THE UNFORSEEN CONSEQUENCES

PART ONE: THE GRAVE MISTAKE

One early morning, when the weather was still calm enough to venture out, Wani, who normally visited his friend, was perturbed by an invincible box that his friend primarily used to store his money. The friend, Lodu, was a specialist in design and home management, making coffin boxes and funerary needs. In one of those boxes, he kept his daily cash. This box was wrongly marked by his friend, Wani, whose relationship with Lodu was complicated. He was arrogant and often made fun of his friend while also being prone to begging and stealing. 

One morning, Wani made a grave mistake and stole one of the boxes, which contained a mortal body waiting for packaging. He took the box as far as he could and kept it for three days, all while visiting his friend Lodu as usual. Meanwhile, there was a missing coffin that people were searching for, and Lodu had to put in more effort to recover it. When Wani was asked if he had come across the missing box, he denied any knowledge of it, but he looked worried. 

Later, Wani left home, picked up the box from where he had hidden it, took it home, and opened it carefully, only to find a dead body wrapped in white clothes. He couldn't believe his eyes; he unfolded the clothes, and to his horror, the mortal body had started to decompose. The discovery sent Wani into a state of panic, and he was left to grapple with the consequences of his actions. Being a young lad without a family, Wani took the coffin box to a nearby river and dumped it there. He quickly disappeared to avoid being caught, as the riverside was a spot where women fetched water. 

As the sun rose, two ladies went to fetch water. From a distance, they heard strange voices echoing directly to them, "Do not come here. We are suffering!" The women were frightened by the strange voices that sounded miserably dim. They stood in silence to understand what it was, only to hear, "Go and tell Lodu that Wani brought me here. He is looking for the box my parents had prepared for me." A baby's voice cried out. The women felt terrified, dropped their calabashes, and sped away like hyenas, crying for help. 

As they approached their homes, they met Wani, who appeared to be lost in thought, running towards the nearby forest in the village. He sped faster when the women called him, pretending he had never heard them. The women arrived home, consoled with fear and tears flowing like a river. "What is the matter?" Kenyi asked. Unable to speak yet, Kenyi shouted at them, "What is the matter, young girls?" One of the women shook her head in denial. "We have heard some strange voices saying we should tell Lodu, the design specialist, to go and collect it." She continued, "It also said that Wani, our neighbour, took it there near the river." The woman collapsed. Kenyi rushed to fetch water to resuscitate her. As he continued giving first aid, a loud bang hit his roof, and the girl who had fainted woke up. 

The loud bang shocked the village, and people began to gather outside Kenyi's home. They whispered among themselves, speculating about the cause of the noise. Some said it was a sign from the gods, while others claimed it was just a stray animal. But one thing was certain—the strange voices at the river had sent a chill down the spines of the villagers, and Wani's frantic behaviour only added to the mystery. As the villagers continued to discuss the strange occurrences, Wani was nowhere to be found, and Lodu was still searching for the missing coffin, unaware of the supernatural events that were unfolding.

To be continued. 

Abunerry's imagined story.