Bury my sins 19

CHAPTER 19

TITLE: "BURY MY SINS,NOT ME."

(PASTOR SOLOMON'S BACKSTORY - 21 YEARS AGO)

“I can’t handle it anymore, Solomon. People are starting to label me as barren, saying I can’t have a child.” Some even go as far as calling me cursed. Pastor Solomon’s wife expressed her distress bitterly. “It won’t be long before they say it to my face, calling me a barren woman.”

Pastor Solomon set down the Bible he was reading before bedtime, he took off his glasses, and turned to his wife. “Don’t pay attention to those folks, my dear. God has his own schedule, and we need to wait and have faith in Him,” Pastor Solomon said calmly.

“How long should I wait? Until I’m old with wrinkles, no strength to bear a child, and my body changed?” Pastor Solomon’s wife lamented, folding her arms and nudging Solomon with her elbow. “We’ve been married for five years, Solomon, and this is all you ever say Everytime I bring up this issue. I’m exhausted and can’t wait any longer. You must give me a child.”

“The Lord will bless us in His time, my love,” Pastor Solomon said, attempting to caress his wife's body, but she moved away in anger. “Remember the story of Hannah in the Bible,” Pastor Solomon tried to encourage her further, but she impatiently interrupted him.

“Solomon, hold it right there! Here we go again with ‘Hannah this and  Hannah that all the time,” his wife exclaimed. “Hannah was faithful, but I... I feel different, Solomon. And  you knew this before marrying me off as a roadside pr-o-st-itute. You brought me into this Christianity lifestyle I struggle to adapt to. Give me a child and do what I want, Only then will I be happy with you,” she said angrily and   climbed onto the bed, turning her back on Solomon.

“If going to that spiritual baba for help is what you are insisting on, woman, I rebuke it in Jesus’ name,” Solomon said firmly. “I won’t turn away from my faith because of you, and I’ll never step into a deity’s house. Let’s keep trusting in God for a child; I believe He will bless us in His time.” Pastor Solomon said as he switched off the bedside lamp and joined his wife on the bed. He tried to caress her body, but she pushed his hands away and hissed at him. “I wonder how you’ll conceive if you keep rejecting me,” Pastor Solomon said. “Faith without action is lifeless; and we have to take action, especially on nights like this, and trust God for the rest.”

—------

Few months later, Pastor Solomon and his wife ended up at a shrine because his wife kept pushing for it. They tried to enter facing forward, but the baba shooed them back, telling them to come in backward. “Do not upset the gods,” the baba warned and  turned to Pastor Solomon and his wife, asking what they sought from the gods.

Solomon began to tremble and felt uneasy. “This just doesn’t sit well with me, dear. It feels off, and I don’t think we should go through with it as followers of Jesus Christ,” he shared, turning to his wife.

“Get that name out of this place now!” the baba shouted furiously at Solomon for mentioning Jesus. “Tell me your desires or depart from this shrine! Do not provoke the deities of my ancestors by coming here and causing unrest,” he warned sternly.

Pastor Solomon’s wife held his husband's hand firmly, She then faced the herbalist and started talking. “Baba, it’s about what we talked about some days ago regarding having a baby. You asked me to bring my husband, and here he is,” she said, signaling to Solomon to relax by running her hand down her chest.

The baba, blinking his eyes and gazing at the couple, spoke, “The gods are kind. They will bless you with a child in nine months. But you must return to the shrine with your child to show gratitude.”

“Thank you, baba,” Pastor Solomon’s wife said with a sheepish smile. “That won’t be an issue,” she added as they got up to leave the shrine.

After nine months, the gods blessed Pastor Solomon and his wife with a child, just as the baba had predicted. 

Feeling grateful, they returned to the shrine to thank the gods, just as the herbalist had instructed. However, after having their child, they received a stern warning from the baba on the day they went to show gratitude.

The baba sternly warned them, “You must perform a sacrifice to redeem the life of this child every two years. Failure to do so will result in the child being taken from you, with consequences for you as parent tool.”

Pastor Solomon and his wife exchanged quick glances immediately after the herbalist warning, and Pastor Solomon began to speak. 

“You should have told us this beforehand, and we would have known if we should proceed or not. Only God gives without blemishes. I know there must certainly be something you desire more than just coming to show gratitude to the gods alone,” Pastor Solomon yelled angrily at the herbalist at the top of his voice

“It’s okay, baba,” the wife quickly interjected and pleaded in her husband's rude manner, trying to calm the situation. “This redemptive sacrifice you speak of, what does it entail?” she asked, looking curious and facing the Herbalist.

“The gods demand the so’-uls of two living humans yearly, and their lives will be used to redeem that of your daughter so she can continue to live. You must not fail to carry out this sacrifice,” the baba warned them sternly.

Pastor Solomon, in his anger, stormed out of the shrine. However, he had already been involved and feared for his life. 

So reluctantly, he and his wife complied with producing two living souls yearly for redemption. 

Their daughter reached the age of 20 before Pastor Solomon sadly passed away while preaching at the altar a few weeks ago. 

It's an heartbreaking situation to know that approximately 40 live's, has been tragically used secretly by pastor Solomon and his wife just to keep their own daughter alive.

And the last ritual he performed before his death is what led to her encounter with Officer Abimbola, who was on a mission to save the two lives he wanted to sacrifice back then.

(PRESENT TIME - AMINAT MANSION)

They drove into Aminat’s mansion and quickly got out of the car. The atmosphere was tense as they entered the living room, where they found Aminat sitting on the couch, writing in her journal. She looked up as soon as the trio walked in, staring at them expectantly for answers.

“How did it go?” Aminat asked, standing up immediately. “Did you get the laptop from the church?”

Gabriel shook his head, looking frustrated and lost. “We don't know yet. Bosco insisted that we come back home before he explains everything to us.”

Aminat turned to Bosco, giving him a sharp look, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “So, Bosco, we’re here. What happened? Where is the laptop?” Aminat asked him.

Bosco began to shift uncomfortably, trying to avoid Aminat’s gaze. “About the laptop...umm.. I couldn’t summon the courage to take it,” he finally managed to speak.

“What?” Aminat, Gabriel, and Pastor Solomon’s ghost exclaimed together with their voices filled with disbelief.

Gabriel’s irritation was clear as he stepped closer to Bosco. “When you knew you didn’t have the laptop, why did you rush us out of there like that?”

Bosco took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. “While I was in the church, there was a prophecy about someone intending to steal from God. I ignored it at first, thinking it wasn’t about me.”

“Then what happened you f-ool?” Pastor Solomon’s ghost demanded angrily. His ghostly form tried to grab Bosco by his shirt, but his hands went through him.

Bosco’s voice shook as he continued, ignoring Pastor Solomon's anger towards him. “There was another prophecy, and it was even scarier. It said God planned to punish someone for his wrongdoings even in his death.”

“I got the message loud and clear, like it was meant for me, Bosco continued speaking: ‘Anyone trying to help this person will share the same fate. They’ll wander the earth unseen, unheard, and yearning for afterlife, but they will never find peace.’ These were the words of the second prophecy,” Bosco murmured softly.

Aminat’s concern deepened. “What do you mean, God wants to punish someone in his death, are you in any way suggesting that this person is pastor Solomon?”

Bosco was scared as he continued to explain. “The prophecy said that if we disobey God, no matter our reason for trying to help this person, we’ll be punished like the wrongdoer. We’ll scream, but no one will hear us. We’ll be lost, unable to find the gate to the netherworld after death too. It felt like the message was just for me, and I think Pastor Solomon’s ghost has to leave now, if we don't want to share in his punishment.”

Pastor Solomon's ghost looked defeated immediately after Bosco’s words. He slumped to the ground and covered his face with his hands. “Everything I did when I was alive, I did for my family, for my daughter, to see her grow,” he said bitterly. “I just want to bury my sins behind me, before departing this world.”

Aminat, Bosco, and Gabriel exchanged puzzled looks, trying to understand Pastor Solomon’s grief and lament.

“I just wanted to see my daughter grow,” Pastor Solomon continued, “I never wished for any of this to happen.” His ghost said, and vanished from Aminat’s mansion.

“It’s probably for the best that he’s gone,” Bosco said, turning to look at Aminat. “My instinct tells me Pastor Solomon led a sinful life. Let him face God’s judgment alone. There are many ghosts out there, and I can bring them to you if you’re really interested in helping them with their final wishes,” Bosco suggested.

Aminat’s face hardened with anger. “Just get out of my sight now,” she snapped at Bosco, and he quickly excused himself, returning to his duties as the gateman.

“And you too. Leave me alone,” Aminat said, turning to face Gabriel.

“Ma?” Gabriel asked, pretending not to hear her the first time.

“I said get out! I need to be alone,” she repeated firmly.

Gabriel exited the room, but the unsettling dream he had about Aminat’s death bothered him alot. The fear that had gripped him immediately after that dream wouldn’t leave him.

To be continued….