This post was first published on The Naked Convos as a two-part story. I’ve merged them together here, left in the original names with which they were first written. All characters are purely fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, pure coincidence!

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“You sure say na Badmus? Because remember say Mama Efosa no dey ‘off’ pesin like that. Remember say na you go take punishment if no be Badmus. You sure?”

Mama Efosa’s warning rang in his ears, judging him.
He had been sure then.
His instincts were never wrong!
How had he failed?
Chief Oyegun Praise’s heart gave him an unfriendly squeeze.
‘Oga your time don reach o’
There was no stopping death this time.
He had been undone by his mistake.

****************************

(2 weeks ago)

Silence.
Gently, he slipped out of bed and walked to the open window.
Had he heard wrong?
His wife’s snoring broke into his reverie and he silently screamed at her to be quiet.
She snuffled and turned into the pillow, muffling her sleeping growls. He sighed in relief and turned back to the window, looking at the garden he had ordered the professional gardener to plant.
There!
Whispering!
He strained his ears, trying to catch the conversation to no avail.
Security guards?
The security lights do not illuminate the garden at night so spying on the ‘intruder’ was nigh impossible.
His heart rate increased.
Sweat broke out on his brow and he stifled the urge to take off the white t-shirt he was wearing.
Thieves? Assassins? It couldn’t be. The sound was low and consistent and it wasn’t coming any closer. The most ridiculous conclusion came to his mind.
His garden was talking.
At that point, Chief decided that the mystery of the talking garden was mostly likely his enemies at work.
The whispers stopped but he stayed put. After several minutes of silence, he felt it was safe to go back to bed. The Governor of Edo state carried his bulky frame silently to bed. Unable to sleep, he gazed at the ceiling, worrying.
Who was it this time?

**********************

“…Yes, Your Excellency, about our efforts at the local governm….”

Chief’s mind wandered far away from the government house where he was seated with members of his campaign committee. Instead of day dreaming about the fine buxom babes he would be picking up later at UNIBEN, as was his custom, his superstitious mind dwelled on the matter of his would-be assailant, Badmus Akhenova, CPC gubernatorial candidate and rival. With the elections coming up in a few months, he was the number one suspect.
‘That man always had a mean streak.’ he thought churlishly to himself. Or could it be the other candidate from the NNP party? Osaretin Mark.
‘Dr Osaretin Mark. Do you have the guts?’
He doubted it. His party didn’t stand a chance in hell of stopping his re-election as governor. The man himself couldn’t be that much of a threat.
His political godfather on the other hand…
An Igbenedion.
No. He could not eliminate Dr Mark from the list of suspects.
Then there was Mrs. Idahosa, wife to his Deputy Governor and his former secret mistress. He still hadn’t forgotten the threats she made to ‘deal with him’ after he refused to accept the fact that her pregnancy wasn’t his. He saw the child a few weeks ago, and luckily, it looked like his ugly father.
There were other minor players he could add to the list but his instincts told him these three people were enough. They would gain the most at his demise.
He would get them before they got him!
Mind made up, he calmed down enough to enjoy the thoughts of Chidimma, his latest ‘baby’ on campus.
He didn’t notice the evil glare his Deputy Governor, Mr. Idahosa Uwa threw him from across the round table.

****************************

(1 week ago)

A week away from home was enough to make him forget about his ‘garden problem’.
The cruel reminder came when at exactly 1:15am, the whispers came back. He silently cursed his light sleeping habits as he moved his robust frame, to stand sentry at his window.
‘I really should get light installed at this window’ he thought but knew that would not solve the problem.
Should he order the garden destroyed?
‘No. That would make whoever is behind this think I’m scared.’
He ran his hand across his bearded face.
‘Ogagena! Ira vha la neni vha me! I must get them before they get me!’
Predictably, after a few minutes, the whispers stopped. Chief picked up his special phone from underneath the pillow and left the room to his noisy sleeper of a wife.
He dialled a number.
“Yes Spartan, make preparations for us to see Mama Efosa soonest. Also, get Cobra on the ready.”
With an acknowledged “Yes Sir!” squeaking from the speaker he disconnected the call.
“A ma zẹ azẹ ne ọbo emianmwẹn I fo” Without paying the doctor’s fees, sickness will not heal.
He was ready to pay whatever price it would take to get rid of the ant that thought itself big enough to bother the elephant.
He smiled to himself as he walked back to his marital bedroom.

****************************

“Chief Chief!” A woman said as she entered the sitting room where Chief Oyegun reclined, waiting.
He stood up respectfully, smiling, as she took a seat, adjusting her buba to contain her voluptuousness.
“Ób’ókhían. Welcome”
“Ù rú èsé. Thank you.”
She smiled, revealing a gap-toothed smile ensconced within luscious lips.
Her eyes twinkled as she saw his eyes go over her in admiration.
“This one wey you just come like this. I renren wahala abi? Tell Mama Efosa what it is.”
Chief Oyegun nodded to his lone security guard standing behind him and he left the room after giving a sharp salute.
“Mama, my garden dey talk for night since two weeks. And i suspect na pesin wey wan harm my family and me. I sure say na incantation.”
She was silent, arms crossed on her ample breasts, eyes hooded, listening with rapt attention.
Chief Praise swallowed.
“I suspect say na Badmus.”
With that, Mama Efosa sat up.
“Badmus Akhenova.”
He nodded.
She stared at him unblinking, as if looking directly into his soul, judging him.
It scared and excited him when she got that look in her eyes.
Beautiful and dangerous.
“You sure?” she whispered eerily. “You sure say na Badmus? Because remember say Mama Efosa no dey ‘off’ persin like that. Remember say na you go take punishment if no be Badmus. You sure?” He licked his lips, suddenly nervous.
Was he sure?
He rubbed his huge stomach subconsciously.
His guts told him it was Badmus. Why else would they churn whenever his name was mentioned in his presence?
“Yes Mama. I sure.”
She nodded and made a hand signal for him to wait as she went into one of the doors.
Five minutes later, she came back with a black nylon bag and handed it over to him.
He opened it and inside, was one bullet.
“Badmus protection dey strong. Ordinary bullet no go touch am. That bullet wey you see so no be ordinary one. Make de persin wey go use am use am well because na de only one i fit give.”
Chief nodded, getting up.
“Ù rú èsé íyé”
“Eh Chief no forget to bring your yearly òkhùo you hear?”
“Yes ma” he said, choosing in his mind, which buxom companion of his would be his sacrifice.

*****************************

Chief Badmus Akhenova shot and killed by armed robbers on the Benin-Ore express way, on his way to a party rally at Egor.
Governor Praise Oyegun denounces act of violence and calls for the Police to make sure perpetrators are brought to justice.

************************************************

Saturday evening, after a visit to the family of the deceased, the Chief entered his car.
He gazed unseeing, as they cruised past Ring Road, by the Oba’s Palace and into the Motel Benin plaza road.
“Oga, Ofure hotels?” His driver asked.
“No. Home”
He did not have strength to perform with the girls tonight. There was always a tomorrow. He got home and after dinner and a kiss from his wife, he retired to bed. After weeks of fear, he was sure to get proper sleep!
Or so he thought.
At 1:15am the whispers began and Chief woke up, knowing he was finished.
His heart rattled at the bars of muscle and flesh caging them, beating to be let out. He struggled to breathe; struggled to tap his deep sleeping wife.
Before she could wakeup, before she could get help, he died.

“Praise oooooooooo”

******************************

Mr. Uwa Idahosa could not believe his change of fortune. He went to bed a deputy, and woke up, the Acting Governor. He wasn’t sorry for the demise of Chief. Contrary to what they thought, he knew what had gone on between him and his wife. He allowed the stupid woman go on with her delusion of having fooled him.
He would get her surely.
Uwa thanked God, who fought his battle for him and killed his enemy without him resorting to any diabolical means.

******************************

Gladys admired the purple hibiscus blooming from her late father’s prize garden sadly.
‘He always liked aesthetic beauty’
She sighed and made to move on when she noticed something hidden beneath the bushes.
Curious, she picked it up.
It was a Blackberry smartphone.
“Oh wow! My phone! Must have fallen when I was here with James.”
She switched it on.
“Battery red. I guess being off kept it alive this long sha.”
She winced guiltily as she remembered how she blamed the house help Ekaete for its theft.
Later that night at 1:15am, whispers woke her up.
She located where it came from.
Phone alarm.
She picked it up from her bedside where it was charging.
‘Why did i set an alarm for 1.15am again?’ she wondered groggy from sleep.
She clicked ‘Dismiss’ and The Whisper song by Ying Yang twins died.
She went back to sleep, oblivious to the fact that she had unwittingly caused her father’s death.

The End.