Chapter 4: Gathering Black Dogs

Before I commot go find help, I tell Uncle Okafor make e find like twelve black dogs make dem guard outside Ngozi room.

For town, black dog na sign of protection. Old people dey talk say black dog dey see wetin human no fit see. Some people dey fear am, but na only strong animal fit chase bad spirit. The more, the better.

If person be like house, Corpse Dog spirit na the dog wey dey guide the house.

I explain give dem, draw diagram for ground. "If the dog dey bark, spirit go fear. If e sleep, wahala fit enter."

Before I waka, I remind dem: "Lock all the doors, you and madam stay inside, make the black dogs dey guard the compound."

I list all the locks for house, tell them make dem pour small palm oil for threshold, draw chalk sign for window.

"Before I come back, no let anybody enter."

"No open gate, no answer strange call, even if dem call your name, no look outside."

Uncle Okafor nod quick, lock main gate.

E find big padlock, check window, call wife, arrange all the children inside parlour.

Outside, the steward lead servants stand for gate.

The steward hold cutlass, him leg dey shake, but e dey ready. Servants dey line up, torch for hand, dey look bush.

I jump for fence, look around the compound, the dogs fear, dem just lie down, no even bark.

The dogs dey sniff ground, tail between leg, dem know say spirit dey waka. For Nigeria, dog sabi when wahala dey come.

These black dogs na ordinary animal, just manage for now, dem no go last.

I look them well, hiss small. "You wey suppose bark, dey shake tail. Abeg try, make I no vex." I know say spirit work dey pass their power.

Before I fit bring Ngozi soul back, I need go find old friend make e help guard her body.

Spirit fight no be one-man work. I need person wey get heart, wey no dey fear shadow.

Na that time I go fit go snatch her soul with clear mind.

Once body get strong guard, I fit free my own mind, enter where dem hide her soul, no fear say body go waste before I return.

Talk about this my old friend, we be from same place, age almost the same, but e no fine reach me.

For spirit side, we dey compete, but na me fine pass. Some people dey call am Whitehead, say na sign of wisdom, but e just like show.

No know wetin dey worry am, but since young, e hair don white, and unlike me wey fit mimic hundred voices, na only "liuliu" like bird e dey talk.

E dey whistle like bush fowl, but e sabi fight pass many. For forest, e get respect.

Most important—

We dey chop the same thing.

Food no even dey reach, to get another heavy eater join body na wahala.

Na why we dey separate. Hunger no fit allow two ogas for one pot.

So thousand years ago, we go our separate way, each one take one hill.

I take Anam Hill, e take Okpoko. Since then, we dey meet once in a blue moon.

I dey wonder how Whitehead dey since.

I dey imagine say e go don slim like me, maybe e don learn new trick.

After about one hour, I finally reach Okpoko Hills.

Hill high, breeze cold, leaf dey sing. I climb, dust my paw, shout "Whitehead, show face!"

As e see me, e still get sharp mouth:

"Hahaha, One-Eye, I no believe say you go worse pass me!"

E roll for ground, dey laugh. "See your ear, see your paw, hunger dey beat you like whistling pine."

"See as you dry, small like that three-headed chicken, hahaha!"

I no vex, I know say na greeting. For spirit, if dem no yab you, dem no love you.

Wetin I go do? These days, spirits and masquerades like to form human being, e no easy to know who be who.

If e too quiet, na wahala. But Whitehead no get filter. E still dey act like small pikin, e dey jump from branch to branch.

After all the play, when e hear about Ngozi matter, e just follow me go Uncle Okafor house.

E serious, head turn small, e eye dey red. "We go help. No spirit fit shame our name."

For road, I dey feel somehow.

My mind dey heavy, I dey remember all the fight wey we don fight, the friends wey no return. E touch me.

E notice, come try ginger me:

E tap my back, whistle like guinea fowl. "No fear. We be two, wahala go run. Make we go!"

"I be Heavenly Dog, no be that red dog for Mount Zuma. I be better sign. As I dey, your goddaughter go dey alright."

If you sabi old story, you go know say Heavenly Dog na sign of luck. I nod, my heart calm small.

I nod, begin waka fast.

We no waste time. For this kind fight, delay fit kill.

Even as we dey fly like wind, by the time we reach Uncle Okafor house, everywhere don dark.

Night fall, moon dey hide for cloud. All the light for street off, even NEPA no try. E get as e be.

No market woman for road, everybody don lock their door and window.

You know say serious thing dey when Mama Nkechi no even dey sell akamu for night.

The street empty, cold breeze just dey blow, dry leaves dey fly everywhere.

The leaf dey dance for air, na only cricket dey sing. Breeze cold pass normal, e be like say spirit dey waka.

One kind fishy smell full air.

I sniff, smell something like burnt hair mix with groundnut oil. Whitehead dey frown, e sense am too.

Everywhere just quiet like grave.

No sound, only my heart dey drum. I know say trouble dey ground.

Strange—why I no hear the dogs dey bark for compound?

Even rat no dey run. E mean say wahala don enter before us.

Me and Whitehead look each other, jump enter fence.

No time for story, na so we scale wall. My claw sharp, Whitehead land for top of generator.

Compound full with black fur and blood, the black dogs just dey hide for corner, dey whimper.

The dogs eye red, some get small wound, some dey lick paw. Blood for sand, fur scatter like dem fight lion.

Ngozi room wide open, curtain for door just dey shake for cold breeze, dey knock knock.

Curtain dey rise, fall, as if invisible hand dey play with am. My spirit sense dey alert, my hair stand.

For the step, two line of muddy footprints, like fist, dey go from outside enter the room.

No be ordinary foot. The print big, knuckle deep, e look like say spirit wey no get leg pass here. My heart jump.

Na wahala be this!

If you see the way my back arch, even Whitehead pause. We exchange look—no need talk, we know say battle ground dey ahead.

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"Breeze dey blow, tree dey shake..."

Aunty Okafor voice faint, but e dey echo for room. Na lullaby, old Igbo song, the type wey grandma dey sing when thunder dey fall.

"Pikin, abeg, sleep..."

She dey rock small, her cloth tear, tears full her eye, but her hand no gree leave Ngozi red wrapper. E pain me to see.

Inside, Aunty Okafor sit for ground near bed, dey hold her pikin red cloth, just dey hum lullaby like person wey no know herself.

The room cold, candle dey flicker. Her back dey bent, hair loose, she don tire. She dey call on all the gods, even the ones wey she forget since childhood. My spirit heart dey ache.

Uncle Okafor just lie for bed, body stiff, eye open wide, dey look wall, no even move.

The man don freeze like statue. His eye red, e no blink, mouth dey open small like person wey dey see ghost. For room, sadness thick like smoke, e reach choke person spirit.

But for outside, something darker don enter—spirit battle just dey start.