I am someone who had always believed in signs, not beacuse I grew up watchingsz all this Yoruba and nollywood movies, or because my mum do say "when you hear the strange sounds of bird at night, it meant someone would die." I started believing paying attention because of what happened about two years ago, the year my sister left.
It was on a Tuesday, just like every other day, nothing special, the power supply company had done what they know how to do best, we are having power outage and I was just leaning on the light coming from the already small burning candle, It was hot as well, so I was just lying on the floor with my wrapper barely holding me. I remember I had just eaten semo that was too hard and I wasn't blaming the person who made it...which happens to be me, I was blaming the semovita flour.
Suddenly, I heard a knock, a knock, who could that be, the knock wasn't even on my door, it wasn't on the gate, I very well know the sound of both, I heard the knock again, this time I was so sure it was on my window, I froze, my room has a burglary proof, the wall behind it is high, no one really goes there, even the burglary is way high, you can't just reach it, so what's it...? But that day, that thing knocked thrice.
The wind wasn't blowing, I didn't see any shadow or hear any footsteps, I sat up the third time and start whispering "Jesus, Jesus Jesus..." I was too scared to check, I just lay back down with my heart racing as I pray and waited for morning to come.
By the time the sun rose, I already convinced myself it was just my tired mind playing games with me, or let's say...its just a dream. But I still have that cold feeling/sensation within me, that something was coming.
Thursday evening came, and I had even forgotten anything had even happened.
Friday morning, I was in just in the kitchen cooking and washing the dishes, then my phone rang, I checked and I saw it was my cousin, I wiped my hand and pick it up, she didn't even greet and in a rush tone she said, "They said she just collapsed o and they are on their way to the hospital."
Am I not supposed to have a second thought, and at least say... "who collapsed, what are you talking about, which hospital...?" I didn't say/ask anything, I don't know how, but I just knew it was my sister, Bisola, she's just 17years of age, just about writing her SSCE exams, she's very intelligent, beautiful and smart. She wasn't sick... at least that was our thought.
The pepper water splashed in my eyes as I was rushing out, but I didn't even blink, I was just concerned about my sis, immediately I was done preparing and was on my way out, I heard the knock again, this time it was on my door and it wasn't so loud, more like a tired/sick person was knocking, I moved to open the door when my phone rang, I picked it up and opened the door at the same time, but there was no one at the door, the call I was on to also, my sis left me on silence, for like ten seconds, we were both silent, then in a small but shaking voice she said, “She didn’t make it.”
It does made sense now, the sign had come, I just did not understand it, it had even come again now, and still I didn't get it.
Bisola was buried that week, my parents were totally broken, even myself, I was so down. I never knew a day would come that our compound would be this filled with mourner's, that itself was a bad one, there were a lot of unanswered questions as well, but what can we do again. They said it was her heart, and she's battling with it silently saying, "it's nothing serious."
About two months latet, everything had died down, people had stopped calling, no one's checking in again, no more food flasks and all, I was still home with my parent as well, the house was still quite though except for my mums random cries, my dad was the silent type, he just keeps sighing, and even me...I miss her greatly.
I was in my room one night, just scrolling through my chats with Bisola, I listened to our voice notes, I miss the way she chats, I miss her tiny child like voice, I heard her laugh and tears streamed down my face, I didn't know when I shouted and said, “If you’re somewhere, please let me know you're fine."
I wasn't expecting anything, my dad rushed in with my mum following close behind, they calmed me down and were about leaving when I heard the knock again, three times on my window, same rhythm, same old knock, I didn't even wait to think, I just rushed out, my dad heard it too, he came out, torchlight in hand, and shouted at nothing in particular, “Who’s there?” But, silence followed.
He looked my way, “You heard the knock right?”
I nodded, shivering.
He asked us to return in, while he checked the whole surrounding, there was nothing, nothing's broken, there's no stray animals... nothing, just the cold gentle breeze.
I didn’t sleep in that room for weeks.
People often say signs are coincidences. That the brain atimes makes sense of things after they had happen....well, maybe.
But when you have my own kind of experience and then death shows up, you will think otherwise and learn to listen more carefully.
Ever since then, I’ve felt things stronger. I know when someone is going to call my name, I know when something wants to happen, I dream of people I haven’t seen in years, I think of people I have missed and then hear their names being called the next minute.
This is just my own little secret, I don't tell people before they start saying,"you're going too far, you're just being over-spiritual, they are just coincidences......” But signs don't care if you believe them or not, they just come.
Earlier this year, I visited her grave, I didn't buy a card/letter, I wrote one myself and placed it under a stone. I told her about our parents, about myself, how I finally passed that chemistry course that has been given me a hard time and she always teased me about, "drop your pride, allow me to teach you." I don't know maybe to cry or laugh, I stood up and said, "Don't stop coming, and next time you come, please knock on the door.”
Because this time, I won't be scared to open it.
All pictures were generated using AI.
Thanks for taking your time to read through, kindly do well to stop by my blog for more amazing, educative and exclusive contents.