202 Chaos

“N...n...n...n...” This was the only letter that a terribly shaken Monica could utter.

“What are you trying to say?” Ella asked in a trembling tone. Although her brain was able to figure out that whatever Monica was trying to say, had something negative to do with Nana Esther, her erratically drumming heart refused to accept the inevitable truth.

“Speak up Monica! What happened?”

Ivory queried in a loud voice from behind Ella. She was just snuggling under her duvet for an early morning nap when she heard the heart-piercing shriek. Instantly, the sleep vanished from her eyes and was replaced with panic. She jumped out of the bed and ran out of her bedroom to the sitting room. However, when she got there, she was surprised to see Ella already standing before Monica.

Marissa and Yvonne also ran out of Marissa’s bedroom to the sitting room, wearing anxious looks on their faces. Although they were revolted to see Ella, they focused their attention on Monica, who was quivering like a leaf under harsh weather conditions.

“It’s N... Nana...” Monica stuttered while pointing in the direction of Rex’s room. Immediately she succeeded in giving a hint to the reason behind her disoriented state, she started wailing uncontrollably.

“Nana Esther!” All four ladies shouted at the same time before scrambling toward Rex’s room to see what had happened to Nana Esther for themselves.

Ella, who was swift and in the lead, got to the room first before the others.

When Ella got to the room, she found the door wide open. She paused at the door entrance and took in a deep breath before slowly entering the room.

.....

The air in the room felt serene. It felt as though nothing was amiss. There on the bed was Rex sleeping peacefully with Nana Esther lying by his side, also sleeping. Her head was resting on Rex’s chest and she was holding his right hand in her left hand just like in Ella’s dream. A cosmic smile was plastered on her face and for a second, one would assume that she was pretending to be asleep, in other to pull a prank on her children.

Ella moved slowly but cautiously towards the sleeping dead, calling Nana Esther gently by her Islafub name. However, she got no response in movement or words. She stopped a few inches from the bed and gazed at them, tears trickling down her cheeks.

“So, it’s true! Miatisa, you are really gone!” Ella whispered to herself as Marissa and her daughters came running in and screaming at the top of their voices.

“Dad!”

“No!”

“Nana Esther!”

“Rex!”

“Grandma!”

“Wake up!”

The wailing went on and on as Yvonne, Marissa, and Ivory, kept shaking, pulling, and pushing the dead bodies of Nana Esther and Rex.

“Wake up Nana! You can’t do this to us!” Marissa wailed uncontrollably. “Rex! Come back to me!”

“Please, Nana, don’t leave us!” Yvonne wailed the loudest.

Just then, Leon and Maxwell’s chartered cab pulled into Nana Esther’s house driveway.

Leon was the first person to hear the screams of pain and despair, followed by his Uncle.

Both of them dashed into the house and ran toward Rex’s room. However, when they got to the entrance of Rex’s bedroom, Leon and his uncle, stood, frozen on the spot. The sight before them was too heartbreaking to watch.

Everyone in the room was in tears. While Marissa was looking disheveled in her grieving state, hitting Rex on the chest, Yvonne and Ivory were pulling at Nana Esther’s dead body.

The only person who seemed to be more in control of her tears was Ella. She just stood close to the bed, all by herself, watching and crying silently.

historical

“My mum knew she was leaving us!” Maxwell said in a broken voice as he looked at Leon. “There was never a dying dear friend. It was her all along.”

“So we’ve been preparing for her burial rites and that of my dad without knowing?” Leon said between clenched jaw. “Why would she do this to us? Why didn’t she say something!”

“Leon, pull yourself together! We have to be strong for your mum, sisters, and wife.”

Just then, Marissa lifted her face and glared at Ella ferociously.

“You!” Marissa pointed at Ella and stood up from the bed slowly like an insane woman about to be given her daily shot of medication.

“Me!” Ella asked in a trembling voice while taking a few steps backward.

“You witch!” Marissa moved menacingly toward Ella.

“Mum!”

Ivory quickly stood up and ran after her mum. While Leon and Maxwell ran into the room to stop whatever chaos that was about to unfold.

The only person that didn’t move a muscle to stop her mum or rescue Ella, was Yvonne. Even though her heart was aching, she prayed for Ella to be shredded by her mum.

“No one should touch me!” Marissa wagged her finger threateningly at everyone who had already made a semi-circle around her, to shield Ella from her fury.

“That witch was the last person seen with my husband and Nana! She killed them! She killed them!!”

“What!” Ella reddened eyes flashed in terror. “I...” She was interrupted by Leon.

“Mum, enough already!” Leon boomed angrily.

The fact that he just lost two of the most important pillars in his life crumbled his heart and squeeze every ounce of patience and tolerance he had left. His mind was suddenly poisoned and all the restraints that had bonded the darkened part of her heart slowly melted like lava under very high temperatures.

“We just lost dad and Grandma, and all you could do is try to pin their death on my wife?” Leon’s deadly glowing eyes flared up.

“Leon, calm down! And Marissa, enough with the accusations.” Maxwell said pleadingly.

“You all can go ahead and strangle the life out of me, but I will not keep my mouth shut as long as that which is here,” Marissa screamed at the top of her voice.

“Mummy!” Ivory called pleadingly

“Don’t, you betrayer!” Marissa’s swollen, wet and reddened eyes shot invisible fiery darts in Ivory’s direction before refocusing on Leon.

“First the witch takes away my son’s love from me. Then she steals my husband’s love from me. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to him but she did.” Marissa’s lips quivered as she spoke.

“As if that was not enough, she also takes away Nana Esther’s love from me. She knew Nana Esther was going to die but she kept it all to herself. And last night, she almost strangled the life out of your sister all because she found out...”

“Leon!” Ella shouted in tears from behind him, causing everyone to stare in her direction.

“I didn’t mean for you to find out this way but I’m pregnant!”