Pa Kunle was a spiritualist, he dwelled in supernatural mysteries. He was blind but his mind was as sharp as a butcher"s knife. He was tall, light skinned and had a shiny bald head that mirrored one"s re ection. He had four children, and several grand kids. In his greying don of sixties, he still had the strength of a warrior.His favourite grand-daughter was named Abosede. She was also light skinned, pet.i.te and had a ferocious habit of picking ghts. Pa Kunle had the a.s.sumption she would be the one that would take over his craft. She was twelve and often a.s.sisted him when sight was called for, he would tell tales that made her wonder. What Pa Kunle loved about Abosede was her imaginative and vibrant mind. She was the one with promise, the one who had the obstinacy to conquer what was to come.
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One evening he called her to his barely furnished room, she sat on a small wooden bench not far from the springy bed he rested on. She inhaled the dusty smell of his room and sighed, both were quiet for a while. He did so whenever he was deep in thought. Soon he cleared his throat and nally opened his pinched mouth.
"Bose! Bose! Bose!" he spoke "how many times did I call you?" he asked
"Three times grandpa" she answered, her voice light as the evening breeze.
"What I am about to tell you, make sure you don"t forget" he sni ed then continued "it is not news to you that I go to the world beyond"
"Yes grandpa" she nodded, curious eyes rested on his fragile face.
"I had a dream, I was trapped" Pa Kunle swallowed hard.
He remembered it gaudily, beaded sweats broke his forehead.
"What do you mean grandpa?"
"The reason I am telling you this is because I might need your help soon" he said "when I go to the land of our forefathers, I lay in my sleep. It is very risky when I go but surely I always come back, the only thing that can keep me from coming back is when someone shifts my body from its position. My spirit will nd it hard to return," he said carefully. Abosede felt her heart leap, a great burden had been placed on her shoulders and she feared the consequences of failure.
"But grandpa why don"t you tell daddy?" she asked, and couldn"t help but wonder if grandma was alive, such responsibilities wouldn"t lay idle on her, what was she going to do? What if she failed to notice when he needed her, she couldn"t have his death on her conscience? She couldn"t do it; she was just twelve.
"But how will I know when someone shifts your body?" she asked and he smiled nodding, such a good question! He thought.
"I will reach out to you but you have to be very aware, notice things out of the ordinary, make sure you come and check on me when I am not awake. I always lay with my hands on my stomach and legs apart, if you see I am not in that position—make sure you readjust my body. Do not tell a soul about this. Am I clear?" he asked and she nodded "you cannot talk!"
"Yes sir" she said, sometimes she did forget he was blind.
Midnight came and his journey started. In the spiritual world he often sensed terror, emptiness, and sometimes serenity. The path he treaded on was entwined of the present,
past and the future. Withered branches and decayed leaves sprawled on the desolate ground, the sky was dark and the moon barely visible. There was something about the wind uttering his white gown that foretold a mystery; it whistled words of hollow signi cance.
He entered in an endless spiral that swallowed him. Pa Kunle came out of the swirl, a little out of breath. It was much colder, due to the dark stream in front of him. The fog hovering around was so thick and condensed, he couldn"t make out what was ahead. There was something odd about the stream, it was a pitch of liquid blackness and there were no waves. He had never crossed the stream before— never gotten the chance to further his exploration. He sighed and vapour left his mouth. Pa Kunle bent and grabbed some wet sand at the sh.o.r.e, then whispered incantations before throwing it at the water. He waited for the transporter called "Atuko".
Soon the calm stream, bore ripples of waves. It was a tall creature draped in a large cloak, which slightly showcased his overly thin frame and decayed long hands. The material revealed nothing else. The journey was short and Pa Kunle paid Atuko in a gold coin, which he tossed. He paid his dues and asked advised from the G.o.ds about a woman he was aiding. They were cunning and wise beings, who dwelled on riddles and enduring proverbs.
He had to help a woman conceive her unborn child, she had been pregnant for twenty-four months and the answers he got from the underworld divinity, was quite troubling but he was optimistic. Pa Kunle had to do something fast or else she would die in a matter of days.
As soon as he got what he came for, he returned back to the world of the living. It was always a rush descending on earth. His soul appeared in his room, levitating on the chilly air. He stared down at his body and tried gaining access, but his soul was denied entrance. It rejected him—something it had never done before. He gasped in confusion as he called out
spells that yielded no results.
Pa Kunle was running out of time, he had to do something. The more he tried to gain control of his body, the more exhausted he got. The nal resort was seeking out his granddaughter, she was asleep as expected. Power drubbed o him, as he was bushed from the journey, his time was at its limit! Fear fretted at him. He called onto her but he could tell he was too weak to make an impact on her waking, death wasn"t far and soon it will make an extract.
He woke with a snagging jolt of current that rendered him restless, he felt her presence, Abosede nally heard his calls—he underestimated how spiritually aware she was. He reached out to her and sighed in relief as he felt the warmth of her skin, slowly he pulled her in a long embrace.
"Welcome grandpa!" she whispered and smiled.
Rest in peace Pa Kunle. In his memory, 1910-2001.