This is the story of an event that happened in a catholic school in Nigeria, events which I witnessed and was a part of, and which have never been resolved till date. Names have been changed, but the tale is true, and told as I remember it.
3:15pm
“Something wonderful is happening,” Augustine said.
Something wonderful, huh? I tried not to let my face betray any emotion –being calm in the midst of extreme emotional displays was one of the qualities I believed a leader should have, and I did it extremely well. The boys in front of me would need a kind of verdict on whatever had got them quivering with excitement, and I knew I wouldn’t have to say a word to give it. My very expression would tell them all they needed to know. Being as high on the credibility chain as I was, I had to be extremely careful, or I could lead my very susceptible wards astray.
Looking back at that time now though, it’s all very funny. I was just a month to my sixteenth birthday, and I thought I was some kind of don. Or maybe ‘Bishop’ would be a more accurate description.
“Okay,” I said to them. “You’ve got me. What’s happening?”
“Augustine, tell him!” One of the J.S.1 boys said.
“Yes, tell him what you saw!” Another piqued in.
I watched them with interest, well-masked, of course. What could he have seen? Were the priests that oversaw the school planning something that he had managed to get wind of? Or had he stumbled upon one of the seniors, either in my class or S.S.1 doing something that he shouldn’t? As was usual with St. George’s, all the S.S.3 boys were not in school, having left immediately after they sat for their WASSCE. I decided to add a little discretion, just in case. I told Augustine to come in and sit on my bunkmate’s bed –Paul had the lower bunk –and sat down beside him, hoping I wasn’t about to become complicit in something likely to result in trouble. And it was very easy to get into trouble in St. George’s.
Augustine nodded and sat down. The rest stayed outside the angle. He closed his eyes. His face had lost all the awe and wonder that had been in them a minute ago. Now it was squeezed in concentration. As he spoke, a string of expressions flitted across it. I understood he was reliving whatever he had experienced and, though I was immediately full of questions, didn’t interrupt.
“It was terrible, and wonderful”, he began. Everyone else too was quiet and listening intently, although they had already heard it. “At first I was just looking at the picture. But then she was there, and she called my name. We were in a garden, I think. I can’t really describe it. And she was beautiful –she was so beautiful. But she was sad.”
I was flummoxed. This wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Still, I didn’t understand, not then.
He continued. “She told me she wanted to show me something, and told me to walk with her. And we walked for a long time, along a very long road. After a while, we got to another path in the road. In the distance, I could hear screams. People shouting and crying. I became scared. But she took me and led me into that other path. And everything changed.”
I could literally see the fear on his face. I realised my breathing was getting shorter, and worked to steady it. I still didn’t want to give an unconscious verdict on his story. But what was he saying?
“Everywhere became dark and hot. I saw a great pit, full of fire, and there were people inside, human beings! They were burning, but not being burned. Every single one of them was in agony, crying for help. I was terrified. I too, began crying. Then she spoke again, and told me where I was. This was Purgatory, and it was real. But because people did not believe, they kept on being wicked and sinful, and ending up there. She told me Hell was real too, and worse than this, because the people there had no hope at all and would suffer forever.
“But she told me Heaven was real too, and that if people only knew what awaited them there, they would not want to spend another minute on Earth. Then she took me by the hand and led me away. And suddenly we were at this huge gate. It was big and golden, and it was shining so much it almost hurt my eyes. And she took me and led me past it, and –and,” he shook his head, and his expression became more intense. “This place was beautiful. Ogwara, this place was beautiful!” I was a bit surprised when he called my name. I’d begun to think he was in a trance, or something. “She led me down these streets. Everything was bright and white, and it was so peaceful and full of happiness. I didn’t see anyone, but she led me to this other place, it was like a hall or something. There was the sweetest singing coming out of it and when we entered I saw a mass of people, all in intense white clothing. Up in front, there were angels. Different types of angels, and there were all singing. And in front of everyone there was a throne, surrounded by a light so bright I couldn’t look at it. She led me there, then left me and joined those on the throne. I couldn’t say or do anything, I just knelt down and shivered, I could feel the majesty and holiness and power, and I was crying again.
“Then she looked at me one last time, straight into my eyes.” He finished. “She looked at me and said, I must tell everyone and let them all know the truth, that it was my duty. And then, I woke up.”
He opened his eyes and looked at me.
I said nothing for a minute. I now understood what had got them so excited. Augustine had had a vision. Or he thought he had –I was still reserving judgement. They were just kids. Actually, we were all kids, I knew how the Church handled cases like this, to some extent. Nothing was verified until verified. It could’ve just been a dream, or a hallucination for all I knew. I have to admit though, I was a bit excited now. I just hid it well.
Finally, I spoke. “This is interesting,” I said. “This happened to you? When did it happen?”
“This morning, after morning chapel but before classes.” He said. I nodded, thinking. That alone was enough to be newsworthy, but then he added an unexpected twist. “But it didn’t happen just to me,” he said. “There are others, too.”
