In the outskirts of a popular town called Shalla, there lived a man who could prophesy the future. His name was Moussa, and he was about 50 years of age. Media houses had tried to cover him on Television and radio but as soon as the reporters reached he told them things that they considered deep secrets, and they eventually ran away in fear.
His house was by the lakeside. It was a big beautiful house surrounded by greenery and an extraordinary view. He spoke little and had no friends. People were extremely scared of him because aside from him being able to prophesy into the future, he could also narrate a person’s past events. He was married and with five children: three girls and two boys. Although his wife was a chatterbox, the children seemed to have taken over his traits. They were extremely quiet and rarely spoke. They didn’t mingle much with their classmates either. They always kept to themselves. Many people wondered how he had managed to successfully go through courtship and find a wife. Others wondered how his wife’s family had agreed to let her get married to him. Because while some saw his skill as a blessing, others called it witchcraft.
Nabwire had travelled from a nearby town to come and speak to Moussa. She wanted to get to the root of her problems, and therefore she thought that Moussa would be an easy way out. She had hopes that he could give her advice that would change her life, or at least show her how to navigate through her intense problems.
You see, Nabwire was a young girl, 23 years of age. Life hadn’t dealt her the right cards but she still kept the faith. She had been orphaned when she was only six years old. Her aunt and uncle agreed to take her in, provided she worked for them. She became a slave in the house. When she turned 18, she ran away to get married to a man she had met in the neighbourhood. He had promised her the world. He said he would take her to Nairobi for the first time and send her to school, then marry her. Nabwire was smitten, and she thought that for the first time, life was actually working out for her good. They successfully planned out an escape from her aunt’s house, and she couldn’t be happier.
As soon as they got to Nairobi, this man changed. He became extremely arrogant. On several occasions he hit her, and she had a lot of scars on her body. She regretted why she ever left her aunt’s house. It was too late to go back. Nabwire got pregnant and had a child. She thought that this would make her man love her more, but it was the complete opposite.
One night, she got so fed up and hit him with a huge metallic rod. She watched as he fell to the ground unconscious. Blood was streaming from the wound in his head and she thought that he would be dead soon. She checked her husband’s pockets, found 7,000 shillings and took it all. She carried her child on her back and ran away. She knew that the police would eventually start looking for her. That’s how she found herself going to Moussa’s house.
Her problem didn’t exactly require prophesy, but she decided to seek wisdom from him. If he could just tell her how to get away from the police, she knew that one way or another she would be able to turn over a new leaf.
It was a hot Wednesday afternoon when Nabwire arrived at Shalla. She was directed to Moussa’s house. It seems that everyone knew him because as soon as she mentioned his name, the people were quick to give her directions. She walked a distance of about a kilometre with the child behind her back. As she walked through the neighbourhood and took the path leading to his house, she started to see people whispering amongst themselves. She wondered what they were all discussing but chose to ignore it.
She finally arrived at Moussa’s gate and knocked at it. No one seemed to answer, but then she heard footsteps and she knew that there was hope.
“Hello, my name is Nabwire…” She said as soon as someone opened the gate.
“Hi, how can I help you?” The man answered.
“I’d like to see…see… Moussa.” She said, now running out of breath. It appeared that she had not had anything to eat or drink in a while.
The man looked at her in shock. He had been waiting for her to realize that she was in the wrong place, but she knew exactly where she was.
“Trust me, you don’t want to be here. Getaway as fast as possible!” The man responded in a low tone.
Nabwire tried to walk but she was running out of energy. She decided to sit outside the gate. She knew that someone would soon come, and maybe they would listen to her case.
Eventually, Moussa’s two girls came by. They were in uniform and resembled each other so much that you would mistake them for twins.
“Hi, could…could… you please call Moussa?” Nabwire said.
The girls looked at her for a while, avoided her and then continued walking. When they got to the gate they spoke among themselves, and then walked back to her as though they had made a decision.
“Come with us,” they said.
Nabwire felt relieved.
She walked into the compound while in awe. She had to take time to sink it all in. The house was beautiful.
“Wait for him here, this is where he sees people from,” they said, pointing towards a smaller house nearby.
Ten minutes later, a man emerged from the main house. He was extremely tall and he had a dark complexion. His face was wrinkled and he looked as though he was frowning. Nabwire introduced herself and he invited her into the smaller house. It was small, dark and had curtains all around it.
Nabwire explained her story to him and he listened attentively. Once she was done, he kept quiet, stared into a wall for a while and then began to speak.
“I can make your story disappear, but your future isn’t bright. Whether or not I do this, you have very few days left to live.” He said.
“What…What do you mean?” She asked.
“Just that. Now, what are you willing to offer me in exchange for this help?” He said, taking off his glasses and unbuttoning his shirt.
“I don’t have any money. I spent it all coming here. Please, you are my only hope…” She said, mercifully.
“I don’t need your money. Put that child aside.” He said.
He walked towards the door and locked it.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. You and I are going to have a little fun, and once we’re done I will sort you out.”
He grabbed her by the neck and got on top of her. He ripped the dress she was wearing and raped her. Nabwire tried to scream but to no avail. It soon became apparent to her that the room had been sound-proofed.
Once he was satisfied, he pulled her by the neck and led her to another room. It was empty and the only thing in sight was a huge freezer. He opened it, and when she looked inside she threw up. There were about six body bags arranged on top of one another.
“You see, I told you. You have very few days left to live.” He said, “That’s the procedure around here. They’ve all gone through the same process.”
Moussa buttoned up his shirt, wore his pants and then left. He locked the door, and Nabwire was left in the room with the freezer and the body bags. It was dark. She couldn’t see or hear anything. All she heard was her baby from the next room crying.
A few hours later, Nabwire heard the door being opened. It was dark, and she knew that it was now night time. The man who had chased her away earlier emerged.
“I told you to go away. Now look what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he said whispering.
“I didn’t know. I was looking for help…” she responded.
“I will try and get you out. I’ve seen you have a child, and if you stay here he will kill both of you. Here’s what we’ll do…”
Before he knew it, someone grabbed him by the neck and threw him onto the ground. Nabwire covered her eyes in fear of what would happen next. She would have screamed, but her first reaction was to close her eyes and cover her ears. Eventually, when she looked up she almost fainted. She saw her supposedly dead husband, alive and standing.
“Where did you think you were going? You thought that you could kill me? Don’t you know that I know everyone? Tracing you was the easiest thing. You can’t run away from me.” He said.
“Out of the frying pot, into the fire.” She thought to herself. Maybe it would’ve been better if she just ended up in one of the body bags in the freezer.
I found a medium who spoke to my dead father and then he disappeared
