My parents are devout Christians. They are what you’d call ‘prayer warriors.’ They travel to different places praying for people, liberating families from generational/ancestral curses, and delivering those oppressed by demons.
It was always a strain on mom and dad whenever my twin sister and I traveled with them; apart from disrupting our studies, it didn’t allow them enough time to attend to their prayers, so over time, they became comfortable enough to leave us in the care of our kind and seemingly religious neighbors.
Our neighbors were a lovely couple. The wife was particularly friendly with everyone, especially the children in the neighborhood, maybe because they didn’t have their children yet.
They never saw our stay in their home as an inconvenience, it wasn’t a bother to them at all, besides we enjoyed staying with them because they allowed us to watch cartoons, something our parents did not encourage.
My sister and I were only ten years old when our “godly” neighbor’s wife, Aunty AJ, initiated us into the children’s chapter of a cult. She later explained that it wasn’t a cult but an organization.
It started one day when she playfully asked,
“Oge and Ogo, will you like to travel overseas with me?” …..
Of course, our answer was affirmative. So she promised to take us round round round the world as long as we kept the discussion a secret. True to her words, Oge and I have been privileged to travel around the globe…albeit not physically, if you know what I mean.
The organization was mainly lovely. There was so much to benefit from being their member except for the rituals and blood sacrifices which took place from time to time. That is an aspect that I still find challenging to relate to date.
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Anyway, back to my story. Oge and I were thrown a coming-of-age party at our coven in Istanbul for our thirteenth birthday. It was a gorgeous, all-white party. Our birthday cake was an impressive 13 tier this world masterpiece. We had mad fun. Before the break of dawn, my sister and I were told to ask for something unique. I wondered for extraordinary intelligence while my sister asked for wealth. It was done.
By the time we got back to school, it was evident that something had changed. I had gone from being an average student to an excellent one. It was a 360 degree turn around. My sister always sat beside me so she could benefit from my knowledge. On the other hand, she was never broke. We had become boarders in secondary school, and we lived like princesses. Whenever she was broke, all Oge had to do was say the word, and by the following day, she’d find crisp notes under her pillow. We were very discreet about this; even our parents never suspected anything. They felt that we were very prudent in spending our pocket money, so we always had extra cash.
Things were better when we became undergraduates. We lived in the school, far away from the prying eyes of our parents, so it was straightforward to do as we pleased. Life was good.
But there was a twist: whenever we were at home, we were very involved in the church’s youth affairs, choir, and sanitation units. Our parents were proud of us. Other parents spoke highly of us; we were examples of how godly children should be. We were role models of sorts, yet nobody, not even our parents, could tell that we were not ordinary people. While our parents were busy removing the “speck” from peoples’ eyes, they didn’t realize they had a large “beam” in theirs.
Did I mention that we were not the only children that Aunty AJ brought into the organization? That was the reason why she was friendly with them. She was a very successful recruitment agency, so it didn’t come as a surprise to us when she was promoted to a higher level. While she excelled spiritually, the reverse was the case for her marriage. In his quest to get a solution to their problem, her husband found out that she was why they didn’t have children and that she was a powerful witch. Things got out of hand when he got a lady pregnant. Aunt AJ felt scorned. She left her home without making a promise promising to deal with her husband and his baby mama.
Like they say, “many glasses of water have gone under the bridge.” A lot has happened to my sister and me. We have become very successful in our careers. We enjoy the good life, and we have everything we want. Well, not everything, if I must say. We recently turned 36, and we are still single. Being single is not our choice, unfortunately. Unfortunately, it’s one of the perks of being a member of the esteemed organization. Just as Aunty AJ couldn’t have children, my sister and I couldn’t get married. The organization always gave gifts to its members but with terms and conditions attached.
Our aged parents are worried. We are their only children, and they desperately need grandchildren.
They have slowed down on th; the yips, they spend more time at home these days, still praying for people, but they haven’t discovered what is wrong with their children.
I must confess that I have enjoyed my life so far. I am a successful woman, but I am not happy. I feel incomplete. I need a family of my own. I want to have children. I am tired of everything, and I want out. There are dire consequences for leaving the organization. I may even lose my life in the process, but I don’t care anymore cos I am tired.
