Season 2, Episode 3: "The Potion of Fate"

 "The Potion of Fate"

The house was cold with tension. Obiora, pale and weak, lay resting in his bedroom, barely clinging to consciousness. The weight of silence lingered, save for the soft ticking of the wall clock in the living room.

In her guest room, Aunty Amina sat on the floor with her wrapper tied tightly around her chest, a small calabash before her. The room smelled of burning herbs and incense. Her face was stern as she brought out a wrapped pouch made of old fabric. She unfolded it carefully, revealing crushed roots and dried leaves. She began to chant incantations softly, speaking in a deep dialect only those from the inner villages would understand.

“Ndi chi, give this son strength… I call upon the spirit of our ancestors to restore Obiora…”

She mixed the herbs into a black clay bowl and added a mysterious powder that fizzled slightly when touched by air. As she stirred, the mixture began to thicken, bubbling slightly. Satisfied, she stood up and walked to the kitchen to add water and complete the ritual.

Just as she stepped out to fetch a final sacred leaf from her room, Chukwuamaka, oblivious to what had been brewing, came into the kitchen. Dressed in her casual housewear and visibly distracted, she caught a glimpse of the strange, dark mixture on the kitchen counter.

“Ew! What’s this dirty thing?” she muttered under her breath.

Disgusted and assuming it was rotten food or waste water, she grabbed the bowl and tossed it straight into the trash bin. Wiping her hands, she shrugged and walked away without a second thought.

Moments later, Aunty Amina returned humming quietly to herself, until she noticed the empty counter.

She froze. Her eyes scanned the kitchen frantically.

Then she screamed:

“CHIIIIIIINEEEEKEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

The scream pierced the air like a knife. Chukwuamaka rushed back in fear, heart pounding.

“Aunty! Aunty! What happened?!”

Aunty Amina turned sharply, her eyes red with fury.

“Which witch in this house has thrown away the medicine of the gods?! WHO?!”

Chukwuamaka, trembling, stepped backward.

“It… it was me… I didn’t know… I’m so sorry, I thought it was dirty water…”

A tense silence followed. Aunty Amina’s expression darkened.

“That potion was for your husband’s life! And you threw it away?!”

Suddenly, Obiora coughed violently from the bedroom.

Both women froze.

The clock ticked louder than ever.

The kitchen fell into stunned silence.

Aunty Amina’s eyes were fixed on the empty spot on the counter, the reality sinking in like a knife to the chest. Slowly, she turned, stumbled backward and slid to the floor, her wrapper crumpling beneath her.

She sat there, legs spread to one side, staring into nothingness.

Then, the tears began to fall.

“This herbs… these herbs took weeks to gather…”

She rocked herself back and forth, whispering bitterly in between sobs.

“I crossed rivers… begged elders… waited for the night moon to rise before the leaves could be plucked… And now… gone…”

Her voice cracked.

“It was the only one! The last hope to cleanse my son! And now… and now…”

Suddenly, she wailed.

“A witch has killed my son ooooo! A witch has killed Obiora!”

Her cries echoed through the walls of the house.

“She walks under this roof! The same woman eating his food, sleeping in his bed  she's the one who has ended his days!!”

Chukwuamaka stood still, shocked and pale, unable to say a word. Her lips trembled. Her breathing quickened.

From the bedroom, Obiora coughed again, weaker this time.

Aunty Amina pushed herself to her feet with her hands trembling, pointing a finger at Chukwuamaka.

“From the day you came into his life, peace left him. You think I don’t know? You think the gods are asleep?”

“What you’ve destroyed… only a river of blood can repay…”

Chukwuamaka fell to her knees, crying.

“I didn’t know… I swear I didn’t know, I thought it was… Please forgive me…”

But Aunty Amina’s eyes had turned cold.

“If he dies… his blood will cry from the earth until the heavens answer!”

As the night grew darker, a strange wind howled outside.

And in the stillness of the house, Obiora’s breath became more shallow.

Something unseen… but deeply spiritual… hovered over the home.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Story by Kobby Talesnovella