STORY : WHAT WENT WRONG (Episode 9)

"Granny this is out of this world. Lightening doesn't strike this time!"
"Hold on my child, get behind me."
"Ohhh no granny you are joking, I should get behind you? Hell no! You get behind me. Whatever mystery lies in this house will unfold today."
"Stop being stubborn."
"Let me deal with whosoever is doing this. I'm not afraid of anyone or anything. For once let's settle this."
"Mwansa you are too young for these battles."
'It applies to you being old for such battles. Step aside I'm going outside to face the fool that is doing this."
"Get back here, you are not fit to confront those forces."
"What is it with these forces? Granny could it be that you are hiding something from me?"
"No my child why would you say a thing like that?"
"Everything about us is odd, the entire village hates us. I have grown up without having any friends. No one in this village wants to play with me much less talk to me. What is it about us that people hate? I don't remember hurting anyone. You should know something, you have lived decades in this village."
"Calm your heart child, one day you will understand. There are certain things that cannot be humanly explainable."
"I'm your granddaughter, I need to know what goes on. Fighting a battle not knowing whom you are up against is tough."
"My child we are not fighting any battles. The almighty above fights all our battles. There are battles physically fought and those that belong to the spiritual arena."
"Granny what you mean to say is that what has been happening is of the under world?"
"Never loose your your faith in God. Humans will disappoint and fail you, God will never forsake you. It's a shame that sometimes innocent people have to pay for other people's wrong doing."
Mwansa had enough of all the mystery surrounding her family. She needed answers and she needed them fast.
Her granny was sad, poor old lady. She didn't have the courage to explain what lies behind the forces around them. She slept with a heavy heart.
The old lady had a wired dream. Her enemies were powerful than she thought, they were not going to rest until they had her head on the platter. She woke up in the woo hours of the morning. She had her morning prayers, sprinkled holy water around the yard. She set out to the field to harvest. Mwansa was fast asleep, her grandmother didn't want to disturb her so she went alone.
Mwansa woke up to the sun waving good morning. Her granny wasn't next to her, with all the drama going on. She panicked. She ran outside calling for her granny. She saw her in the field from a distance. Her heart beat a slob when she saw her.
Something on her clothes stunned her, she had some sort of stains. This was not a normal stain, it was blood stain. Wait a minute why would I have blood stains? I don't remember hurting myself. Did I unknowingly hurt myself? It's not possible. I would have felt it, how can I injure myself to this extent without me realizing it?
She checked her self for any bruises, there was none. She checked again and again still nothing. She went inside the house. The beddings she laid on were stained as well. Could it be that the evil forces did something to her? That would only explain where the blood was coming from. She quickly got changed and gathered all the beddings, she rushed to the stream to wash them. She couldn't go to the well. What if someone saw her washing blood stained stuff. People from the village are very nosy. She didn't tell her granny anything, the old lady had too much on her, worrying her is the last thing Mwansa would do.
When she got to the stream, she washed the clothes then the beddings. She was rinsing them when she felt someone's presence. She continued rinsing as she thought it was probably one of the villagers coming to the stream. She was bended in the stream when she noticed a shadow in the water. Some ugly animal like figure was staring at her. She turned to look behind only to be met by Chilifya's grandmother. She was shocked to see her, why was she staring at her? How come she saw an animal in the water. This old lady was surely spooky. One second you see an animal, the next minute you see a person.
Mwansa didn't utter a word, she proceeded with her work. She finished rinsing, to her amusement the spooky old lady was still standing on the same spot holding on to her walking stick.
"I promised my grandmother not to get in any argument with you but you standing there and staring at me like that is absurd. I don't see your grandchild around here so why the hell are you staring at me for? Don't you have anything to do? It seems you had a rough childhood. You seem suppressed by many things in life. You are an old bitter lady and you will always be. Please seek God's intervention. He will help you with your issues because it's clear you have pending issues that need to be cleared.
The old lady was mute, she mumbled something that Mwansa didn't get clearly. It sounded like she said "It's about time."
"Ohhhhh I heard what you said, it's about time for what? If not for the fact that you are an old lady, I would have beaten the life out of you. You are lucky my grandmother raised a good child in me. You see why l suggest that you need God? You are too much."
Mwansa had so much anger in her, she so much wished to flog Chibiye's granny. Someone needed to put her in her place. She cannot go round bullying people. Like grandmother like grandson.
She grabbed her things and left. When she got home, she found her granny peeling beans seeds.
Where did you go? I looked everywhere for you."
"I went to the stream."
"I thought as much. Did you say stream?"
(Mediapronounce ng)
"Yes."
"Why is it? I thought you went to the well."
"No I went to the stream to wash."
"To wash? Weren't you washing two days ago, you needed to wash again?"
"Grandmother I don't know what happened, I think I kind of hurt myself, I don't know how. I just found blood stains on my clothes and beddings when I woke up so l went to the stream to wash."
"What have you done? You didn't hurt yourself or anything. What you saw is simply a sign that you are now a woman."
"Granny it's like you and I are not on the same page. I'm telling you that I might have bruised myself. I accidentally stained my clothes and our beddings."
"My child it's normal you don't have to worry. You should
have asked me before going to the stream. I hope no one saw you at the stream.
"Someone did."
"Who?"
"That old creepy friend of yours."
"Chibiye's granny?"
"Who else if not her, she is so nosy just like her grandson. The way she stared at me, I saw a shadow of an animal in the water but when I turned around I found her staring at me. She actually said something which I really didn't get."
"Ohhh Lord!!!! What did she say?"
"She said something like it's about time."
"Hurry! Go to the priest's house and fetch him, you will find me at the stream."
"Come on granny this is not necessary, calling the priest over this."
"Shut up we don't have much time left, we need to get to the stream as soon as possible."
The old lady got her bible and holy water, she headed to the stream while her grandchild ran to the priest. Thankfully she met the priest along the way. He told her her granny summoned him to the stream. They hurried together, her granny said something to the priest. They poured holy water in the stream and began to pray. After that they asked Mwansa to kneel down on the shore of the stream, they sprinkled holy water on her as they prayed for her.
"Don't worry mama, our God is a powerful God. Nothing of the world can over power him. Everything is okay, at the mention of his name, every kneel shall bow. Prayer is God's weapon against every vagabond. Go home, everything is in control."
"Thank you so much priest, my grandchild and I appreciate everything you do for us."
"You are welcome, you know our God never gets tired."
"Granny care to explain what is going on here?" Mwansa whispered to her granny.
"Keep quiet, it's your fault we are here, next time something like this happens consult me before anything."
"We have some mukuyo at home, if you don't mind we can go together home."
"Mukuyo sounds great, please send Mwansa to bring, I have errands to run."
"I will send her then."
With that they parted ways, the priest went to do his everyday routine around the village. Mwansa and her granny went back home. Mwansa was more than puzzled. What did her staining have to do with all the prayers. That day her granny stopped her from all the cooking duties. Her granny did all the cooking. They ate separately, there was no salt in the relish.
"Granny see why you should not cook?"
"Young lady I have been cooking long before you where born."
"Hahahaha old timer huh! Why doesn't this relish have salt in it? I'm guessing you forget that part."
"From today onwards you will not eat anything containing salt until I say so."
"Don't tell me you are punishing for that little mistake."
"Shiii you are not to talk when eating, hurry up! You need to take the mukuyo to the priest."
"I'm on it old timer."
Mwansa cleaned the dishes before leaving for the priest's house.
"Don't be too long, take this mukuyo to the priest. Be back before 16 O'clock, there is someone I want you to meet."
"I will back sooner than you expect."
Mwansa left for the priest's house, as she was approaching his house, she felt a strong wind that attacked her granny weeks ago. The priest was standing firmly praying holding a bible in his hands. She tried to run towards the priest, something pushed her. Minutes later lightening stroke, the priest fell down.