On the long muddy walk to the village's border where the priest lived, I ignored my sister.

The path was muddy due to the rain. I had to walk slowly and I just had to walk with my sister who was gradually annoying me. She was talking about love and some other boring stuff.

I had to hold her hand all the way there. Just so I wouldn't trip on a stone or tree root or fall into a pit, or, an open well, or, hit a tree.

"Nigeria is a very big place."

What's my business?

"Our village is also very big. It is held together by love. United we stand-"

"What exactly is your problem?! Why can't you just stay quiet and walk me to solve the problem that made the village priest call us? I'm sick of your talking. Okay?!"

She left my hand. I could tell that she was frustrated, again.

"Listen to me. I was just trying to help. I only went to the priest to find a solution for you. If you don't want my help, then, you can go home. By yourself!"

"Fine!"

We separated. More like, she left me and continued walking.

We almost never squabbled after the incident.
I knew I needed her help but I was tired of her consistent talking. I groaned.

Whenever she was angry, she wouldn't help me or keep me company or go without eating because of me.

I stood in the path surrounded by bushes and trees alone.

Just like what happened during the incident. I was alone.

I can't stay here.

I reached up and grabbed a long branch from a tree. I struggled to break it off because it wasn't dry. It came off after some minutes of pulling and twisting.

I heard thunder. The late afternoon turned dark.

No no no no no.

I held the stick in front of me and brisk walked. I used the stick to know where to step and not to step.

I would have been proud of myself if I wasn't on a small path in the forest when another heavy rain was preparing to fall.

Chills crept up my spine.

This can't happen again. Please no.

I threw the stick away and began running.

I stumbled few times. At least I could see some stones.

Then, I reached the clearing. I could see houses and people.

Yes!

*I high-fived myself mentally*

It began drizzling. I was too tired to continue running.

My head began spinning. I fell.

I heard shouts from women. Some people ran to my side. Children were exclaiming.

Though, my eyes were open, my brain couldn't make out what I was seeing.

Then, suddenly, I felt a huge bucket filled with water empty over me.

My brain became normal again. The water was far too cold for me. It would have been funny if I wasn't in that situation.

The kind woman who poured the water on me was smiling. Thunder crashed. As if nothing happened, everyone left my side to their homes. I was sitting. My grey dress was wet and muddy. Rain poured harder on me. I sighed.

I got up. My stick was gone. I sighed again.
I walked gingerly pleading that nature should be kind to me.

My house was three compounds from where I was.
The rain was slapping my back and at some point, it almost felt like brooms were hitting my back. It was that bad. I passed one compound and I saw a new girl I had never seen before or I had seen her before but I couldn't identify her but something in me told my brain that she was new.

Maybe it was her unusually long hair and unusually fair skin and chubby body, full in the right places unlike all the girls in our village except Nwa Favour who was the darkest shade of black you could ever see on a human. If it was possible, darker than dark but this girl was prettier than anyone I had seen and I noticed this even with my extremely poor vision. It was as if I could see her clearly for a few seconds. My breathing rate-if it was a thing, went haywire.

I don't know how I even saw her properly. It couldn't have just happened like that. Could it? Who was this girl anyway? She was running inside. Then I marked her house it was Mma Linda's house.

But Mma Linda doesn't have daughters.

I returned my focus to the path in front of me. Then,
I
slipped
and
fell.

It happened so quickly. Mud splashed on my face. I had fallen on my butt and left hand.

I sighed. I tried to get up but I just kept slipping. Thunder crashed and lightning boomed. I groaned.

What is happening?

I thought it was just a normal bad day but I had more to face.

I struggled to stand. Now I looked like I just had a fight with a pig in a bathtub full of mud.

As I got home, I overheard my father shouting at someone. My mother.

Then I heard a hot slap. No emotions. No tears. I didn't cry or feel sad. She was the one who married him for her own reasons but no offense, he isn't really good looking.

I stopped at the entrance and threw my greetings to both of them ignoring the almost silent sobs of mama.

I then went to the bathroom at the back of the house to have a quick shower.

In the bathroom, there was a small space for me to stand and bathe while some aluminum sheets served as three walls and my wrapper was covering the entrance.

After bathing, I tied the wrapper cloth around my body and soaked my dirty gown and underwear in soapy water in a bucket to wash later. I walked to the entrance and dropped my wet slippers at the doorstep.

As I entered, before I could say
Ji which means yam, my father called my name with a loud voice. I don't wanna say he has a booming voice 'cause his voice was kind of chickeny but he was shouting at me so no time for thinking about his voice.

"Sekpurana!" He said in Igbo meaning kneel down.

What offence did I commit?

I knelt down but I frowned because my clean knees were now on the ever sandy floor.
I sighed inwardly taking precautions not to anger my father again.

"Do you know what you did?" 

"No Papa."

"You didn't do anything." He said with a smile. I searched my brain for an explanation of his action. Before I could say mba meaning no, he slapped me.

He was drunk again. Tears spilled through the sides of my eyes. I didn't want them to see me cry. I glanced in my mother's direction. She was looking outside lost in thoughts then I felt a lump in my throat. I wouldn't cry for her. I couldn't.

Then my sister came in. She was crying. Her face was in a shade of red.

She was crying seriously like there wasn't hope for whatever. Just like the way she cried when she saw the piercings in my eyes.

She greeted and walked to our room not even looking at me.

My father let me go to my room after Helsa went in.

After avoiding the bowls under the leaks, I passed the curtain to my room inhaling the bedroom smell which I smelt and I saw Helsa lying on the bed face down and the small pillow was on her head like all hope was lost.

I smiled at how dramatic she was being. I wiped my tears. Nothing was gonna make me cry again.

Crying is for the weak. I said to myself.

I sat on the small space beside her. "" "Why are you crying?"

As expected, she didn't answer the first time. Normally, if I wanted to make her happy, I had to call her by her pet name and rub her back and sing her favourite igbo nursery rhyme:

Onye murunwa nebakwa ?
W

ho made this baby cry?

Ebe murunwa nebakwa
That made this baby cry

Wete uziza wete ose
Bring uziza leaves bring pepper

Keba maranma ofe
So we can make a fine soup

Agalachalacha la
So we can lick it well

Ndewo ebakwa?
Where I the cry now?

But I wasn't going to sing for her. I wasn't in the mood. I was supposed to be angry with her anyway but I couldn't house it in my heart.

I rubbed her back and called her Omalichanwa and Onenebejeoru meaning 'beautiful child' and 'the girl that if I look at I'll forget to go to work' respectively.

She didn't react. I resorted to singing. Nothing happened. She was still sniffing. No reaction.
Whatever was up with her was serious.

In a firm voice, I said: "Helsa Chiamaka Iche was is wrong with you. Tell me now." 

She lifted her head looked at me. Her eyes were dark red.

Then she said:

"The priest said that the breft is coming to our home and is going to take you away in ten days for marriage and he can't cure your eyes."

"And why is that?" I said with a raised brow.

"I told him to cancel my pregnancy."

.......

Hey guys
It's Onome_queen here
I dropped this update in honour of favour659
Yh, Helsa is pregnant and she chose herself over her sister. The picture above is the bushy road to the priest's house but I feel it's a bit too exaggerated.