They went back and forth a few more times, acting as though I was invisible or even worse, stupid. I already knew something terrible had happened. Amidst the chaos, all I was thinking was that I could bear almost anything as long as it had nothing to do with my grandfather.
“It’s your grandfather,” the two women said in unison, while my grandmother stared mindlessly with her head stooped to one side.
“He is gone,” she added. Her wailing had stopped. She replaced it with sniffling and heaving as she watched me with eyes that revealed the deepest sorrow I had ever seen.
* * *
The news devastated me. The love I had for my grandfather knew no bounds, and my mind never imagined a world without him. Frozen to the spot, I stared in front of me as my grief filled my insides. Coughing to clear a lump in my throat, I fell on my knees and gasped for breath. Ifedi yelled my name and ran to my side, grabbing my hand and dragging me to my room while I tugged my school bag with my free hand. After she shut the door behind us, I sat on my bed and stared at the wall.
“I don’t think it’s true that Papa’s gone,” I said after a few minutes had passed. I was sure that if what I’d heard was the truth, I would have had a premonition about it. Since that hadn’t happened, I held on to the slight chance that I was having a nightmare.
“Where do you think he is then?”
“I was hoping you’d tell me.”
The moment my mouth uttered those words and a steady stream of tears ran down my cheeks, I felt as though my heart was sinking into a deep, dark hole. I remember the feeling of hopelessness like it was yesterday.
Before Ifedi could open her mouth, Okem, who had been living with us for over a year, walked into the room. His eyes were red and puffy, and his teeth chattered while his chest heaved convulsively.
I repeated my question to Ifedi and waited for her to respond, praying she chooses her words with care. Being on the edge, I knew the slightest thing could throw my already fragile being overboard. I still hoped what I’d seen out there in my grandmother’s parlor was a figment of my imagination.
Ifedi had taken too long to respond. My head, still reeling to the point I became unaware of my immediate surroundings, I threw my back on the bed. The sorrow had engulfed me and pushed me beyond the boundaries of my being. It was right there and then that I entered Luenah for the first time.
* * *
I’d found myself walking down a narrow path, bordered by trees on both sides that formed a canopy over my head. Orange streaks filtering through the gaps in the trees formed abstract patterns on the ground, which created an optical illusion. I’d felt a gentle breeze blow across my face, tickling my nostrils and forcing a sneeze. As I began to inhale and appreciate the serenity the surroundings offered my aching heart, I saw an orangutan jumping from branch to branch. I followed it with my eyes and lost track of my steps for a moment. Not realizing I had reached the tail end of the path, I continued walking and entered a seemingly different world, landing on a trail near a seashore. My grandfather was right there, waiting to take my hand. Shocked to see him after just hearing he had died, I trembled and remained fixed to the spot.
“Ona, it’s me,” he said, looking down to smile at me.
“Papa,” I cried, hugging him as tears rolled down my cheeks.
We held hands and walked in silence for a few minutes before we came upon the shimmering sea.
“Where is this, Papa?” I had asked, finally garnering the courage to speak. “Where are we? Why did you leave? Answer me, Papa,” I demanded, tugging gently on his robe.
“Good things come to those who wait,” he had responded in a monotone. “You must be patient.”
Surprisingly, I obeyed.
We got to a narrow street, and I realized this world did not belong to only me and my grandfather. There were all kinds of people, in all shades, colors, and sizes. There were people everywhere: on the streets; in the market; in the field; and even in the sky, hovering in large aircrafts. A variety of marine mammals leaped in and out of the ocean. Business and trading and playing and partying and anything you could imagine went on in Luenah. Merchants exchanged goods and traded both physical and intangible items, speaking in a language that to my amazement I could speak fluently too.
I stood and pondered this mystical world I had found myself in.
“You’re in Luenah,” my grandfather said.
“Luenah?”
It had felt natural when I arrived at this place. It was a place of infinite possibilities. A place I could never have realized had I remained standing on the other side—in the dream. I had been close to accessing this portal in the past, but something had always held me back. I had been afraid of what I would find if I went all the way in. This time, though I was summoned by an indescribable force, I had entered with ease. Something about the grief from losing my grandfather gave me the courage I needed to enter the narrow passage to Luenah. The second I stepped in, I knew I had made the right decision. I immediately felt at peace; all fear was gone.
* * *
After we’d walked for miles, it seemed like there was zero conflict in Luenah. It appeared pure. Bordering towns spoke the same language and in the same dialect. No communication was lost in translation. The boundaries were not defined, but everyone seemed to know what those
