“I’m sorry about that, my dear.”
“That’s okay, Papa. Why did light leave?”
“There was a recent attempt in Luenah. Since the olden days, when those attempts happen, our ruler imposes darkness until the offenders are identified, marked, and an illusion cast upon their mind.”
“I didn’t know Eris could do evil.”
“Eris are human. Any Eri who has strayed so far they have little or no chance that they will accomplish their destiny is marked. With that sign over their heads, they lose all power to challenge the status quo.”
“Hmm...I hope I never become like them.”
“I don’t think you have it in you, though humans can be unpredictable.”
My mind went back to Ozumba.
“What about Ozumba? What did he do to put himself in this position?”
“That is between him and his chi.”
“Why can’t his chi help him out of the situation?”
“Remember, Onye kwe chi ya ekwe. If one agrees, her spirit will agree also.”
“Oh...I do. But—”
“You ask too many questions, my dear. I can’t tell you any more now, or it’ll disrupt the balance, and that may not be in your favor.”
“Tell me one thing, Papa.”
He shook his head.”
“Just one more thing,” I pleaded.
“Is your question about Okem?”
“How did you know, Papa?” I asked with trepidation.
“It’s written all over your face.”
Ozumba was Okem’s father. I feared that if Ozumba was in trouble then Okem could be in trouble too.
“Is Okem all right?”
“Be patient. Everything will be revealed at the right time,” he chided me.
“What about me? Has this got—?”
Before I could complete my question, I found myself drifting into consciousness and the real world again.
I cried for the first time after a visit to Luenah, having lost control of my emotions. My grandfather and Okem were the most important people in my life, and I missed them. I wondered what it would be like to have both of them by my side at that moment. I felt lonely and trapped and desperately out of my mind. My grandfather was right. Everything I thought I wanted as a kid and would have as a grown-up—love and happiness—had turned around and caused me so much misery and desperation. I had nowhere else to turn, and I was angry at my grandfather for not helping me through this trying time. Then again, I knew he was acting in my best interest. He had explained the way of Luenah several times. Everything had its ebb and flow. The things that needed to be revealed were gradually exposed to avoid tipping the balance.
Chapter Sixteen
THE SCENE WAS set as it had been every Sunday since my travails with Albert began: Grandmother was in the kitchen preparing a delicious meal in a large pot; Ifedi was whistling tunes under her breath as she set the dining table, orange streaks from the evening sun streamed through the cracks in the curtains, and I pretended to be reading the novel in front of me while in reality I was crying inside and praying fervently for my lot to change.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ifedi edging her head sideways to glimpse the cover of my book.
“You seem so engrossed,” she said. “What’s the book about?”
If only she knew how engrossed I was with the issues hampering my existence, I thought, she wouldn’t have dared interrupt me. My last encounter with Papa still weighed on my mind. He had tried to show me something, Okem’s father, Ozumba. I wondered if he was trying to show me Okem instead, to let me know where he was, where I could find him. But Ozumba had a mark on his head. What did that have to do with Okem?
“Ona! The book...you haven’t answered me. What’s it about?”
Ifedi’s call shook me out of my reverie.
“Oh! It’s...” I flipped it to read the blurb.
“You don’t know what you’re reading? How is that possible? You’ve gone past the middle.”
She was right. I didn’t know what the book was about. I hardly read past the title.
“Why can’t you leave me alone, Ifedi?”
For some time now, Ifedi had been paying particular attention to me, pushing my buttons at times to get me to open up. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was intentionally trying to annoy me. So much was going on around me that I couldn’t control, but this minor issue was within my control.
“What’s eating you up, Ona? Na wa oo.”
I glanced at her and shook my head. There was no point in responding. I knew the case was closed when she cast a bewildered look around, and my grandmother smiled mischievously. Silence fought and won with a landslide victory. The time was ripe to dispel all the negative thoughts in my head to maintain the sense of power I felt at that moment. As fate would have it, it turned out that I didn’t have to try too hard. Something significant happened to change my lot.
* * *
Grandmother, Ifedi, I, and the myriad of guests we entertained that evening came and left, and I retired to my room. Exhausted, I tried reading my book, hoping it would help me fall asleep. Near midnight, there was a soft knock on the door. Before I had the chance to look, it opened slowly, and an image appeared in the shadows. Okem was standing there, with his index finger over his lips, urging me to remain calm.
“Shh...” he said when he saw the startled look on my face.
“Okem,” I whispered, my heart pounding. “Is this really you? I can’t believe my eyes right now! Where have you been?” I jumped out of bed and ran to him.
Two strides and his arms were around me, squeezing me.
“How have you been, my love?”
A gasp escaped my lips.
“You have come to rescue me,” I said, breathing heavily.
“We will rescue each other,” he whispered. “How are you? I’m sorry for startling you.”
“I’m fine now! I’m so happy to see you.”
He seemed taller, darker, and much more handsome than when he left. He was
