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   Dying doesn't kill me, but it takes something much more precious.

Memories of my existence.

As Sandra cries, my consciousness slips out of my hand faster than I can blink. Soon, I am in total darkness.

It has happened, again.

I am dead.

The realisation comes with the warmest of breezes lapping against my skin, Sandra's cries long gone.

Opening my eyes, recognition of where I am plants a sad smile on my face.

I am no longer on earth.

Just like, the previous times it happened, I find myself in a corridor made of bronze walls with delicate silver intricate designs, masterly crafted with different colors of wool, hanging from all around it.

The first time I found myself here, I thought I was in heaven because hell couldn't possibly be this beautiful.

But I was wrong.

This isn't heaven.

It couldn't be heaven.

This place is full of sadness and pain, yet in a way, beautiful.

Just like my first time here, the magic of the place begins to pull me deeper into the never ending corridor.

As I move, the light which only hovers above me, like an enchanted spotlight, showers golden rays of light unto my skin and the tiled floor directly beneath me. Yes, it makes the whole place magical but the shushing sound that haunts this place steals that magic away.

I continue my never ending trek and for now, it is quiet. Only the light welcomes me, like it recognises my presence.

Placing my palms on the wall as I move, I notice my skin is golden in color. Normally, I have a sort of light brown caramel skin. Sandra says, I have the skin of an African goddess. I know, she only says that to make me happy. Gods and goddesses aren't even suppose to be real.

But in here— right now, I believe Sandra.

My skin gives off a golden glow, as I caress the cold texture of this strange wall I keep finding myself in whenever I— whenever I die.

My lungs collapse and a new pain infiltrates the soft tissue enclosing my heart. He is here.

The sound is almost like a weeping man. A man who has lost something very precious to him.

"Shuuuu. . ."

The shushing fills the air around me, the hurt in the voice adding to the immense pain in my heart.

I drop my hands from the walls and listen in more closely, feeling the pain more closely.

I want to help him.

"Shuuuu. . ."

It comes again, slapping itself into my ears, bringing me more pain. This is why this place can never be heaven.

Heaven is suppose to be a happy place. Yet here I stand, in a beautiful corridor filled with the echoes of a saddened soul.

"Hello?" I call out softly, wanting to console the person.

"OShuuuun. . ." It replies me.

As I make to question the sad soul, the enchanted light above me goes off, followed by the sad voice.

Another voice fills the now dark corridor.

"Turn back!" She whisper shouts.

But I want to stay. I want to find the sad soul.

The male whisperer.

I want to console them. To offer my comfort. But this new voice sounds more urgent. Like I will be committing a mistake if I stay here a minute longer.

"Turn back!" She repeats with a growl.

This time, I don't hesitate. I turn back the way, I had come. My legs carrying me away from the— enchanted corridor of pain and beauty.

A blinding light flashes harshly into my eyes and I am forced to close them.

There after, I feel the very same warm breeze that welcomed me a while ago, push me back to earth.

Once again, I live.

———**———

"Hey! Can you hear me?" I hear a very familiar voice say with a lot of urgency.

"Is this one still alive, sha?" Another familiar voice says.

"Uche, borrow some sense, nau! Can't you see she is still breathing."

Fluttering my heavy lids open, the light blinds me and I quickly bring up my left arm to serve as a shield as I close my eyes once again.

My friends!

"Omo, she moved oh!" Uche exclaims.

"Shut up! I saw it too."

Opening my eyes again slowly still using my hand as a shield from the blinding sun above me, I squint at the two of them hovering atop me.

Can they recognise me?

Uche moves away from my line of sight while, the girl gives me a reassuring smile, "thank the gods you are awake now. What happened to you?"

She remembers me!

My eyes water with excitement yet my tongue refuses to move. Looking at her like I didn't understand the question, I move my eyes to stare around me, happily.

Maybe, the curse has been broken somehow. . .

"Do you understand English?" The girl asks, causing me to return my focus on her.

How can she ask me that?

She doesn't — she doesn't know me?

My thoughts get interrupted when, Uche, returns. He rains a large scoop of loose sand on my body and jumps away, "hey! She no disappear?" He says watching me from a distance.

My heart drops.

He doesn't remember me.

"Uche! Why did you do that? What is wrong with you?!" The girl reprimands him. She takes an handkerchief and starts wiping the particles from my body.

I don't stop her. My body refuses to move.

I thought, it was over.

I thought, they will remember me.

"If you want to know if someone's a ghost ehn, you pour sand on them. If they disappear, then they are truly ghost! I thought she was a ghost na!" Uche explains to her.

"I am so sorry. My friend here, acts like a fool sometimes— well most times," she says, glaring at him as she continues wiping the sand from my numb body.

Why did they have to find me?

Looking down at myself, I see that I am in the same dress I wore yesterday but without the blood.

I never wake up with the blood. It's like someone cleans away the evidence of my death.

The accident.

The blood.

The memory.

Everything except my very own memory. I remember every single detail. Every single face that forgets me.

"So, I asked what happened to you, did you get that?" She asks again furrowing her brows, "we were heading to work when we found you here. Did someone harm you?"

How do I even begin to explain my curse to her?

How do I tell her that, I know her— that I know them?

"I don't think she understands English. Shey make I try Igbo?"

"Uche, don't be silly!" She glares at him again, "I think she is traumatized." Her gaze softens as it settles back on me.

She doesn't realise that each word she speaks breaks my already broken heart. Each word makes it clear to me that my curse has already been activated.

She can't recognise me.

They both can't.

"If she is traumatized, nko? Are you a therapist? Abeg, let's go home." Uche whines.

I didn't want her to leave. But Uche is right, she isn't a therapist. She can't help me.

"We can't just leave her here. It won't be right," she insists, her ever bright face morphing into sadness.

The universe is definitely mocking me. Why return me to a world where all my friends couldn't even recognise me anymore. Why?

"Human right activist," he shouts, rolling his eyes at her, "let's go! I will leave you oh!" He pulls her by the hand and takes her away from me. Yet, she still looks back at me, with sad eyes.

Just go with him!

"But she—"

Staying with me, will only complicate things.

Please leave.

"But she what? She doesn't even understand English, how can you help her?" He says in the distance as he continues dragging her further away from me. Further away from my cursed life.

She can't remember me but somewhere within her, she feels drawn to me.

The universe is really mocking me.

She keeps looking back at me with hope, yet I refuse to move. I sit there and watch them disappear.

Maybe if I had listened to her last night, I might have not died. She wouldn't have forgotten me.

"Goodbye, Sandra," I whisper softly to her retreated back.

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***

I tried to use as little pidgin as possible, so everybody can understand without much confusion. Feel free to ask if any term seem strange to you.

Thank you so much for reading.❤