Read Ilu Sioni (Illusion) Episode 1
Water roughly splashed across his face roused him. It took his eyes several minutes to adjust because they were hurting and his head was also pounding. He was still in the same alley but now had the unwanted company of all five of his assailants. Their leader judging by his bearing was an almost toothless heavyset man-ape, tattooed generously across the face with ancient Oyo tribal marks. He looked more burnt than black. Even in his dazed state, Fido concluded death would be scared of the man.
“E joo sa…” {Sorry, sir…} Fido started to say.
“Nomuba wan, mo hate ki eeyan ma pe mi ni sa” {number one, I hate people who address me as sir} the man said.
Unconsciously, Fido looked around for hidden speakers. The man’s voice seemed to be that of many bass speakers, combined. He couldn’t tell if it was because his brains were scrambled at the moment or if it were really so.
The man continued.
“Awon alabosi lo ma n lo sa fun ra won, nitori na ti o ba feran emi e, ma pe mi be” {only hypocrites address themselves as sir, so if you value your life, stop addressing me as such”.
Fido didn’t really understand the man’s reasoning and really couldn’t argue, so he nodded his agreement furiously with every word the man uttered. Every single word.
“Nomuba tu, mi o feran ebe, jo ma be mi” {number two, I hate apologies, please stop begging me}
Fido noticed the man had ironically begged him but he was too busy nodding to dwell on the thought. he wished the man could see that he was also nodding in his mind. every part of his body including his … was synched to the same nodding activity.
“Ki awa to de aiye la ti n payan. Ta ba tun ku gan, a si ma ma payan. Ninu oyun ni moti koko payan. Mo te kehinde mi fo lori danu ni! S’ori oye kin pa e ni, nitori o ti gbe mi sare, sugbon awe wa loni, nitori na, ma saanu fun e” {I started killing before I came to this world and I will continue in the afterlife. The first person I killed was my twin in the womb. I stomped him to death! You see, I should kill you because you made me run but I’m in the middle of a fast so I’ll show you mercy}
Fido was sure the world was grateful there was only one of the man. Two of him would have been an apocalypse. That moment, the man smiled at him with his countable teeth as if he’d just awarded him a prize and calmly shot him in the kneecaps of both legs.
The shriek that emanated from fido was nothing like the familiar type that came when his grandma used to thrash him all those years. This was far worse and alien. He started feeling in all parts of his body at the same time. It made him realize how dead the body was to feeling without pain and he prayed to die just then. A scuffling sound introduced another presence in the alley and the five men tensed, alert. They relaxed when the person turned out to be familiar.
Fido heard the newcomer say “ohun ko, ohun ko!” {it’s not him, it’s not him!} just as night came during day for him again the second time that day and the third time in his life.
He awoke to a smell which informed him it must either be heaven or a hospital and prayed it was the latter. It was, and he sighed in relief. His face was bandaged and felt heavier. He struggled to move it to view his legs. They were still there but were now held apart by some tube-like cords. He heard footsteps outside his door and closed his eyes as fast as he could manage. He wasn’t ready to see anyone in this state.
Two people had come into the room and were talking about him. The male voice had a certain serene authority and probably belonged to a doctor while the other voice was the familiar agitated yapping of his grandma.
The doctor was saying… “…ko si nkan ti a le se, a ma lati ge ese mejeji kuro ni. Kokoro yen ti rin jina” {…there’s nothing else to be done; we have to amputate both legs. The infection has spread extremely}
The words caused Fido to open his eyes but he never saw anything before night came again.
Most of the times he awoke he didn’t know if he was still alive or dead, existent or non-existent. He had so many dreams he didn’t remember. They seemed to be making fun of him. He lost all track of reality or what was real or unreal.
But the time he woke up to find his legs gone, he knew it was real. The tears came and came and never seemed to stop. He thought of football, “Obesere fc”, “Agege bread” and “Ewa Agoyin”, he thought about “Garri” and the bees and inwardly cursed the five men for taking all that and more away from him forever. The thing that saddened him the most was the fact that they had picked the wrong person. He’d not been whoever they’d been sent to kill. Night came again for him.
The next time he woke he was free of the facial bandages and heaviness. he wanted to look downwards but didn’t. not because he couldn’t move his head but because he knew it was a bad idea. what was there to look at but misery?
A pang from below caused him to look downwards nevertheless and he saw his legs. they were at ankle point which was odd. he’d been shot at the kneecaps and accurately recalled his legs had been severed at the thighs. he was still pondering the oddity when sleep suddenly claimed him.
The sun rays shining through the window blinds interrupted his dream and he woke. He felt sorry for waking. The sleep had been an enjoyable one. He caught a big yawn and stretched, his joints making all the usual agreeable pops. He swung his feet over the bed and got up to adjust the annoying window blinds that had rudely interfered with his syrupy sleep. He got back on the bed when the room was well shrouded in the veil of darkness once again and proceeded to recapture his sleep.
He curled his legs to his stomach to achieve the fetal position he found so pleasing when sleeping and that was the moment it hit him. He’d just walked! He sprung from his cherished sleeping position like a “Magun” possessed acrobat and checked his legs. They were back! His legs! Real, fine legs! Fine, real legs! And they belonged to him. He jumped down from the bed and ran out of the room into the hospital’s waiting room which was full of patients, nurses and a handful of doctors.
“Mo le rin! Mo Le rin! Ese mi wu pada! Ese mi wu Pada!” {I can walk! I can walk! My legs grew back! My legs grew back!” he shouted as loud as he could.
Then he stopped shouting when he realized the whole room was silent. The people in the room were looking at him with different expressions. The silence didn’t really bother him. It was the worried looks from most of the people that unsettled him. A few of the female nurses were chuckling secretly while the available male ones looked ready to spring on him.
The closest doctor approached him and whispered to him.
“Beeni, kosi tun tun ninu iyen, ti ese ba ge, a wu pada. Apa, ese, gbogbo re lo ma n wu pada. Se o gbagbe ni? So da e loju pe ori re ti jina?” {Of course, there’s nothing new in that, if a leg is amputated, it grows back. Arms, legs, they all grow back. Did you forget? Are you sure your head has fully healed?}
…and then Fido remembered. It was true, legs and arms did grow back. What had he been thinking? Embarrassed, he turned to the doctor and meekly nodded.
P.S – What if the real world is an illusion and our dreams were real? What if we could make things happen by dreaming hard enough? What if? Don’t blame me, I’m a Joseph person…I’m just trying to use a little imagination here. Thanks for reading.
