciated Bassey for everything he had done for them, going through much pains and suffering in order to see the native doctor for their sake, Bassey slept at Essien’s house that night because he was so tired. James was very inquisitive, he kept on asking where they had all been since morning without telling him, but he got no answer.

The next day being Sunday morning it was almost late to go to church but James did not notice any sign of preparation for church, Essien, Prissy and Bassey were all sitting in the living room discussing in low tones, so James prepared and left for church. Essien was very frustrated and upset because he felt his plans were thwarted

"How could the native doctor ask me to kill my mother" he lamented aloud

"Allow my wife to sleep in the shrine alone for fourteen days and for me to sleep in the cemetery for ninety nights, I was thinking it wouldn’t require blood or cemetery", said Essien

“I never believed it will cost that much but we will try the second native doctor” Bassey said, and with that he took his leave. On his way home, he had a lot running through his mind with a mischievous smile on his lip, he muttered something under his breath and whistled softly till he got home.

Essien planned to visit the second native doctor without Prissy, because of what she experienced during the quest to see the first native doctor, moreover he wouldn’t stop until he gets a solution to the problem and at least own a child from his blood who would call him ‘daddy’ and Prissy ‘mummy’. Essien picked up some newspapers and started reading, while Prissy left the house to make her hair with a friend in a nearby saloon, Prissy’s friend choose an expensive saloon for them to make their hair, but prissy refused she said her friend could go to the Paris to make her hair because she has children who will admire it for her, but for her there is no need spending such amount of money on herself when she has no child who will say ‘‘mummy your hair looks beautiful’’ the friend gave her some advice that she shouldn’t worry herself over it God will give her when it’s time. She convinced Prissy till they went to the expensive one.

The following day, Essien dressed and left for work like he does every morning but didn’t head to his office; rather he went to meet up with Bassey for them to embark on their journey without informing prissy of his plans. Bassey asked Essien why he didn’t want prissy to follow them to see the second native doctor, and Essien told him that he didn’t like seeing his wife go through stress and pain and so it was better for her to stay at home and not to go with them to this particular quest.

Meanwhile at home, prissy was preparing dinner for the family with James assisting her, her phone rang behold it was the pastor, she refused to pick but James encouraged her to answer quickly, she never wanted to answer the call because she was feeling guilty, she had disobeyed the pastor, she didn’t want James to feel she was disregarding the pastor by not picking his call, so she picked.

“Hello prissy” the pastor said with enthusiasm;

“Hello pastor” she answered sadly.

Pastor:why haven’t we been seeing you and your husband in church?’’

Prissy: pastor we are sorry for that, we have just been too busy for some time.

Pastor: Busy even on Sundays?

Prissy: Yes Sir

Pastor: well, I will be coming to see you and your husband this weekend, I have a revelation for you and your husband, your laughter is near.

Prissy: Amen pastor.

Prissy pondered on what the revelation could be, Essien and Bassey were driving on a lonely road. A bus maneuvered, and stopped right before their own car, Essien who was the one driving tried to reverse the car but before he could do that some men wearing all black with a mask over their face and fully armed with guns came down from the bus ordering them to step out of their car and make no attempt to run.

With fear written all over Bassey and Essien’s face, they came down trembling. Essien thought of running before one of the men shouted at them,

“Don’t even think of running or screaming for help because nobody can hear you from here”

One of them hit him on the head with their rifle and the next thing he knew, he found himself in a big uncompleted building in a bush; he turned his head and saw Bassey next to him. The pain from the hit still lingered as he tried speaking to Bassey on their escape plan since they were in this unfortunate circumstance. Suddenly, he heard a thunderous laughter as a huge figure called his name and that of his wife mockingly, Essien was astonished, he wondered how the man knew his name and his wife’s name, Essien had the feeling that someone who knew him well was behind the scene.

The huge man bent down and looked intently at Essien and told him he was kidnapped, that he himself is a well-known kidnapper with unbeatable record and the rest of the boys all around were all under his control. The kidnapper removed a black tape that was sealing Essien’s mouth; put his hands into Essien’s pocket and removed Essien’s phone and all the money.

He asked Essien to give him his wife's contact or else he will kill him.