Candy

It has been raining cats and dogs all evening. The thunder and lightning brought shivers in me as I stood by the window waiting for my wife to return. The power was out and darkness had engulfed the night along with the rain giving the night a scary feeling.

I was worried about Candy. We’ve only just returned from our honeymoon and we had no idea the Ojuju festival would be taking place in our community that night. If I had received the message earlier, I would not let her leave the house at all. The problem with Candy and my mother is that they gossip a lot. I’m sure they would have gotten into some hot gossip and lost track of time and to make matters worse, the rain had contributed to the traffic and an hour’s journey had stretched over four hours.

Women were supposed to stay indoors when the ojuju procession began at 9 pm and it was about an hour to go. The rain became heavier and showed no signs of stopping, I silently prayed that the rain would stop the procession from taking place but I knew that was not going to happen. When has the weather ever deterred the ojuju worshippers from their doings?

If I could reach Candy on the phone, I’d ask her to stay at a nearby hotel but the rain had affected the mobile network and the lines were not connecting. My frustration was mountain high and I felt helpless. I was pacing about the living room with a lighted candle in my hand and suddenly my shadow seemed larger than normal, this sent shivers through my body as fear gripped me and my heart began to pound louder. My own shadow was making me afraid and the fear was palpable so I turned off the candle and resorted to using the light on my mobile phone.

I was about to look out the window for the umpteenth time when suddenly the phone rang, I shrieked out of fear almost throwing the phone away. I picked the call but I couldn’t hear a thing from the other end, it was a private number so I couldn’t call back. Then a text message came from Candy, “I’m almost home sweets but I’m not coming with the car, it’s a long story, I’ll tell you everything when I get home”. I heaved a sigh of relief, this was the best news ever. I wanted to respond to the message but there was still no network on my phone. I was too happy to hear from Candy so nothing else mattered to me.

A few minutes later, my Candy was at the front door calling my name. “I’m sorry I couldn’t use my key because it’s lost somewhere in my bag. But first, let me get out of these wet clothes then I’ll come and tell you all about my day”…she rattled on. I grabbed and hugged her as she continued to explain. The wet clothes didn’t bother me, I was just happy to see her. I looked at the clock and it was 15 minutes before 9 pm. The ojuju procession could go on all week for all I cared.

You cannot imagine my surprise when I heard a car pull up in the driveway, I could never mistake that familiar rev of the engine just before the ignition turned off. That was Candy’s signature.
Cold sweat ran all over me as I peeped out of the window and what I saw sent shivers down my spine. I watched as “Candy” hurriedly picked up bags from the back seat and dashed towards the front door. I listened as the key turned in the keyhole and she walked into the house. All of a sudden, the sound of dogs howling from a distance added to my fear. I felt my lungs closing in, I thought I’d pass out.
A shrill sound escaped my lips, I tried to speak but I couldn’t even recognise my own voice. My blood froze! Was I dreaming or was it real? It must be real cos I just heard someone call my name. I turned to see “Candy” coming towards me in her bathrobe and at the other side of the living room was another Candy. They both saw each and started screaming “Who are you?! What are you doing in my home?!”…they shouted at themselves.

I started to scream. The scream grew louder and more intense. I started to tremble, I could feel huge beads of sweat running down my forehead. My heart was beating faster now. I felt that my heart would stop beating at any moment. This could not be happening to me. How can I tell which of these Candy was the real one? I listened in shock as they shouted at each other. I wanted so badly to wake up and find out that this was just a bad dream.

The phone lines were down so I couldn’t call anyone for help, I’ve been screaming for a while and none of my neighbours came out. I knew I was on my own.
Then I remembered that I could pray. “Dear God, I know I haven’t talked to you in a while but please I need you now, help me”. I’m sure God knew that if He left me like that any longer I would die of fear. Suddenly the powers came on and the Candy in the bathrobe disappeared.

The Candy that just walked in ran towards me and I screamed as I ran away from her. The power went out almost immediately and we could see her again. Sprawled on the sofa without a bother. At this point, I had lost my voice and could no longer scream.
I was so much in fear that my mind had switched off, I resigned myself to fate. The worst could happen and I’ll die tonight. I was shivering literally now. No not because of the cold but because of fear. The Candy in the bathrobe smiled and told us to relax but how could we? She told us that she was a ghost and she needed our help. She had been brutally murdered in our home by her boyfriend who used to be the previous occupant and her ghost was still roaming waiting to take its revenge on him. According to her, we could only see her in the dark. As soon as she said those words, the power came back again but this time around she got up and switched it off. She said to us that time was of the essence and she had a lot to tell us.

I gathered courage and moved to the sofa where I dragged my real Candy to myself as we sat there reciting some prayers. I have heard that when you recite prayers ghosts don’t attack.
The clock struck one and I knew this was going to be a very long night. I could hear the sound of the clock ticking along with my heartbeat. No this was not my heartbeat but someone banging on my door loudly. I asked who it was and it turned out to be my next-door neighbor. He said he heard screams earlier and he felt bad with himself for not coming to find out what was going on.
Candy and I ran out to meet him. We pleaded with him to allow us to stay in his house and we’d tell him everything.

A few days later, after thinking long and deeply and with encouragement from my neighbour, I gathered my mental and physical strength and called the police. Armed with the information at their disposal, arrests were made and the murderer was brought to book. Justice was served but my Candy and I never returned to that house.