Unexpected Help

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It was past midnight, and Loliya had just alighted at the bus stop, which was a walkable distance from her house.

As she took a stroll home, enjoying the stillness of the night, she felt a presence trailing closely. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Loliya called out, her voice shaky as she halted abruptly. Focusing her ears to the wind, she listened for the faintest sounds of footsteps, rustling of leaves, and cracks of dry branches underfoot, but all she got was peace and quiet. She continued walking, but this time she hastened her step, doubling each distance at a step of one.

She halted again and turned to see if she could see anything that would signify a prank, but her gaze was met with an empty street and elongated shadows cast by the dim lights of the street lamps. Determined not to let fear engulf her, Loliya reached for her headset as she listened to her favorite songs while continuing her walk home.

On getting home, she felt a little at ease. She hung her coat, got off her shoes, and took off her headset. She was too tired, but she managed to wipe her face and put on her face mask to let it sit for the remainder of the night. As she staggered to bed, she started sensing the presence again. This time she felt the sensation coming from the dark corner of her room where the bed lamp did not reflect. She hastily reached for her phone and turned on its torchlight, facing it to the dark corner, but still saw nothing.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes and sank into her bed. Exhaling and inhaling softly, she waited patiently for sleep to come. Not long after, a sweet sensation enveloped her, and she felt like she was floating on a cloud. She felt hypnotized as her body became weightless and her mind drifted. She could not decide whether it was sleep creeping in or something sinister. But then she recalled that the last time she ever felt that way was over two decades ago when an entity tried possessing her to do its bidding.

The memory did send some voltage of fear into her as she began to struggle to free herself, but it seemed the more she tried to break free, the stronger the feeling, which went from sweet to a forceful restraint. As Loliya felt she was losing hold of herself, she panicked greatly, and her heart raced, pounding louder than usual. When it seemed all hope was lost, she remembered the incantations that her grandmother, who was a witch doctor, used to recite to cast out foul spirits. As she recited the last line of the incantation, her mouth opened, and the entity came forth, shape-shifting into a woman.

"Who are you!" Loliya confronted her, her voice trembling as her body shook like an elderly person suffering from Parkinson's disease.

"You do realize if I was after your life, you would be long dead by now?" The woman responded as she grinned mischievously.

Seeing that the woman was amused over her misery, Loliya's fear quickly metamorphosed into anger as she spoke authoritatively. "You have no right to be here. Leave at once." Her eyes drifted to her wardrobe, where she had kept the protective amulet her grandmother had given her before her demise. The entity's gaze trailed Loliya's to the wardrobe, and their eyes locked, causing the air to thicken with tension.

The entity's attitude immediately shifted, and her countenance softened. She realized that if she were to get Loliya's help, she would need to reveal her identity. So she stepped out of the shadows, and Loliya's eyes widened in amazement as she quickly recognized the entity to be the great-grandmother of her best friend, Dedra, a woman whose pictures she had seen hung up in Dedra's family house.

"How is this even possible?" Loliya muttered in a hushed tone.

"Will you help me now?" The woman inquired in a soft, persuasive voice. But Loliya was still not convinced; she became hesitant as she remembered her grandmother's warning about entities being tricky.

Sensing Loliya's doubt, the woman continued, "You don't have to trust me, but just help me gain access to my home so I can pick up my craft and move on in peace. I know you are thinking about your grandmother's warnings, but I assure you, my intentions are pure.

"How do I know you are not out for blood and to cause harm to Dedra and her family?"

"You don't know, but you can at least feel the sincerity in my voice." With this response, Loliya agreed to help the woman but without possessing her. She agreed and slightly placed her right hand on Loliya's shoulder. The next place they arrived at was Dedra's home. Loliya had just left the place a while ago and could still perceive her essence. As she looked around, the woman signaled her to tag along, and the two appeared in Dedra's mother's room, which happened to be the great-grandmother's room while she was still alive. Loliya stood wondering if she could be heard or seen.

"Focus," the woman commanded, and Loliya immediately comported herself. Raising both hands, the woman suspended it midair and began to murmur. What followed next was the most horrifying view Loliya had ever witnessed. There were different entities, some with their heads tilted backwards while beating on a drum in front of them. As the drum played loudly, Loliya quickly looked at Dedra and her mother to see if they were responsive, but she was shocked to find them sleeping soundly. She looked at the woman still maintaining the same position with her hands suspended midway. It was then loliya became aware that she was no longer in her body. As she wanted to panic, she felt an object enclosed in her right hand. She opened it and saw her protective amulet, which gave her relief.

By now, the room was crawling with creatures; some were half snake, partly human. Some were lizards with five heads, each taking the features of different reptiles. There were others she can't even identify, but she watched in awe. And just when she thought she had seen it all, seven dwarfs appeared, each holding seven small drums. They opened the cover of each drum, and the creatures paired, each dancing into the drum invisibly labeled as their category. The last set of creatures were the drummers who went into the seventh drum. The woman approached the wardrobe and brought out a box filled with wrappers. She picked one out, closed the box, and kept it back. Loliya had so many questions, but she didn't know how to string the words.

Smiling at her, the woman asked for more favors. "Can you please tell my family that their problems are over and they can now live in peace?" Loliya was speechless as she was still confused. The woman smiled again and placed her hand on Loliya's shoulders. Next, she saw herself at a crossroad with the dwarfs carrying the drums away while the woman held on to the wrapper, expressing her immense gratitude.

"You have been of great help to me, Loliya. You don't even know, but you've saved my family from untold hardship and untimely death."

"But how?" Loliya managed to respond.

"Well, the problem all started upon my demise. My children failed to give me a burial in line with my traditional beliefs. For that reason I was stuck and could not cross over."

"But why me? Why now?" Loliya interrupted.

"Well, my darling child, you have the rarest of gifts. You can exist in the world of the living as well as the dead. Sadly, for the longest time I have tried to communicate with you, but I couldn't. Thank God our energy aligned and you sensed me. I know it doesn't make sense now, but if you develop your gift, it will. Please don't forget my message to my family. I'm counting on you."

"So how do I get back home?" Loliya inquired as the woman turned to leave. She halted and asked Loliya to follow the straight path and keep going right. As she disappeared, Loliya followed the straight path, and in three right turns, she woke up in her bed.

"This cannot be a dream." Loliya spoke loudly. She ran to her windows and peeped through to discover the sun was up and the day was bright. Luckily it was Saturday; she grabbed her coat, slipped into her shoes, and ran to the bus stop still having her mask on. She soon found herself in Dedra's house. From the gate she was screaming her name, and everyone got scared. They all came out to find out what's happening, and immediately Loliya got everyone out; she started her narration. Everyone, including Dedra, thought Loliya was going insane; they did not believe her until she dashed into the house to Dedra's mother's room. She brought out the box of wrapper and opened it to the surprise of everyone because only Dedra's mother knew the code. Loliya opened the box and brought out the wrapper she had seen the woman carry. Mysteriously, the wrapper had faded, but the sugarcane print could still be seen at that point. With this discovery, everyone, including Loliya confirmed that indeed the whole experience wasn't a figment of her imagination.