Chapter 7: Spirit Food and New Faces

I no know why, but my mind dey shake. Like say wahala dey come. At night, dream carry me go city gate—people dey fight, blood everywhere. I wake, sweat full body.

I wan grab Set C, drink malt calm down. Chinonso see me, wake, ask if I dey sick.

I smile, shake head: "Na nightmare."

As I dey talk, I check system. Down, I see black line—next page dey?

I swipe up. Set D: random instant noodles (bag), boiled egg, sausage. Set E: two pack dry biscuit, one bottle water.

My eyes nearly fall comot—na who dey do juju for this system? For this era, instant noodles, dry biscuit na war food. Wetin be all this? I suppose overthrow chief, become queen?

Chinonso see my face, hold hand: "Oga, wetin happen?"

I come back, bring out Set E, give Chinonso: "Try am."

"Wetin be this?"

I open water, sip: "Na cake, like wild leaf cake."

She relax, bite small. She chew am, whisper: "E sweet like sallah chin-chin."

I warn: "No chop too much."

She shock, quickly keep rest, give me.

I laugh: "No be so. Biscuit strong, if you chop plenty, belle go bloat. Chop small small."

"Okay," she smile, "Oga, this food na from spirit land?"

I play along: "Yes, na super food. If you smell am, you go live three hundred sixty years; if you chop one, you go live forty-seven thousand years."

She hand dey shake, belief strong. I let her dream—Naija spirit pikin.

Morning, Musa rush: "Oga, wahala! Thief enter cave."

"Thief?" I stand. "No be we set trap? How?"

Musa dey sweat: "Dem sabi all our trap."

"How things be? Any person die?"

"Nobody die. Leader say e wan see you."

I no dey trust thief, but I must show face. I come out tent, see crowd, dirty, yellow, some no fit stand.

One big man step: "Today, we pass by force. If you gree give us food, we go go. If not..." He wave cutlass, show muscle.

Me, I dey fear, but these ones—if I blow breeze, two go fall.

Still, I no fit allow nonsense. I smile: "You go arm wrestle my man Musa. If you win, food dey. If you lose, make una go."

Everybody hold breath, even birds quiet.

Leader agree. Musa come, pull shirt, muscle dey show—three Set A per meal dey work wonders.

One old hunter step. Musa shake head: "No need, make e no break hand."

Leader insist. Musa carry bamboo stick, thick, twist, crack—e break. He hand another, old hunter try, nothing.

Leader see say no fit win: "Make me and you do one round."

I accept. As I roll sleeve, man see lion tally for my waist, sharply pull cutlass: "Where you get that lion tally? If you lie, I go use you do pepper soup."

I calm: "Friend give me."

"Which friend?"

I call Okafor Chinedu.

"You sabi am?" leader ask.

"Who you be?" Okafor Chinedu reply.

"I be Okafor Chinedu."

"Okafor Nnamdi na your what?"

"My papa."

Leader shock: "Spirit, I don find you!" He kneel.

"You be horseman?"

Leader cry: "Yes, I be Bala, captain for second group under Old Okafor. After wahala, chief send us fight riot, but dem no give us food or horse. Later, chief use riot clear us. Makurdi riot finish our Oga. Before e die, tell me make I find you. If we see you, we go survive."

I reason. I no get Okonkwo mind, but this people dey sincere.

"Why you no recognize Okafor Chinedu?"

"Last time I see am, e small. Now, e don fat. Food dey change person."

"Old Okafor say make I look after you. You sabi this?"

"Yes, general tell me." Bala kneel.

Nearly hundred people kneel: "We ready follow you go anywhere."

My head dey spin. Na so destiny dey push person. Sigh. As I land here, I go follow flow.

I wave: "Chop first, una hungry."

Happiness scatter. Two Set A each, line up, ten minutes, all chop. Bala really hungry, open box—stewed goat meat, okra, potato, dried fish, beans, rice. Bala hug the box like lost treasure, and for the first time, hope enter her eye.