I sighed deeply, in awe of everything I’d just heard. “Tell me more...”
“You’ll understand everything in due time. For now, all you need to know is that many are called, but only a few of us ever make it into Luenah.”
“Why not? Why can’t everybody make it?”
“Doubt. It’s as simple as that. Few have the courage to go through that narrow path, the same way many people shy away from pursuing their goals. They come close enough to get a glimpse but do not take the leap because of fear and doubt. With courage, you can feel the fear and still forge on. It’s the vessel that keeps you going.”
“How come I never found the courage on my own to come before now? I am quite the explorer, never afraid to climb trees, race boys, or even swim at the stream.”
“We’re most courageous at our weakest; when we believe we have faced what we fear the most and have nothing more to lose. The news of my passing weakened you and forced you to move. Courage created an urgent need in you to see what was on the other side.”
“I’m not sure I understand, Papa.”
“It’s rare for one to find courage on their own, but I believe you would have eventually found your way through, with the right motivation. You see, courage and motivation are sister traits. The former is devoid of thought and requires extenuating circumstances to drive action, while the latter requires the will or the desire to succeed and involves thoughtful action.”
“I always assumed everyone had the desire to succeed. Don’t they?”
“Mostly, yes. But not everyone thinks the right thoughts. Desire is fueled by our thoughts, notwithstanding if the desire was brought on by seeing others succeed or by trying to meet the expectations we have of ourselves.”
“Aren’t thoughts just that—thoughts?”
“No, they are much more impactful than you can ever know. If you can think of something and your brain can define it with clarity, then you can create it. Onye kwe, chi ya ekwe. If one agrees, her spirit will agree also. And once your spirit agrees, the deed is as good as done.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, but it requires great discipline. If not, danger would be lurking in every corner because one or two people had unpleasant thoughts about someone who has done them wrong.”
“Oh,” I said, shuddering at the thought.
“Your grandmother always said you could achieve anything you put your mind to, right?”
“Yes, she did.”
“Well, it’s the same concept at work here. The right thoughts create emotions that can impact your physical reality and bring things to life. Manifesting your thoughts in the physical involves the performance of tangible activities that lead to the achievement of goals. The key is to focus most of your energy on those activities rather than on your end goal, to increase the probability of success.”
“I hope I can put this into practice.”
“Always pray that God honors your efforts and back up that prayer with conducting your affairs with integrity to increase the likelihood of getting those prayers answered.”
I stopped for a moment to ponder his words. “This is a lot for me to take in,” I said to him.
Although I didn’t understand most of the concepts he was trying to teach me at the time, I reckoned I would work towards figuring them out by myself.
“Come, there’s something I have to show you,” he said, beckoning to me.
For some reason, I couldn’t explain, my heart raced, and I held my chest and hoped my heartbeat wasn’t as loud to him as it was to me.
* * *
We were standing at the door of the shrine. Towering over us, it was at least three times my grandfather’s height. He picked up the large brass knocker, shaped like the head of a lion, and banged it against the door once.
“Take off your shoes,” he said, taking my hand while we waited for an answer.
“Why, Papa?”
“Because it’s forbidden to get past this point wearing footwear from the outside.”
Seconds after I kicked off my shoes, the door flew open, and we took a step forward. Before I got the chance to peep inside, my grandfather let my hand slip away after muttering something indecipherable.
“What?” I asked in frustration.
No answer.
“Papa,” I cried out.
No answer. My grandfather had vanished. The numbing pain I felt from his loss filled my heart again.
Chapter Three
I HAD WOKEN up to the sound of my grandmother’s voice calling me.
“Ona... Ona... Ona.”
My head still reeling to the point that I was quivering, I slowly opened my eyes. As I massaged my temples to relieve the tension in my head, the memory of my visit to Luenah immediately came back to me. My grandfather had been trying to reveal something important, I’d believed. I regretted that my grandmother had brought me back before I found out what it was. She was clutching the bed frame and heaving a sigh of relief while I sat upright and surveyed the room. Ifedi and Okem were standing right behind her. They both seemed perplexed. Two of my grandmother’s friends, who had been rolling on the floor, wailing, were standing at the foot of the bed, their chests heaving wildly.
“Thank God!” the first woman exclaimed. “How would your grandmother have survived another tragedy, eh?” she said, raising both hands in the air.
The second woman clapped her hands and twisted her lips.
“God forbid!” she said. “Don’t scare your grandmother like that again, inugo? Have you heard?”
I stared angrily at them, as they looked at me with trepidation. Why did they have to be so dramatic? I thought to myself.
“Open your mouth and speak,” the second woman yelled.
“I wasn’t trying to scare anybody,” I muttered. “I was just sleeping.”
“Sleeping?” my grandmother asked with
