So, well I died..not in a hospital, not that I didn't wake up from sleep, but I died, I was there lifeless, the last place I remembered being was around that Ikorodu when we were busy arguing with the driver, a passenger was there making fun of everyone, excluding me even though I was wearing an oversized shirt and the only thing I had on me was my tfare, well I contributed by smiling as well.
That very morning, my mum begged me to not leave the house, her reason was that she had a frightful dream....she saw one of her sons standing barefooted inside the rain at night, this particular child was holding in his hand a lantern with no light.....
Well, I told her it's just a dream, and also she's a prayer warrior, pray against it, that's all, moreso, I wasn't the son you saw in your dreams. I just laughed and told her jokingly to stop watching to much of Yoruba movie, she hissed, went in and came out with a bottle of anointing oil, she said to put some on my head, I wasn't in good mood that morning, so I didn't.
The bus I boarded wasn't that good, and we all were packed in as if frozen fish, five of us were seated where we should be three, our driver also seems to have smoked and also taken their usual gin. Midway through the journey, we started perceiving smoke,, the driver claimed it's the break pad and that it's nothing to worry about.
That is one of the things Lagos teaches us..enduring nonsense, my eyes were already watery. The conductor who was barely hanging on to the car started collecting our tfare, I was about dipping my hands in my pocket to bring out mine when he started shouting at a man who gave him ₦200 instead of ₦500 fare....I was shocked....when did the fare to turn to ₦500, this country enh, I was still in my thought when I heard a sound..it has already turned into a fight and the conductor had slapped the passenger, the passenger too was kicking the conductor.
I dipped my hand in and it came out empty, I was surprised...me wey no dey loose guard, who run me street inside bus...omo, I just looked around... there was no one to ask, the bus was in chaos, someone pushed someone, the conductor flew off and before I could understand what was happening, I heard a sound that silenced everything.
And then… darkness.
I can't say I was unconscious, just felt light and empty and was floatin, I wanted to feel my body, but I couldn't, I heard cries and wailings, I heard someone praying in tongues, I was hearing different voices, but I heard one loud and clear,"this one no geh hope, he dun go", there I realized...I was dead.
I had a very great feeling of peace, no fear, no worries, no pain, I wasn't feeling anxious, nothing at all, I didn't have to carry this heaviness anymore, no need to smile for people, no need to pretend anymore, I was at peace and floating in the stillness, but then I heard a voice, it wasn't calling from memory, it was my mother calling my name right there, she was calling me fiercely.
"Feranmi! Feranmi! Come back, I refuse to let you go, this not the covenant I had with my maker.."
Suddenly, as if someone much stronger had grabbed me and crashed me back into my body, I opened my eyes slowly and saw a woman slapping me repeatedly.
"I won't be the one to bury you, God have mercy..",
I blinked and blinked again, I was there lying by the roadside, my shirt and trouser were ripped, my ears were ringing loud. The bus had hit the road divider, the driver was nowhere to be found, two of the passengers were lying down lifelessly and people around were crying and shaking their heads.
Somehow, I was alive.
A man saw me conscious, poured water on me, took off his coat to fan me, people were mouthing different things.."omo, life still dey dis one body o, no be dis one fest off? na him mama prayer return am o..." and many more.
I heard ambulance have been called, but they were nowhere to be found, someone offered to carry some to the hospital, then, argument started, should they carry those who show no signs of life first or carry us who are still somehow conscious, someone else offered to and we were being carried to the hospital.
I don’t remember much of the journey, cause my soul was just hanging on, I didn't know how or what happened, but as I opened my eyes, I was on a hospital bed, I saw her, she was praying on her knees, she looked up at me and stood up, she didn't ask me any question, she just wrapped her arms around me and cried, am sure only mother's would understand that kind of cry. Just as if nothing happened, she wiped her tears, adjusted her wrapper, and said, “Your food dey inside cooler, make I go buy malt”.
We hear stories about people dying, we never think it will be us, we go out and never thought our body will be that which was being slapped back to life. I used to think those things were exaggerated, but I experienced it.
That day, everything changed, I still fight and argue with my mum, but never about her dreams, also I have my own anointing oil which I make use of every single day with faith.
Because that day was unexpected, it was the day I met death and still return back alive to eat my almost cold jollof rice😀..though in a bad state🥺.
.....what an unbelievable day.
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