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Email: ryonkachi@gmail.com

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cc: lalasticlala

“Mary, I want my liver back, I’m on the second floor
A terrible fear gripped mer. She immediately turned off the radio, ran to her room and locked the door. She stood at the door panting when she heard the voice again
Mary, I want my liver back, I’m on the third floor
Now Mary was absolutely terrified. She ran to her bed and lay face down, pulling the covers around her
Mary, I want my liver back, I’m on the fourth floor
Mary lived on the fourth floor. She lay in the silence, her heart heavy, beating slowly, ‘pukum pukum’. Just when she was about to think that the whole thing was just a cruel joke, she heard the voice again, for the last time
Mary, give me my liver back, I’m right behind you”

I stop and look at the two children in front of me, Sammie and David. They are lying face down on the big bed, clutching a blanket, and staring at me. For a minute they are very quiet. Sammie is the first to speak

‘What happened next’

“Nobody knows”
I answer.

“ They found Mary’s body the next day. When the doctors examined it to find the cause of her death, they saw that nothing was wrong with her, except that in the place where her liver was meant to be, there was nothing”

David spoke next.

“It’s not fair, how was she supposed to know that it was a person’s liver that she ate?”

Sammie answered him.
“It’s her long throat that caused it, is it everything she sees that she will eat?”

No one says anything for a while. We have been telling ghost stories for over an hour.

“Okay, it’s time to go to bed”

I said, moving towards the switch.

“Chioma now, I’m not feeling sleepy. Why can’t you allow us stay up as long as we want sef”

I knew that that was an argument I couldn’t risk getting into, especially with Sammie. But since that was turning into a horror night, I decided to employ an old myth the village women use to send their children to bed.
‘You can stay up if you like, but there is an old woman who lives close to Otamiri River. Every night she walks round the village, a lamp in one hand, a bell in the other, tinkling her bell as she walks. Any child who’s awake at midnight will fall under the spell of her bell and gradually run mad, until one day you go to the river and drown’

‘Tah, I’ve stayed up till midnight before, and nothing happened to me’

‘You didn’t hear the bell because you didn’t know about it. Now that you know, you will hear it. Besides it only works in the village’

He looked at me, as if deciding whether or not to believe me

‘I’m scared’
David who had been quiet for a while said

I looked at him. He looked really scared. I softened.

‘Don’t worry, you’re a good boy, nothing will happen to you. Don’t mind Sammie. I’ll stay here until you sleep’

He nodded, looking relieved.
I sat there, at the edge of the bed, until they both fell asleep
I turned off the light, and went to my room


I have always liked the family house in the village, it was better than the one in the town. For one thing, it is bigger, a mansion really, with a gate house and boy’s quarters, a huge fence surrounding the equally huge compound. It is not a rare thing in this part of the world that men live in small, rented apartments in the cities, where they diligently pursue money to build mansions at home.
The good thing about the house is that I have a room to myself. It is a simple room, with furniture in different shades of brown, and it offers me the privacy I need. I shut the door, and turn off the light. I have always loved the dark, and find it very relaxing. But as I stand there in the thick blackness, I hear a clear voice in my mind,
‘I’m right behind you’
I scramble to my bed
I always sleep on my back, facing the ceiling, but right now, the position only makes me more acutely aware of the darkness that envelops me and the shapes that it molds. I shut my eyes, trying different positions until I settle with my face down.
After a while I fall asleep.
I dream of an old woman cooking livers by the streamside. She calls to me
‘Chioma, Chioma
I am suddenly aware of the hand on my body. I open my eyes. There’s someone standing by my bed with a torchlight. It is David

‘I’m scared’

‘What of Sammie’,
I ask

‘I’m here’
I hear his voice from the door.

‘Okay. Both of you can stay here for tonight.’

My mind is still alert long after they have slept even though my eyes were shut. I keep telling myself that this is silly, I have nothing to be afraid of. More than once, I feel my mind being drawn into the misty jumble of unconsciousness only to be jerked back by a stray rat here or the wind on a roof top. Eventually, I fall asleep, a brother on each side.




Sammy and David have gone back to the boarding school. Mum and dad are travelling to Abuja on business. They will be gone for a week. The Christmas holiday is over, but they have decided that it is best if I remain in the village till they come back. It is safer here.
As I watch them leave, I know that I am supposed to feel excited at the prospect of being home alone. Any normal teenager would. But it doesn’t make any real difference. I’ll spend the days as I always have. The nights are a different matter.


I have spent the day reading Ted Dekker’s ‘Thr3e’. There are no ghosts or monsters, just a very strange mental illness, but it is the most terrifying thing I have ever read.
This is the first time in what seems like ages that I will stay up till midnight. I finish the book sometime by 11 and try to summon the sweet reprieve of sleep, but I am only more aware of the darkness that surrounds me. There is a cloaked, hunch-backed monster by my bed, and even though I know that it is only the curtains covering the standing fan, I cannot bear to look that way. I look left and see a dark figure staring back. I am seized by fear. …but it is only my reflection. I must have that mirror removed.
I know when it is midnight. I know because every living thing awake acknowledges the moment in some way. So in between a rather loud croak and the frenzied shuffle of rats under my bed, I can barely make out the faint sound somewhere in the distance; the tinkling of a bell.
I do not know when I fall asleep, but I do, because when next I open my eyes, it is morning.
In the light of day, my fears seem so absurd. I cannot fathom why I was so tormented
‘You heard the old woman’s bell’
‘Oh please, that old myth! I’m sure it was all in my head.
My parents call during the day, and I tell them that everything is fine, because it is…

As night falls, I begin to feel the familiar fear again. I decide to call Uche, my best friend. We haven’t seen each other in a while. It’s been almost 3 weeks. Although he calls me every once in a while, I really miss him. Besides, I need someone to tell me that this is all in my head. I pick up my blackberry and dial the familiar number.

‘Chee’

I smile as I hear his nickname for me
‘Uche’

He must hear the relief in my voice because he asks,
‘What’s wrong’

‘I’m scared’

‘Of what’

‘It’s dark’

‘I thought you liked the dark’

‘I’m all alone’

‘Do you want me to come and stay with you?’

‘And do what kwanu?’

‘Who said anything about doing something now eh?, see her dirty mind’

I laugh… I can hear his smile

‘You’ll be okay

I tell him about the old woman and he laughs
‘Chee, since when did you start believing children’s story’

I’m hurt that he laughs, but I realize he’s right. I feel silly
I know, I’ve just never been alone for this long

It’ll be okay. It’s just for a week. It’s already been two days

Yeah…

We talk for close to 30 minutes and I no longer feel so alone. I fall asleep thinking of him… but it doesn’t last
I wake up with a start. I know it is midnight because again I hear the night animals louder than normal, and just outside my window, the tinkling of a bell



By morning, I know what I must do. I wait till its evening before I walk down to the chemist’s shop at the market square. It’s really just a small drug store. The girl at the counter looked barely older than me. I wonder if she too heard the bells. I doubt it.

‘I want sleeping medicine’

‘Do you have doctor’s prescription?
‘It’s not for me, it’s for my grandmother. She has trouble sleeping

‘Did she ask for any particular one?

‘No, just give me a good one’

She hands me a pack of white pills

‘Tell her to take two before going to bed’

;Thank you’

I pay for the drugs and leave the store
Outside, the sun has retreated, and there is a nice cool breeze. It’s a nice day for a walk, and so I walk. I do not know where I am going, but I keep walking, almost like one in a trance. The darkness, when it comes is sudden, and just in front of me, is the Otamiri River, glistening in the moonlight. I turn and I run. I continue looking back as I run, because somewhere in my head, I hear a chant
‘ I’m right behind you’

As I get home, I take the pills, two as the chemist said. I fall into a deep, heady sleep. But that does not stop the nightmares. They come in successions, one after the other, featuring the river and my family in the most frightening ways, each more terrifying than the last
I am stuck in nowhere land
Until morning, when I come back, drenched in sweat



Today, I go to see Aunty Chidinma, my uncle’s wife. They both live in the village because uncle oyibo works in the local government. She is happy to see me because in spite of the 10 years between us, we are very good friends.

“Chee baby”

“Aunty Chee”

We both smile

We exchange pleasantries and make small talk for a while. She feels me in on the local gossip. Although I am sad that Nda Vaji is dead, I have come here for a reason. I broach the topic with care

“Aunty Chee, what do you know about the Otamiri River?”

“Why are you asking?”

“No oh, its just a school project”

“Hmm, me I don’t know about the science or geography. What I know is what I’ve heard. Ihiiagwa people say that in the beginning, Chukwu lived with them as a human, but then the people started abusing his powers, and the women would come to him when their hoe or ogiri or wrapper got missing. He grew tired of them and moved to Arochukwu, but then the white man came and brought Christianity. So, chukwu moved back to Ihiagwa and turned into the Otamiri River. “

At this last bit I smile and she says
”I don’t know about Chukwu, but I know there is a spirit behind that river”

‘A spirit kwa?’

‘Eh heh now, there are spirits behind everything. Some are good, and some are bad’

‘Have you ever seen a spirit before’

‘Yes once, in my hometown. When I was a child, I went to the stream, one early morning before anyone else was up. It was still dark then. I saw a very beautiful young woman in the stream. When I saw her, I hid, and when I finally came out, she was no longer there’

‘How do you know it was a spirit’

‘What else could it have been. If she was from my village, I would have known. Besides, I didn’t see her leave the stream. She just vanished. Nda Ebere even told me that one day she was coming back from an occasion with her husband. It was raining very heavily that day. As they drove past the river, she saw a woman coming out of the water. She was carrying a baby on her back, but she was just walking slowly despite that rain was falling’

‘How come it’s only female spirits. Aren’t there male spirits?’

‘Eheh now, me I’ve not seen anyone, but of course there are’

I was quiet for a while

‘The spirit that controls the river, is it bad or good?’

‘I don’t know if it is bad or good, but I know that they need blood. Hmm, what do you think all those people that drown in the river are for? Even those that get missing, where do you think they go? All these mad people you see on the road, sometimes their madness is a spiritual thing’

We are both quiet

‘Hmm see the time. I’ll be here talking to you and I won’t cook what my husband and son will eat. Okwa you will eat here. Come let’s go to the kitchen. You’ll help me select beans.’

I only half-listen to Aunty Chee go on about how the beans these Nkwo Ukwu market traders sell has more stones and weavils in them than the actual beans. I am thinking about what she said.
Are the spirits punishing me for mocking them in their home turf, for knowing and not believing? Will they ever stop?
I think that perhaps this is all just in my head
I have to do something or these demons will kill me

After the meal, I say goodbye to Aunty Chidinma. I go back to the house, but only to take the amount of money I will need. I go to Nda Eliza who keeps poultry. I buy the chicken I need from her nephew because I would rather my parents not know about it, and I know she will mention it to them. I have him tie it up and put it in a bag for me, leaving just a little hole for its head. I take Inaga, a commercial motorcycle, because I do not want people to see me and ask questions. I stop close to the river and walk the short distance. I have made sure to go in the evening when few people are around there. The riverside is deserted.
I really do not know what I am doing, but I am driven by a need to do something.
I drown the chicken alive, not only because I cannot stand the thought of having to kill it there, but also because I reason that the spirits will want the sacrifice whole.
A car drives past. I wonder if the occupants saw me. I wonder what they will make of what they saw.

I go home feeling lighter.
I have decided not to take the pills tonight
Soon I drift into nowhere land
I dream of chickens, thousands of them, clawing at my window
And the king of chickens, walking on water
I see him smile and say
“You think you can get away”

I open my eyes, and I know it is midnight. I know because, right behind me, I hear the tinkling of a bell
I hear a heartbeat, perhaps it is mine, because there is something pounding in my chest, and it is spreading to my legs, my hands, until I cannot move, even if I want to. My eyes are shut so tight they hurt. I open them. The darkness is stifling. I cannot turn on the light because I have to stand to reach the switch, and even if I could, I’m sure there will be no light. There has been no electricity since my parents left, and there is no fuel in the generator. I reach out and turn on my reading lamp.
The bright white light dispels the black night. But it also reveals the shapes and shadows it hides. Through the cracks in my door, I can see movement, and just outside my window, I see a shadow pass.
Then there are the sounds. A loud clang, like a spoon falling somewhere, a frantic shuffling from somewhere under, a long creak, like a door opening. I hear footsteps on the roof

‘Chioma, will you stop being silly, there’s nothing out there’
‘Shut up, they’re after me. I have to run, they know where I live’

I can only stand so much torment. I start to cry. Loud piercing sobs that come from depths as old as life. I offer my tears, flowing, as supplication to the unknown god. I am lost. I am terrified


I know it is morning before I open my eyes. I cannot go through one more night. I must find a way to freeze time. I stand up, inspired by this idea. I strip the clock from the wall. I must destroy it, and my wrist watch, and my phone. I work fast, in a frenzy. I use the biggest stone I can find
Yes, now there is no more time
Oh, but no, the sun will still go away, the night will still come
Perhaps, I can outrun the night. I start to run. I run and I do not look back. People are staring at me. Why aren’t they running? And just in front of me, a little distance away, I see the Otamiri, glistening in the sunlight, beckoning
“NO! NO! NO!”
I cannot let them get to me. I turn back and continue to run. Where is everybody? Why am I so alone?
I see that I am back home. I lock the gates, and run to my room. I see a girl that looks just like me, except she is mad. I throw something, I do not know what, at her, and she shatters, like glass, like a mirror
“No! No! No!”
What is happening to me, where is everybody. Where is Sammie, David, Aunty Chidinma, mummy, daddy, uche, have they all been swallowed by the river? Have the gods taken them all?
No, what am I thinking?
Mum and Dad are in Abuja and they’re coming back, today? Tomorrow? Next week? How long have they been away? What day is it? What time? How long have I been here? What’s happening to me?
I can” t just sit here doing nothing. I go outside. I pick up a hoe and start to dig. I do not know why I am digging
Perhaps if I dig deep enough, I can enter the earth and be safe. They cannot get me here.
I continue to dig until the sky turns a brilliant orange. The darkness will soon come. I stop and look down
I have just dug my own grave. It’s so dark down there. I think of sleeping down there forever. I realize that is what I must do. I must sleep. They cannot get me when I am asleep. But I cannot remain out here. I walk to my room. I am no longer in a hurry. I take the pack of pills. I will need all of it if I am to sleep through this. I swallow all of them at once, ignoring the bitter taste, and stifling the need to throw up
I walk back to my grave.
I jump in and lie down, facing the sky
It’s cold down here and the darkness is complete
It doesn’t matter
I am safe…
cc lalasticlala.

comments would be appreciated

Nice story, I love it.....

mariamferanmi:
Nice story, I love it.....

Thanks dear. I almost lost hope. I thought nobody liked it enough to comment

MaziKachi:


Thanks dear. I almost lost hope. I thought nobody liked it enough to comment

...keep it rolling

Too scary for me

A beautiful narrative.

Unfortunately you failed to obey that common mark of narration in your use of tenses. Narratives are written in the past tense.

nice one

Thanks to you all. I appreciate

Mazikachi I read ur story last night and had severe nightmares, I was in chioma shoes, I woke up twice to ppray. It wasn't funny. I know d story might v ended but pls for d sake of my sanity, rewrite it and make it have a happy ending biko! God bless u for me

rofemiguwa:
Mazikachi I read ur story last night and had severe nightmares, I was in chioma shoes, I woke up twice to ppray. It wasn't funny. I know d story might v ended but pls for d sake of my sanity, rewrite it and make it have a happy ending biko! God bless u for me

I'm sorry for the nightmares dear. As for re writing it, well, I'll think about that. Thanks for dropping by though.

Cool story!

Very creative I must say.

She commited suicide?