“The latest millionaire in town,” Nche hailed me as he saw me approaching his shop the next morning.”

“Nche please leave me alone, I am not in a good mood. I don’t know why my things are always different. Any day that I go to hunt, all the animals will go on holiday.”

“Iyk, you are speaking in parables. What exactly is the matter?”

“Could you believe that I could not perform the simple assignment given to me last night. First of all I came out to check if someone one was outside. The compound was as silent as grave yard which made me to conclude that everyone was asleep. Only for me to step out and my landlord appeared from nowhere and asked me where I was going to. Instead of me to tell him that a sick friend needs my attention urgently, I stupidly told him that I was sick. Could you believe that my landlord asked me to come back and take paracetamol?”
I never saw it coming so I was really surprised to see Nche rolling on the floor laughing.

“Nche, why are you laughing at me?”

“Your experience is funny. That is why I am laughing. However, if I tell you my first experience, you will cry for me. My task was that I should defecate in our compound in broad daylight. ”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me right. The native doctor said that by the time people saw it and start asking who did it? That was how my business would become famous. You know that faeces always attract attention. I thought it was going to be very easy, especially that people always go to work during day time. They only come back towards evening. The first day after I was given the task, I stayed at home from mid-morning till afternoon and no living soul stepped into the compound. The second day, I stayed till 2:00PM, nobody came back so I thought that it was safe to fire on. I stood at the front of our compound and surveyed the environment, nobody was in sight. So I went inside the compound and started defecating. As soon as I was through and about wearing my trouser someone walked in.

My world stood still. It was no other person than my enemy in that compound. I needed no one to tell me that I was in soup. She threatened to tell everyone what happened. I pleaded from now till evening but she was not willing to accept. Later she said that the only thing that will make her to forgive me was if I will use my bare hand and pack the faeces.”

“Impossible. Tell me that you did not do it.”

“Before she finished saying it, I had already done it. She stood there, watching and laughing as I was doing it.”

“I can’t believe this. You did what?”

“You better believe it. I did what I just told you. Afterwards I reported back to Nnayi. He gave me another task. I was told to move from my house to my shop around 12:00AM, without cloth. I knew that it was not an easy task. But I had made up my mind that no matter what it would take, I must succeed. My brother, that was how my salvation came. I attempted it and succeeded. Since then it has been a success story all through. But then I must confess that I was lucky. Because the task of my friend that took me there was harder. He had to drink the native doctor’s urine for the period of one week.
“Hmm.. it is well. You tried, your friend tried too . but you know what? I’m out. I can’t do this anymore.”
“I never told that this is what you will be asked to do. Yours might be easier. Can’t you see that your first task is easier than mine?” Nche cajoled me.

“No! Please, I am no longer interested. I don’t want what I have been watching in home movies to happen to me. The beginning is always easy but after sometimes the task will become harder. At that time to pull out will not be possible. My mother is all that that I have. I don’t want anyone to tell me to donate her.”

“Iyk , who will tell you to donate your mother . Are you out of your mind? So I look like a ritual killer in your eyes. Now get up and get out of my shop. I don’t blame you. That is why I don’t like helping idiots.

I got up and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. He was one of the people my mother warned me against while I was coming to the city, I don’t know why I was so stubborn.

Watch out for the next episode