I am afraid of the night, maybe because of the unknown that shadows bring. The night is covered with darkness, which makes the senses dull and makes the extreme sense of imagination flourish. The uncertainties that come with these imaginations then breed fear and anxiety. Cultural influences, tales of the supernatural, and primal instincts set complex relationships between humans and the night, fostering a sense of vulnerability when surrounded by obscurity. This was not enough to describe the experience I went through with my sister in my rural village, just for the sake of football.
I am a sincere football fan, and on the night, it was between the club I fan and a rival club playing in the final of the Champions League. I made sure I finished whatever I was doing on time so I could have the luxury of going and seeing the match. Surprisingly, my last-born sister begged me to tag her along.
"Brother Can I please follow you to go and watch this match?" Blessing begged
I stared at her fiercely but shocked to respond to such a request, thinking of how euphemistic I could coin an excuse to say no to her. While I was at it, she added an emotional appeal.
"Brother, you know this is the first time I am asking you something like this; please don't say no," she added with a mild voice.
Blessing is one of the most dramatic person I have met in my entire life so far. She can act as a saint in the face of an obvious sin that is blameworthy to her and would sway a witness to blame the innocent. Everybody loves her, including myself, so saying no to her was difficult. I got so weak at the request, so I decided to say yes to her. Before I could say "yes,", her jubilation was already all over the place. She dressed up, and we took a stroll down to the viewing center, which was about 3.5 kilometers away.
The match kicked off at 9:00 p.m. WAT and ordinarily was supposed to last for 1 hour 45 minutes at regular time. But the regular match ended in a draw, which incurred an extra time of 30 minutes, making the total hours spent to be 2 hours, 15 minutes plus a penalty time. So the time was already approaching 12:00 am by the time the match was done. Blessing was already sleeping right in my arms at this time, amid the noisy atmosphere at the viewing center. Heavy rain was also falling throughout the match; thank goodness it stopped a little before the final whistle. Not even a means of transportation was available at this time.
"Wake up, let's go home; the match is done," I said to her as I raised her up.
Blessing woke up, and we started walking down the muddy road. Of course, more is not expected of most rural roads in Nigeria. We were walking and dodging the pot and muddy holes with the help of my Android phone flash light while I held her hand tight. All of a sudden, Blessing thought through to activate drama. She stepped on something and alleged that it was a snake. I flashed the light and didn't see anything; however, my mind was already corrupted by the fact that this tiny route could be housing a snake. Blessing, then asked
"Brother, what is the time?"
"Some minutes to 12," I replied as I checked through my phone.
"Jesus Christ!!" Blessing screamed.
"Brother, I cannot walk again; my leg is hurting me."
At this point, my concern wasn't the fact that she could be active and dramatic; I was more concerned about the "what if" questions. What if it's true that it was a snake? Snakes are swift and fast. What if the snake really bites her? The venom could kill her before we get home, wouldn't it?
I was lost in my thoughts for some seconds, and my delay made Blessing think I was hesitating to carry her on my back. And to make matters worse she started crying so loud that if it wasn't so late I think a passerby would have come and got the wrong idea that I was maltreating her or worse harassing her.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry, ma, Oya, let me back you," I persuaded her swiftly.
Blessing was only 12 years old, but sincerely, with her physique, she could literally pass for an 18-year-old. At my back, in order to keep up with her complaints, she was acting up and scaring me with words.
"Brother Is it like I don't have legs anymore? Brother, is my leg swollen? Brother, walk fast, nah! Brother, you are breathing too much. Brother I feel like ghosts are following us……."
"Blessing, shut up!" I shouted at some point.
I needed to shut her up. I am scared of the night, and I already felt my life was in danger at that point. I thought literally through all the scary and supernatural stories I have heard since I was a kid. At this point, a toad croaking, crickets chirping, and even the bird calls all gave me a supernatural interpretation. I was walking as fast as I could with these thoughts while struggling with the thought of Blessing being infected by the venom of a snake. Thank goodness the central hospital was just beside my house, so I was walking to save lives—mine and hers.
Just about 20 steps from the entry of our gate, Blessing spoke for the first time since I shut her up.
"Brother, drop me; my leg is not hurting me anymore."
We got in, and I woke my mom, who is a nurse, to check on her with the report of the incident. She examined her and said nothing was wrong with her. I took a deep breath and thanked my lucky stars.
Did I mention that my team lost? Yes, we lost on penalties, and my sister put me through a little blood pressure afterwards. We made it home healthy, perhaps not hearty on my own path. Regardless, we made it home!
