Chapter 2: Madam and Her Spirit Bobo

As I carry the fox spirit reach house, na so my smile wide like say I win Baba Ijebu!

NEPA don take light, so I carry torch dey find keyhole, fox spirit just dey look me like say na village film I dey act. My neighbor, Mama Chika, peep through curtain, dey do like say she dey look weather. I just wave her, show my package, see as she dey eye me with that ‘na who this babe think she be’ look.

For road, I try break the ice. “Wetin be your name?”

E just dey look window, before e answer with deep voice: “Femi.”

Even im name get big man vibes!

Omo, if dem do award for fox spirit names, this one fit win am. E sound like person wey sabi cook soup with just salt and still win competition.

I stretch hand quick. “I be Amara. From today, na me be your madam.”

I dey see as my friends dey do with their own fox spirits—all of them dey call their owner ‘Madam’ or ‘Oga’, e dey sweet person!

You need see the way Rita fox spirit dey hail am for house, e even dey kneel greet! Me sef wan feel the vibe.

But Femi just turn im face, carry one kain pride. “I no be like them.”

E talk am as if e dey correct me—like say me and am no suppose dey the same sentence. I just dey wonder if I carry home Prince of Zamunda.

Na so one cold breeze blow me for body.

E be like say small rain dey threaten to fall sef. My armpit cold, but I still dey try package.

I sharply change approach, still dey hold my hand out. “Okay, make we just be friends from today!”

I think say if I humble small, maybe e go gree. After all, dem talk say humility dey open doors.

E look my hand, snort small. “No dey touch me. If you touch me, I go waka go back immediately.”

I bite my teeth. Na just handshake I wan do o! I fire back: 'Na wa o! Even tortoise dey allow handshake for market.'

This kain wahala no dey for instruction manual. I dey think say maybe na foreign foxes stubborn pass, or maybe e dey do like Yoruba demon.

Which kain wahala be this!

If to say na Lagos traffic, I go use horn clear everybody. But this one, na cold silence.

But this ‘hammer’ thing—e really dey work?

I dey reason say if to say I no buy spirit, I for dey chop eba alone this night. But money na money, so I gats try.

So I snort back. “Who know if you fit really help person hammer? Maybe na why oga dash me discount, make I help am clear bad market!”

As I talk am, I dey check if e go vex or laugh. I wan use am provoke am, see if I fit break that cold body.

E just look me one kain—

Na look wey get calculation inside: 30% look down, 30% dey laugh me, 40% cold like ice!

I sharply look another side.

I no wan make e think say I dey beg am. I begin dey count streetlight as we dey waka home. Fox spirits sha, dem just get this their own charm! Just to look im eye, na wahala for heart…

Na so I begin dey reason say maybe all this wahala dey sweet dem for spirit world.