THE GHOST MAN
(A true life story)
CHAPTER 6
“Praise the Lord,” she shouted
into the microphone.
“Halellujah,” chorused the
congregation.
“Prai-prai-prai-praa-a-ise the
Lord,” she shouted again.
With her right hand she held
unto the microphone and with
her left hand she waved in the
air. She was elegant in her
apparel, with a hair scarf that
stood like a crown on her head.
Everything she wore wasn’t
cheap, a clear testimony to my
benevolence. I wasn’t just an
inlaw, I was also like a son. Or so
I thought.
“Halellujah,” the congregation
chorused again.
“Umu chineke ibe m, soronu m
kelee chineke,” she started her
testimony, “my brethren, follow
me thank this our God. I don’t
know how to start thanking him.
I call him ebube dike, oloro ihe
loro enyi, el-shaddai, miracle
worker, kabiyesi, oghenedo,
Jesus igwe.e.e!”
She made a dance move like
someone posessed by an unseen
spirit. The she began to sing.
“There is something that makes
me come into your pres£nce, my
helper,” she sang and the
congregation joined her.
I sat quietly at the last row of the
seats and watched in
bewilderment at this evil woman
that just masterminded my
death. She was evil, she was an
elder in the church and she was
supposed to be a born again
christian. I looked at the name of
the church inscripted bodly
above the alter, “Holy Ghost
Deliverance Ministry.” Such a
perfect name. I’m the ghost
that’s going to deliver her today.
“There is something that makes
me come into your pres£nce, my
helper,” the spirit that posessed
the woman seemed to have
taken over the congregation too,
they went up in a roar, “My
helper o-o, my helper. My helper
o-oh, my helper. There is
something that makes me come
into your pres£nce, my helper.”
“My testimony is very long but I
will try and cut it short,” the
woman continued, “my daughter
was attacked by a ghost but
survived.”
The church went up in an
uncontrolled murmur. Some
people adjusted their sitting
position, the testimony was
getting interesting. The person
sitted next to me looked at me
and said, “wonder shall never
end.” I responded, “Ghost kwa?
Mhhh!”
“My daughter’s husband died
few days ago and disappeared
into thin air.” she continued,
“We’ve searched for him
everywhere but can’t find him.
My daughter is devastated
because she loves him so much.”
She started to sob. A dead silence
fell upon the church. Nob©dy,
including me, wanted to miss the
story.
“Some days ago, Chioma my
daughter got a video call, when
she picked, it was the ghost of
the dead husband that appeared.
He attacked her, causing her a
p@rtial stro-ke. Today she can’t
walk properly and is speech
impired but is alive……praise the
Lord.”
The congregation shouted,
“halellujah.”
“That ghost is wicked but the
God I serve is greater. He wants
to kill my daughter, a woman
that loved him so much and took
good care of him as a wife
should. My daughter will recover
fully soon and the enemies shall
be put to shame in Jesus name.”
“Ame-en,” the congregation
shouted.
“My brethren,” the woman raised
her voice, “if you are praying to
this our God, don’t……”
FLASH BACK
I remembered all I did for this
woman, a woman I called mother
and treated as such. From the
moment I entered into her
daughter’s life, the family’s life
changed for good. She used to
fry akara at a bus st©p in
Iganmu, I opened a mini
supermarket for her and she was
doing well. I paid the other of
her children school fees. I
st©pped her husband from being
a gateman and gave him two
commercial buses to be
managing. When her husband
died a year ago, the burial was
on me and was befitting. Where
did I wrong this woman? I once
loved her as a mother but now I
hated her with pas-sion.
BACK TO PREs£nT
“Praise the Lord,” she shouted
after ending her testimony.
The congregation responded
with “halellujah.”
“Prai-prai-……….”
I had heard enough, this
nons-en-se has got to st©p. I
looked at the name of the church
again, “Holy Ghost Deliverance
Ministry.” I stood up from my
seat, this is deliverance time.
I started walking down the aisle
to go take a seat at the front
row. Then our eyes met, she
froze.
“Prai-prai,” she stuttered.
She looked sideways, looked at
the pastor like she was expecting
someone to come rescue her and
then back at me. People were
confused at her sudden change
of countenance. Her face was
terrified and her complexion was
beginning to change. She was
beholding a ghost. I gave her a
cruel smile.
“Prai-prai……no, no, it’s a ghost,”
she was screaming. “Take him
away from me, he’s a ghost.”
Her eyes rolled, and like a sac of
cas-sava flakes she coll@psed on
the ha-rd floor. The speakers
made a cracking noise as the
microphone hit the floor.
As quietly as I had entered the
church I vanished.😁
To be continued…