NOTHING ANY OF the teachers teach sticks in my head, not like they stuck that much on a normal day, But today is different, I can't stop thinking about the ring in my pocket and the things I did. Did I do it or was I having a concussion like Mother said? This is the question I try to answer from the first period of class to when the break bell is rung.

I sit on my chair while my classmate choose between piling out to get snacks or stick around the classroom making noises that are inaudible to me. I want to bring out the ring, but fear still lingers in me. What if it does what it did before? What if someone recognizes it is Fathers office? The last question is impossible, except Kitan who happens to be in the Science Department.

If I want to test it, I need go somewhere private, my mind tells me. But where is private in this large school? That is when I get an idea. I get up and head out of class, careful to avoid the males who find joy in kicking around empty plastic bottles. To think that among them is the Sanitation Prefect who is supposed to make sure students abide by the sanitation rules. This is why thorough screening is supposed to be done for anyone who the school board nominates for prefect-ship. I would have done better than most of the selected, but alas, I have a bad record after jumping from the administration building plus my grades never stood a chance.

I take the ring out when I get close to the female toilet, sure that I will not be seen, and examine the item. "What are you?" I squint, one of the drawings on it looks like a snake, but I can't be sure, its too tiny.

Because I am not looking, I bump into someone and the ring falls from my hand, same with books, but I know I was not holding any. When I look to see who it was, I begin to apologize. My class captain, Lebechi Orji, stands before me, her eyes full with anger. Although, I wonder why she brought books to the toilet area. I quickly bend to pick up her things. She has been class captain since we entered Senior Secondary School, mainly because she acts like a teacher most of the time, no one argues with her, especially since she has a big body that makes her look more of an adult than a teenager. They say she has this kind of body because she sleeps with older men, one time a man came to carry her from school and he was old enough to be her father.

"Can't you watch where you are going?" the irony is she has a very calm voice.

Feeling defensive, I say, "Why do you have books in the toilet and are these not our books?" I see mine, the math book we submitted after the assembly. Curious to see how I did, I open the book, it gets snatched from me immediately, but not before I catch a glimpse of my score.

I should make Eni do my homework all the time.

"I'll share it in class," Lebechi growls silently, picking up the books in haste.

"I'm here aren't I? Let me just have mine."

"No."

"Whats the point of keeping something that belongs to me when I am here to take it and make these loads of books light. By the way didn't we elect an assistant?" since we couldn't have a say in electing the captain.

"I said no," she almost yells and I flinch.

"Jeez, what is making your ass hot this afternoon," with that I stand and eye the top of her head briefly then spot the ring a few meters from her. I forgot about that. I rush to pick it up before it can be sighted, which is actually late.

The Class Captain speaks. "What is that?"

"None of your business," It is my turn to act rude. I shove the object into my pocket and make a show of crossing my arms across my chest.

"I'm serious, Amadin, let me see it."

"I said no," I want to smile at how her face falls slightly, but I need to keep the serious expression in order for this to work. It is not a planned revenge, but it sure is sweet.

"Did you wear it? Does it do anything strange?" My serious expression falls and is replaced with fear, and confusion. How does she know about what happened? Is it not still a result of being hit my room door?

But the door opened suddenly.

"By your expression, I assume it does." Now she is excited, which scares me the more.

My words hang in my throat, "H-how...?"

"Let me see it," she asks rather than commands and I give it to her. Carefully, she examines it before a grin crawls up her chubby face. "After school, I'll tell you what it is."

When Lebechi Orji, Class Captain of SS3D, Art Department, said 'After School, I'll tell you what it is', I did not think she would pull me to the school library which I have not been in since orientation in Junior Secondary School. If it was possible to hate a place extremely, then I hated the Library extremely. Mostly because it has no comics or novels, just boring school books that makes me dizzy. Plus it is too quiet for me.

"Why are we here?" I ask the plump girl once we get into the brown painted large room filled with rows of book shelves and a small corner of tables and chairs for those who wants to read. The Librarians table is just by the entrance and a middle aged woman is there, hunched over a large book.

"Because I need to get something," she replies before going to the meet the Librarian. I growl silently, maybe it is a mistake to think she has an idea of what the ring might be, but I follow behind her.

"Good Afternoon, auntie," Lebechi greets with a wide mouthed smile, the woman has the same on her face too which makes me wonder if she is the same woman who used a ruler to beat the back of my hand when I wanted to take a book on drawing off the shelf years ago.

She looks older but definitely the same.

"Ah, Christiana..." that is a name I never knew Lebechi had, to be fair, I hardly know anything about the girl, "What brings you to the library when school is closed?"

"I came to get the book on Cultural Heritage," she still has a wide smile on her face. Her words prove what I have been thinking, she has no idea what the ring is and just tricked me into escorting her to the Library.

But that doesn't make sense, does it?

"You know you don't need my permission to get it, you're my own personal Librarian. I still don't like why you turned down that position," the woman says and I see Lebechis smile waver for a second, before she nods curtly.

"It's school policy even if, auntie." She gives a closed lip smile this timeand turns to leave, probably headed for the shelf where the 'Cultural Heritage' is and I can't help but get annoyed.

I'm about to follow her when the Librarian speaks, not to Lebechi but to me, "Can't you greet an elder or do you lack manners?"

At first, I don't know what to do exactly. Do I be rude? The consequences of that is punishment that would probably last a week, if she is more wicked than she was in Junior School, or do I apologize with an excuse? That would be an obvious lie because I stood so close to her, even a blind person will be able to tell I was near them.

"I'm sorry ma'am, my mind was not here." I tell her at last, truly, my mind was not anywhere near the area, it was on the ring and on the fact that I may or may not have been tricked into coming to the library with someone I hardly talk to.

"Then where was it? At home with your unborn children?" The woman looks back at her big book, I have no idea what to say and so I look to Lebechi. She got me into this mess, she should get me out.

"Sorry auntie. She is not always manner less..." I shoot the girl a glare, "...but we were given a project in history class that is seventy percent CA, so she's almost having high blood pressure because we would present and she has stage fright."

I marvel at how the lie roll sweetly off her tongue, she just portrayed me to be a serious student and I like that. Good thing the Librarian doesn't really care for who I am. "Aww, you all really take your books seriously. Next time do greet an elder, okay...?"

"Amadin," she doesn't know my name so I supply it.

The librarian pauses briefly and scans me, "Were you not the one who tried to steal a book from here a long time ago?"

I wince at that statement and Lebechi chuckles. "No...I mean yes, but I was not stealing it. I just wanted to check the content."

"Even after I instructed no touching?"

How long can someone keep a grudge against something that happened, almost, six years ago? "I'm sorry ma'am."

"It's alright, I'm glad you turned out to be a dedicated student." Lebechi chuckles again but I pay her no attention. I am dedicated, maybe not to all my school work, but I am. "Alright, you two can go pick up the book you want."

With that, we make our way away from her table and go deeper into the Library. There are one or two students around, I think of how boring they must be to be at such a place after school closes.

"Do you think she believed what you said about the history CA? That was a bit preposterous." I finally tell Lebechi what I think of her lie.

"Unlike you, I am an actual good student. She would believe anything I say."

I snicker but know it might be true, "So why did you turn down the offer to be Library Prefect?" After hearing it, I am curious to know what really happened. She is the best in my class, and we did assume she would be the Head Girl of the school, but got the shock of our lives when she was never called out on the assembly. Some people even made jokes about her being just a local champion.

"I turned down the offer to be both Head Girl and Library Prefect, but the reasons don't matter. We need to get this book and get to an empty area right away."

What?

"Why doesn't it matter?" I am still curious.

"Because I said it doesn't," there is a small anger in her eyes when she looks at me and I am smart enough to let the matter drop. It is her life not mine. Lebechi stops before a shelf that has the tag 'History' on it and I watch her skim silently over the book covers until her hands stops on one and she retrieves it. Strangely, it is an all black book, only the letters on the front cover have color, and its almost like gold.

"Got it, lets go."

In almost thirty minutes, Lebechi and I stand before an empty land. Of course, when she said we needed to get to an empty area, I did not think she meant one that had an uncompleted two floor building which must have been abandoned for years with the level of grass that filled the half of the compound, with gravel stones molded together and what I assumed used to be cement blocks. I frown as she leads me through an almost invisible pathway in the middle of the weeds until we get to the building. To think a place like this was in a properly organized area.

"What is this place?" Curiosity always gets the best of me, especially when I have no knowledge of what I am doing somewhere.

Maybe she is like a human trafficker agent and your curiousity got the best of you.

"An uncompleted building..." right, I never thought it was, "...that was supposed to be an hotel but the owner passed away and the children ate all of the money."

Huh?

"How do you know this?" I watch Lebechi set down her buff school bag onto the spirogyra covered floor and shiver internally, before she replies.

"I don't, just making up a theory, now lets do this."

She is definitely weird.

"Do what?" I know the answer, but I must ask.

"Play with the powers," the excitement she has from when she first saw the ring is back and it creeps me out. I was still convinced I suffered from concussion.

"There is no such thing as powers," I tell her, eyeing the entire compound, I had to assume there were a lot of mosquitoes and that would mean staying here longer will result in bites which will result in malaria.

"You are the one always with a comic book and you jumped down from the building, how do you not believe it is real?"

"I learnt it the hard way. But all those powers, magic and shit are fictional. In reality, there is no such thing."

She raises a brow at me, "But something happened when you wore that thing, did it not?"

The question makes me remember both Fathers office and the house. Still, I imagine things a lot, who says I was not doing so when they happened? "I'm having a concussion. I hit my head on my room door and started seeing stuff."

"Right," she nods briefly before she opens the black book she has in her hand. "The human mind does not accept what it cannot explain, that's why they term everything they don't know demonic."

"Huh?" I am seriously confused.

"Come here...bring the ring." She commands.

I'm only answering her because I want to get out of this mosquito infested area, this is what I tell myself as I dip my hand into my pocket and hold out the object whenI get to her side. She adjusts the book so I can see the pages, there is an illustration of a female holding a baby close to her breast with one hand the other holds a snake around her neck. The reptile has flowers of different kinds growing from it. Her skin is colored brown and her black hair touches the earth, the point where it does, a tree stems from it, above the image, there are the words; "Otookpa, deity of the earth, morality, fertility and creativity." It is all weird and creepy to me but I stand there and wait for the fat girl to speak.

"So, I have have been studying history of cultures and myths in these cultures, especially the ones lost centuries ago. About two years ago, I found this book which contains stories and legends of gods, goddess and deities. It does not cover all of the gods neither is it completely accurate, as I have come to learn, but this book holds more information about the forgotten goddess than any other I have come across."

Huh?

Lebechi speaks on, "She is the silent mother of the earth , her name literally means ground or floor, whichever you choose. Also, she is in charge of the Underworld, like the Greek Hades, but much more cooler, I guess. She is one of the most powerful deities out of all of the ones each tribe has in Niger--"

"How, pray tell, does this concern me and this thing?" I am fed up, so I shove the ring in her face.

"I am getting there," she tells me calmly as she looks at me.

"Well, get there already, I don't want to fall sick because I ventured her with you and the worse part is I won't be able to tell my parents what made me sick in the first place. So do get there and let me leave." Then we can never talk to each other again because you are crazy.

"Alright," she grumbles underneath her breath and flips the page. Here there was an illustration of a python, an elephant and what is a bad drawing of an ant also. Somewhere just at the edge of the book was a ring like object. I feel my eyes open wide on their own accord. "The ring called 'ika ika' has been on earth for generations. It was a source of power for anyone deemed the champion of Otookpa and gave them inhuman powers which they used to protect the people from both physical and non physical harm. According to this book, they could move the earth and all on the surface, and could visit the underworld too...you know, since the goddess is the Queen of the underworld, but who would want to go there?"

I look to the ring and then at the drawing of it in the book. "What happened to it, why is it not with the so called champion, why is it with me instead?"

"It's the 21st century, those practices would have been forgotten, but remember I told you the book talks about forgotten cultures. This was before colonization, the ring was sold to a Portuguese who visited a small village along the axis of Bini, just a few distance away from the Yorubas. The writers say they were private people and hardly mingled with the rest of the world. The champions fought off enemies and kept them safe. The book doesn't say what happened though, it's supposed to be a myth remember. Sha, who cares, you have it live, now wear it and do your thing."

This time I create a safe distance between us her, not knowing what to believe. Why did it come to me all of a sudden? And I am nothing close to being a champion.

You were in your fathers office, duh.

Still, it should not have worked, in any way for me. "Why can't you be the one to wear it?"

"According to this book, when the ring is worn already, by the champion of course, only they can wear it during their life time. So, it is until you die or are close to death before I can wear it. Do you want to die?" There is a mischievous smile planted on Lebechis face and I managed to give her a fake laugh, telling her to back off.

"Okay, after I wear it, what do I do?"

"Try to control something, I don't know."

"But you said I should wear it," I frown at her.

"Yes, I only know as much as I research and I did not really research this, I was focused on the Yoruba forgotten deties." I frown deeper, how does she spend her time on reading myths and legends and still tops the class?

I look at the ring in my hand and swallow lightly, "Fine." when I push the object onto my ring finger I make sure to close my eyes. Maybe this will really prove I am having a concussion.

Please be that.

When I open my eyes everything is normal, except maybe the smile on Lebechis face. She is super excited now and she watches me like I am some sort of special person who would do a special thing at any moment.

"So, what do I do next?"

"Wave your hand or something. We are both trying to figure this out." I sigh and turn to look at the grassy land.

"This better work," I tell myself mostly and tension fills my bones. If something does happen, there is no going back. Do I tell my parents I have been chosen as some sort of Champion by a mythical forgotten goddess and the ring will refuse to leave my side until I die? Which means even if I give it back, it will be back to me. Does that count as stealing?

As calmly as I can, I wave my hand from left to right, there is a huge rush of wind which cause shivers to rush down my back. But that is it, nothing else happens, no crazy thing, no inhuman action, no abnormal activity. I wave from up to down, left to right, hallelujah style, praise and worship style, police arrest wave style, but nothing happens.

No. Damn. Thing.

I wasted my time, my head rings this over and over again. So I turn to look at the girl who coerced me to come here and she still has that excited look in her eyes which makes me furious. "You wasted my time."

"What?"

"This is stupid. I should have known there was nothing you could know about this stupid object. There is no such thing as powers, or inhuman abilities. I very well figured that out stupidly last year and here I am, still being as stupid as I was back then and coming here with you."

"You should try again," she simply says.

"Oh, yeah," I rub my forehead and click my tongue, "I should try again. Try to make what happen? The ground open into two, these grasses grow? Or make the earth rise like these..." I lift up my hand slowly in an attempt to mock the girl and all the things she called knowledge. "I should try again huh? When you and I both know that all the things inside of that book is crap..."

"Amadin," Lebechi tries to stop my speech but I will have none of it. I am ready to give her a piece of my mind and a big piece at that.

"...and you only want this to be real so bad because you want something exciting to happen to you. Maybe make it like you discovered some kind of lost treasure so you will add it to your life records and win awards for some shitty discovery..."

"Amadin," she tries again.

"...Well, too bad, cause you cannot do that on me. I am not the brainwashed type, at least not anymore..."

"AMADIN!" She calls my name with lots of effort and I grunt silently.

"What?"

"Look," now she points behind me, I roll my eye knowing she is trying very hard to trick me into believing what she believes. So I turn around, just to make her feel heard and maybe curious to see what she sees. I am shocked, beyond even. The impossible is before me. There is a hillock right before me and I stand at the very edge of it. The ground has risen to form this. THE GROUD ROSE TO FORM THIS.

I take a step back, almost bumping into Lebechi, "W-what sorcery is this?"

"It is not sorcery," she laughs, "it is the power of the ring."

I refuse to believe this is all real, I mean, she could have planted a hologram that makes it seem like the ground rose, but how? "I don't believe this."

"Alright," there is more excitement in her tone. "I'll leave you alone, never bother you and even throw away all my years of research on cultures and myths if this doesn't work again."

I eye her skeptically and then look to the small hill, "Deal." I promise to get rid of all my comic books because too much of it has started messing with my reality. Slowly I point my palm at the hill and will it to go down.

"You have to take your hands down too," Lebechi tells me.

I nod, mostly because I have no response for her and my heartbeat increases just as I take my hands down. The earth goes down at the same time my hand does and flattens completely when I finally drop it, my eyes refuse to blink and I stand there, in shock.

I just did that.

•••
very frequent updates for this book because it's fun to write plus i have a new idea and don't want to work on more than one project at the moment (#selfdiscipline).

so, this chapter explains briefly where the ring comes from. honestly at first, i was gonna make it from the Igbo goddess Ala but decided against it because I don't want to write anything incorrectly. therefore the introduction of a (non existent in reality) forgotten goddess. I hope it makes sense.

What do you think of Lebechi?
And what Amadin did?

Ciao
Omonigho