293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9x9NlLR4g
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRmIEN9Q65
I.
Emem was told never to swim in the Anantigha beach alone.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitppI1QWkA
“It is not safe,” her mother told her once when she was six. Anantigha beach is the home of Anansa.”
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKkHmyIQmT
EMEM: who is Anansa?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynbCFKVmln
Emem asked for the first time. Her mother, Affiong had always talked about Anansa; each time she said the name “Anansa” she did the sign of the cross.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItDDoWDdTE
AFFIONG: Anansa is a demon. The queen of the coast. Once you swim in the Anantigha at night, her spirit would enter you and you would become a witch.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvNSrZq7rO
“Stop it woman!” Emem’s father, Udoh blurted out. “You are misinformingg her”.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j9V9TtQ9Z
AFFIONG: What is in what I said that is a lie?
UDOH: Everything. Anansa is neither a demon nor the queen of the coast.
EMEM: what is she then?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8PfhoV2A5
Emem turned her head slightly to look at her father while Affiong braided her hair. Sunday was usually the day Affiong washed and styled Emem’s hair for school.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmx5VXbYMnR
UDOH: She is a river goddess, known to bestow beauty and success on her most loyal followers. If you accept her, she will treat you with love and bless you abundantly.
EMEM: What if you reject her?
UDOH: the opposite happens.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWNij2jVPt
Emem’s had very little understanding of the word “opposite” but it was not in her nature to ask people to explain things further. She just accepted it and later try to find out on her own. Emem never liked to inconvenience people with her needs, she believed that somehow she would always find a way until now. At thirty-seven years of age, she could tell that her life was over.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLYlqdnhEu
She was never married. Every man she had ever dated seemed to always marry the next woman they got with after dumping her. She sometimes thought of herself as their good luck charm to make light of her situation.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51KezASvPF
Her career was also a flop. Well, not completely. She could pay her bills with the salary she earned but she had no pension nor could she use it to take care of her aged parents. Not that they needed her money - her father had done well for himself - but she still wished there was something she could do for them.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnNHFhB8hf
On the 9th of July 2011, Emem walked to the Anantigha beach and sat very close to the ocean. She wasn’t thinking while she sat there. She did not care her clothes were getting wet or that she was cold. Emem just sat there and cried quietly.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoDP5YjygO
Then she lay on her back, the waves clashing with her body softly as she slowly drifted into sleep. While she was asleep, a nightmare unfolded at the beach. A wave large enough to drag her into the ocean was heading for the shore. It moved in a way only race cars did and with full force washed up on Emem, dragging her into the ocean and just like that, she was gone.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXlXVtWzKE
II.
Emem woke up to eyes staring at her and her ears hurting like they were filled with air. She sat up as fast as she could.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUSr9Z4vaF
EMEM: Are you a kidnapper?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCQ9KXqJjV
The pair of eyes belonged to a woman who sighed into a smile and shook her head.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV304svRwiY
THE WOMAN: Well that’s a pity.
EMEM: Oh my God. Help!
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmhGbLb4qN
But there was no echo.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrImmmRlKjq
EMEM: What is this place? Why wasn’t there an echo when I shouted?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgFF3VMjYj
The woman wearing a scaly gold midi dress with her hair in braids sweeping slightly below her shoulders walked to the chair opposite Emem’s bedside and sat down.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaht0G8o4b
THE WOMAN: You are underwater.
EMEM: What?
THE WOMAN: You fell asleep by the shore and the waves brought you here.
EMEM: Oh so this is heaven?
THE WOMAN: It could be.
EMEM: and you God?
THE WOMAN: -des.
EMEM: I don’t get it.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07MiLxYSZR
The woman paused to look at her fingers. She stared at them as though she was trying to find a flaw.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQMwH9vMSn
THE WOMAN: Why were you at Anantigha at night?
EMEM: I don’t know.
THE WOMAN: You do.
EMEM: Not like it matters anyway.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbJQuSYcIy
Emem stood up and walked straight to the window that resembled a giant aquarium. She stared at the sea animals floating past the window.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuc6WGIMiV
EMEM: I like your aquarium.
THE WOMAN: it is not an aquarium.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbssCrtvmDV
Emem scoffed.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8sDvQ2FiC
THE WOMAN: Where do you think you are?
EMEM: The home of a rich woman who rescued me from Anantigha beach.
THE WOMAN: Hmm
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9sAsnnRt3
The woman turned to look at the door and it opened without her having to use her hands. She didn’t even go near it. A look was all it took and the door was spread open.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGaXyzgOso
EMEM: How did you do that?
THE WOMAN: Stretch forth your arm outside.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGgrSwn6XA
Emem glared at her without saying a word.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Kn4D08QM8
THE WOMAN: go on. Have a feel of the outside.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lC6I4aid5
Emem did as she was told. She moved slowly to the door and before she reached for the outside, she could tell that there was something different about it. The outside looked like a wall of water - all blue - but it didn't flow into the room they were in. It stayed erect like there was a barrier was preventing it from soaking her up.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZVIDROWoZ
Emem stretched forth her arm to feel the outside and her arm glided through the wall. She retracted it and could see it was wet. It felt like she had just dipped her arm into a bucket of water. She turned to the woman and asked.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP6XHXnhea
EMEM: What is this place?
THE WOMAN: underwater
EMEM: Who are you?
THE WOMAN: finally, you have asked.
EMEM: So you never planned on telling me if I didn't ask?
THE WOMAN: no.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlWkXVZEN2
Emem walked slowly towards the woman as she asked, "Who. Are. You?" in a low voice.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mNBEDhbO9
THE WOMAN: Anansa.
EMEM stopped moving and scoffed.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1cB9aMuj8
ANANSA: This is a first.
EMEM: You can't be Anansa. Maybe I am dead or dreaming but there is no way you are Anansa.
ANANSA: and why is that?
EMEM: Anansa is evil. She is the queen of the coast. Everything about her is dark and scary. She bewitches people and steals their lives away from them.
ANANSA: What makes you think I am not all of those things?
EMEM: You look normal.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtBB0UuQoZ
Anansa smiled and tilted her head to the right a little.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tyrrPnh0h
ANANSA: Come with me.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtHF4IxUyf
Anansa led them into a room and as soon as they walked in, it began to take shape. First, the lights came on and then the room turned into a rich oxblood colour.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07vagMURnA
A long table rose from the ground as well as chairs and a throne at the very front. It was on a higher ground like an altar but more grandiose. People began to appear at the table as she and Anansa walked to the throne. A crown formed on Anansa’s head and her dress grew longer till her toes became invisible.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LbBpd7DbT
As they got near the throne, two guards prevented Emem from going further. Instead, they ushered her to a single table with a single chair and a goblet on top at the throne’s right-hand side. Emem made her way to the table and sat down, just as Anansa sat on her throne.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wZIJGQAre
ANANSA: Let us make a toast.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVeIifud0n
The whole room stood up with their goblets in hand and Emem followed suit.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiEXhqRoWQ
ANANSA: to prayers answered and wishes granted.
THE PEOPLE: In you we trust, you have never failed us.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmcOsoI2BY
Everybody cheered their goblets and drank from them except Emem and Anansa.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7Holw8z6F
ANANSA: We have a guest in our midst. The waves brought her to us.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q1YQlX3Yd
Everyone’s eyes moved from Anansa to Emem, making her slightly uncomfortable.
THE PEOPLE: What is it that you want?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHn7YZxhJq
They chorused like the Catholic church reciting prayers during mass.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRemGeCb8D
Emem cleared her throat as she stood up.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi7xJcAKJ9
EMEM: I don’t know.
THE PEOPLE: You must. The waves only bring those who are in need of Anansa’s help.
EMEM: I never asked for anything.
THE PEOPLE: But your heart yearns for something. Even when you don’t speak of it, the waves can hear it. Anansa can hear it.
EMEM: If she can, why is she asking me to say it?
THE PEOPLE: because for your prayers to be answered and your wishes granted, you have to ask.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7HU7xynZZ
Emem sighed. She knew what she wanted to ask for. She was somewhat desperate to say it out loud but she couldn’t bring herself to trust Anansa. Not with everything her mother told her while growing up but then her father did say that Anansa was known to bless those who accepted her.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57zcEH8WrL
ANANSA: Why were you at Anantigha, alone at night?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapYXjjkLDU
Emem took half a minute to compose herself before she answered.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeKInUyOJB
EMEM: I was sad. I am 37 years old but I have never been married. Never been asked, never gotten pregnant and my career is subpar compared to my mates. I went to the beach to be by myself. I wanted to wallow in my pain and sadness. Yesterday was actually my birthday but there was nothing to celebrate. Nothing to live for, to be honest.
THE PEOPLE: Is that what you want? To die?
EMEM: Oh God, no. My parents would be devastated. Why would any of you think I would want that?
THE PEOPLE: What do you want?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0mDF0ctNp
Emem didn’t answer
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFZLmwZ36X
THE PEOPLE: Say what you want.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EjhVjLUPG
Emem exhaled.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKlrmcR16J
THE PEOPLE: tell us what you want.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugQv5mFKDF
Emem looked Anansa in the eye and the room became quiet. Everyone and everything disappeared. Only Anansa remained, looking like how she did the first time Emem saw her. The new development confused Emem as she couldn’t understand what had just happened.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGQvk1PREo
EMEM: where is everyone?
ANANSA: here
EMEM: but I can’t see them.
ANANSA: that’s because we are inside your mind. Since you won’t talk with people around, I figured you will when it’s just you and me.
EMEM: mmm
ANANSA: what do you want?
EMEM: A life better than what I currently have with a husband, children and a successful career. I want everything I lay my hands on to be a success. I never want to lack anything ever again.
ANANSA: Do you believe you can get all of that?
EMEM: I hope.
ANANSA: I want you to believe.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WdkQQr2fx
Emem didn’t say anything. She however began to think about what life would look like if she had all she asked for. Since they were in her mind, a screen appeared in front of them and her probable life began to play on it like a movie. She met her husband, had three children and became a successful hotel manager. She later went on to build her own successful restaurant and then the screen disappeared.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1I26DT9a10
She then turned to Anansa and said
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRZzt4nILc
EMEM: I believe.
ANANSA: and so it be.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerjNVKMIqw
Everywhere turned pitch black. Emem opened her eyes and a pair of eyes were staring back at her again but this time around, they belonged to a man.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YPkq7qZGN
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbBIwJLN93
III.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uvkunvSSl
From the moment she opened her eyes to look at him, he was already gone: in love and never falling out of it. He knew from that moment she would be his wife and the mother of his children.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrLrA6YhBz
He helped her up and gave her a ride home. As she was about to alight from his vehicle he said, “my name is Ufot.”
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAidEL5bHM
EMEM: I’m Emem.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QrrD9nRXB
They exchanged numbers and began to date. From holding hands to their first kiss and multiple kisses, it was a high he never wanted to rehabilitate from. In the third month, he proposed and by the sixth, they were married.
Ufot worshipped the ground she walked on. She was the woman he had waited for all his life and he couldn’t wait to get home from work every day.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFAe2OHecZ
A year later they had their firstborn, Nene and two years after that a miracle pregnancy led to the birth of twins, Kufere and Ima. Life was great. Ufot got promoted to Branch Manager at the bank he worked while Emem opened her restaurant on the side. Each year, there was even more progress than the last.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKiKqCAaRt
However, Ufot noticed something strange about his wife. Once a month, she slept like a log of wood - as though she was dead - for 14 hours. Every time she woke up, she looked rejuvenated, younger and even more beautiful than ever before. It was becoming more apparent that in the ten years he had been with her, he was the only one ageing in the relationship while she stayed the same.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspIPZb55EV
At first, he thought it was because he was five years older than her but now that she was 47, it made no sense that she managed to look the same all these years. The thought weighed on his mind so much that he had to tell someone and so on a chilled Saturday evening while out with his best friend, Damini, he blurted it out over drinks.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNshKdq9NTV
UFOT: I think there is something strange about my wife.
DAMINI: Yeah, your wife has always been strange. She’s too perfect and you don’t deserve her.
UFOT: Not that.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPa5XQsLaH
Damini raised his eyebrows waiting for Ufot to carry on.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFsK56NXey
UFOT: My wife is not ageing.
DAMINI: I don’t understand.
UFOT: I mean she isn’t ageing. She isn’t getting old. She has been the same since the first day I met her. No wrinkles, no weight gain, no stretch marks, no sagging breasts, no grey hairs, nothing. She is like a plastic doll that never ages.
DAMINI: I still don’t get what the problem is.
UFOT: Why isn’t she ageing like a normal person?
DAMINI: Maybe she has a good skincare regime?
UFOT: She doesn’t have any skincare products except lotion.
DAMINI: Exercise regime?
UFOT: Unless you consider school runs and running a business as cardio.
DAMINI: So what are you suspecting?
UFOT: I know this would sound crazy but bear with me. You know when they say some people die in one location and then appear in another to live normal healthy lives?
DAMINI: Yeah?
UFOT: I think Emem might be that.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtidW8v4xV
Damini half laughed.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7V9LaadKz
UFOT: I’m serious. There is something else I’ve noticed too about her.
DAMINI: Okay?
UFOT: once every month, she sleeps for like 14 hours and there is nothing, absolutely nothing you could do to wake her up.
DAMINI: Your wife likes to sleep, what has that got to do with anything?
UFOT: Everything because some days before that day, she usually looks a bit worn-out, like she is about to start looking her age. However, after that sleep, she goes back to looking youthful.
DAMINI: hmm. That is some beauty sleep.
UFOT: Yeah but is it normal?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR58KmUk6j
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69NuyqyXnv
IV.
Damini had never been one to believe in the supernatural but his friend was worried about something and it was his job to ensure that he could provide help in whatever way he could. He decided to visit his brother who is a priest to discuss the issue, to know if there was any cause for concern.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZy0mxSl4F
Damini made his way to the Catholic Church where his brother, Rev. Fr. Ishuka, lived. It was a three hour journey with the traffic jam and the fact that it was on the other side of town. When he arrived, he headed straight for Ishuka’s office. Ishuka was happy to see Damini as they rarely saw each other but he also knew, Damini must be in need of something.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dHTL5jqs5
ISHUKA: I was not expecting you.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eeiUywbhx
He said as he gestured Damini to take a seat while he sat down as well.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFsQY4uSMh
DAMINI: I wasn’t expecting to come either.
ISHUKA: So what brings you here?
DAMINI: Something very strange.
ISHUKA: Francis! Francis!
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN4PQgZEve
He called out to his assistant who rushed in.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxBj4YGBgD
ISHUKA: Please bring my brother a juice carton from the fridge and an empty glass.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRF0z3gMvX
Francis nodded his head and proceeded to do as he was told.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEPM98TK0x
ISHUKA: What is so strange that made you pay me an impromptu visit? I hope father is fine?
DAMINI: He is. My reason for visiting is about my friend.
ISHUKA: Ufot?
DAMINI: yes.
ISHUKA: what is wrong with him? Did you two fight?
DAMINI: No, he told me something strange about his wife.
ISHUKA: Oh that beautiful woman of his?
DAMINI: yes. He appears to have developed a problem with her beauty.
ISHUKA: I am confused,
DAMINI: He said she doesn’t age. Once every month, she falls asleep for 14 hours and when she wakes up she looks even younger and more beautiful than she ever did.
ISHUKA: So she has a beauty sleep once a month. How is that a problem?
DAMINI: Her sleep is different. When she is asleep, it is as though she were dead. You cannot wake her up from it until she wakes up herself.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkKC9Y5LMn
Ishuka took a moment to absorb the information and then spoke.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9hYzOWS32
ISHUKA: How long has this been going on?
DAMINI: Ever since he has known her?
ISHUKA: Apart from her beauty sleep, what other oddities has he noticed about her?
DAMINI: She doesn’t age. She is 47 but still looks as young as she did when she was 37. She hasn’t added weight, no sagging body parts, no wrinkles, nothing.
ISHUKA: What about their daily life, together? Is he poorer or richer than they first met? Is he luckier than usual?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegdVdz4Taq
Damini thought about the question and replied.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozRkejXn49
DAMINI: Now that you’ve asked, I would say that he is but let me call him and put him on speaker.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrPMFDXm8V
Damini brought out his phone and dialled Ufot’s number.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgd9SuFeRg
UFOT: Yeah?
DAMINI: hi, so I’m with Ishuka and you’re on speaker…
UFOT: Hi, Father, how are you?
ISHUKA: I am fine, Ufot and you?
UFOT: Great…
DAMINI: I told him about your situation. The one you told me about the other day.
UFOT: mmm hmm?
DAMINI: He has some questions.
UFOT: What questions?
ISHUKA: Would you consider yourself poorer, richer or luckier since you married your wife?
UFOT: mmmmmmmmmmm
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UPUmPn4Qz
Ufot took his time to answer the question. It was as though he was taking stock of his life for the past ten years.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjzg3ivi87
UFOT: I would say luckier but what has that got to do with anything?
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cg3v78plM
Ishuka stood up and walked to his bookshelf that stood beside Damini. He ran his right index finger across each book until he got to the one titled “African Mysticism”. He pulled it out of the shelf and then he returned to his chair.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcxqgDBy3L
Ishuka opened the book, to the page on Anansa, the Powerful Water Goddess of Anantigha Beach. He skimmed through the pages of that chapter and stopped at a particular place he once highlighted with a highlighter.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HXD8LrO5F
ISHUKA: This is it.
UFOT + DAMINI: What?
ISHUKA: I think your wife is possessed by Anansa.
UFOT: What? My wife is not a witch.
ISHUKA: I’m not saying she is but, she may have made a deal with Anansa.
UFOT: What are the consequences of this?
ISHUKA: She would remain ageless and successful for a very long time, while you will age out and finally people would call her a witch and your family cursed. As a Christian, I frown against it because she isn’t worshipping the one true God.
UFOT: Okay. Thank you.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9W4zEYp0Wn
Ufot hung up.
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCupksI1wAu
293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEloL9KObw
然後按「加至主畫面」