The Baby and the Snake
The following day, the story of the bandits and their activities in the estate the previous night had gone round Freedomtown. John wondered how the thieves could have known that someone was keeping the kind of money they demanded in the house.
“Why should the robbers be so specific to that amount,” asked a worried John.
“I do not know and I am very surprised too,” answered Hain who was with him.
Truly, John had brought the exact sum of money demanded by the robbers into the house at the time they struck. He did not tell anyone. Not even Hain his close friend who lived in the front house. He was a marketing officer at his place of work and had traveled to some rural towns where there were no banks to collect the money they owed their company.
John did not discuss with anyone that he brought some money home that day. By the time he came back, the company had also closed and he could not keep the money in the safe there. So, he brought it home. Then the robbers struck on that same day looking for money. The exact sum! John knew that something was definitely wrong and that people’s secrets actually leaked in the area. The presence of Jack did not help matters because of the way the dog behaved like a human being and looked at people while they spoke as if she was willing to carry their messages to other people connected with the discussion.
Two day’s after the robbery, Joshua Kabana received a chieftaincy title from the king of Freedomtown at an occasion attended by people from all works of life including Maxwell, the expatriate that worked in Cough 2000 International Inc. He came with Amanda who was his friend and chief executive officer of the company. Kabana was very happy that he had added another chieftaincy title to the one he had before. He told the whole world that he had become a “Double Chief,” meaning a Chief that got enthroned on two occasions.
It was another opportunity for him to display wealth and spend money. He lavished money on that day like he never did before. As David his driver was taking him out of the venue of the ceremony, he began to swing and shake his frame at the back of the car.
“Have you seen what happened to me again today?” Kabana asked David.
“Yes sir. It was a big ceremony and you really spent money,” answered.
“It is hard work and commitment. The people love me and that is why they have given me the title again,” boasted Kabana as he was driven home.
Jane and Joyce were both at the celebration. Many of the tenants who lived in Kabana’s estate also came including John and Hain. Jane’s husband Kola, a businessman was also there with her. They left their sixteen months old baby with Roy, their eighteen years old house help who usually stayed with her when they went to work. People knew that the venue would be another platform for Joyce who was a gossip to record many events that she would carry the tales from one place to the other.
No one knew what her husband did as a job, but they lived comfortably with three cars that this man often washed and polished when others had gone to work. As he washed the cars, he opened the doors so that the sound of the stereo set filled the air. Then he sang along and danced to the music greeting other people as they passed by. He always left home in the afternoon and returned very late at night. This made curious onlookers to suspect that he was into a nefarious business. He was a weird man. And he was not different from his wife who equally walked the length and breadth of the neighborhood gossiping.
Jane returned from work one afternoon and found that Joyce was waiting for her somewhere at the entrance of the house. She returned home earlier and knew when the staff bus that took her to the office would bring her and other workers after the close of work everyday. As Joyce followed Jane inside the house she spoke to her in hush tones.
“Your baby is always crying anytime you leave home. I do not know why, but the baby cries a lot,” Joyce volunteered.
“How did you know that?” Asked Jane.
“I know because I sometimes came home early from work and heard how the baby girl used to cry. Whenever I checked on them, I saw them in good condition,” said Joyce.
“That was why my husband preferred that I should be a full time house wife. I have full time to cater for my children and I move about freely. That’s why people have accused me of gossiping. But can I close my eyes and hold my lips when I see things going wrong?” Asked Joyce.
“One cannot keep quiet when things are going wrong,” said Jane. “That’s why I counsel you to watch your baby sitter and your husband closely,” said Joyce.
From that moment onwards, Jane was watchful of the activities of Joseph, her husband who was one of the influential furniture makers in the city. Jane quickly came back from work the next day and went straight to her husband’s workshop to find out what he was doing. However, she did not discover something unusual.
One morning, she dressed up and left her baby with Roy, the baby sitter that always took care of her when she worked in the office. Her husband had left home earlier. The day appeared to be a busy one for them.
“Please be careful with the baby,” she instructed Roy as she walked outside the house.
“I will check her regularly and take care of her,” Roy said as Jane walked on.
Few minutes later, Jane was apprehensive that she did not get a bus on time to take her to the office. She saw the sign that the clouds were gathering and it was about to rain. At that point she had a strange feeling that she had to run back home if she did not want to be beaten by the rain. Back in her apartment, Roy was involved in a very bizarre activity.
On the bed with the baby was a snake. Roy was nowhere to be found. The baby cried as the snake rolled near her. As Jane approached the house, she heard the loud cry of her baby but she did not know what was happening. She was alarmed that the baby cried profusely like that. Jane walked quickly to the door and opened it. It was a shocking sight. The snake was still scaring the baby when the door opened.
“I am very sorry ma!” screamed Roy who suddenly appeared on the bed.
“Sorry? Sorry?” Asked Jane.
Jane carried her child wailing. She stammered and screamed to attract the neighborhood. The tormented baby was still crying when people gathered around her to find out what was happening. Jane went to a corner of the room and carried all the personal effects of the baby sitter. She threw them on the streets. Joseph had been informed in his workshop and he raced home to see his wife and baby. The police walked in later through a crowd that had gathered on the estate. There were journalists who had been informed about the weird development. They were informed that Roy who was possessed by the spirit of the snake had been tormenting a baby.
The baby sitter was later led away to the police station to make statements with Jane. The strange baby sitter was kept in the police cell but they did not know what section of the law to bring against her since the law did not believe in mysteries, magic, and voodoo. For many days, the police combed law books looking for how to incriminate the strange snake lady but they did not find.
Jane’s colleagues in the office including Joyce heard about the event later that day. They all came to her apartment later to give her their support and find out what really happened. The police continued to interrogate Roy and her parent days after the strange incident took place. Joseph soon discovered that Jane returned early from work during the days that followed the strange incident. She visited him in his workshop regularly with the baby at odd hours. But he did not know why.
Since he really had nothing to hide, he did not care about his wife’s unusual visit to the workshop. But he noticed however that she always wanted to know everything about his movement now than before. Since the exit of the snake baby sitter, Jane was scared of employing a new one. She asked her mother who was living in one of the neighboring villages to stay with them and help her care for the baby.
The story of Roy transforming into a serpent was scary to John and Hain. The street had definitely become a nightmare. Almost every house in the area was tormented but no one could explain the reasons why.
One day, Joseph returned from work and found that his wife was waiting and obviously spoiling for a fight. And anytime they quarreled, Jane’s mother would intervene and pacify them. But this did not solve the problems.
“Why do you always come back home late?” Jane asked Joseph as he walked into the house.
Obviously, Joseph looked tired having worked all day at his furniture workshop.
“I have always told you that the pressure of work has been too much for me and some of my apprentices have finished their training and graduated. I have to work hard to keep money flowing into the house,” Joseph answered.
“Are you the only man that struggles? Don’t you see other men coming home early to meet their wives? It’s only you that comes home late at night singing and humming along the neighborhood as if you are a bee,” said Jane angrily.
“Look woman. I have not eaten. And I am tired. Don’t you have dinner for me?” Joseph asked.
“Are you saying that your concubines who keep you late at night at the workshop did not cook food for you eat? You dragged your feet home at this unholy hour to disturb me. There is no food and even if there is, I did not cook your own because I am angry with you. Was it not you who knew the sister of that snake baby sitter?” She asked.
“That’s not true. You know that it is not true. She was a friend to one of my friends. You know I love you. Keeping late nights has nothing to do with my love. It’s the demand of the job these days,” said Joseph.
“That is what you always said. You don’t love me,” said Jane sobbing.
That night, Jane cried on her bed saying that her husband did not love her and that he was the one who allowed the snake baby sitter to work in their house. As she was crying, her baby was also crying on the bed.
Unknown to Joseph, Jane’s gossip friend Joyce had triggered her change of attitude even before she discovered Roy transforming into a snake. Joseph too was not aware that Joyce had a hidden agenda. Joseph later went into the kitchen to look for what to eat. He found some rice and cooked them for his dinner and ate. He later went to bed and slept off. The following morning, he left home very early for his workshop. Joyce returned to the apartment to see Jane as soon as she noticed that Joseph left home.
“My friend, I heard your voice sobbing yesterday about your husband’s arrival late in the night. I overheard his excuse. Is he the only one working? All men are like that. You need to move fast. I went with a friend to someone who later gave me something that calmed my husband down and made him to always remember to come home early,” Joyce said.
“That’s the way men behave. It’s you who have to fasten the belt around him,” she added.
After some discussions that day, Jane and Joyce went out together. All attempts by Joseph to convince his wife that his job was now more demanding had obviously failed and for days, the couple did not speak to one another. One day, Jane took the case to Joseph’s parents who intervened. Still, she was not satisfied with the settlement. She felt that they ought to have been harsher on Joseph.
On his own part, Joseph changed his working schedule and started to come home early. This did not pacify her as she still accused Joseph that he has changed his meeting periods with other women to daytime.
“It’s because I have been a soft woman all these years we have been living together,” she nagged him further.
“That’s why you are always seen in company of those strange looking women. My friends see you. Its fire for fire between me and those women,” she vowed.
Joseph did not understand what she meant until three days later Jane tore the dress of one of his female customers who had brought a job for him.
“I will disgrace you. Shameless woman,” she shouted at the woman.
As Jane was fighting the woman Joseph was so scared that he ran way. Everybody who came to the scene pleaded with her to leave the innocent woman alone. As she was leaving the scene, she rained abuses on the woman.
“I have caught you. You are one of those troubling my husband and preventing him from showing love at home. It was one of you who introduced the snake baby sitter he employed to take care of the baby,” said she.
One Friday night, John had gone to stay with Hain over the weekend. They both planned to attend a party that weekend. But the events of that Friday shattered their expectations for a nice weekend. When the events unfolded, they both forgot their plans for the party they were supposed to attend. One strange crow flew into Hain’s apartment at about nine o’clock. It was a taboo in the country that birds like the crow should fly into people’s homes. For a crow to visit at night was an omen.
The people believed that the crow was an evil bird. But this particular crow had been screaming every night on the street to the hearing of the residents until that Friday when it finally flew into the apartment. John and Hain and other residents had complained about the strange sound of the crow every night. The crow used to perch on the tree in the compound but no one saw it because of the darkness. And of course, no one dared to come out because of frightening sound. Hain and John were very scared. At first, they did not know what to do. By the time they thought of using the plank in a corner to kill the bird, the strange bird had found an escape route.
This was more troubling. According to tradition, it was more abominable for the crow to have escaped. Because of this, the two men decided to stay at home. They thought that it was unwise for them to go to the party that night because of what had just happened. They had the impression that someone was behind the activities of the crow and using the bird to achieve evil and diabolical objectives.
“They sent that bird,” said Hain.
“I believe someone had sent that crow. But it is painful that we allowed it to escape,” said John.
“I believe that bird was sent to monitor us tonight,” said Hain.
“It’s better we stay at home and forget going to the party,” John counseled.
“It is true. One does not fully understand the meaning of this. But it is better that we stay at home,” said Hain.
“I am worried that the bird escaped. This is not the first time that the crow will enter a house and escape,” said John.
They both stayed together that night. As he was sleeping that night, John saw himself washing a car in front of the house. In this dream, he saw his uncle, Joshua, and his wife Rosa. He was really petrified. For many years, he had avoided his uncle and wife who used to torment him when his parents died many years ago. While John struggled through school, his uncle did not give him any assistance and his wife made life difficult for him.
After his graduation, he thought that the best thing was to avoid the couple so as not to court disaster. John was frightened in the dream that he saw his uncle and his wife. But he could not control the unfolding events in the dream. He later woke up more disturbed than he was before he slept after the crow had escaped from Hain’s room.
That night the crow returned again. It crowed from the nearby tree. The noise was very disturbing and everyone who heard it was scared. Nobody went out. Many who thought that day was going to be another beautiful day knew that something was in the offing. But they were not sure of what it was. It was an omen for crows to make such scary noise at night.
In one of the houses on the street was a little girl who was the daughter of one of the residents. She was sleeping on her bed when the crow visited the neighborhood again. The noise of the bird was very disturbing but her parents did not understand that what the crow was saying was that she had come to take the girl away. But knew that the sound of crows in that manner portend evil. Everything that happened that night was unusual and strange. Something woke the girl’s parents two hours later. They looked at the direction of the girl’s bed and realized that the way she laid on the bed was awkward. They walked towards her bed and switched the light on. They screamed.
What they saw was bewildering. The girl was gasping for breath. They lifted her up quickly and began to examine her. They rushed her to the hospital nearby and by the time the doctor examined the girl, he pronounced her dead.
“I am sorry she is dead,” the doctor said.
The news was shattering to her parents. They collapsed on the floor and began to cry. Someone who lived on the street and heard the sound from the crow the previous night said he knew that such a terrifying sound was an omen. When Hain and John heard what had happened in the area after the visit of the crow the second time, they were scared. But they did not tell anyone that the crow had visited them the previous day.
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