Christopher sat at the veranda with his palm on his cheeks, lost in thought. It was Christmas morning. Every child was supposed to be happy. But Christopher was not happy.
" Christopher!" his mom called, that was the third time of calling him and this time she was almost yelling. " yes mom" he answered suddenly like he was in shock to have heard his name at that time. " Bring me the pepper that is on the table for me in the kitchen," his mom said, almost yelling again. "OK mom" he walked to the parlor, picked the nylon with pepper on the table and walked sluggishly to the kitchen that was wide open. " Chris, you are not looking bright, what is the matter? You can talk to me. " his mom asked after seeing his gloomy face. "Nothing mom" he said, and left the kitchen.
Christopher had had a dream a day before Christmas day, that he was eating goat meat with strangers in his dream. And he never had the opportunity to share his dream with his dad or mom, because they did not observe their usual morning devotion that Christmas day. Everyone was busy that morning to even think about the morning devotion.
photo source
It was a common belief in Christopher's house, even the church, that eating in a dream, especially meat, was the highest tool of manipulation for the devil to initiate one into an occult kingdom. And usually when such kind of dreams are had in their Christopher's house, a one day prayer and fasting is observed by the person who had the dream to scatter the plan of the devil. That was the journey Christopher had to pass through to scatter the devil's plan. But on Christmas day, it was not fair one to him.
The temptation came face to face with him when his younger sister Tolani said, "look at the chicken lap mummy gave me to eat...." showing him the chicken lap on his face. " Take that thing out of my face before I slap you," Christopher said. That was not the usual Christopher Tolani knew. She was expecting him to chase her in his usual manner to collect the meat from her. But he just walked pass her to his room. Even the 10 years old Tolani knew something was not right with Christopher. " Mummy , Christopher refused to eat my meat" Tolani said to her mother who was still in the kitchen frying the chicken meat. It was after hearing it from Talani that their mother became certain that Christopher was not Okey. She went to his room, and found him lying on the bed with his head buried inside the pillow. "Christopher" she called him. "yes mom" raising head out of the pillow. "You are not looking happy, tell me what it is, promise me no secret." she said and moved and sat on the edge of the bed with her legs on the tiles. " Mom, it's nothing, it's just that I had a dream eating meat yesterday, so I will be holding prayer and fasting today," he said, trying not to sound worried. She smiled. That kind of smile that suggest I know what you are thinking.
"son, you don't have to hold the prayer and fasting. Sometimes our dreams are triggered by what we are thinking about, so go and eat that chicken thigh you have been longing to eat" she said, but this time smiling wildly. " Are you serious mom?" he asked. "Yes son" she said and held him by the hand. He quickly hopped out of the bed, his countenance was now bright and ran to the kitchen and picked one thighs of the chicken that was fried and started eating.
Merry Christmas to you son, the mom said to him when she met him inside the kitchen with the chicken thigh.