Prophetess Eliza

 He found the house around 11:45 am. The afternoon sun has just started to emerge. But the woman isn't around according to the two women he saw in the compound there he took to be the prophetess helpers. They had asked him to tell them his problems but he wasn't in a hurry mood or about to allowed the apprentice to do his dignosis for him. He have seen a lot of such "Tell us your problems" kind since he got married five years ago and had been rolling around in every general and private cure houses without success. He is tired of praying. Five years is enough time for heaven to have heard if they had not consigned his file to the back of the bunch. "I guess their is traffic up there."

"Pardon, sir, are you telling me?" He smirked and shook his head in negative. "Nah, I am talking to myself" he answered smiling as he cast a glance to the sun penetrating kola nuts tree he was sitting under. The two ladies eyed him with concern and one disappeared inside the house only to reappear with 'who send you' cup full of cold water. He thanked the woman as he downed the water hungrily. 

"Since you say you will wait, you are welcome but I think there is nothing madam will do for you we can't" he eyed the woman from head to toe and concluded that her concern is real but he is not in the mood of try your luck anymore with his problems. Teacher is a teacher, student is a student no matter how intelligent the student can be, there are tricks you can't find in any textbooks because even the teacher don't know how he or she knows that therefore can't impart it well. "I think I will like to wait for her. I came from afar, I will not be coming once I leave for Sokoto. The roads are not safe any more" the lady checked her heads in understanding and went back inside what Chike foundout was their prayer house or church, chapel whatever moniker such go by these days.

3:15pm, the prophetess was yet to be seen, the two ladies had said she wasn't far from then. She is in the next town to them conducting house call prayer like they call it. Mr Chike would occasionally eye his clock as it seems to be flying. He refused to sigh or complain in his heart because, maybe someone else might be doing the same if the woman start to hear him out. That is what he don't want. Humans are impatient animals, always want to fly, always don't understand that a sound man everything is equal in his life will not leave his house, business to come inside this interior village just to see or hear the voice of 75 years old lady. What brought the person must be serious and important to him. He crossed his leg, made himself comfortable in a chair given to him. 

He had made up his mind that returning to the city today isn't just possible, he had to lodge in a tiny guest house he spied on his way coming, not far from the town's Ozudaa market. He had thought he will be able to see the lady and finished his business here and if he has time, he would have like to return to his own village to see his own parents before returning to his base in Sokoto state. But his plans have been truncated by house visit he never anticipated. He sighed and recalling he promised not to do that, slapped himself a little bit. One of the lady watching thought it was mosquitoe at work in the man and went inside the house and came with local hand fan "Sir, they are many during this season, but mosquitoes always comeout in the night, these days, some giant ones appear in the afternoon. Its a wonder" "Yeah, but those that comes out in the afternoon don't usually infect anyone with malaria. They are called Asian giants. I think they followed containers from that side of the world back to us" the woman eyed him and started noticing what she had not seen earlier. The man tucked in, polished shoe, carrying diary, and leg crossed. All those to her is sign of education. She concluded that the man must know what he was yarkking about. She nod her head in agreement eventhough she don't understand the theory of afternoon, no malaria and night, malaria. As far as she is concerned, mosquitoe is mosquitoe. Its second nature is nothing but malaria. 

It was around 4:35 when the compound gate opened and a white bus entered. He sat watching them. About seven people file out of it, half on white and white, the rest on red and red. He needed no one telling him who the prophetess among the bunch, nature did that well. She's the oldest one among them on white flowing gown. Others were in his guess in their late twenties and mid thirties. Four ladies and two men excluding the prophetess. He jumped to his feet with stretched hands went straight to the old lady. "You are finally back, I heard you did not went far, so I decided to wait. I hope all went well" the lady smiled and eyed him and said: " Sure. You had been here since morning and because you believed, your problems are 70% solved" the man little confused concluded that the two ladies that had made him comfortable must have phoned the woman. " Yeah, since morning. They told you? They wanted to see me but I insisted it must be you since I came this far, I am not hurrying to anywhere without seeing your face"

The woman smirked to his ignorance and instead of going for rest, shower and food, she went straight into a 12 by12 room beside the chapel or church that must be her reception room. She beckoned him to follow to the chagrin of those she came back with. They had wanted her to rest judging from spiritual war they just came from that tired them at their ages. How much more the old lady. She read their concern, wave them away and asked Mr Chike to follow. "I can see you had lodging somewhere in heart but you are not going anywhere to spend your money. You are my guest now. I have three guest rooms here and I don't rent them out for any money. They are equal to the hotels and guest rooms around here. So, relax and tell me from day one about your wife and you" Chike open mouthed and eyeing the lady. Then, he started smirking while the lady observed him. The kids that followed the bus into the compound had as usual waited in the chapel or church whatever name the tiny prayer house goes by. From what Chike can see, its a kind of tradition with the kids that knows some goodies always follow the lady back once she went for house visit. She excused herself and went to attend to the kids that were jabbering like broken records. Snacks and fanta were brought to the front of the alter and she organized them to say little prayers and sing before sharing the gift. She left them and went back to Mr Chike.

She asked him to tell her what she would do for him. He eyed her and wondered if she had guessed the purposed of his visit and now no longer sure. Why ask him to tell her what she knew already. The kids were now munching and still talking with mouth full of food as Chike went to work of narrating without stopping or censoring anything from five years of his marriage without an issue. "We have gone for test on three different hospitals and none found nothing wrong with both of us" he concluded with downcast eyes. The lady seems to be looking through him and focusing on whatever it was she saw beyond him. He was even forced to turn and eye behind him wondering if someone was there. Nothing. He turn again eyeing the lady who starred for about a minute more before claring her throat loudly. "Some wicked forces swear that you will never see happiness or hear the cry of babies in your house. That is what had been holding you and your wife but God is paying attention. Your problems are over if you believe. Mr Chike, I am not asking if you believe, me talking to you this late is enough answer"

Chike was eyeing her as she picked one object from under the table that divide both of them and placed the plain sheet of paper on the table place one tiny cross on it and continue talking to her visitor. "There will be no need for house visit to your house or base, your problem will be solved from here" "What do I have to do?" He asked believing every word droping from the old lady. He have not told her many things she knew, she have discarded the house visit call many of them charge hefty amount to embark on. He was thinking that if it was money the lady is after like most of them do, she would have included many things that would fetch the money. But she seems to be sincere in helping him.

"I will give you prayers to recite and some medications to destroy the hands of enemies in your wife womb and they won't prevent her from having babies again. It's old story in your life from today"

Two kids from the mini party going on in the chapel pop their heads into the reception room chike and the old lady were and eyed the two before withdrawing again to the party if you call what's happening there and the noise coming out of there that. The old lady ignored them, she seems to be used to their eavesdropping and shenanigans from them. 

 "Now, you place your hand on this white paper, then, you go and rest, I will get your medicine ready and follow how I tell you to go about it and you don't have any problem. She eyed the white sheet Chike had just placed his palm on. I just don't see anything serious in all these. It's nothing serious" she pressed a button beside the table as the two kids appeared once more muching whatever as they eyed Mr Chike follow one of the Ladies that welcomed him in the morning, back to the main house. They were still within earshot when the kids descended on the old lady with their own confusions: "Not God give babies mama?" The woman eyed them, knowing where their question and confusion is coming from, she smiled trying to dismiss them with a wave of hand and remarks on the party but the kids age below five is not having any of the diversions. "You said evil people will not stop the wife from having babies again, do evil forces defeat God forces, i think it is God that give babies?" "Of course, but Satan always try to block the road the baby will travel from heaven to the mother and try to kill it before it get to the mother. You recall prince of Persia and Angel Michael, it's like that?" They stayed at it for another 45 minutes firing off questions upon questions of babies and God. When they seemed to be satisfied and noise from the next room reducing to few voices, they dismissed themselves to be back next time.

The old lady spent another 35 minutes putting Chike medicine together. She decided that his faith in her needed to be rewarded. The medicine runs into thousands but his faith in her was in millions. She smiled as she went inside for a meal and a little rest before night war began.