Chapter 3: The Trap at the Well

My heart cut like NEPA wire. Why everything these days dey connect to that dried-up well?

I sit down for edge of my bed, hand dey press my head. Everywhere just dey dark. I dey remember the way things dey go in circle, as if spirit dey drag me back.

Before I fit think, Femi continue:

His voice dey crack, like person wey see ghost. 'We no fit dodge am this time.'

“That place where the dried-up well dey, developer don choose am. Dem wan build mansion for there. All of us need come back, make we talk about Chijioke.”

Femi no let me breathe. I fit imagine the site, bulldozer go dig, bone go scatter, secret go fly for air. My mind dey jump up and down.

Fear hold me. If they build mansion, once dem dig the ground, dem go see Chijioke skeleton.

Na headline e go turn for newspaper. My name, my career, my family, everything go scatter. The fear hold me like rope.

The secret we hide go burst open. I dey see the shame, the disgrace. All my small glory for city, na so e go melt.

I hang up, lie give my wife say I get new case, I go dey away for half month. My wife dey ask question, dey hug me, but I no fit look her face. I just pack small bag, say big client need me for long work. My voice dey crack, but she gree.

That night, I drive straight back to Umuola village. The road long, star full sky. I dey hear crickets, old songs for my head. Na only torchlight and fear dey my company.

When I reach the dried-up well for deep bush with my torchlight, four of us wey do the thing together that year don already show. Everybody dey look older, face don strong, but fear dey their eye. We no talk plenty, just dey look the well like say e fit bite person.

Only Tunde, the main person wey get the idea that time, no show face. Tunde, the oga for our group, na him dey missing. We dey call, message, but silence dey greet us. E be like say shadow swallow am.

We wait tire for am, but he no come. Breeze dey blow, we dey tap foot, time dey move. Even bush rat tire for wait.

“If we no do am now, day go break soon. We no fit wait for am again,” na so Femi talk, impatience for him voice.

Sadiq dey look wristwatch, Emeka dey check bush. Femi voice carry anger, but na fear dey push am.

All of us agree. If morning reach, developer people go come survey the land. We dey imagine surveyor come see human bone, begin call police. Everybody agree say now or never.

If we no hurry, e go too late. One eye dey road, one eye dey well. Everybody dey shake hand, dey cross leg. The night dey grow old.

The four of us join hand push the stone, wey don gather moss, comot. The stone heavy pass memory, but all of us dey use old fear move muscle. The moss wey dey there smell like dead rat, slimy, but we no mind.

The well mouth, wey we seal for over twenty years, release one kind cold groan, then small white smoke come out from inside. As the stone comot, the earth itself sigh, as if spirit dey waka. That white smoke, e cold like harmattan, e wrap our leg, enter nose. I fit swear say I hear whisper.

“This thing dey strange o. Person don die for years, still dey disturb us,” Femi mutter under him breath.

Femi voice low, Sadiq cross himself, Emeka spit for ground. Everybody dey look shadow, dey pray inside their mind. Allah, cover me from evil hand.

When the smoke clear, we all gather look inside. I bend head, Femi hold torch, Emeka dey shiver. The well just wide, darkness dey swallow the light. My heart dey beat kpai kpai.

I remember say that well no too deep that time. For my memory, na small well, children fit jump enter. But now, e be like bottomless pit. My leg dey weak.

But even with four torchlights, we no fit see bottom. Everywhere still dark like midnight. The light dey bounce for wall, but the bottom na black, deep, nothing dey move. Everybody keep quiet, only breath dey sound.

We dey fear, nobody wan go down to bring out the skeleton and those things. Nobody gree talk, na only eyes dey point. I dey hear Emeka teeth dey knock.

Femi point me: “Musa, you be outsider for this village. Na we help you join us that year. Now, na your turn to work.”

Femi voice no get pity. Sadiq nod, Emeka no talk, but I see say dem don agree. My mouth dry, my mind dey run prayer.

I wan protest, but as I see the others face, I know say dem don already plan am. I try open mouth, but na blank face dey look me. Everybody dey ready for anything. I just surrender, no get power to fight.

No choice, I tie rope for my waist, start to climb down the wall. I tie the old rope for waist, check the knot two times, hand dey shake. Femi hold torch for my face, e almost blind me.

As I enter the dried-up well, cold just grip my body, fear dey spread everywhere. The wall cold, hand dey slip, sweat mix with fear. Na only my own breath I dey hear, my mind dey beg for mercy.

I hold the well mouth, no fit go down for long. I pause, hand grip stone, leg dey shake. The darkness just dey swallow my hope.

“Why you dey waste time? You wan make all of us die?” Femi voice loud from above, e sound like my papa when I do bad thing. Sadiq dey curse, Emeka dey stamp foot.

Femi raise hammer, threaten to break my hand. The hammer shine for torchlight, e glare for my eye. I no fit challenge am, everybody dey vex.

I no get option, I quickly climb down. I breathe in, gather courage, begin descend. Every step, my mind dey scream, 'Musa, wetin carry you come here?'

The more I go, the more fear dey catch me. Cold dey enter my bone, the darkness dey turn spirit for my head. I dey remember every sin I commit since I small.

When I still never reach bottom, I shine my torchlight down. The light dey shake for my hand, heart dey knock. I see something white—my own mind dey skip.

One skeleton, don change colour, dey lie for ground, mouth open, dey look me like say e dey accuse me. The bone arrange like say e dey wait for judgement. The jaw open, eye socket hollow. My skin rise.

My heart jump, my hand with torchlight dey shake. I try hold myself, but my hand no gree calm. I dey sweat, even cold dey.

Suddenly, I see say another skeleton dey opposite that one. For the other side, bone dey cross, another head dey show. Two skeleton! My eye nearly fall comot.

Wetin dey happen? Something no pure! I begin dey pray, dey recall every bad dream wey ever disturb me. I dey sweat, even as cold dey slap my face.

“Ah!” My voice loud, echo for the well. My spirit wan jump comot body.

I shout, start dey climb rope up. I dey drag rope with all my power. Fear dey push me, leg dey slip, my body dey shake.

Na that time I hear stone dey scrape above my head. That sound, e be like thunder. My mind dey scream. I dey beg God, dey confess.

Dem wan seal me inside the well! My whole body freeze. Na setup! I dey curse the day I ever join dem for that wicked plan.

“I quick understand say dem no come here to clear remains at all.” My mind sharp, I realize my own don spoil. Na trap be this.

“Wetin be this? Abeg, no seal the well! I go give una anything una want!” My voice crack, I dey promise money, land, anything. I dey shout, voice dey bounce for wall.

“Your own don finish! Once you disappear, all your things go become our own!” I dey hear dem dey laugh, greed for their voice. My heart dey beat like drum.

“Just stay there dey accompany them.” My blood cold, as dem talk am, I know say na end be this.

Next thing, dem cut the rope. I fall with gbim land for bottom of the well. My back scatter, leg bend, pain rush me. Darkness full everywhere, torchlight fall for ground. My cry no get answer.

The moonlight for well mouth disappear. The small light wey dey enter vanish, na total dark swallow me. I dey hear my own breath, I dey choke.

With heavy sound, dem cover the well mouth with big stone again. The stone sound for my head like thunder. The air change, everywhere dey close. I dey fear, dey cry.

Three days later, dem even come check me. I hear footsteps, stone dey tap for well wall. Hope rise small for my chest.

Dem knock the wall of the dried-up well with stone, The sound dey loud, echo bounce for my ear. Na only me and dead bone dey listen.

Dey pretend shout: “Musa, you still dey alive?” Femi voice fake concern, as if dem care. I dey curse them under my breath.

“You fit dey alive, but you no go last. You no expect this, abi? Na your own medicine you dey chop now.” Their voice dey wicked, laugh dey follow. The pain for my body dey grow.

As dem dey talk, I don already climb reach the well mouth. I use all my small strength, finger dey bleed, nail dey break. I dey drag myself like animal, hope dey push me.

My hand don wound, blood everywhere, my legs break from sliding down the wall many times. Pain no gree me rest. My leg dey bend, skin tear, bone dey show. Tears and blood join together.

I dey hope say dem go open the stone, so I fit jump out fight them. Na only fight dey my mind. If dem open, na war.

As I wait, I hear stone for well mouth dey move. I dey hold breath, dey pray, dey promise God anything if I survive.

The space for well mouth dey open. Light enter small. My eye dey blink, hope dey rise.

My heart dey beat fast with hope. Na like new life. I dey ready to grab anything.

But next thing, dem pour one full bucket of strong acid on top me. The pain tear me like hot pepper enter eye—skin dey peel like yam. The pain strike me like fire. My body dey melt, scream full my mouth. The smell, the heat, na death itself.

The pain just scatter my body immediately. I dey roll for ground, skin dey burn, heart dey break. I dey beg God, beg my mama, beg my papa.

I fall from well mouth reach bottom. As I fall, my spirit nearly commot. My mouth dey open, but no voice dey come out.

The two skeleton bone even pierce my chest. Bone cut through my skin, pain dey mix with fear, na death dey dance around me.

“He sharp o, dey wait for us for well mouth.” Dem dey mock me, their laughter dey echo. Na as if spirit join them for dance.

Their mocking laugh dey echo from above. The voice dey ring, pain dey follow. Regret dey multiply for my head.

Regret full my mind. I no suppose join them do evil that time. Now, my own karma don reach.

Tears mix with blood, my soul dey beg. The thing dey pain me pass say na my own friends put me here.

But e don too late. Blood dey leak from my body. The well dey cold, life dey leave my body small small. I dey see darkness dey close my eye.

I dey fade small small… Na only my breath dey struggle, my mind dey float. For the last time, I dey remember my wife face, my mama song, the laughter wey we laugh when we still be small pikin for Umuola.