Pawpedi

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During my NYSC year, I led the NCCF (Nigeria Corpers Christian Fellowship) in my local government area, overseeing the welfare of Corpers in the LGA. I managed the Family House, where Corpers without housing or those who felt they wanted to mingle with people could stay. I didn't stay there because I cherished privacy so much.
On a particular day while I was on an official trip, Priscilla, one of the corpers in the family house, called, claiming one of the guys had gone nuts.
"Hahahahah! Priscilla, stop the joke. They haven't given us lunch here, and my stomach can't stand loud laughter now." I laughed aloud while people around me in the hall where we were seated for the meeting turned to look at who was laughing.

"Ohhh! Believe me! Ever since you left, he has been behaving scary, and it's not funny at all." I could hear the seriousness in her voice because she was at the top of her voice.

"Hahahah! Priscilla, please, na, my stomach is rumbling already," I said in the mixed laughter and ended the call.

Among all the ladies in the family house, it's Priscilla that has the peak of humour; that's why we were very close, so I thought it's one of her cracks to tell me she's missing my presence already.

I returned to what I was doing only to see her call again.
"Hello, Pricy, you're calling again!"

"You think I'm joking? Pawpedi has been in the sun at the centre of the compound since 9:00 a.m. with a stainless steel plate containing water and salt while talking to himself. No one has been brave enough to go near him," she narrated.
I removed the phone from my ear and fixed it on my face to check if it was really Priscilla who's saying all these.
"Priscilla, what's all this? If it's a joke, please stop it."

"Kingsleyy, it's not a joke, believe me." The moment Priscilla called my real name was the moment I had a second thought about it. She respects me so much that she can't call me outside the title I was given.

"Okay, okay, I've heard you. I'll call you back later."

We ended the call, and I pondered the issue a little. I just bolted my mind because things like that don't seem real to me until I see for myself.
When night came, my phone began to ring uncontrollably. Priscilla, Janet, Cephas, Ayo, and Samuel were calling one after the other, and I decided not to answer any calls. If the situation is real, let them pray, cast, and bind the demon that possessed the young man. After all, they're all living in a God's house, and they must have the power to do so. I concluded and peacefully snubbed their calls, I needed rest that night, so I turned off my phone to have my sweet night in peace.

Around 9:30 when about to launch into dreamland, I had someone tap me on the back where I laid on the bed. "Ohhhh! Who's that?" I turned to see Mr. Emmanuel, the head of the function I went to, standing and waiting for me to come back to life.

"Hello, sir, I hope there's no problem." I asked as I cleaned my eyes with my right hand.
"Your people have been calling, and they have a report of one of the Corpers in the family house behaving scary."

"My people again", I hissed a little and continued, "I was told in the daytime, but it's not something serious. Do you know what they said? They said Pawpedi, the guy in question, is behaving madly and, at the same time, reacting like someone who's possessed by a strange spirit. Does that make sense to you?"

Mr. Emmanuel smiled and used his hand to shift my leg as he sat down on the bed.
"Hmmmm, I don't believe such, but the fact that they reached me when you turned off your phone means it must be a very serious case".

His words hit me so deeply that I picked up my phone, turned it on, waited for it to boot, and when it was set, I called Cephas, one of the male corpers in the family house.
"Bro, you didn't try! Why did you turn off your phone?" Cephas blasted me, and I had to beg him, "Sorry, bro, I couldn't just take all Priscilla told me; that's why I bolted my mind. What's the situation now?"

"It's well. None of us could sleep in the same room with him; we left him alone in one room while we used another."

"Okay, thank you so much. I'll be there very early tomorrow morning because it's late now and I can ply the road."

We ended the call, and I thanked Mr. Emmanuel so much for his concern.

The next day, as early as 5:00 a.m., I prepared and embarked on my journey home. For no reason, I didn't feel anxiety; my mind was totally relaxed because things like that hardly freak me out.

It was exactly 6:51 a.m. when I got to the family house. I saw all of them outside, except Pawpedi. Priscilla's face, which usually lights up whenever I'm around, was dimmed, and I know she was angry at me for not picking up her last calls.

"Where is he?" I asked the guys as they gathered to welcome me.

"He's inside" Ayo pointed at the room, and I began to walk towards it, while all of them cautioned me, "Please be careful; if he reacts funny, please run out of the house."

I got to the room to meet him lying down on the bed with his face turned up while his eyes were opened.
While standing on the door, my eyes ran through the room, and I saw green grass and a stainless steel cup placed on the table.
I don't know what happened, I found myself walked up to him on the bed without fear. "Pawpedi, good morning. What's wrong with you?"
He stayed silent for a while and moaned out a scary sound like that of a pig.
I was shocked. I jacked up from the bed and ran towards the door. I was smart enough not to run outside completely to avoid being laughed at by my colleagues.

It's obvious that what they told me on the phone is true. I quickly put a call to Nysc Management in the local government area, and I explained the situation to him.
They came in the afternoon of that day, stylishly lured him out, took him to the hospital for check-up, and after that, he was sent home to be with his parents because, according to them, it's a spiritual issue that needed home attention. He never returned before I passed out of NYSC. Although I called to check on him several times, as of then, he and his parents confirmed he's very okay.

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