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Good evening, Mr Ade; I came to see you because of your daughter, Suliat,” Yemi said as soon as he entered Mr Ade’s house. When Mr Ade looked at Suliat, he saw her clinging onto one of Abiola’s hands, and he suspected that something was wrong.

“What about Suliat? Is everything alright?” Mr Ade asked.

“Yes, everything is alright. It’s just that Suliat wanted to spend the night at my house, so I came to ask for your permission. Is it okay if Suliat sleeps at my house? She was insisting that she wants to spend time with her new friend, Abiola,” Yemi said.

“Her new friend, Abiola?” Mr Ade asked in shock.

“Yes, your daughter and my daughter are now very good friends. In fact, we are just coming from my house. Suliat was at my house since afternoon,” Yemi bragged mildly.

“Hmmm! I know my Suliat. Even if she likes your daughter, she wouldn’t want to sleep at your house,” Mr Ade said.

“You know how these kids are. They surprise us all the time,” Yemi said.

While Yemi was mildly trying to convince Mr Ade without being too forward, Mr Ade looked at Suliat again and saw that his daughter was acting strangely. Mr Ade and his wife had raised Suliat to be a very respectful girl, but while Suliat was in the living room with Abiola, Yemi, and her father, she did things that showed disrespect. 

For example, Suliat laughed loudly while her father was speaking with Yemi. Then she sneezed, and instead of covering her nose, she sneezed loudly and burst into laughter. While all this happened, Suliat was still holding Abiola’s hand, and she refused to let it go.

“Hmmm! Yemi, the issue is that since Suliat was born, she has never slept out of this house. I don’t know if her mother will be okay with it. Can you wait a little while I go and ask her?” Mr Ade said.

“Yes, that’s fine. I will wait for you,” Yemi smiled.

When Mr Ade left the living room, Yemi thought that he was actually going to talk to his wife, but he was wrong. Mr Ade went straight to a room in his house where no one else was allowed to enter except him.

In all his years of marriage and being a father, Suliat and her mother had never attempted to enter that room because Mr Ade had warned them not to, and it was always locked. 

The room that Mr Ade entered was no other but his altar and his source of wealth. In the past years, Mr Ade had sacrificed many children in that room and each time he did so, he would make more money. 

The reason Mr Ade went into that room was because he wanted to consult his altar and ask if anything had happened to his daughter, and when he saw how  Abiola had mixed the love potion in the plate of oil she gave to Suliat, he was pissed.

Knowing that Yemi was a crafty man, instead of confronting him for what he had done, Mr. Ade decided to play along. He went to his wife, who was in the kitchen and explained everything to her.

“Ah! I warned Suliat about that girl, but she refused to listen to me. What do we do now?” Suliat’s mother said in panic.

“Woman, this is not the time to panic. Today, Yemi will know what I am made of. I want you to follow me to the living room and insist that you want Abiola and our daughter to sleep here. Do not act like anything is wrong. Is that clear?” Mr Ade asked, and his wife nodded.

“Alright, let’s go,” Mr Ade gestured at his wife to follow him.

While Mr Ade and his wife were devising their plan in the kitchen, Yemi and Abiola were also thinking of the wealth they would soon make through Suliat.

“Oh! Mr Yemi, my husband, told me that you’re here with your daughter. Welcome to my house,” Suliat’s mother faked a smile.

“Thank you. I am here because of our daughters…” 

“Oh, do not worry. My husband already explained everything to me. But I was thinking, wouldn’t it be better if Suliat and Abiola slept here? Not to look down on you or anything, but our house is more comfortable, and it would be perfect for their first sleepover,” Suliat’s mother said.

“I thought about that, but Abiola has things to do at the house for her mother this evening. If it weren’t for those chores, I would have allowed her to stay here,” Yemi said.

“Oh, if that’s the case, then it’s not a problem. Let Suliat and Abiola stay here, I will send one of our maids to go and assist your wife,” Suliat’s mother said.

“No, do not worry about that; Abiola will do it. I don’t think my wife will be comfortable with one of your maids assisting her,” Yemi said.

“Now that your daughter and my daughter are friends, you will have to get used to that,” Mr. Ade chuckled dryly. I agree with my wife. Let the children sleep here. You said it yourself that Suliat had been at your house since afternoon, and that means you’re comfortable with her. If Abiola sleeps here tonight, it will make me more comfortable,” Mr. Ade added.

“Hmmm! Okay, Abiola can stay here tonight, but please do not worry about sending the maid. I will help my wife with the chores,” Yemi said.

“Alright, if you say so,” Suliat’s mother said.

“Suliat, did you hear that? You and Abiola are spending the night here,” Mr. Ade said, but Suliat did not respond because she was busy playing with Abiola and didn’t even listen to what her parents had been saying.

“Since we have come to an agreement, I think I will be heading home now. My wife should already be back from the farm, and she will be looking for me,” Yemi said.

“No problem. Please send my regards to her. Abiola will be back tomorrow morning,” Mr Ade said.

“Abiola, be a good girl eh. See you tomorrow,” Yemi said before leaving.

Immediately Yemi walked of Mr Ade’s compound, he smiled and bursted into laughter. Yemi laughed because he believed that his mission had been accomplished. Unknown to him, his life and Abiola’s life were about to become miserable.

“Suliat, what are you waiting for? Take your friend to your room and show her around,” Suliat’s mother said. Immediately after Suliat heard that, she excitedly pulled Abiola’s hand and led her to her room.

“This is terrible. She has completely lost her senses. She didn’t even notice that I was here the whole time,” Suliat’s mother said in a concerned voice, ” what do you think that evil Yemi did to our daughter? She has never been so obsessed about anything or anyone like this, not even us,” Suliat’s mother said in a shaky voice.

“He knew what he did, that is why he had the effontry to bring his daughter here. Do not worry, I know what to do, and I will make his daughter suffer for it,” Mr Ade said.

“Please, my husband, whatever you do, I don’t want another child to die in this house. I don’t know how you want to do it, but there should be plenty of ways to punish him and his daughter,” Suliat’s mother said.

“Okay, I have heard you. Do not worry about Suliat; she will be fine before tomorrow morning,” Mr Ade said.

Later that evening, after Suliat had dinner with Abiola, the two girls went to bed very early. Before Suliat and Abiola went to bed, Mr. Ade had instructed his wife to get him one of Abiola’s clothes, and she did. Suliat’s mother insisted that the girls should have their bath before going to bed. Then she gave Abiola fresh pyjamas to wear, and she took her other clothes, claiming that she wanted to wash them for her.

Around 1 a.m, Mr Ade went into his secret room with one of Abiola’s clothes and did some diabolic things with it. While saying the incantations, Abiola woke up and screamed, then fell asleep again. As for Suliat, her father gave her something to drink before she went to bed, and by the time she was up the following morning, the love potion she had ingested was no longer potent.

“Abiola, what are you doing in my bed?” Suliat asked in shock when she woke up to see Abiola lying next to her.

“We came here together yesterday. You insisted that you wanted me to sleep at your house,” Abiola explained.

“Hmmm! I can’t really recall, but it’s fine. What do you want for breakfast so I can tell the maids to prepare it for you?” Suliat asked.

“I don’t want anything yet. I am not hungry,” Abiola said.

“Hmmm! Are you sure? So, how was your night? Did you sleep well?” Suliat asked.

“It was fine. Your house is really beautiful. I don’t even mind working as a maid here,” Abiola said.

“Ah! Abiola, don’t say that. You’re my friend; why would you think of working as a maid in my house?” Suliat said, ” Wait, did you hear that? I think that’s your father’s voice,” Suliat added.

“Yes, it is. Why is he here?” Abiola grumbled, and then she got out of bed.

“Abiola, are you sure you’re okay? You sound and seem different,” Suliat asked, but Abiola did not respond. Instead, she left the room to go and see her father.

“Abiola, how was your night?” Yemi asked with a broad smile, expecting that his daughter would smile back at him, but she didn’t.

“It was fine,” Abiola answered coldly.

“Didn’t you sleep well? You sound different,” Yemi said.

“I am fine. I slept well,” Abiola answered.

“Alright, go and change Into your clothes so we can go home. Your mother is waiting for you at home,” Yemi said.

“Hmmm! Papa, I don’t think I want to go home. I want to remain in Suliat’s house. In fact, I want to work as her maid. I have thought about it already, and that’s my decision,” Abiola said.

“What nonsense are you saying? You want to become Suliat’s maid? Not in this life. Now, go inside and change Into your clothes. We are going home,” Yemi raised his voice.

“Good morning, Yemi, what’s the matter? Why are you shouting? I heard your voice from my room,” Mr. Ade asked.

“It’s nothing. Abiola and I just had a little misunderstanding,” Yemi lied.

“Doesn’t she want to leave yet? If she doesn’t want to leave, she can stay with her friend for the rest of the week. I do not mind,” Mr. Ade said.

“Yes, I will stay here for the rest of the week with Suliat,” Abiola chipped in.

“Oh! The girl has even spoken for herself,” Mr Ade smiled.

“No, I cannot accept that. She is coming home with me this minute. This was not the agreement we had,” Yemi yelled, and he dragged his daughter. When Yemi dragged Abiola, he expected that Abiola would respect him and follow him, but she did not. Instead, she bit his hand and freed herself from his grip.

“Abiola, are you mad?” Yemi yelled at her.

“Ah! Yemi, do not use curse words in my house. If you and Abiola are not on the same page, you can take her outside and talk to her in private,” Mr Ade suggested.

“You, this stupid child, you will not disgrace me,” Yemi said as he dragged Abiola with more force out of the house.

“Abiola, what happened to you? Is this what we agreed on? What are you doing?” Yemi yelled at Abiola outside the house. The whole time, Yemi had not noticed that Abiola was somehow different. Almost everything had changed about her, including the way she talked.

Luckily for Yemi, he was able to take Abiola back home that day, but her life never remained the same. Aside from Abiola being sane, there was almost no difference between her and an imbecile. It was almost like her stupidity level had increased and she began to fumble at things she was initially good at.

Abiola struggled with even the simplest tasks, such as cooking or sweeping. She didn’t even know how to hold a broom anymore, and sometimes, she would talk to herself and laugh. By the time Yemi went to an herbalist and found out that Mr. Ade had taken his daughter’s glory, it was already too late.

“Baba, is there nothing you can do to reverse this? Abiola is my only daughter; I cannot bear to see her live like this. Please help me,” Yemi begged.

“Yemi, you are like a son to me, and I will not lie to you. There is absolutely nothing we can do in Abiola’s case. Do not forget that you were the first to strike the man’s daughter; he did this in return. If the man had not retaliated, it would have been entirely different,” the herbalist said.

When Yemi learned that the herbalist could not help him because everything that happened to his daughter was retaliation for what he had done to Mr Ade’s daughter, he was very heartbroken. In fact, he even tried to visit different herbalists, but they all told him the same thing.

The worst part was that while Abiola remained useless to herself and her family, Mr Ade continued to use her glory to make more money for himself and his family. Also, after Yemi left with Abiola that day, Suliat and Abiola stopped being friends, and they never saw each other again. So, in the end, Yemi’s greed and wickedness cost him his daughter’s glory and sanity.

Unfortunately for Abiola, she remained like that until her old age, and she never married because no man wanted to marry a woman like her.

The end

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