The visit to the picturesque church of St. Andrew at Owerri, Imo State turned into a bizarre story for me and my sister Mary. As we wandered through the churchyard with its grey withered tombstones and ancient headstones, we noticed a small group of mourners standing at a newly-dug grave.

Funerals are a common sight in the churchyard, however there was nothing ordinary about this one. First, the mourners were grieving over what happened centuries ago as I tried to eavesdrop into their conversation. More so, the mourners, standing with their heads bowed at the graveside were all dressed in clothing more appropriate to the 1800s. Stranger still, as we entered the church itself, I felt time somehow slipping. It was a weird sensation; I was aware of the interior of the church changing as I stood there. Things seemed to move; the decorations on the wall altered; and I noticed the figure of a priest in long white robes standing at the altar. It was as if someone stepped back in time. I thought I was hallucinating until my sister Mary confirmed having similar sensation.

We were terrified, hurried outside again; THE MOURNERS HAD VANISHED… we ran!