It’s Easter break, and everyone I care about has decided to abandon me because, apparently, their families are more important than I am. Can you believe that? Talmbout “I need to go spend easter with my family” Like what about me? What about my needs?
Urrgh, loyalty is so hard to come by these days.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking. “Why didn’t she go home for the break?” Well frankly, I think you need to mind your own business. After all, no one likes a busybody.
Is it because you love me?
I live in a constantly bustling town called “Ekosodi.” It’s just behind my university so it’s sort of like a safe haven for most students if you’re considering the proximity alone. Outside of that, “safe” is not a word I would use to describe this place. Its inhabitants know what I’m talking about.
But there’s something about living here that’s so humbling. You get to realize how much you take normal living conditions for granted. Because if it’s not problems with the rough-hewn apartment buildings that the town is littered with, it’s one landlord that’s hell-bent on being the bane of your existence. And if it isn’t that, it’s the fact that rain fell so we won’t have light for the next one week and that’s if we get lucky. If our village people are actively involved in our case we should be looking at a month or so.
My fellow ekosodites, just in case you didn’t know.
One very fascinating thing about Ekosodi is that there’s always something enthralling going on. Whether it’s the market women that have literally been store neighbors for years shamelessly throwing crude profanities at each other or vigilantes harassing unsuspecting students with baseless accusations. There’s just always something. But with the striking and the Easter break, most people aren’t around so now, the once vibrant and teeming Ekosodi is now drab and deserted.
It was in this same ambiance that I the heard piercing erratic cries from my room: “snake! snake! snake!”
No one knows this about me but there’s nothing I fear more than snakes. The fear of snakes, in itself, is not what I’m embarrassed about. Having a fear of snakes does seem credible enough. What’s embarrassing is that mine is more than just a “fear of snakes” what I have is something called Ophidiophobia.
It’s so bad that during that period when snakes were coming out of people’s toilets I refused to use my toilet for the longest time. I got a bowl where I would pee in and then turnover into the WC and if I wanted to do the number two, I would sit at the extreme edge of the toilet seat and literally be looking back every two seconds.
That was such a tough period for me mentally. It wasn’t until my friend told me a snake couldn’t crawl up to the top floor of a building that I eased up. My room is on the top floor of my hostel.
It’s not like I’ve had any particularly traumatic run-in with them that could be fueling this fear. In fact, all the times I’ve seen a snake up close it was either in a cage or a glass box in a zoo or dead on the ground. So I don’t really understand where the fear stems from. Maybe it’s too many episodes of “Snakes in the city” as a kid. Not to mention the whole thing with Eve, in my opinion, they’re the reason I can’t live out my life long dream of being a nudist outside the confines of my home.
I was going to look for a snake related meme but I couldn’t just bring myself to stare at all those pictures of different snakes. I can’t afford nightmares.
As I heard the cry, I instinctively wanted to lurch in fear then I remembered I was in my room so I calmed down. But the ruckus became more prominent so I went out to see what was up. As it turns out a snake has gotten into someone’s store and they were trying to kill it.
I watched from my balcony as the entire spectacle unfolded. I got into a really pensive state and was able to come across four different types of people:
Proactive Potter
Yes, Potter as in Harry Potter. It goes without saying that Harry is epitome of proactivity. If not for him every single person in that Hogwarts for collect from Voldermort’s hand. Or is it Hermoine and Ron with their ludicrous excuse for a love story that would have saved the day? Those two were always annoying me. And please don’t even mention Dumbledore, if you don’t want us to fight this night (or day depending on where you’re reading from.) Dumbledore that left small Harry to fight voldermort on his own forming “wise sage.” Abegi!
In our very own “Ekosodi vs the snake” the protagonist was a 17 year old boy called “Brain.” Yes, that’s right his name is legit Brain. Not a nickname or an alias, his actual name is Brain. This Benin is such a weird place. Though, in my opinion, the name suits him cause that boy too get sense.
As grown up women and men cowered in fear this boy picked up a stick with so much gusto and rummaged through the store in search of the snake. It was really aspiring to watch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such display of bravery upclose before. I remember thinking: “I wish I was this fearless.”
All of a sudden my fear of snakes made me feel really puny. If I see snake I go still run sha.
Being proactive is being able to take control of a situation. Not sitting to just let things happen, but rather making them happen. And that was exactly what Brain did.
Scared Shaggy
Most times these are people that genuinely care about you. Your loved ones, your friends, your partners. In this case, it was Brain’s mum. She stood at a safe distance yelling “Brain oo! Hey God see my son. Brain oo! What are you doing? Brain o.” I found it quite hysterical cause it was obvious she knew that he had to do what he had to do. So Ma, why the theatrics?
When you care about someone it’s really easy to be scared for them when they embark on seemingly risky things. It’s normal human psychology. We don’t want the people we care about to get hurt or fail or be disappointed.
But what I’ve learned is that, instead of using fear to discourage them or trying to stop them from doing that thing they want to do. It’s much better to believe in them and encourage them. The truth is no matter how gutsy someone may seem there’s an underlying fear they’ve decided to ignore in oder to go for what it is they want.
And the best thing that we can do for them is to not fuel that fear with our own unbelief but rather amplify the potency of the belief they have in themselves by also believing in them.
Even if you don’t believe in the people you care about, pretend. Fake it till they make it.
No one knows better than Riri
I’m allowed to fan girl over whomever I want to.
Spectating Sandra
You can easily guess what these people were all about. They just stood and watched the whole thing play out. A little chit-chat here and there. “You see the snake?” “I no see am o.” “Ah, this boy get mind o!” Funny enough, these were mostly grown men and women that owned adjoining stores. It was really funny to watch.
Distracted Dave
This last set of people really intrigued me. Like they were obviously going somewhere, but once they got to the scene they just stopped and watched till everything was over. Almost like whatever was on their agenda wasn’t as important as watching the whole thing play out. There was this one guy, in particular, that as they killed the snake, it was as if he came back to reality. He checked his watch and immediately a panicked look spread across his face. I just laughed.
So you had where you were going and just stood to observe what did not concern you.
On the flip side though, I think as humans we tend to indulge any means of escaping our reality. That’s why reality tv-shows do so well, it’s why social media and influencing is such a hit. I’m sure Zuckerberg has a more acute understanding of this which is why he’s investing so much in the metaverse. Give people a way to escape their reality and become their savior. It’s ingenious.
Though low-key sad when you really think about it.
Should I tell you the craziest thing about this whole stuff?
You see that tiny stuff on the ground there? That’s the ”snake” over 20 people gathered to watch get killed
The store with all the junk in front was where the snake hid
The inspiration for this piece came really late so I don’t have proper pictures. I promise to be more in-tune with my creative side from now on.
So, among these four categories of people which are you? Or better still, which would you want to be?
Let me know what you think in the comment section