Chapter 3: When Fear Enter House

Bzzz. Cold just catch my body.

Na like say electricity pass my skin, my breath short. The ceiling fan dey spin but na cold sweat dey my palm.

"You… dey joke again."

I force laugh, voice crack, eyes dey search her face for small sign of play.

I try hold face, dey wait make she burst laugh as usual, happy say she don scare me.

But…

Few seconds pass. Something dey wrong. Morayo still dey look me, her eyes cold, somehow.

Her gaze dey sharp like needle, the normal warmth don vanish. The way she dey stare, e be like say she dey see past my skin.

This one no be her usual self at all.

Her body no move, even her breath slow down. I begin dey reason if na prank or if person dey use remote control am.

I just freeze. My whole body tight. I just dey reason how to run commot for the room.

Na so my cousin just resemble person wey get spirit, or maybe craze—her twenty years character just turn mask, now na the real her dey show.

I see her mouth twitch, but e no reach her eye. For my mind, I dey check all the stories wey mama tell us about witches and masquerades.

Suddenly, she stand, lean close to my face.

"Hey."

Her voice sharp, close to my ear. I nearly jump reach ceiling.

I jump, my body shake as she do am.

My hand grab chair arm, one leg nearly fall for ground.

She lean even closer, then burst laugh.

Her laughter loud, scatter room, even the curtain shake. She clap hand, almost fall from her own chair.

"See this my small brother! You don fear again!"

She pinch my cheek, face full of wicked joy.

She turn, sit back for chair, her normal sly smile don come back—she don win her small game.

Her feet swing, she adjust her glasses, all that darkness disappear.

"Chai…" I breathe out, throw pillow give her, shout,

My heart dey pound, I try act vex, but na relief dey inside.

"Morayo, you dey craze so?"

I rub my arm, act like say pain catch me, but I dey smile.

"Hahaha!" She just dey happy.

She hold her stomach, tears dey her eye, the joy clear say she dey proud of her trick.

"No worry, one day I go catch you too," I just talk, surrender.

I wave hand, but my mind dey plot next prank.

She pack her laptop, talk, "Na small experiment I run—na also answer your question."

She tap her bag, nod like professor wey just finish practical.

"Which question?"

I raise eyebrow, dey try remember which one.

"No be you ask why people dey fear humanoids for no reason? I feel say this my experiment explain am."

She point finger like say she dey mark lesson for board.

As I remember her face just now, I understand. "E make sense. If person you know just begin act somehow, e go give person uncanny valley feeling, abi?"

I rub my chin, nod, eyes still dey shine.

"Na so." She snap finger. "Imagine say na me be humanoid, you never catch my wahala, but you still fear just now. My strange behaviour bring fear of the unknown, so you fear."

Her finger dey up, head tilt, e look like she dey deliver TED talk.

I just nod. I agree.

I sigh, relax for chair, happy say the cold for my back don reduce.

"So, you don get idea for how to write the apeman and humanoid story?"

I adjust glasses, eyes dey hope say she go talk yes.

Morayo sling her bag, sigh.

She adjust her wrapper tight, like market women ready for wahala, then shake head slow. The air for room get small tension, but e dey calm.

"Never o. Wetin exactly be the humanoid wahala? I still dey think."

She scratch her head, smile weak, like person wey dey pursue goat wey no want enter pen.

"No wahala, I hope say you go get better idea. Abeg tell me when you finish."

I stand, stretch, my stomach rumble small, but I still dey focused on her answer.

"We go see." She wave, waka go out.

She dey bounce as she waka, her flip-flop slap tile, and she dey hum one old Yoruba tune.

The door unlock. She step outside, then pause, talk for low voice,

She look back, half her face in shadow, voice low, like person wey dey whisper secret.

"Tunde, you remember that line from my story just now?"

Her words linger for air, like smoke from burnt offering.

"Which one?"

I pause, one hand for door frame, the other for my chest.

She no look back. "The humanoid talk say even the ancestors no sabi say e dey. So, where you think e from come?"

Her back still turn, but her voice deep, e dey touch somewhere inside me.

Bang. Door jam.

The sound make my chest shake. Na as if wind just blow through my body.

For some reason, even though na afternoon, cold just catch me. My cousin last words just dey echo for my head…

Even my dog sense am—e run hide, tail between leg. For my mind, Morayo words dey echo, dey grow.