Everyone in the neighborhood thought Kene was always talking to himself when he was outside walking about. Walking around Ajah with an empty leash, calling, “Ndu! Come here!” would make anyone look suspicious or at least make you look like a psycho But Kene didn’t care. Ndu his “invisible dog” had been with him since childhood. A ghost dog made of magic, just the only friend he invented during the hardest years, when he lost his mother and father and Ndu in an accident , when school fees piled up, when loneliness pressed on his chest like. On some nights, when the power comapny struck again, Ndu’s faint Neon glowing outline would appear, just long enough to curl at Kene’s feet and warm the room. But outside, Ndu stayed invisible. Only Kene could feel the gentle pull of the leash, or the soft brush of a tail wagging against his leg.
One hot Saturday, Kene was returning from the mall when a small girl tugged his shirt. “Uncle, sorry… but your dog is very fine,” the girl said. Kene froze. Nobody else had ever seen Ndu.“You can, see him?” he said .The girl nodded. “Yes. He’s white and hes glowing. He looked down. Maybe the world was finally ready to see Ndu.Or maybe, for the first time, Kene wasn’t the only one carrying invisible pain. And as the girl reached out and Ndu gently nuzzled his hand, Kene felt something loosen inside him a quiet healing like a wound that had waited years for someone else to notice, Ndu now took the leash from Kenes hand and gave the leash to the girl. It seemed someone else needed Ndu at this time more than he did. He smiled a bit and a tear rolled down his cheeks as the girl left and he waved at her, saying one last goodbye as Ndu faded and he could no longer see him again.