Amina walks the familiar path to her grandmother's hut, the basket of food balanced carefully in her arms. The sun is high in the sky, casting long shadows across the dusty ground. The hut is small but well-kept, its thatched roof and mud walls a testament to years of care.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaQ91K3Q7Y
She pushes open the door, the hinges creaking softly. Inside, her grandmother is sitting on the edge of her bed, her wrinkled face lighting up when she sees Amina.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9h0tHU8HF
"Ah, my granddaughter," Grandma says, her voice warm but tinged with the rasp of age. "You've brought me lunch. Come, sit with me."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjoTXmzGDn
Amina sets the basket on the small wooden table and begins unpacking the food. The aroma of jollof rice fills the hut, and Grandma inhales deeply, a smile spreading across her face.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUkGaRGK2I
"This smells delicious," she says, serving herself a generous portion. "Your mother's cooking is still the best in the village."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nrcJCEEG7
Amina smiles, though her mind is elsewhere. She watches as Grandma eats, her movements slow but deliberate. After a few minutes, Grandma looks up, her sharp eyes meeting Amina's.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7awXYWxGFQ
"Did you eat?" she asks, her tone both curious and commanding.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuEkowS3Mc
"Not yet, Grandma," Amina replies. "I'll wait for you to finish so I can take the utensils back and eat at home."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0hk9yZWXA
Grandma shakes her head, her expression stern. "Nonsense. You'll eat with me. A young girl like you shouldn't go hungry."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9jdrnVmE7
Amina tries to protest, but Grandma insists, gesturing to the empty space beside her on the bed. Reluctantly, Amina serves herself a portion and sits down. They eat in companionable silence, the only sound the clink of spoons against plates.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmjb0ejFF1
After the meal, Amina stands and retrieves the packet of malaria pills from the basket. She pops two out and hands them to Grandma along with a glass of water.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGA5YlX6bh
"Here, Grandma. Take these. Dad said you've been feeling unwell."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBDtMw0s2c
Grandma looks at the pills, then at Amina, her expression unreadable. "I never asked for any medication," she says slowly. "Do I look ill to you?"
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqACztZUZoI
Amina hesitates, her heart skipping a beat. "But... Dad said—"
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wSaJWiirH
"Oh, did he?" Grandma interrupts, a strange smile playing on her lips.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcORTebagYK
Before Amina can respond, the door to the hut slams shut with a force that makes her jump. She turns, her breath catching in her throat, and watches in horror as Grandma's wrinkled face begins to change. Her skin tightens, her features smoothing out until she looks decades younger. Her eyes glow with an otherworldly light, and her hair flows around her like water.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKla7rpZhl
"Grandma?" Amina whispers, her voice trembling.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz9vr5mthq
But it's not Grandma anymore. It's Mami Wata.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3TfNfhWTi
The spirit smiles, her beauty both mesmerizing and terrifying. "Amina," she says, her voice a melodic whisper. "You can't escape me."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs34ycqLdbc
Amina stumbles backward, her legs giving out as she falls to the ground. She tries to scream, but no sound comes out. Mami Wata rises from the bed, her body floating effortlessly above the floor. She reaches out, her fingers brushing against Amina's cheek.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOEStqBNQG
"Come to me," Mami Wata says, her voice echoing in the small hut.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpKX4rfsWd
Amina feels her body levitating, pulled toward the spirit by an unseen force. She struggles, but it's no use. Just as she's about to be pulled into Mami Wata's grasp, she feels a sharp jolt, and everything goes black.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6XI1wpnlh
Amina wakes with a start, her heart pounding. She's standing in Grandma's hut, the basket of food still in her hands. Grandma is sitting on the bed, her wrinkled face creased with annoyance.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7zvctuQpt
"Are you going to give me my lunch," Grandma snaps, "or stand there like a statue?"
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoPm5HGGoh
Amina blinks, disoriented. The hut is calm, the door still ajar, and there's no sign of Mami Wata. She looks at Grandma, her mind racing. Was it all a dream?
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP29wFzMTwJ
"Sorry, Grandma," she says, her voice shaky. She steps forward and sets the basket on the table, unpacking the food with trembling hands.
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEmbEeEEJk
Grandma watches her closely, her sharp eyes narrowing. "You look pale, child. Are you feeling well?"
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7bwztfhyx
Amina forces a smile. "I'm fine, Grandma. Just... tired."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8AQN9jZFq
Grandma nods, though her expression remains skeptical. "Sit down and eat with me. You look like you need it."
31Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwtT55iNUG
Amina obeys, though her appetite is gone. As she sits beside Grandma, she can't shake the feeling that something is still watching her, waiting.
ns216.73.216.86da2
