The Arsenal of Deception
Theodore Rexwale was 40 years old. He worked in a local company in a remote village in Africa. At 40 years, one thing that echoed in his head was the maxim; "a fool at forty is a fool forever". He had seen the ups and downs in life and was poor. Every time he was driven to the factory in the worker's steel-van, he peeped through the van's window and observed other men and women that cruised pass them on the highway in sleek state-of-the-art vehicles.
"Am I not also God's creation like these ones?" he asked silently.
Deep inside his heart, a voice kept echoing an answer; "You are also God's creation."
At the initial stage, the voice could almost convince him that it was God who made him unequal to other men. In his heart, another voice, just like the Holy Spirit that descended on the disciples after Jesus Christ ascended to heaven simply informed him to ignore the voice which echoed in his heart;' God did not create inequality. Every man was born free'. The Holy voice told him further that it was the devil and his agents who created divisions on earth and stole people's wealth.
By the time Rexwale reached the age of 43 years, he had given up. He thought God has forgotten him. He became more desperate and he told any of his friends who cared to listen that he was going to change his tactics.
One of his friends, Segrov informed him about the existence of a herbalist - a eunuch who was reputed to be so powerful and could do things in the spirit realm to give people wealth. The story sounded good to Rexwale. So, he and Segrov agreed to visit this herbalist on the outskirts of the city of Lewelo in Africa. The city was sixty kilometres to the village where he worked. The herbalist's abode was a fearful place about five miles deep in the tropical rain forest.
They got to the herbalist about 9 o'clock in the morning. There were several chickens, goats, sheep and ducks crying at the backyard of this greying herbalist who had almost lost all the teeth in his mouth except the two canines that gave him the image of a vampire whenever he laughed. Because of his facial looks, people dreaded his personality more than the efficacy of his voodoo. The man he had no children.
Segrov, Rexwale's friend who had been a regular customer to the herbalist, introduced him. The old herbalist observed the new customer for a moment and began to consult his objects of divination.
"My friend, you said you want wealth, you have to tell me which method you want to use to achieve what you want from the options before me. Whichever one you choose, you will have so much money. But there are implications. So listen to me very well", said the herbalist.
"Whichever one you want me to take, I will take. I have had enough of this poverty. I cannot continue walking aimlessly," Rexwale shot in quickly.
"Hm... listen to me very well ", Said the herbalist. He narrated the first method Rexwale could use to procure wealth. The methods were very scary.
The Scary Road To Wealth
According to the herbalist, the first method to make money entailed embalming a human being inside his house. A calabash would be placed on the head of this dead person. He said that anytime Rexwale needed money, he would be required to move into the scheduled room where the body is kept and call out the name of the person.
After this, he would also call the country in which he expected their currency to fly out of the calabash. If he called America, Dollars would be flying out of the calabash. If he called Germany, Deutsch Marks would fly out. At the mention of Britain, the Pounds Sterling would fly out too.
This was a good offer, Rexwale reasoned. But he did not like the idea of taking someone's life which the herbalist attached to it. So, he thought of having another better option.
"Can I have an idea about the other option?"' he asked.
The herbalist looked around his dilapidated structure and began to tell him about the second method which he could offer Rexwale to make instant money.
"My friend, the other way I can help you is that there is a concoction which I can prepare for you. The only place this can be done is the cemetery. There, you are required to sleep for 301 days out of a year. During this period you will not eat any food. And by the time I come to meet you on the last day to make the preparations, you must have been transformed. You will be very rich," the herbalist said.
"Wait a minute... what if ghosts and spirits appear?" stammered Rexwale. He turned this option down. He was scared. Then the herbalist told him the third method he offered those who wanted to get rich quick. Rexwale did not contemplate discarding this option, as soon he would make him to lose all members of his familyand he would be the only one to live and enjoy his money. This, to Rexwale, sounded crazy too.
"The fourth option is not as bad as the others appeared to be. It does not involve the taking of life", Said the herbalist. "What is it all about?" Rexwale asked excitedly this time.
"It is not a big deal. You'll just have to swallow a live snake. If you want money anytime in your inner closet, you will vomit the money. You will be very rich within a period of three years", Said the herbalist.
"Oh no. Not again! Is this what this man said I could easily do?" Rexwale wondered in his mind.
After the Bottlenecks, Rexwale was really terrified by the methods the herbalist highlighted to make people rich. He kept calm but was desperate. Inside his brain, he had calculated how much he would flaunt around if he became rich. As soon as had concluded the arrangement of coming to the herbalist, he had thought of the number of women to snatch from husbands if he becomes rich. Now, the herbalist had been subjected him to several mind bogging and chilling bottlenecks.
"Are there better ones?" he asked the herbalist.
"Yes of course," replied the herbalist adding, "This one should not scare you. It enjoins you to join some secret cults and in these groups, you are expected to Sacrifice an albino annually."
"No. Where will I get albinos? Besides what if a situation arises that albinos becomes scarce, what will I do?"
"Albinos are all over the place", Segrov his friend interjected.
"No, I don't want anything that will take human life whether albino or not," Rexwale said.
By now, the herbalist was getting impatient. "I will tell you the last two options. If you don't pick any of them, then I am afraid I can't help you," He hinted.
He then went further; "This next one should be easy. You have to locate three madwomen -- you know they are all over the town. Locate three of these mad women and put them in the family way. When they deliver these babies, you will then steal the babies from them and raise them in your household. Attached to this particular one, you must not see the ocean. Yes, you must not see any of the five oceans created by God," affirmed the herbalist.
"This is delicate. It may be impossible for one to enjoy the money. Locating madwomen is not a problem. But how will I be able to travel to London and America without crossing the seas and observing then from aeroplanes," he told the herbalist, who gave him the final option.
"This is the last one. If not for the sake of your nice friend and my reliable customer that brought you, I would not take pains to itemize all these options. You take what I give you or you leave it. Lastly, you have to locate three women who have virtues and are human gold mines. Then you will sleep with them. When you are doing this, I will give you something you will chew in your mouth. They will just think it's the chewing gum. You know these women like chewing gum these days. While this act is going on, you will spiritually transfer their wealth unto yourself. Is there anything scaring in this? Or will you tell me you have pity for any woman?" asked the herbalist.
"This is the best deal. Why didn't you tell me this one first? It doesn't entail taking any life," said Rexwale. He opted for this, and the herbalist gave him some things to chew in his mouth. He then paid for the services and left with his friend.
Rexwale now set out to carry out the orders given to him by the herbalist. He borrowed his friend's car and cruised to a female hostel of the universities in the town. After about thirty-minutes of driving around the campus, he found a girl who was willing to take a ride in the car.
"What's your name?"
"I am Pauline," she answered.
"What course are you studying?" he asked.
"Business Management and Economics," she answered.
Rexwale was silent. His mind began to link the girl's course to what she might become in the future.
"You are the type of girl that ends up working in banks," he joked. The innocent girl nodded. The car sped on. Somehow, the conversation changed. The girl was a willing ally, and Rexwale took her to a place where he slept with her as directed by the herbalist. He just chewed what he was given all the way as if it was a chewing gum, and the young girl did not suspect. He dropped by afterwards with some cash rewards. Throughout that week, Rexwale did no other job than to hunt for girls who he thought were human gold mines. He found two other ladies.
The Grand Deception
Within the few months that followed, he became stupendously rich. He began to travel outside the country more frequently on business trip. He later resigned from his factory job and he too became an employer. His wife and children lived in comfort and wealth.
Soon his first son, Douglas, who was looking for a university admission, was enrolled in a university in the United States of America. Rexwale was so rich that he paid all the expenses through the four years of Douglas' education at once.
On the college campus, Douglas lived like a king. He drove a Mercedes Benz car on campus. After four years, Douglas concluded his first degree and he enrolled for a master's degree. One spring afternoon, he was driving on campus when he saw a black face, which looked like someone from his tribe in Africa.
"This girl maybe from home. She looks cute", He thought as he screeched to a halt to see if he could offer a ride.
They exchanged pleasantries. The girl hopped into the car, and he sped through the streets.
"What's your name?"
"Pauline!" She answered.
"What are you doing in the United States", he asked.
"I won the American visa lottery sometime ago, and I abandoned my studies at the University in Africa searching for the Golden Fleece here in USA. Since I came, it's really been hectic," she volunteered.
Somehow, Douglas and Pauline began dating from that day. Six months later, they were married in the USA. It was only Douglas' mother who could attend the wedding. Rexwale was indisposed and could not fly. The wedding pictures were shown to him in Africa, but they meant nothing to him.
About nine months after the wedding, Rexwale became fit to travel. He picked a ticket from one of the airlines and journeyed with his wife to the USA to visit his son's new wife. The new couple drove to the airport to honour their father and father-in-law respectively.
Rexwale walked down the plane with his wife into the airport arrival terminal where the young couple had been waiting.
Douglas rushed forward to his parents as soon as he sighted them. They exchanged greetings. Douglas held Pauline's hand and tried to introduce her formally to his father at the airport. As Rexwale stretched forth his hands to shake her, his mind flashed back to the day he roamed the campus to pick young girls who were gold mines.
He still remembered Pauline. The immoral act. The theft of her virtues through fetish means from an herbalist. Oh gracious! He ended up robbing himself after all. So, he had stolen the virtues of his own daughter-in-law. His mouth wide open, it then dawned on him the Devil does not offer free gifts. He collapsed.
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