How a witch saved my neighbor’s hair as a child
How a witch shaved my neighbor’s hair as a child.
There was this particular man who lived in the neighborhood. We usually meet at the borehole in the morning or at night when we come to fetch water.
I knew he stayed in my street but I didn’t know his exact house.
Whenever we meet at the borehole, he greets me. A very humble man. He should be in his late forties or early fifties. What struck my attention about him was the fact that he wears a white cap always. He had them in different shapes and textures. But they were always white.
One time I summoned the courage to talk with him. I told him I noticed he wears caps and I had never seen his head open before.
He laughed.
“That is my signature. I think I have been wearing caps for 35 years now. I just got used to it. And white is my favorite color.”
I nodded.
I told him I loved white too.
That same night I had a dream about him. I saw his face. I saw his head bald and I saw him tattered. He was holding an old bag begging for arms. People passed and gave him money. When he was just about smiling, an old woman appeared behind him with a razor blade and shaved him.
I couldn’t understand the dream.
The next morning I saw him at the borehole again. My attention just kept going to his white knitted cap. I didn’t know if he had any hair on his head. I felt like asking him to remove the cap so I could see his head, but I couldn’t.
That day I left back home.
My mind was not settled.
I closed my eyes that same night and I saw the man clad like a baby. He had a man’s face but had a baby’s structure. A figure was holding him. When I looked at the figure, I saw a woman wearing black clothes. Her teeth were broken. Her hair was dread, dark, and long. She was shaving his hair with a razor. Then I saw myself appear from a closed door trying to confront the woman and ask her who she was to him.
As I approached her, she looked at me and I saw her eye balls turn dark.
I woke up.
My body was filled with goosebumps.
It was at that moment I realized that my dream was not just a dream but a message from the spirits.
The following day, I told myself I was going to ask the man no matter what happened. I will find out if he knew any old woman and what she has to do with his hair.
That morning I went to the borehole. Instead of fetching water, I waited there for the man. Two hours and the man didn’t turn up. So I decided to locate his house. I couldn’t wait anymore.
After asking questions about a man who wears caps, I was directed to a small bungalow, at a lonely bush path. His house was the only one there. No electricity, no water. Just a small bungalow.
I walked to the door and knocked.
I kept knocking.
When the door opened, instead of the man I saw….
To be continued…
My name is Praises Chidera Obiora and I am the best at what I do.
