Baskadia

My father died two days before my final exam at the secondary school level ss3.

I was rushing to an early morning practical test when a call came from my mom. "Hello, mama!" I said. I had planned to call the next day so she pray could for me for my exam.

But I heard a very shaky voice on the phone, it was not my mother's voice, it was one of my uncles. "Your father is sick and needs to see you today, can you make it home today?"

I was destabilized. Two days earlier I dreamt and saw him praying for all his children on the bed. Then he tried to give me one of his old clothes. I should call the cloth a rag.

When the call ended, I suddenly felt pressed. I rushed to the hostel's restroom to release the hottest urine of my life, while urinating my laboratory coat dropped on the watery floor, and I stepped on it without knowing. It was another student who told me, I picked it up and managed to attend the lab practical.

My father was an old man, but he was no ordinary man; he had never been sick, and his illness might be a sign of death. But his death was not the main issue; I will explain the main issue as you read on.

I had finished my practical test in the laboratory and was about to leave when a friend, a classmate, Gbade, rushed over and told me he had seen my father at the school gate.

That couldn't be true. He didn't know my Dad and had not seen him before, we only met in school. "Where, how" were the two questions I asked immediately.

"I'm not sure how he knows who I am, but you look exactly like him, and he said he knew we were friends."

I felt cold as Gbade told me this. My father was not an ordinary man, and I needed to understand what was going on.

"Your Dad told me, you should come home, he has a lot of gifts for me," Gbade added.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He told me that he is in town to see a friend."

The cold became severe and instantly I knew the old man was dead. He didn't have any friends to see in the city. Gbade. He must have seen his spirit.

I picked up my phone and called home, I called my mum but it was one of my uncles who picked it up again, he told me my dad was only sick but I could hear eeping underground.

It was still early, and I could travel if I wanted, so I grabbed my shuttle bag, selected two clothes and the books I needed to read, and dashed out on my way home.

The problem was that I didn't want any of my uncles to know I was in school.

The issue with my father's death was that my family had a masquerade, and my father was the carrier. When a carrier dies, he usually chooses another. He was fond of me and I was scared he might choose.

It was late in the evening when I arrived in my town, and as I approached our compound, I could hear gunshots in the air in celebration of my father's death.

Heroes and powerful men were honored in this manner. There would be rituals, music, and activities all night.

As I entered the courtyard, there were skeptical looks from my uncles. They greeted me especially, and one of them even called me "Baba."

That's what they did to my father as well. Everyone in the compound addressed him as Baba agba and bowed to him as the person in charge of the masquerade.

I realized I was in big trouble. Could it be that my father mentioned me as one of his heirs?

The women were chatting and singing. My eyes grew large and tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn't know what was causing the tear, but it was fear. I was afraid I'd walked right into a trap.

I was taken to see his body in one of the sacred rooms in our compound that no woman who knew a man could enter. When I entered, his eyes were wide open although they had put wool in his nose and ear. My uncle who was also a priest said I was to close his eyes with my hands.

"Why me?

He directed me to use my left hand to close his eyes. He then told me to get ready and that we must complete some rituals by night.

Then I knew, I had been chosen.

I had run away from this for a long time, how on earth did I walk into it? If I had known, I wouldn't have left school.

I rushed out to see my mother who was in her room with other women mourning.

But the way she was crying was suspicious. Of course, everyone was crying, but I knew there was something more. She was not allowed to talk to me but I could see it in her eyes, she wanted to tell me something badly. My uncles knew there was something she wanted to tell me, I could see it her eyes.

My mother had told me a lot of stories about me. She told me of series of dreams she had while carrying my pregnancy. In most of the stories, she always mentioned Son of Man.

Even though I didn't know who was the son of man, I knew the name. I waited and sought every opportunity to be alone with her, but no way.

I went outside, then her younger sister followed me, she told me, "The ritual will be performed tonight and you will installed as the new 'Baba agba'. You should not have come home."

She told to find a way to escape toOnikoko, a nearby village where one of her uncles lived then escale the following day.

I knew there was big a problem.It was dark already, I could not walk alone to Onikoko. Besides, there was no way I could leave the compound.

As God would have it, my uncle, a priest, called and told me I needed to get down to the shrine near the river before it got completely dark. He gave me an empty calabash to retrieve a bowl of water for the rituals. I knew the opportunity to flee had arrived, but my shuttle bag was inside, and I had my textbook there which I planned to read in the dead of night. There would be suspicion if I attempt to carry it.

I quickly sneaked in holding the empty calabash, carried my bag and was heading out, one of the uncles, different from the priest, saw me, he ran out.

I walked fast to use. the back door to escape, then I heard my name, "Akin...akinkunmi, Duro!"

I froze in fear...

where are you going ?.. he asked

mm mm mm I stammered , sir I was about going to get water from the river for the ritual..

He gave a fierce look but I didn't mind .. Running and not becoming the next baba was my main aim though I was afraid .

I managed to escape that night to my uncles house in onikoko village.. when I got there it was already late but I had to wake him up because I was cold , hungry ,tired and afraid also .

knock! knock ! who is that ? he asked

uncle its me , your sister's son .. He came to meet me

what are you doing here by this time of the night ?

uncle my father is dead !

yes I know about that , I was planning to come tomorrow morning to see your mom ..

uncle that's not the problem, the problem is that I'm going to be the baba agba ... the carrier of the masquerade ; uncle I can't afford to risk my future because of that ..

uncle : I'm solidly behind you, they better shift it to someone else .. But the problem is, we are dealing with ancestral powers , what if it backfire?..

that question got me .. their must be a way out of it ..

it started with one person ,it will also end with one person .

After the discussion, he gave me some food and local wine and smoked fish .

He took me to his pastor and we complained everything to him ,the pastor said God will take charge of everything.. it was already day time so he left for my village .

He came back later in the day .. I didn't care so much about the burial and ritual but I love my dad from the day I opened my eyes to see him till the day he closed his . Its inevitable I sobs ..

so how did it go uncle ?

uncle : it went well , your father has gone to meet his ancestors , your uncles are not happy about your absence but your mother warned that you should never step your foots into the community no matter what happens.

yes I understand but I'm going to miss my mom and my sister .

years has passed still with my uncle.. despite running away because of my education, I still didn't further it because the engine of the house is no more .. the load would be too much on my mom if I continue ..

so I discussed with my uncle about my leaving , called my mom told her about it and she consented ..

I left for the city..

who am I going to stay with, who do I know in the city ?... obviously no one but I got no choice ... one thing must kill a man (those things we normally say to encourage ourselves and help handle fear ).

am open minded and knows how to blend in .. Actually my uncle gave me transport fare .I own that man a lot

In the movies , I see people living under the bridge doing all sort of things to survive . to me it was just a play but now I can't even find a bridge or flyover to rest my head ..

I had to enter a church I think that's the best place .. they welcomed me .. at least I found place to keep my things ..

in the morning, I got up, brushed ,do some morning chores before going out to look for any menial job .

thankgod I found in a company where they melt iron and use it to produce other things .. our work is to load metal into the melting chamber before they will transfer it to molder ..

I told my people about it ,my pastor and the wife too they were all happy for me . I got their blessings ..

worked their for some years was planning to go back to school .. I sent some money home for up keep ... at least is doing something now ..

there is an ancient practice where people will go wake the dead with some hot local wine and he or she dead will start attacking the living ..

my wicked uncles noticed the changes in my house , they knew it was me and that didn't sit well ..

they started calling on forefathers to see what I'm doing on the land I ran away from ...

not long after , I started seeing my late dad chasing me in the dream , I complained to my mom ,called the pastor and told everyone around me ..

I went to work in the morning start my work as a free man .. this is something I have been doing for long time now so I'm good and efficient at it ..

while doing my job , something happened of which I can't explain because I was unconscious..

the next morning , I was about leaving I got a call ...this time it was my sister

I asked wah happened , she was crying .. is mama dead ? what tell me .. still no answer ..

I moved to the village , reaching there I saw people crying ...went straight to the room met my sister , asked her questions but she refused to answer me ..

it was as if I was invisible... went out tried talking but no one was replying or trying to calm me down ..

an ambulance started approaching , when it got to my compound my mom came down crying people tried holding her ..

I saw a coffin inside .. who is it ?.. my mom is here , my sister too .. so who ?..

they brought it out and opened it I peeped lo and behold it was me inside ..

AM I DEAD ?..

yes I'm dead .. was involved in an industrial accident..

a bucket of melted iron descended on me poor innocent me no living creature would survive such..

the company managed to get my people's number ,told them what happened..

what a short life.