EPISODE 3

 WHISPERS OF THE PAST

 

Emily’s fingers flipped through the pages of her worn journal, stopping at a familiar crease. A photograph slipped out, yellowed with age.

Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at the smiling faces of her family. Her father, Chief Okoye, stood proudly behind her mother, Mrs. Okoye, with Emily and Chike sitting in front.

Enugu, 2005.

The memories came flooding back. Emily recalled lazy Sundays spent at home, her mother’s cooking wafting through the air, her father’s laughter echoing through the halls.

She missed the warmth of her family’s presence, the comfort of their love. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as Emily traced the contours of their faces.

“Daddy…Mom…Chike,” she whispered, longing for the simplicity of those carefree days.

Emily’s thoughts drifted to her childhood home, the mango tree shading the compound, the sound of the harmattan wind rustling through the leaves.

She remembered her father’s words:

“Emily, my dear, never forget where you come from”. Emily’s gaze returned to the photograph, now blurry through tears.

“I miss you all so much,” she whispered, the ache of homesickness settling in.

As nostalgia washed over her, Emily knew she had to hold onto these memories, to keep her family’s love close to her heart. She gently returned the photograph to her journal, closing her eyes and letting the memories wash over her.

 

_A Tragic Night_

It was Emily’s 20th birthday celebration and it was meant to be one of her best birthday celebrations, but it ended up being her worst nightmare.

She and her friends with her brother Chike had ventured out on that faithful day. They ended up at a club, it was all fun and full of laughter until they were separated in the crowded club. Chike linked up with an old friend leaving Emily alone while she drank looking disoriented and anxious. While she was still looking out for her friends and also waiting for her brother at that spot in order not to miss him, a man approached her.

“Hello beautiful, you seem lost, are you?”

“No, not at all, just waiting for my friends, they stepped out not too long ago, they’ll soon join me” she said still look around trying to spot them amongst the crowd.

“Ok that’s nice, My name is Jerry by the way, what’s yours?” he said bringing out his hands to hold hers.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you, can you come again? it’s kind of noisy here “She said still looking around for her friends. She was already feeling tipsy and a bit light headed looking but was trying to get a hold of herself.

“Oh it’s fine, Do you mind if we go outside? I think it’s calm outside.” Besides, it’s kind of stuffy in here”. She nodded in approval and stood up to go with him.

“After you my lady “he said, directing her outside as he followed behind. Outside was calm as he said.” So as I said earlier, I am Jerry, can I know yours?”

“Oh yeah, I’m Emily” she said smiling.

“Hmmm, beautiful name for a beautiful girl, your name suits you”

“Thank you”, She said blushing. ‘This one speaks like an Enugu guy’ she thought to her herself. Not knowing that he had ulterior motives.

“You said your friends are here? Hope I’m not stealing you away from them? ” he asked as he typed on his phone

“You know, it’s ill mannered to be on your phone while talking to a woman ” Emily said, looking unhappy.

“Ok I’m so…..” His phone rings” sorry I have to take this, it’s an emergency.

Hello……… Sure……bye”. He ends the call. As they kept talking and strolling away from the club, going towards the main road that was kind of lonely, two men approached them.

” Boss, Senior man” they said saluting him and looking at her lustfully and talking in coded words. Soon another set came, in total of 5 men. As they spoke, Jerry slowly detached from Emily. She looked confused and scared. That was when it dawned on her that she was being ambushed and Jerry was the mastermind behind it. She slowly walked back trying to escape, but she bumped into a man behind her making them six men. Five absolutely wasted men and then Jerry.

“Jerry what’s going on? please I beg you, don’t do this, please”

“Do what? it’s nothing serious, just cooperate and you’ll be fine , they’ll be no cause for alarm” He said , laughing with the men.

“Aunty off cloth, remove everything make we do sharp sharp, no waste our time” One of the drunk men spoke up in pidgin.

Chike, realizing that his sister was not where he had left her earlier started calling her phone but when she did not pick he got worried and asked the guys at the door if they had seen his sister leaving the club. Thankfully, one of the bouncers recognized him because he saw him come in with Emily and the others.

He told him how she walked out with a guy and pointed to the direction they went. Chike ran after them immediately, still feeling very uneasy even though he could not tell why.

“Help!” Emily screamed, but her cries were drowned out by the music from the club.

The men dragged her to a deserted alley, her struggles futile…

Emily’s brother, appeared just as the men began their heinous act.

“Leave her alone!” Chike shouted, fighting off the attackers. But he was outnumbered, and they overpower him.

As Emily watched in horror, Chike was brutally beaten, left lifeless on the ground.

“Leave him alone please, I beg you, leave him” she screamed, trying to save her brother, but he was badly beaten up by the six men leaving him almost dead.

The men turned back to Emily, their cruelty escalating. Emily’s world went dark as she suffered the unimaginable. Her dress was torn to pieces as the men took turns in raping her. She cried bitterly, trying to save herself from the violent men. She scratched the face of the last man with her long acrylic nails that made him bleed so badly on his cheek, but they beat her so much and was raped all over again and this time more violently just to punish her for retaliating. She begged and cried and cried, but to no avail.

When they were done ,she was unconscious, bleeding all over, with gruesome bruises. When she regained consciousness, she was alone, broken, and shattered. Chike’s lifeless body lay beside her. Emily’s screams echoed through the alley, a haunting cry for help, but no one heard her.

After about 2 hours, a group of friends from the club heading home through the alley sighted them and rushed to lend a hand but it was too late. They did not even need to ask because they already knew what happened as it was not the first time such thing has happened around there.

Emily pleaded with them to take her home, at first they refused insisting that she should be taken to the hospital first and the case reported to the police. After some back and forth, they called her parents who rushed down to the scene immediately with the police.

When she got home, her parents did not take the news lightly. They sourced for Jerry and his friends but they were nowhere to be found. She later discovered she was pregnant after 6weeks, she couldn’t live with the shame, so she opted for an abortion which she did without her parents notice.

“It’s going to be 50/50, you either loose your womb or loose your life” her doctor said. Hot tears dropped from her eyes.

” Oh nooooo, does it mean I won’t carry my own baby in my womb in future? noooo” she cried so bitterly on the stretcher inside the theatre.

” Your life is at risk here my dear, let’s save your life first, a miracle can happen in future who knows?” The doctor consoled her.

Nobody ever heard about the abortion, she swore never to tell anyone. She never celebrated her birthday since then because it traumatized her. It was so bad that she always fell sick 2 days to her birthday.

Emily’s journal entry:

“Chike, my hero, my brother… gone.

Why did they take you from me? My heart is shattered, my soul crushed.

The pain, the guilt, the trauma…it consumes me.

How can I live without you?

Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

 

Emily’s life was forever changed.

Her writing became a refuge, a cry for justice, and a tribute to Chike.

 

***************************

As she looked at the picture with tears in her eyes, she brought out her journal:

 

Emily’s journal entry:

“Today, I found this old photograph. Memories came flooding back. I miss my family, our laughter, our love.

Daddy’s guidance, Mom’s warmth, Chike’s teasing…it’s hard to believe it’s been so long.

But even in the distance, their love remains. I’ll hold onto these memories, keep them close to my heart.

“Home! no matter where I am, will never be forgotten.”

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