As a medical doctor, some of the myths and beliefs of her people had become clearer and she could even see the rationale in some of them. She could tell where they had mixed the spiritual half-knowledge with sheer ignorance. However it had only served to strengthen her love and show her what she needed to do to help enlighten her people. For a long time she toyed with the idea of starting an NGO to explore the possibilities of educating them but so far she had not come to a concrete decision.
Ife was so lost in thought that it took a while before she noticed the persistent knocking on the table and looked up startled into the puzzled eyes of Yomi, and she blinked.
“Why are you knocking on the table, doing some kind of séance?” she asked him.
Yomi laughed. “You look like you are in a trance. Can you see me now?”
Ife smiled. “Clever, but why are you staring at me and oh, have you been here long?”
“All of ten minutes, Lady,” Yomi replied. “What held your attention so much so that you only nodded when I came in and stared unseeing?”
“Hmm, bad manners I must say and I am sorry, are you over your bad temper now? You stalked off the other day as I recall,” Ife said with a smile to take the sting out of her comments.
“You would know why I stalked off, as you say,” Yomi returned. He brought out a lunch pack and proceeded to lay it on the table. Ife smiled and picked up one of the wrapped sandwiches.
“You have a case?” she asked him.
“Yes you, my dear young lady. I want to know about Wura.”
“Yikes, I don’t know much about her honestly. I told you the truth, the name just popped into my head. You acted like a stung snake which meant you ought to do some talking.” Ife opened a bottle of mineral water.
Yomi shook his head. “How can a name just pop into your head like that?”
“It did, and stop hedging, besides she might still be waiting for you somewhere.”
Yomi was silent watching her and Ife felt sudden compassion for him. She saw the threads as they dangled and tangled above him and wondered what hers were like.
Yomi sighed. “I have done everything I know to look for her.”
“Ask Folake,” Ife said promptly, and sighed in resignation as she put her head on her hands. Yomi stared and she put up a hand to stop further speech and slowly spoke in monotone, softly, as if she was receiving a message and passing it on. She had her head cocked to the side as well. “You have a son. Wura does not want to tell you. Your son is almost ten and looks very much like you…” Ife trailed off and abruptly stood up. “Great lights, I have met your son! He came to see me and…what?”
Yomi was staring thunderstruck at her just as the door opened and Kunle ran in panting, straight into the arms of Ife. The warning came through to her loud and clear from home, Do not disclose Ndana yet, Numen, it said.
Your Highness, came Ndana’s voice through Kunle and Numen nodded in silent agreement.
Yomi’s voice crashed into her consciousness and Ife reared back into the present.
Ife stared at the boy and then at Yomi. and pointed silently at Yomi again.
“You had better take this man to your mother. I think they need to see each other,” Ife told Kunle, and turned towards Yomi acting like she was automaton. “I think I have a headache,” she said faintly. “You will please excuse me, take this boy to his mother please.”
Yomi was beside himself but quickly took the boy’s hand and led him out of the office. Ife sat back quietly in her chair holding her head in her hands again, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Babatunde came through the door and after a comprehensive survey folded Ife against his broad chest.
Chapter Ten
Babatunde carried Ife to the comfortable couch at the corner of her office and placed her there. Ife had her eyes closed.
After a while Ife got herself together and sighed. “I almost made a very stupid mistake today. I assumed I could just blab and was rebuked.”
Babatunde nodded. “There is power in silence, Princess. When anything strikes you, you feed that thought with silence and let it grow. I heard Sasa telling me I should get my butt over here fast. I didn’t have time to argue, now I know why.”
“I should not have made Yomi know he has a son?”
“That was not the concern. You were going to disclose the young man’s true identity. Imagine the pandemonium within the household of Oriketa.”
“Lord of lights, I almost created confusion and then—”
Babatunde cut in, “Princess, more than half of the human beings you see are not really human. Don’t worry about the hospital staff. They already think you are strange anyway so that will be nothing but the management would have frowned heavily on a young doctor creating such trouble. You can tell those that come from different planes, but not all people can, and you need to manage that knowledge and ability carefully.”
“I am always getting into trouble.”
“This is easy. There is one really brewing and it needs your attention. Step back a bit and have a look.”
The picture of Ife’s father came sharply into focus and Ife gasped. She stood up hurriedly then turned panic-stricken eyes to Babatunde. “Has he passed already?”
Babatunde asked her to get her bag and he led her out of the hospital.
The drive back to the village was a very silent affair. Babatunde kept quiet giving Ife time to prepare her thoughts. Pictures of happy times floated into her mind and she experienced real pain. She was in tears and struggled to hold on to her emotions. Her father had been a true friend and she was grateful to him that he had helped her to understand her actual nature. Those times she felt really strange, the struggles she had with his mother and some of the wives. As he aged, he had retained that friendliness and Ife felt the acute pain of the impending temporary separation.
She had learnt through her Light friends that life continued at different planes where the strict law of homogeneity came into place. She knew him as Lije the Prince of the Desert. But that was one life and an experience that she could not join him in, as they were not of the same consistency. She had enjoyed being with him on Earth but…her heart still felt heavy.
They arrived at the village at dusk and Ife flew into her father’s room. He was hanging on but she saw the threads were thinning out and a Misty was standing close by. The Misty gave her an imperious nod. Ife was also surprised when she saw that her old vizier was also standing close by. She just wanted to be with the Earth father who had made her life as pleasant as he could.
Her father opened his eyes and she saw Lije with his cheeky smiles and deep brown eyes. He gave his sardonic bow, his voice feathery as he grinned, saying he was leaving his lady in the lurch. There was a lump in her throat that did not help her at all, but she gave him an imperious nod fully in herself as Numen.
“Lije of the Deserts, you are free to go now. I will miss you I am sure.”
“I hear through my dreams that the boy is here now and that maybe you have met.”
“Yes we have and rest easy, he is in service now.”
“I never fully knew who you were until in my dreams a few years back. That was when I saw why you had such a difficult time.”
“I understand what you are trying to say but conserve your energy for I feel the road is long ahead.”
Lije chuckled but it seemed he was already in conversation with someone else. Ife sat close waiting for the last mistiness. There was a cord still holding him and Ife knew that would take a few days to thin out but she asked for a light and quietly bade him farewell as her father passed.
There was a loud drumbeat as her father passed into the tunnel of lights and she sighed. He would find his way home now. She saw the Misty salute and depart as well but her vizier indicated he would be around for a few more days. She asked why and was told she would need him.
Then the physical took over as her ears were assailed by inconsolable wailing. Babatunde searched her out amongst the sudden throng o
f mourners and led her away to the sanctuary. It took a while before she could hear herself speak. Something dramatic had happened for soon footsteps ran into the house and Ife looked into the staring shocked eyes of Yeye.
Ife sat up abruptly asking what the matter was. Yeye just kept shaking her head not saying anything even as tears ran down her cheeks.
Bewildered, Ife turned to Babatunde and she saw him biting his lips, then she saw her vizier and the form of her mother. Stunned, she gasped as she understood. Her mother had followed her father. Yeye in halting notes explained that they had gone into her room to invite her to lay the traditional cloth on her husband only to find her dressed full length on the bed, dead.
So now they had to make arrangements to wash not just her father but her mother. In one day she became an orphan. Ife pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind knowing she would examine them at her own leisure.
She made her way to her mother’s bier and tried to see if she could connect but all she could see was a mist cloud, so she knelt silently and offered a prayer for help as compassion for her mother welled up in her. She asked that Jasmine should finally find peace and those last years between the two souls of Lije and Jasmine be now resolved. It was a prayer for she had no way of knowing what was going to happen. But she knew that Jasmine would still need to meet Lije again. How that would come about she had no way of knowing.
As the eldest child of the two she had to prepare for the funeral of her parents. The drums beat in earnest just as the Aladura prayer-warriors came over and started what they called a revival or vigil, she was not sure.
Ife, in honor of her mum, accommodated the frenzied prayers and had her father’s body removed to a room upstairs. She had flowers brought in from the grove and lots of lights from lit candles.
~~~
Two days later Ife was back at the hospital. She had followed the Elders’ directive and had her father and mother buried that same day, as was the general practice, then spent the next day sorting a few urgent issues. She had insisted with the worshippers of her mother’s church that she would only allow a thanksgiving of her mother’s life on Earth and refused to have her lie in state. She stared at the scandalized eyes of the pastor and said she was accepting responsibility for her decisions but had no intentions to allow people gawp at her mother on a bier, or permit all types of comments. Her mother looked peaceful after her death wash and she wanted it to remain that way.
Anyway she was back in the hospital now and went straight to her ante-natal clinic for the day. Happily there were a large number of pregnant women to attend to and she was kept busy. Just as she was leaving for her private apartment, someone brought her a large bouquet of jasmine and she stood in shock staring at the flowers. The person simply signed it as Jasmine. Her skin felt cold and she being chilled. She looked around but did not see who had given her the flowers.
Babatunde drove in, seing her holding the jasmine, and stared. He raised his eye brows in question. Ife was trembling. He asked her quietly what the matter was as he held her by the elbow and walked her into the room. Ife gave him a blank look and pointed to the jasmines in her hand. “We called her Jasmine, she always followed Lije wherever Lije went and this looks like some unfinished business.”
“Who is Lije?” Babatunde asked, puzzled.
Ife gave him a tired smile. “For some reason, I assumed you know all about me.”
Babatunde sat down and said very simply, “I am still very much a human, Princess, and I would like to know all about you.”
“You have moved into our world a long time back and are now bound by our laws and customs, which is to keep searching for how to serve and live according to Olodumare’s will.”
“So this Jasmine is angry with you about something?”
“Yes, I suppose you could say that. She didn’t leave with Lije—she just didn’t want to be here on Earth if Lije left. She still loves him. Great lights above, will this never end?”
“That sounds like double Dutch to me.” Babatunde smiled. “Just relax and then the way forward will come to you. However I think the flower is her way of sending you compliments. I don’t think she meant anything but the nicest things. Could be she has a clearer understanding of things you know.”
The door opened and Kunle walked in. Ife was startled, she had forgotten all about him. He seemed to have been an issue of another age. Ife gave him a curious look and asked him if he was physical at the moment. The boy returned a blank stare. “What are you doing out of bed?” Ife asked innocently. She sat up straight when a feminine voice answered.
“You are an interfering person and I intend to ensure that state of affairs does not continue.”
Babatunde’s eyes narrowed instantly and he dipped his hand in his pocket bringing out a white powdery substance. He blew it at Kunle and his form disappeared. Ife gasped.
Babatunde was grim. “I think it is time for you to be aware of all the other levels around you, Princess. Your time of innocence is now over.”
Ife gave him a look that indicated her alarm and confusion. He grinned. “You can’t bury your head in the sand, Princess. You have permission to experience worlds at different levels, it is grace and it is time to be fully conscious of things around now. I will also be depending on you for support.”
Ife was silent for a long time. The boy reappeared again and bowed very low explaining that he was sorry for the earlier mistake. He said he did not know how to handle his ability to appear at will. Ife sighed as she remembered that Ndana had that ability so she told him it was all right. She explained that he needed to understand it was necessary to act normally else people will treat him with suspicion and fear. The young boy nodded and stood stiffly at attention, chest out.
Babatunde gave him a curious glance. “Care to tell me what the drama is about? Who are you? ”
“Which name do you want, your Highness?”
Babatunde stiffened and walked close to the young boy and then saw the blue-green eyes watching him. He relaxed. “Are you physical here?”
“Yes, your highness, they call me Kunle here.”
“Hmm, do you understand all that she said to you just now?”
“Yes I do. When I was brought here, I did not know how to tell her that I recognized her. I could not tell how I knew I had met her before so I just kept wanting to see her. Then I saw myself coming to her. Then I found myself standing in the room.”
Ife noticed the blood on Kunle’s tattoo. It oozed tiny drops that looked like petals. It was fresh and did not congeal at all. Babatunde was intrigued too.
Ife gave the boy a smile and told him to always wear a shirt that will cover his wrist no matter the weather. She invited him to explain to his mother that anytime he needed an explanation for something that bothers him it was alright to come and see her, and told him she would always try to explain, even if she was busy. Kunle nodded and smiled, obviously happy to have his confusion cleared for him. Ife touched his head gently and asked him to return to his bed in the ward. As Kunle stepped back she told him to go as a human, not to disappear.
“Your mother is already worried and a sudden disappearance will throw her into hysterics. Let her think you wandered off when she was not looking. You see, your tattoo gave you away, from tradition we call blood the water of the world—it is the radiation point as well as entrance point.”
Babatunde, in a soft voice, asked if the boy knew what Ife was talking about. Kunle shrugged and gave a shy smile that lightened his otherwise serious face.
“I was permitted to enter into her service and was came to warn her that someone was coming but before then she had recognized me as the unknown son of that gentleman.”
Babatunde suddenly smiled. “You saved her from a scene with the man, rest easy. I think she just recognized you then and…stand at ease soldier.”
Ife gave Kunle a considering look. “Where do you know me from?”
“You are the Princess that came to visit at the desert camp.”<
br />
“Interesting, you have complete recall of where you have been?”
“Ndana at your service,” and he bowed as a hint of a smile came into his eyes. He replied he could recall only the very last five incarnations and it was because he needed the knowledge of the last two for his present trip.
Ife suddenly laughed. “I feel kind of safe with you around then.”
The thoughts of the vizier grew loud in Ife’s mind.
We will stay in touch, Princess, and your connections are still open. Greetings from the Blue Island. His thoughts faded.
Kunle left and Ife turned to Babatunde with a questioning look in her eyes. “Will I always be able to tell when it is a different being that comes up to me? How can I tell those that come from my realm or light ones and be forewarned about the dense ones, for they are here too? The Earth is the meeting point—the central melting pot for all that profess to be human.” There was real alarm in her eyes.
Sasa spoke into their minds.
The bandage is on your eyes, and it will be through the power of your good volition that you will see through it. The light is always there for those who seek. Open your inner eyes and you will always be able to tell the light ones. Sasa laughed. They mostly have their misty clear and for some their misty will show better colors.
That is how you will know.
Chapter Eleven
Babatunde was in his office reading an article on natural remedies. He wanted to find out about the traditional concept of medicine men being able to borrow bodies. He was intrigued with the ease that Sasa could ‘borrow’ other peoples’ physical bodies with the person sometimes not being wise to that fact they had been borrowed at all.
There was a knock on his door and Prince Adewunmi strode in. Babatunde sighed inwardly but gave the man a polite smile as he enquired what the prince wanted.
“Can we be friends?” the prince asked him.
Babatunde was surprised and shook his head. “Prince, I am not your enemy.”
Rose of Numen Page 7
