The Junior Boy

"What are you doing here?" The sharp voice startled Daniel. He brought his head up. It was a girl, a senior girl. He knew her face. She was said to be the girlfriend of Senior Kelachi, the most wicked senior in the boys dorm. 
Embarrassed, he tried to wipe the tears in his eyes surreptitiously but her smile told him she had already seen them. She walked closer, avoiding the stones and wild grasses. They were at a small farm behind the staff quarters. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to be in class. He stood up immediately, "Good morning senior" he said. He stood there, wondering what excuse he could give her for loitering during class periods.

She sat down in the spot he had been sitting, beneath the palm tree.
"Your name is Daniel right?" she asked.
"Yes.." he stammered out, wondering how she knew his name.
She smiled. "I saw you when your parents and your sisters came to drop you. Cute little girls. How are they?"
"They are fine. Thank You." He said confused.
"Why were you crying?"

Daniel was embarrassed. The heat rose to his cheeks.
"Don't be shy." she said. "You can tell me. Sit down." she patted a spot beside her.
He moved slowly, afraid to sit so close to a senior girl. An image of senior Kelachi's fierce face rose to his mind and he halted.

"I said sit." she said authoritatively.
He sat down meekly, hoping and praying that no senior would come around that area by any chance. This was close to the Lovers spot. The place no junior student dared go close to, especially during the evening prep.
"So...." she said, an expectant look in her eyes.
He shook his head slowly.

"Common, you can talk to me. You can tell me anything."
He was still hesitant.
"Okay, let me tell you a secret. When I came to this school in my Jss 1, I used to come here to cry too."
He looked up at her surprised. He couldn't imagine her in tears.
"Why?" he asked timidly.
"The usual. I missed my home, I hated this school, I had no friends, not even a school mother." she smiled sadly in recollection and nudged him with her shoulders.
"Is that the same reason you're crying?" she asked.
He nodded weakly, the tears came back to his eyes.
She laughed lightly. "You don't have to be afraid. Everybody goes through it. Even the mean senior boys. And girls."

He smiled as he thought of senior Kelachi in tears. It just wasn't possible.
"You know you're a fine boy. I'll take care of you. Don't worry. You're in love house abi?"
He nodded.
"Let me walk you back."

He nodded again, grateful for her presence.
As they got to the junior block, heads began to turn. He knew they were wondering how he was talking and laughing with a senior girl. He grinned broadly and puffed up his shoulders. Let them wonder. She said a short goodbye and left for the senior block.
He could feel the eyes staring at him as he walked into class and went to his seat. His seat mates, Arthur and Friday were still staring. Acting unabashed, he brought out his note and pen.

"How come you know senior Soty?" Friday finally asked.
He smiled. "She's my friend."
"Don't you know she's senior Kelachi's girlfriend? Let him not catch you with her oh" Friday said hotly.
The banging of the desk heralded the entry of the Geography teacher. The class stood up and greeted. Daniel's mind wandered. How would senior Kelachi react if he saw him, a mere junior boy talking to his girlfriend?
Dread filled his heart. He wasn't ready. Senior Kelachi always gave the meanest and most creative punishments. Sometimes, it was better he flogged than punished. His slaps were known to produce bells inside a boy's ear that would ring for days. There were so many rumours about senior Kelachi. He heard that one time, senior Kelachi had made an ss2 boy sleep on a tree outside the boys dorm all through the night. Another time, he had put a small junior boy inside a locker and closed it for a whole day. Daniel didn't know if the rumours were true. He didn't want to find out either.

He got through class and went to the dining hall for lunch. Junior boys kept staring at him like he had grown horns, increasing his fear.
It was in the evening as he was preparing for night food when he heard the counting in the first dorm room. He hurriedly picked his shorts and sandals, putting his stainless plate under his armpit while trying to hold on to his spoon. He didn't make it. He heard the big footsteps and stood still. The whole dorm stood still.
A big voice rang out "Who is Daniel here?"
All eyes pointed at him. He raised his hand timidly. Senior Kelachi walked to him and sat down on top of his locker. "The rest of you go for food."
The other junior boys scampered out, each grateful they were not Daniel at the moment.
Daniel stood still, wondering what the senior boy had heard. The senior's big hand dropped on his shoulders.
He looked up.
"Where's your bed?"
He pointed to his bed on the top bunk. Kelachi picked it up, rolled it up and put it under his armpit.
"Where's your bucket and keg?"
Daniel shook his head. "They are missing, Senior."
Kelachi smiled and ruffled his head gently.
"Let's go. I'll send some boys to bring your locker later."
Daniel followed slowly, not really understanding what was happening.

Kelachi got to his dorm and dropped the foam on an empty down bunk, placed close to a single bunk. Only the seniors were allowed to use single bunks. Kelachi motioned for him to sit down on the single bed.
He sat down slowly.
"Soty asked me to take care of you. So now, you're my school son."

A Thin Line

Rachael knew she was in trouble when her husband came back from work, ignored the 'welcome dear' she called out and went straight to his room with his face tightly squeezed in a frown. Her hands started shaking so bad she took calming breaths before she could steady them. She went into the kitchen and put the water to boil. Martins liked his eba really hot. She set the pot on the gas to warm up the soup while arranging the plates on a tray.

She stood by the counter, trying to remember if she had dressed the bed after the nap. She really couldn't tell and it worried her. The whistling of the kettle rattled her she almost dropped the plate she held. She set the table and sat down to wait.

Martins came down, dressed in his black silk pyjamas that highlighted his dark brown eyes. His jaw was tightly clenched, his eyes distant. He settled into his seat and opened his plates without a word. He paused for a moment, then turned to look at her. She jumped and rushed to pour cold water into his cup, silently berating herself for forgetting to pour the water before he came.

He ate slowly like one with heavy things in mind. The eba on his plate was almost finished when she heard a sharp sound from his mouth. She tensed, her hands steady on the soup in front of her. Her heart beat faster, she knew what was coming but it still surprised her when the slap came. Her pale white skin was already turning red, the imprint of his hand showing clearly.

"How dare you serve me food with sand?" he shouted.
Her hand held her stinging jaw, tears dripping into hand still stained with yellow eba.
"Useless" he muttered as he walked away.

She sat there until the tears stopped coming before packing the plates and washing them off. She put them in the rack and climbed the stairs slowly to the room. Martins was already on the bed, absently fiddling with the remote. He paused as she came in. She went to the dresser and started cleaning her face. She knelt down and said a short prayer before climbing into bed, lying with her back to Martins.
"Am sorry." he said softly.
She ignored him and closed her eyes.
"I know you're not sleeping. I said am sorry." he said with a louder tone.
Still she said nothing.
He fell back on the bed and turned his back to her.

She didn't sleep well. He was gone when she woke the next morning, a wad of cash on her dresser. She didn't touch it. It would stay there until he returned. She dressed and went to the car towards afternoon, wearing a black hijab with beautiful patterns over her red gown. Her lip was shouting red as she entered into her jeep and drove off. She went to her mother's supermarket and picked the things she needed. Her mother was not around so she left to the nearby fast food.

She felt a light touch on her shoulder and turned in surprise..
"Hello Rachael" said the cool calm and deep voice that only belonged to Chika.
Her smile was radiant as she hugged him, his musky scent bringing back memories.
"Mehn guy, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while now." she asked.
He smiled and touched her nose lightly. "Were you missing me?" He was grinning.
"Oh please." she held up her hand "See this?" she asked teasingly, pointing to her ring.
"Yeah yeah, I see it clearly." he hugged her again. "You came to eat here?" he inquired.
"Yes yes, am famished. I've not had anything since morning."
"Keeping in shape I see." He replied.
"No am not. All this..." she ran her hand down her body"...is natural. No exercise, no diet." she smiled proudly.
"I know Rach." he said simply.
Her smile dimmed. He was the only person who called her Rach.

"Common, let's go eat." he put his arm around her and led her gently into the fast food. They ordered their meals and settled down to eat in comfortable silence.
"So what's up with the hijab? Are you now a muslim?" he asked in the middle of the meal.
She cleared her throat and sipped some water before answering.
"Not at all. It's kinda trending now you know." She smiled tightly.
"Hmmm." He replied knowingly.
"What's that?" She asked.
"What's what?" He looked perplexed.
"That hmmm you just did."
"I didn't say anything Rach. Why you getting all worked up?" He replied.
"Nothing." She took a deep breath. "It's nothing at all." She went back to her food with great concentration.
Chika covered her hand with his on the table and squeezed lightly, reassuringly.
"You know you can tell me anything right?"
She smiled wanely. "I know."

She went back home driving angrily. Martins was a jerk. A huge jerk. And she was tired of living in fear. She was tired of letting him do whatever he wanted to her.
She sat down on the couch, tapping her foot as her mind whirled. She didn't realize when she slept off. The sound of the door opening woke her up. Martins walked in and stopped as he saw her stretched on the couch.
"Have you been sleeping all day? My dinner better be ready by the time I come downstairs." He stomped away.

She yawned widely and stretched her body, then walked lazily to the kitchen. She opened the fridge to bring out the soup but found herself standing there and staring at the bowl of soup. She stayed there until Martins came downstairs and walked into the kitchen.
He snapped his fingers close to her ears. She turned and looked at him.
"Where's my dinner?"
"In the fridge." she replied and shut the fridge with a bang.
"So what am I going to eat?" he asked slowly like he was talking to a child.
"Why don't you eat me? If you don't know what to eat, go to a fast food. Am going to bed." she slammed the kitchen door and started to climb upstairs. She made it to the room before Martins burst through the door.
"What was that?"
She ignored him and continued combing her hair with a brush.
He grabbed the brush and threw it on the bed.
"I asked you a question."
She laughed bitterly, looking down.
"Martins, Martins, leave me alone tonight. I don't want any trouble. As you can see..." She pointed to her face "...the bruise you gave me last night has not faded. or you want to add more?"

She hissed loud and long and walked into the bathroom. Martins stood in shock. In her mind's eye, she could imagine his mouth hanging open and she burst out laughing loudly.
She heard a knock. "What?" she shouted fiercely.
"Are you okay? You're acting strange." He sounded concerned.
"Now you're worried about me? Since when?"
No reply. She showered and walked into the room. Her heart was bitter. Martins was sitting on the bed, a confused look on his face.
As she lay on the bed to sleep, she turned to him, "Oh, and before I forget, we've not had children this last two years because I've been taking contraceptives. I don't want you killing my children before they come into this world."

Damona Part 4 (Finale)

It had been two weeks since her father died. She had run out of the forest to the road where Papa's friend Mr Douglas had been waiting to take them to the village. He had left with only her, barely comprehending the gibberish she spoke as she tried to explain that papa was dead. 

The village was a small one with plenty of rivers. She and Mr Douglas kept to themselves. They were staying with Papa's mother in the bungalow he had built for her.
Angela had never been to the village. She had never met her grandmother either. Now she knew why. Her grandma had taken one look at her and realised that papa was dead. Grandma had said not to tell anybody of Papa's death, that it wasn't yet time for that. Instead, she had set about been a comfort to her granddaughter. She always took Angela to fetch firewood and water with her, telling everyone who cared to listen that she was her grand daughter. The villagers welcomed her, some had brought gifts of wrappers and decorated pottery on her first day. She asked grand mother why they did that. She had simply replied "You're a Kondra."

She knew Maadam would come for her. She wasn't afraid. She was ready. She didn't wait long. Maadam came with thunders and lightnings, thick clouds that covered the sky and darkened the village, making the villagers scream in terror and run to their houses for safety. Everyone knew this was not an ordinary storm.
She went outside and stood, waiting to face Maadam. The rain drenched her, causing goosebumps to break out all over her skin.
"Go to the Agbaka river. Our family goddess will protect you there." grandma said to her, a knowing look in her eyes.
She nodded and broke into a jog, heading to the river. The sight of the gold-brown long serpent stopped her in her tracks. It stared straight at her, it's head bent regally and tail curled as it poised to strike. Bending down while keeping her eyes on the snake, she scooped some sand in her palm, whispered some words into it and threw it into the air. The snake didn't budge. She narrowed her eyes. This required more.

She picked up a stone nearby, whispered some words and flung it at the snake. It missed. The snake hissed and started gliding towards her. She ran into the bush, picked up a palm leaf and began whispering quickly, the snake getting closer to her. She went behind a tall tree, poured spit into the leaf and leaped out, throwing the leaf at the snake.
She didn't miss this time, the leaf bounced on the snake. She smiled and went back to the road, walking towards the stream. She knew if she looked back, the leaf and the snake would not be seen.

Maadam was standing at the bank of the river, dressed in her white gown and holding a golden scepter. A crown of gold with a diamond on the centre adorned her head. Maria stood by her right, her small frame encased in a white gown. She held no staff.
Angela stood in surprise. She had watched Maria die.
"How are you alive? My father killed you..." she stammered out.
They smiled, a look of triumph on their face.
"It's not so easy to kill me Angela, I've been around a long time." Maria replied. She turned to Maadam and said imploringly " Let me kill her for you Maadam. I offer myself to you my queen!" she bowed low to Maadam.
"No Maria. You are a faithful servant. You have always carried out all your tasks, no matter how difficult. I....will teach her obedience." Maadam turned to Angela.

A lightning bolt hit the spot she was standing. She dived and landed on the sand. She picked up a stone and hurled it towards Maadam. Maadam raised her arms, the stone stopped in mid air, then went straight back to Angela and hit her forehead. She fell back from the force, blood pouring from a gash on her head.
Maadam came to her, holding the scepter in her right hand. "Stay down Angela, you don't want this to go farther."
Angela spit out blood, anger in her eyes "You killed my mother and my father. This ends now." she grabbed a stick beside her and raised her arm to strike. Maadam held her arm, squeezing it till the stick fell. She picked it up and threw it away. Then with her scepter, she began to hit Angela's head.

The pain was blinding and relentless. The wound on her head was streaming blood into her eyes. She raised her hand to block the blows while her left hand searched blindly for a weapon. Her hand touched nothing. She blindly raised up her left hand and held the scepter, taking Maadam by surprise and dragging it away. She hit her once in the stomach with the scepter, using it as a support to stand up. Maadam was bent over in pain.

"Give me that back Angela" she screamed, reaching to take it. Angela whacked her hands with the scepter, taking a step back. Maadam screamed again in pain.
"Give it back to me Angela" she shouted.
"You keep saying that like am actually going to give it back. Are you scared now? You're weak and helpless right? Now watch me take away your power."

Angela brought out a tiny bottle of oil from the side pocket of her shorts and smashed it on the sceptre.
Maadam screamed again in agonising pain, shrinking before Angela's eyes until there was nothing left. She wiped off the blood covering her left eye, looking down at her bloody red shirt.
"Wait!"
She turned to see Maria, coming towards her and immediately held up the now useless sceptre to threaten her.
"Am not here to fight you Angela. I want to pay my respect to you, Maadam." She bowed low in respect to Angela

The Double

"Who are you?" 

The other girl was tall, beautiful and light skinned. She wore a red halter neck top and skinny blue jeans. Her hair was perfectly styled and she had no blemish on her skin. She sat poised on the settee, a soft orange drink in her hands, sipping quietly as she read the Vogue magazine on her laps. She looked up in surprise at the question, her face hardened at the rude and abrupt tone.

"I could ask you the same thing, who are you?" she frowned her lovely face, keeping her drink aside to face her unwelcome companion.
The first girl laughed in derision, dropping her bright pink bag on the side table and taking a fighting stance.
"Considering that I asked you first, let me show you manners. I am Victoria, Ade's girlfriend. So, who are you, again?"

The other girl raised her brow, "am Liz, Ade's fiancee."
"Says who?" Victoria shouted.
"Says Ade, the day he gave me this beautiful ring." she shoved her left hand in Victoria's face, to better show her the gleaming ring.

She took a deep breath, waited a beat before turning back to Victoria who was frowning in confusion. "I don't know what games Ade has been playing with you but am his fiancee, our wedding is in four months time. Before you get a broken heart, just leave." Liz said calmly, a plea in her eyes.

Victoria sat down heavily, like one confused. She looked up at Liz, saying in a small voice "Am carrying his child."
"What!!?"
They sat together, each mind running in circles.

The door creaked open and Ade walked in. Liz ran to him, holding his shirt and crying into his shoulders.
"Why did you do this to me Ade," she kept saying over and over.
Victoria held back, looking at Ade strangely.
"It's not what you think Liz, I can explain."
"Explain what?" Liz exploded. "Explain how you've been keeping another girl? All this time I've been away, I felt I had a faithful man, waiting for my return. I should have known..."
"Listen to me Liz...." Ade interrupted.
"No I won't, there's nothing you can say, no excuse, no explanation. I shouldn't even be surprised. You're a typical man."

She grabbed her bag, making to leave. Ade held her arms and pulled her into his shoulders, she struggled weakly, quieting down into small sobs. Victoria still had not said a word, staring at him.
He sat Liz down gently, then stood up and went inside. Victoria sat down, her face puzzled. It was Ade, yet it wasn't him. Something about him was not right. As she sat contemplating this, he came back into the living room, clutching a picture frame. He went to Liz and showed her the picture. Victoria peeped from her seat.
It was Ade, there were two of them, smiling and waving blue convocation caps into the air.

"That's Adewole, my twin brother, and your boyfriend." he said to Victoria.

Damona Part 3

"What are you saying Maadam? That I should kill my own father?" 
Angela was incredulous. Maadam had no idea what she was asking her to do. 
"I just lost my mother because of you, and now you want me to kill my own father." she laughed bitterly. 

Maadam was quietly watching her, waiting for an answer, so she turned to give her one. 
"I'll think about it."
"You have three days."

Angela woke up. She stood and paced around the room, watching her father as he slept ignorantly. Already her mind was made up. She grabbed her back pack and wore her black canvas. She took the padlock and locked it from the outside. That would delay her father until she got far enough.

Walking into the night, she went straight to the forest, unafraid. She wandered for two days, eating the fruits the forest provided. She only had to survive this for one more day, she thought as she propped herself on a tree trunk and prepared to sleep, until she heard the footsteps. They were approaching her. She grimaced in distaste, Maadam had found her.

She stood up and waited until she saw the young girl walking towards her wearing a pretty white nightgown. She looked like she had just come out of a big mansion. The girl was beautiful and had long black hair.
"Hello Angela, am Maria." The girl said.
"What do you want?"
"Maadam wants to know when and how you'll do the job." Maria replied.

"Are you her servant?"
"No, am her assistant, her best student. You're not the only Kondra you know." Maria smiled cheekily. "Stop asking me questions and give me an answer, you've made me traipse this forest looking for you. I have other things to do."

Angela sat down, unfazed. "I can't do it. That's my final answer."
Maria laughed. "I knew you would say that. I was actually hoping you'd say that. Here's a gift from Maadam."
Angela looked up in time to see the knife poised to strike. She dived and narrowly missed the cut. Maria grunted, she seemed to be enjoying this. She grabbed Angela's hair and pulled her up.
" You little, insolent fool. You think you're the first Kondra asked to kill her father? You should be happy that you were selected. Am going to enjoy this, almost as much as I enjoyed killing my own father."
Angela closed her eyes, welcoming her death. She opened them when she felt Maria's hands release her hair. She turned, watching a red spot appear and grow over Maria's chest until she fell to the ground. The knife in Maria's back glinted in the dark.

She looked up and saw her father running towards her. She ran into his arms, relieved.
"You would have told me Angela, you didn't have to run away." Papa scolded her gently. He shook his head. "I wonder how you survived in this forest alone."
"You know am a big girl now, Papa."
He laughed heartily and lifted her backpack. "Let's go. There's a car waiting on the other side of the road."
"Where are we going Papa?"
"To the village my dear, you have a lot to learn."
They didn't see Maria as she lifted her hand and threw the knife she still grasped. All they heard was the soft thud as it landed and entered into her father's neck. 

Damona Part 2

Papa didn't give her time to ask the questions that flooded. His seeming lethargy deserted him and he sprang into action. 
"I'll answer all your questions. Just go to your room and pack a few essentials in your back pack. We have to leave before the Police gets here." 

He put his arm on her little shoulders and gently pushed her to her room. She tried not to stare at her mother's corpse just lying there, by the staircase. Tears sprang to her eyes as she packed but she brushed them away.
Her world had just come crashing down and there was so much uncertainty. But one thing she knew for certain; her life would never be the same again.

As they got into the car and sped out into the night, she kept taking side glances at her father. He seemed like a stranger to her now. He had always been a very quiet man, one who said little but always lurked in the background like an ever present shadow.

The car came to a stop and they alighted.
"Leave your back pack in the car. We won't be here for long." he instructed.

They walked into the crude building. White plastic chairs were everywhere, with a few persons in white gowns and yellow sashes belted at their waists. They all held huge Bibles under their armpits and were murmuring words she couldn't understand, some moving in a morbid fashion as one having convulsions. They all stared at her as she passed and she put her head down to avoid their eyes.

A lady wearing a red sash indicated for them to sit as she went into a small office by the side. Soon after, a tall robust man with thick beards came out of the office, the woman following behind with her hands demurely behind her back like a loyal servant. The man walked with a quiet confidence that came from years of being in authority, his purple sash giving him a grand look.

He walked to her father, murmured a few words into his ears and then turned sharply to look at her. She shrank back in fright. His eyes were dark, boring into her soul like he wanted to search out all her secrets. He put out his left hand and the lady behind him produced a bell and handed it to him.

He then shouted a few words and rang the bell incessantly as his followers in white started singing and clapping loudly. He jumped up and down around the hall like one possessed until he stopped in front of her, holding out his bell. She stood uncertain. Then he laughed.
He drew circles round her head with the bell then stopped suddenly. He walked abruptly back into his office. Her father stood up and motioned for her to follow. They went into his office decorated with a table and two plastic chairs. He placed the bell on the table beside some big books and sat down. Her father took the other seat and waited.
He cleared his throat.

"You will take her to the Mango river at Obiro. Wash her every morning for seven days. Feed her only raw eggs and mineral. Then her maadam will appear anytime you want her to."

"Thank you father" papa replied, bowing his head in respect and led her out to the car.

They drove for a few miles until she turned to him abruptly and asked " will you now tell me why you killed mama?"
He took a deep breath and stopped the car.

"I have known right from birth that you were a Kondra. I am a Kandra, a male intercessor. It was my destiny to produce one Kondra from my lineage, for which reason I married your mother. Your mother had no idea who I was.
But I had to kill her Angela, it is a law. A Kondra or kandra must eliminate their mates when a child is born. The mate's death purifies the child Kondra.
Please forgive me, but you have a destiny much more important and we must leave here now."

"So my mother is only good as a childbearer? What kind of law would murder an innocent woman?" she shouted.

"Listen Angela, you don't understand anything. You will know very soon."
She sat quietly and absorbed this. There was no explanation, no reason, no logic that would justify her mother's death. She swallowed the bitterness in her heart and asked "Why did you call the damona?"

Papa laughed bitterly. "Am not a murderer Angela. I've never been one. I didn't have it in me to do it. I needed his influence."
He turned to look at her. "Can we go now?"
She nodded slowly.

They drove into the Obioro area where papa led her to a small room with no windows. At night, it got stuffy but she didn't complain. The mosquitoes were not helping either. She didn't speak much, neither did her father. She was not allowed to leave the room, staying alone whenever her father went to buy supplies. She hated her diet of raw eggs but she drank it dutifully, using the mineral to wash the raw taste away.

The seventh day broke in anticipation. They went to the bank of the river. She washed herself and they stood in the water, waiting.
The water started bubbling a few minutes later, rising until her Maadam emerged slowly from the water. She would have turned and run if her father had not been behind her. She couldn't bring herself to touch her, to know if the flesh was real or an illusion. Dressed in white robes and long flowing hair, her maadam was striking.

"What do you want?" Maadam asked her father.
"To know her first assignment."
"Wait for a few days, i'll let you know."

Papa turned her around and they walked away. She knew if she turned back she wouldn't see anything.

Maadam came to her that night.
"Kondra, now you have been purified, you must begin your training."

Angela stared at her with suspicion, "so you knew about my mother's death and you didn't tell me?" the familiar bitterness filled her heart again.
" yes, your mother was a necessary sacrifice."

She frowned in anger. Didn't anybody understand? That was her mother, her mother they had murdered in cold blood. They all acted like she hadn't even being a human being, like she had been nothing, to be forgotten easily. How could she just forget her? Her sorrow threatened to fill her heart. She swallowed it down.

"What do you want me to do?"
Maadam smiled, her eyes hard and cold.
"You will kill your father." 

Damona Part 1

Angela had always seen them, things she couldn't explain, things no one else could see. The first time she had seen one of the creatures hanging on the roof of a building, she ran to tell her mother. 'It's only a dream' her mother had said. But it wasn't a dream. Nobody believed her, they warned her heatedly to stop talking about it. 'Such things are not for kids to talk about' they would say. So she kept it to herself now. It didn't matter how horrible or how kind a creature would seem, it didn't matter what they were doing, she kept silent. They saw her, some even tried to speak to her but she could never hear them.

She called the creatures with white apparels 'faeries' for lack of a better word. The ones with horns and black scales for skin she called 'damona'. For the first ten years of her life, she never understood why only her could see them, until her eleventh birthday when her 'Maadam' visited her in a dream.

Her Maadam was a beautiful and delicate woman with a kind, gentle smile. She always wore a white apparel. She was the one who told Angela that she was a 'Kondra', the one who intercedes. Maadam visited her every Saturday night without fail, always kind and willing to answer all Angela's questions. She was the one who explained to her that a damona influences situations negatively while faeries did so positively.

She had seen them in action, watching as a damona perched on a woman who was arguing loudly on the streets until it erupted into a violent fight. She watched as the woman had bit the other until blood gushed out.

It was a bright Tuesday morning when she saw a damona hanging on the roof of her house. This could not be good. She ran inside the house, calling out her mother anxiously.
"mama, there's something on our roof, we must leave this house, a bad thing is about to happen."
Mama looked at her in surprise.
"Go slowly, what's on the roof?"
"You never believe me when I tell you anything, mama, we must all leave this house." She was crying.
Mama slapped her across the face. "Stop all this nonsense and get to school. Am tired of your tattle tales." She grabbed her arms and dragged her forcibly to the car, throwing her in and slamming the door. Angela was restless in school. She knew the damona was there for a reason, she just didn't know what.

She was in a state of anxiousness until school hours were over and the driver took her home. She ran inside the house, searching for any sign of trouble. There was none. She was perplexed. Her father came home in the evening from work, no sign of trouble there.

She felt uneasy. The damona had been there for a reason. Or had she imagined it? If only it was a Saturday, then she could ask maadam. That would have to wait she thought as she prepared for bed. It wasn't until later that night when she heard a sound. It came again. And again.

She rushed outside her room. There, at the top of the stairs, her dad was having an argument with her mother. It was starting. She went outside through the back door of the kitchen. Sure enough, the damona was hanging on their roof. It looked at her darkly. Frightened, she went back inside. The argument was getting louder. As long as the damona was there, it would only end in violence.

"Mama, papa!" she screamed. They turned to look at her. " Stop arguing please, please I beg you."
"Go back to your room." Her mother shouted harshly. They wouldn't listen. She ran outside again, and shouted at the damona "Get away from here."
The damona gave her a look of contempt. She picked up some stones and threw at him. The stones passed through him and landed noisily on the roof. This was not helping.

Another loud sound sent her scurrying inside just in time to see the slap that sent her mother tumbling down the stairs. She landed like a heap at the base of the stairs and lay still. Angela ran to her and held her head up, trying to stem the blood running down her nose with her hands. Still, she made no movement. Her father walked past and headed into the kitchen, barely glancing at the motionless woman on the floor.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, it could have been hours or mere minutes but she knew the moment her mother drew her last breath, her body became cold and rigid. Still Angela did not leave her side. When at last she stood up, her mother's face was soaked with her tears.
She walked slowly, like one in a trance into the kitchen. Her father was there, nursing a bottle of beer at the counter, staring into the night through the window at the sink.
He turned to look at her, a bleak expression on his face.

"I know you saw it. I know you saw the damona. Am the one who called it here."