The Slippery Mistake with snails || Creative Non Fiction Prompt.

Blame me for my hasty actions, and many times I would be confident this is the way but later, I would find out how fool I have made myself to be. I have, on many occasions tried to show my intelligence in a particular thing and would end up being a mistake, and for me to say that I have committed an error, I won't for fear I might be disgraced, and the only thing for me is to shut my mouth up and let it slide, which I would then try not to make it happen again.

I made a big mistake some months ago and I could see how Grandma was unsatisfied even when she craved that meal, I could see her frown face and how sad she was as she kept hissing and murmuring. Her granddaughter brought a solution that was ingenuine.

I once watched a programme while in school where the woman said instead of using alum to wash a snail, one could actually use Garri too. Garri is a Nigerian food that is made from granulated cassava. But I had forgotten about it and what the woman said about the washing snails.

Months later, Grandma desired and craved snail meat that night which Dad had to get at the market but forgot to buy alum with it. Alum is a white substance that is very effective and used to wash away snail slime and make it squeaky clean, making it safe to eat. We didn't have any at home either and my aunt was to cook the snail meat for her.

While they were deliberating on what to use to wash the slime from the snails before washing properly, I remembered the TV show but I had forgotten what the woman said. I ran to my aunt in the kitchen to tell her what I learnt as a new method of washing the snail slime which could help achieve what grandma wanted. However, in my haste, I misheard the information and what slipped out of my mouth was sand. I told her that one could use sand if there is no alum available. Seriously, I forgot what I heard from the TV and was confused at the same time as I was unsure of what I said, but because I hurriedly mentioned sand, and do not want to disgrace myself, I stood on my point with it. I know the kind of aunt I have.

My aunt was curious and asked where I got that from because she has never heard of such before, but I confidently told her, I watched a food programme. She didn't believe me at first but accepted to go with it when there was no other option and it was already late to get an alum nearby. She called my cousin to go and do what I'd instructed and while washing the snails with the sand, suddenly, it came to my consciousness that it was Garri and not sand. My cousin had already gone far with the washing and I couldn't change my mind and tell him or anyone that I made a mistake, I kept it to myself while laughing in my mind. I was eager to see the outcome that night as I was watching how everything was going on at a fast pace in the kitchen.

She took the snails and washed them in the zinc but the sand refused to remove the slimes as it has been glued into the snails. My aunt called and showed me what the new method has caused but I still went on assuring her it would be okay to eat. I was already getting scared in my mind and said "I am in for it tonight."

My aunt finished the meal and served Mama. As she took one snail into her mouth, she vomited immediately when part of the sand struck her teeth. She felt some vibration in her body which made her ask what happened to the snails, and my aunt pointed fingers at me that I was the one who brought a new method of washing them with sand. Grandma looked at me while I kept smiling mischievously in my mind, and I couldn't open up to tell them the truth and that I made a slippery mistake. The only thing I said was, "Mama, I am sorry."

That night, she was disappointed and couldn't eat the snail at all. It was after two days when the issue had died down, I called my cousin to explain to him and we both laughed over it. Ever since then, I was always making sure of something before saying it to avoid something similar to it.

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