The Place Beyond Her Dreams

by Oby Aligwekwe

  “Ona, you’re up?” she scolded when she finally came to her senses.

  “Ifedi, what are you doing in the dark? Is something wrong?”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I couldn’t sleep either. Maybe it’s the heat. Sorry to intrude, but I needed some water.”

  She didn’t respond, so I got what I needed and left, while she remained seated in her position. When I got to my room, I placed the now empty cup on the side table and cranked up the air-conditioning before sliding under the sheets. Still having difficulty sleeping, I stayed up till sunrise, and the moment the clock struck 5:59, I called Amah.

  “What time is it?” she asked. “What happened? Has Albert lifted the staff?”

  “I don’t know about Albert lifting any staff. I wanted to wish you a safe trip.”

  “But it’s not even six, yet. Couldn’t you have waited until the morning? Not that I mind, but I thought something important happened.”

  “Sorry Amah for getting you so excited. It’s just that I’ve been staring at the ceiling for hours after a terrible nightmare woke me up.”

  I described my dream to Amah, right to the last detail.

  “What do you think that was about?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I visited Albert earlier in the day, and we talked about the oracle. That must have entered my subconscious and manifested in my dream.”

  “That’s likely what happened. Why do you think Albert hasn’t been able to take the staff? Ona, you have to pray oo. This is no joking matter.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that? The thing is giving me a serious headache. Soon you’ll leave me to deal with all these problems on my own. I’ll miss you so much.”

  “I’ll miss you too. It’s a pity that I won’t be able to attend the wedding when it finally happens.”

  I burst into laughter.

  “What’s funny?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that you’re looking forward to the wedding more than I am.”

  “Yes o,” she said with a chuckle.

  I still hadn’t told her about my issues with Albert. Now that she was leaving, it would simply be torture letting her in on it, and I didn’t quite think she’d understand. Albert was usually sweet. It would have taken great effort to convince anyone he was capable of lifting his hands against a woman.

  “Don’t forget to send your address the moment you get to London, and take good care of yourself.”

  “I will, my dear Ona. I’ll write to you as soon as I settle down.”

  “I trust that you will, and I’ll be praying that everything works out right for you.”

  “Thanks, love. You, too.”

  * * *

  After I hung up the phone, I lay down to try and get some sleep. As I was reminiscing about Amah, Albert, Okem, and everyone that had impacted my life so far, I felt a familiar sensation and slowly drifted to Luenah. My grandfather took me to the shrine and showed me the image of a man on a screen.

  “Do you remember this face?” he asked.

  “I recognize him,” I said. “That was Ozumba—Okem’s father. I remember that many years ago, he had brought Okem to live with us. Back when Okem was just a scrawny little dancing boy.”

  “You were little yourself too, although I wouldn’t call you scrawny.”

  I laughed and continued to stare at the image. It was definitely Ozumba. He looked a lot older than I remembered, and he had the wreath of weeds on top of his head, the same as I’d seen some people wearing the last time I was in Luenah. He was shriveled as an old fruit, as an unripe mango plucked before it was ready to be eaten and left in the sun.

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “A mark of dishonor,” my grandfather whispered.

  “Is that why he looks so miserable? Why does he bear the mark? Why is he in Luenah? Is he an Eri too?”

  “He is.”

  “Then why was he dishonored?” I asked in a desperate tone.

  “One thing you must know is that Luenah, even with all its strengths, has its weaknesses, too. The decisions by some Eri, disrupt the balance in this mystical world. Some of the members choose to be evil despite the good nature that’s bestowed on them. These same people find ways to use their spiritual powers to penetrate the minds of others to garner support for their quest to topple the seat of power so they can do as they please, mostly bad. Though peace and tranquility are some of the things we enjoy in Luenah that make it superior to other realms, there have been massive obstructions to this peace by the actions of these few. Luenah has zero-tolerance for evil, so to combat this problem, the supreme ruler created the spell of detection a hundred years ago after a massive rebellion threatened the throne and resulted in various syndicates vying for possession of our realm.”

  “There was a rebellion?” I asked, stunned. “I simply can’t imagine it. How does the spell work?”

  “The wreaths.”

  “What about them?”

  “The one you saw on those people’s heads, including Ozumba’s. Those mark them as the bad eggs. Anyone can detect them from miles away.”

  “What if they continue to rebel? The wreaths alone can’t stop them.”

  “You’re right. It can’t. It’s meant for others to detect them, but they’ve been stopped for good. An illusion has been cast over their minds’ eyes, so much that they can’t see what you and I see. These lush fields, beautiful rivers, the peace, not to mention the shrine, are invisible to this bunch. In their place, they see dry land, muddy waters, and indescribable strife. Luenah looks inhabitable to them. Remember the darkness you experienced recently?”

  “Yes,” I said agitatedly. “I was going to ask you for an explanation but you vanished before I got the chance.”

  “I’m sorry about that, my dear.”

  “That’s okay, Papa. Why did light leave?”

  “There was a recent attempt in Luenah. Since the olden days, when those attempts happen, our ruler imposes darkness until the offenders are identified, marked, and an illusion cast upon their mind.”

  “I didn’t know Eris could do evil.”

  “Eris are human. Any Eri who has strayed so far they have little or no chance that they will accomplish their destiny is marked. With that sign over their heads, they lose all power to challenge the status quo.”

  “Hmm...I hope I never become like them.”

  “I don’t think you have it in you, though humans can be unpredictable.”

  My mind went back to Ozumba.

  “What about Ozumba? What did he do to put himself in this position?”

  “That is between him and his chi.”

  “Why can’t his chi help him out of the situation?”

  “Remember, Onye kwe chi ya ekwe. If one agrees, her spirit will agree also.”

  “Oh...I do. But—”

  “You ask too many questions, my dear. I can’t tell you any more now, or it’ll disrupt the balance, and that may not be in your favor.”

  “Tell me one thing, Papa.”

  He shook his head.”

  “Just one more thing,” I pleaded.

  “Is your question about Okem?”

  “How did you know, Papa?” I asked with trepidation.

  “It’s written all over your face.”

  Ozumba was Okem’s father. I feared that if Ozumba was in trouble then Okem could be in trouble too.

  “Is Okem all right?”

  “Be patient. Everything will be revealed at the right time,” he chided me.

  “What about me? Has this got—?”

  Before I could complete my question, I found myself drifting into consciousness and the real world again.

  I cried for the first time after a visit to Luenah, having lost control of my emotions. My grandfather and Okem were the most important people in my life, and I missed them. I wondered what it would be like to have both of them by my side at that moment. I felt lonely and trapped and desperately out of my mind. My grandfather was right. Everything I t
hought I wanted as a kid and would have as a grown-up—love and happiness—had turned around and caused me so much misery and desperation. I had nowhere else to turn, and I was angry at my grandfather for not helping me through this trying time. Then again, I knew he was acting in my best interest. He had explained the way of Luenah several times. Everything had its ebb and flow. The things that needed to be revealed were gradually exposed to avoid tipping the balance.

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE SCENE WAS set as it had been every Sunday since my travails with Albert began: Grandmother was in the kitchen preparing a delicious meal in a large pot; Ifedi was whistling tunes under her breath as she set the dining table, orange streaks from the evening sun streamed through the cracks in the curtains, and I pretended to be reading the novel in front of me while in reality I was crying inside and praying fervently for my lot to change.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Ifedi edging her head sideways to glimpse the cover of my book.

  “You seem so engrossed,” she said. “What’s the book about?”

  If only she knew how engrossed I was with the issues hampering my existence, I thought, she wouldn’t have dared interrupt me. My last encounter with Papa still weighed on my mind. He had tried to show me something, Okem’s father, Ozumba. I wondered if he was trying to show me Okem instead, to let me know where he was, where I could find him. But Ozumba had a mark on his head. What did that have to do with Okem?

  “Ona! The book...you haven’t answered me. What’s it about?”

  Ifedi’s call shook me out of my reverie.

  “Oh! It’s...” I flipped it to read the blurb.

  “You don’t know what you’re reading? How is that possible? You’ve gone past the middle.”

  She was right. I didn’t know what the book was about. I hardly read past the title.

  “Why can’t you leave me alone, Ifedi?”

  For some time now, Ifedi had been paying particular attention to me, pushing my buttons at times to get me to open up. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was intentionally trying to annoy me. So much was going on around me that I couldn’t control, but this minor issue was within my control.

  “What’s eating you up, Ona? Na wa oo.”

  I glanced at her and shook my head. There was no point in responding. I knew the case was closed when she cast a bewildered look around, and my grandmother smiled mischievously. Silence fought and won with a landslide victory. The time was ripe to dispel all the negative thoughts in my head to maintain the sense of power I felt at that moment. As fate would have it, it turned out that I didn’t have to try too hard. Something significant happened to change my lot.

  * * *

  Grandmother, Ifedi, I, and the myriad of guests we entertained that evening came and left, and I retired to my room. Exhausted, I tried reading my book, hoping it would help me fall asleep. Near midnight, there was a soft knock on the door. Before I had the chance to look, it opened slowly, and an image appeared in the shadows. Okem was standing there, with his index finger over his lips, urging me to remain calm.

  “Shh...” he said when he saw the startled look on my face.

  “Okem,” I whispered, my heart pounding. “Is this really you? I can’t believe my eyes right now! Where have you been?” I jumped out of bed and ran to him.

  Two strides and his arms were around me, squeezing me.

  “How have you been, my love?”

  A gasp escaped my lips.

  “You have come to rescue me,” I said, breathing heavily.

  “We will rescue each other,” he whispered. “How are you? I’m sorry for startling you.”

  “I’m fine now! I’m so happy to see you.”

  He seemed taller, darker, and much more handsome than when he left. He was now distinguished-looking too, highly distinguished as a matter of fact. Wherever he’d been, I was certain he’d made a fortune for himself. I remained in his embrace, my heart beating uncontrollably, feeling as though I was going to collapse. But his arms, those strong arms, holding me close to his chest, kept me grounded. He smelled amazing, like flowers in full bloom. I started to sob quietly, and then I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. No. This was real. Hot tears streamed down my face and spilled all over his expensive cotton shirt, but he continued to hold me firmly, his chest pumping furiously against mine. We held each other for what felt like an eternity before he broke our hug, looked into my eyes for a fleeting second, and then pressed his lips against mine. I had not expected such a sensation from a kiss. His tongue against mine created an electrical charge that ran through my spine, down to my toes.

  I was still so lost in our world when he slowly released his lips from mine and muttered, “Why did you choose that brute?”

  “Okem, why did you abandon me?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

  “I had no reason to stay. I tried to prove to Ifedi that you were only using Albert and that I was the one you truly loved, but I heard you praise him and belittle me when Ifedi posed the question to you. You broke my heart, Ona. I thought it was best for me to disappear and let you have the life you thought you deserved. I couldn’t stay and let everyone feel sorry for me.”

  “Yes, Ifedi told me you were listening at the door,” I whispered.

  “It was a shameful thing for me to do, but I’d hoped it would help resolve your indecision. I regret it all now seeing as it back-fired.”

  “It back-fired more than you know,” I said, sighing.

  “How do you mean?” he asked, moving my shoulders a few inches away to look at my face.

  “Okem, if you had listened a little longer, you would have heard me choose you. What you didn’t know was that I had actually chosen you over Albert. You ran off before you had the chance to hear me proclaim my undying love for you. A part of me died that night, and I was left to live with the remnants.”

  “I don’t understand. What do you mean by you chose me?” he asked, kneeling before me and holding my hands.

  I recounted what really happened the night he disappeared. After I was done, he sat on the edge of the bed, held his head with both hands, and sobbed.

  “Ona, I didn’t know,” he said, choking on his words.

  “You caused me so much pain. You should have trusted me. You should have stayed to hear everything I had to say. See what your rash decision got both of us. For so long, I wondered if you truly loved me.”

  “Truly loved you? Didn’t I ever tell you I would give my life for you? I left because I thought you had made your choice. I didn’t see how I could compete for your affection with the Ideme’s son. I didn’t want to stay and cause shame and embarrassment for you either. And I certainly didn’t think I could survive without you, so I chose what I thought was the lesser of the two evils.”

  “I was devastated when you didn’t return. Having you leave like that, thinking I really thought those terrible things of you, destroyed my joy. Oh, Okem, how could you have been so gullible? You should have known how I really felt about you.”

  “I didn’t know,” Okem said with a sigh. “I wish I had trusted you.”

  He held me close as I sobbed quietly on his shoulder.

  “I never planned to give you away. I always planned to come back after I had made it on my own, just like I promised you many years ago.”

  * * *

  It hadn’t even occurred to me to ask Okem how he made it to my room in the first place. The only illumination in the room had come from the full moon, dangling low and drenching one half of my bed with its soft lunar light.

  “You’ll get in trouble, and the guards might see you,” I said.

  “Which guards?” Okem asked with a sly smile.

  “Didn’t you see the men patrolling the grounds? I’m surprised they didn’t stop you. They’ve been here since the chaos.”

  “Don’t worry, darling. I took precautions to avoid that. I’ve been scoping this area for days. My driver parked a good distance away, at the bottom of the hill, and
I got my men to draw their attention to something else while I snuck in through the side gate with the help of the gardener.”

  “Oh!” I said, chuckling. “Okem, you haven’t changed one bit. You’re still the same person on the inside.”

  “I had to stay the same for you.”

  We stared at each other for another long while. From my observation, judging by the physical, Okem had changed so much. He also exuded so much confidence, so much more than I had always known his self-assured self to have. It felt as though I was looking at a different person.

  “Okem.”

  I was barely audible.

  “My Ona,” he responded and held my hands. “I love you so much.”

  “How much?”

  “How much? I can’t possibly explain. The extent is beyond what my commonsense would have allowed. Why? Because for all the pain you’ve caused me, I still felt that life would be one big hole without you. I have loved you my whole life. I even loved you the whole time I was away. When I learned of your engagement to that beast, I still loved you, but I couldn’t save you.”

  I resisted the urge to cry.

  “You knew? That he was abusing me?”

  “I know everything that has gone on since I left. I was even at your engagement.”

  I gasped in astonishment.

  “What?”

  He nodded.

  “I was. In disguise, anyway. It was the most painful thing I’d ever witnessed.”

  “I can’t believe this. Each moment of the engagement ceremony, I was praying for you to creep out of the shadows and rescue me.”

  “I would if I could have. I would have given my life for you.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “A lot is going on that you don’t know about. I’ll need you to come and see me tomorrow.”

  “Can’t you stay a little longer?”

  “I can’t, at least, not now. Remember the guards. I have timed my exit to avoid an encounter. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow; everything that has transpired since I left. Wait until tomorrow.”

  “Well, now I won’t be able to sleep. Can you tell me the most important part now?”