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Beautiful... I'm a big fan.

Lola had cut me half through my sentence . " Not here, a walking distance from here. We would have warm beds and food for the night. Its my aunts place."

"We wait the rain out?" I asked .

"Its going to keep raining hard , we best proceed on foot."

I couldn't help the smile that would contour on my lips. Rita really had an accent and I was just noticing . It sounded so nice , like feathers stroking the ears. I tried not to keep up with the smile least i draw unnecessary attention.

I and Rita rolled our trouser up. Being that Lola had noting to roll, we proceeded into the the flooded streets.

The distance was much longer than I had envisaged. Cutting from streets to street , corners to corners , between and beside houses. We finally arrived at a low cost estate. My timberland boot was soaked in water and my whole body trembled from cold. Lola was taking the lead in our little flood navigating expedition, while I followed and then Rita ;who felt more comfortable watch me from behind . Often , I slow down my pace , hoping she would move ahead of me , but the reverse . The faster i moved, the faster she would with her weird smile on her face.

Lola , being the flood Messiah would stop at occasions to check on us. One thing she didn't bring back from the other side was a smile. Though the weather did not warrant a smile of any sort , but she kept this look. Her eyes, they had changed. I knew that look. The same kind i saw stare back at me when i was face to face with my reflection on the glass panels at Bello's tower. The way a starving fisherman would stare at a juicy whale . She has her eyes set on a prey.

I wondered what was running through her mind. I felt like sharing my thoughts with Rita, but I wasnt the type that found comfort in sharing my feelings with people, least Rita the horder of seceretes and truths .

Whatever i was thinking, Rita , being a very intelligent being must have thought of it.


"Whats on your mind" Rita whispered into my ears .

"And why do you think I would tell you" i replied in a hushed tone.

"I have to know what you are thinking at all times, to know what you would do, cause if you stray just a little from our plan, it would cause a lot of ripple effects like the one we are in right now."

I stargazed at Rita for a while , uncertain if I wanted to share my thoughts with her. What she meant by "our plan". She spoke in so much parables that I was done reading into any.

"My legs would soon fail me. One of you has to carry me. "

I stared at Lola in disbelief . "Its perfectly normal , she has not walked in days. Anyways, I cant carry her."

So our journey continued again with Lola in my arms and her left arm hanging around my neck with her other arm serving as our navigator .

"That is the house." The best sentence I had heard in the past twenty four hours.

"You can drop me now."

A low cost bungalow stood plebeian before us. They were those kinds constructed by the government. Slightly larger than the gate house in my home , but decent enough. A long array of similar bungalows. Across was a number of four storey buildings in similar pattern and block of flats arranged in a nice order. The roads were proper constructed and had underground drainage systems that kept the street free from flood . The bungalows had short fences, well nurtured nursery beds with flowers blooming in the rain; and compounds large enough to take only two cars , and of cause would require expert driving.

We were standing right in front of one of such. A neat little house. I gathered only a small family would inhabit the place . I observed a ladies blouse hanging on a laundry line as Lola would pick a stone and pound ferociously at the little gate.

I doubted anyone was in, judging from the cloth hanging on the line. No one would leave his or her cloths out in the rain, which in this case was a 'her', and women are known to be much more meticulous with their laundry.

Alas, I would see an old lady walk slowly to the gate from over the fence with an umbrella shading her from the rain. With my height and close proximity the gate had to the main building, she could see my face and squinted her eyes trying to recall my persona . It seemed like we had woken the old lady from a good nap.

"They are not at home." The Old lady said slowly with no intentions of opening the gate. I couldn't blame her. Who would open her home to an over six foot tall shirtless young man in the furry rains. She must must thought we were seeking the other residents that lived with her, maybe ...

"Grandma is that you?" Lola said with a tone of excitement as she wiped rain drops off her face. She finally smiled for the first time since she was brought back to life. The grim and happy Lola were very lovely people to look at .

The old lady was silent for a while , and then slowly opened the gate.

" Oh my , Omolola!" And the old Lady dropped unconscious hitting her head on the cemented floor .


I stared at Rita and back at the lady on the floors. I just hoped the lady was not dead. Seemed A hex was placed on my head. Rita returned the gaze with a lack in any expression whatsoever . Typical to stick to the smile or that, the only epressions I knew her face to make.

"Help me bring her in , don't just stand there!! Grandma!!"

Chapter 4 : Packing up for war


Sept 14th 1970



"How long till we dock at shore?"
Rita asked .

" About a day left"
We were both at our weakest. The sea was slowly killing our bodies , but I was sure by my calculations that my foiled cabin would hold us long enough. I stared at the mirror handing on the wall. My beards had really over grown. Jenny had jokingly said they did not look so bad on me. But knowing her too well, I knew she did not fancy it at all.

Rita sat at a corner on the floor with her head burried on her kneel. I had never seen her that weak all my life.

I stared at the love of my life fast asleep on her bed.

And there came a knock on the door. I stared at Rita and our eyes met.

Jenny was awake "Hon , who is there?"
I watched her braided hair drop across her face as she packed them into a pony tale .I stared at her pearly eyes. so many whispers those eyes would tell , and the loudest of cause was encumbrance.


2003



I stared at Lola's pearly eye, they looked really worried , but I cared less. She had tricked me into all this.

"Chika, I think we need to walk faster." I heard her whisper.

I stared at the cracked screen on flip cover of my phone . The battery was low and it was 5:45pm . I glanced at the phone again as I saw water droplets on it. I stared at the sky. It was going to rain.

I continued walking and caught up with Rita.

"Thats the cold room over there" Lola said pointing at blue painted bungalow unfenced .

" Are you still thinking about how the cab driver freaked out?" Rita asked staring at me unblinkingly like her eyes were searching for words on a news paper puzzle .

"We could have taken his car. Borrowed it for a few days . Was just thinking about that" I said.

The man had rushed out of his cab, stop to stare at it from a distance. He looked around the quiet and lonely road. He would often bend like he was searching for something under the vehicle ,and then ran away. Whatever was going through his mind, i was sure he was really terrified and had a story to live to tell his loved ones.

We finally made it to the place.

" give me a moment , let me check around if anyone here. " Lola said and dematerialised .

I observed the roller shutter door. It had a poster on it which read

' We open 8am to 10pm mondays to fridays. '

I wondered what the circumstances that led to Lola's death could be that her body would wind up in a cold room for frozen chicken, turkey or fish or whatever they keep in cold room theses days.

"No one is here. Oh my, we are in luck."

"No, you are in luck." I said as Rita broke the padlocks.

The door had another gate which Rita also took off with ease. In a way, her strength petrified me. I hadn't even thought of the extent to her powers . I had a plan to find that out . I just needed this ghost matter to blow over . So many questions on My mind , particularly the viscous fluid that came right out of my eyes. The one that made me raging and blood lusting.


"Hey, Chika! Been calling you. "

I must have lost my self in my train of thoughts.

I stared at Rita at a distance . "The body is here."

I looked around . Cartons of what knows what were stacked to the ceiling . I pulled down the roller door and put on the light bulbs .It was freezing . I made my way to where the body was. I quickly removed my shirt and wore it on the body. It was Lola. Laying nude on the ground helplessly . Even dead , it felt wrong just letting the lifeless body lay disrobed.

My shirt was long enough to cover her body well alright. What was I doing? I thought to myself. I stared at Rita who had no expression on her face, as usual .

"So, how does this work?" I inquired from Rita.

"I dont know much about this ."


" What? That is not suppose to happen . You know everything. You made me come here and now you're saying you don't know know anything about this."

"Forgive me. I said I don't know much . " she paused for for a few seconds , " You would have to drown in her death " whatever that meant . She made another long pause that would last for a whole long ten minutes and then spoke.

"Hold her hands . "

"The ghosts' or the dead body?"

"The dead one." She replied, pointing at the corpse .

I obeyed Rita who was prancing around like she was engaging her thoughts.

"Okay? What after that" i asked after waiting a long time. The body was cold and stiff as wax.

"Place you hands on his back " Rita said in a hushed tone to the ghost and whispered something inaudible. The ghost shook her heard affirming .

The next thing that would happen was the worst pain I had ever felt. Unimaginable pain as i felt my neck crush slowly and time became slow. I could hear every thing around me, even the dove that had landed on an electric pole miles ahead , but I failed to hear my heart beat.

I screamed in pain and the viscus dark liquid started seeping down my eyes. And everything stopped.

I heard coughing . It was Lola. I layed helplessly on the floor. I was exhausted. I closed my eyes and opened them. Rita was standing above me.

"You're so exceptional . Don't worry, you would be fine . Don't try talking. It would increase the pain. Just lay there for a few more minutes and don't move a muscle." Rita spoke in her warm and calm grandiloquence.

I obeyed and stayed in my position . I just brought someone back from the dead. I started to remember the pain. Indeed Lola died from strangulation like I had assumed on our first meeting. I now understood what Rita meant by drowning in her death.

I rolled my eyes and watched Rita help Lola stand . Her pale skin had gained nourishment rapidly and her bruises were healing so fast that in a blink they were gone.

I had to lay on the cold floor shirtless. I closed my eyes and could hear the thunder rumble. We were in for a very stormy night. No car, no food, no money, no shelter. I heard my phone give a battery low signal and shutting down. No phone also.

I was left to engaging my thoughts once again. I just realised that Rita had an accent . Strangely that was the first time I would think about it as all our conversations always took my mind on journeys.
Oh I missed my old life so very much. Boring , but I missed it.

The person i had brought back to life had even recovered faster that my self and was now standing above me . Just staring .

I tried not to look under my shirt she had on her. Did she know i could see between her legs? Well , I was told not to talk for a while. It took a lot , but i did eventually close my eyes.

"You should be good now Chika ."

Most part of the pain was finally gone. I opened my eyes to Lola standing by the roller door , but this time it was wide open. Her arms were folded and her back was turned towards me with the lightning from the sky casting a siloueth . Rita was asking her some questions , and she was answering them in very hushed tone.

"Chika, get your self together, we have a place to rest up for the night." Rita said with her ever warm smile .

"We can not pass the night here. Its cold and ..."

Lola had cut me half through my sentence . " Not here, a walking distance from here. We would have warm beds and food for the night. Its my aunts place."