Am so sorry the 4th episode is late. I usually post the story on Thursday mornings but couldn't post it last week cos I traveled out of town on vacation. Thank you all for the emails requesting the new episode. Continue below as you read another episode of 'The 28th House'by T-Ralph Olaniyi
Episode 4 - Now, I believe
The following day, George called some electricians and carpenters to check on the lights and doors respectively. After hours of futile checking, they came back with the same response, "Boss, there is nothing wrong sir." However, they demanded they receive payments for their time. Moreover, it was a Sunday so they requested for a higher pay than normal. George refuted at first but later obliged.
Sade was making lunch when George decided to enjoy his wife's company in the kitchen. George had just finished some work on his laptop, so, he decided to relax with conversation with his wife. George came close as he gave his wife a peck on her cheek. Sade thought it was a good time to discuss the strange occurrences because the kids were busy with television. Sade said, "I think we should take these nightmares and things the children see seriously. I feel uneasy about them. I suggest we invite a pastor to pray for us or we attend church at least." George was infuriated because that was not the type of conversation he had hoped to relax with. George replied, "Why are you reasoning this way? Do you also believe in things like that? There is nothing strange about nightmares. These nightmares are all figments of their imagination probably from the movies and television shows they had seen." Then, Sade replied, "What about when they were not asleep and they saw these terrifying things?" George turned his head down as he said, "What do you expect? They are children who possibly can not differentiate between dreams and real life." Sarah was eavesdropping on their conversation from behind the kitchen door. Sade was tired of George's adamant attitude and she made this remark, "Why exactly can't you admit that these occurrences are not normal? Or, is it just self-denial just so you would not have to attend a church?" George was really annoyed at that statement as he left the kitchen saying, "I have important work to do." As George walked out of the kitchen, he saw Sarah at the door. He chose to ignore Sarah despite the fact that he knew that she must have been hearing them all along. Sade suspected Sarah had been eavesdropping. So, as Sarah walked in to meet her mum in the kitchen, Sade quickly brought up another conversation so as not to scare Sarah.
A few days later, Sade saw the church pamphlet that Mrs Uche gave to her the other weekend during the dinner. Her eyes went straight to the church's address on the leaflet and she thought to herself, "I have to attend their Bible study meeting this week." She decided not to let her husband know about it because she knew he would be very displeased. On Tuesday that week, before her husband returned from work, she drove off to the church. She came late so she had to sit at the second to the last row. Midway into the service, Sade had an inward rest. It was a kind of feeling she had not felt in a long time. All of her mind was at peace. It was as if all her cares and worries had disappeared. She could not explain it but she knew the feeling was real beyond her doubts and emotions. The teacher taught on Matthew 11:28 saying "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." She could not wait till the end of the service because she had to be home early before George arrived. Mrs Uche, as an usher, had seen Sade enter the church late. She was surprised to see Sade leave early. Mrs Uche thought to herself, "I will give her a call after service."
As Sade drove home, she met Julie, the lady that helped her home when she could not find her way. It had been long they had last spoken. Sade gave Julie a lift home since Julie lived in the next street. Immediately Julie came onboard, she remembered she had something in mind to discuss with Sade so she quickly talked about it before she forgot again. Julie started by confirming if Sade and her family lived in the 28th house by asking, "I hope you do not live in the 14th house on the left in the 8th street, do you?" Sade replied, "Yes, we do. What is wrong with it?" Julie was shocked as she spoke in a shaking voice, "Everything is wrong with the house." Sade tried to be calm as she asked Julie in a stuttering voice, "Would you please explain what you know to me?"
Julie explained by telling a summarized story of the history of the house, its first owner and those that lived there. She said, "In that street, there was once a rich man who built a house.
Nobody knew where he came from; he sneaked in and out like a mouse. Some weeks later, the neighbours noticed that they were no longer hearing the sound of his car passing the street. A few days after, three white vehicles parked beside his house, men dressed in occult clothes coloured white and red alighted and entered his house. As fate would have it, all the neighbours saw when the men carried the dead rich man and two other dead children out of the house into the one of the white vehicles they had brought. As days went by, rumour has it that the rich man had done blood money rituals with those children. But rumours will always rumours until they are confirmed true. We heard the house was for sale and a young family came to buy it. They did not spend more than a month before they left. Rumour has it that the house is haunted by a monster and two ghosts. Another family bought the house and they spent three months before they left, probably due to the same reasons. Now, it is your family's turn and neighbours are wondering how long you will stay before you leave too."Sade was so shocked at the story that she could not drive again. She parked beside the road as her mouth was wide open in astonishment. She tried to calm herself from within before she drove again. Julie knew Sade was not the same again. She felt sorry for Sade at her reaction to the story and at the same time, she felt relieved for telling the story as a warning for the family.
That evening, Sade could not tell George about the story she heard from Julie because she knew George would not believe her. All she wished for was that these strange occurrences stopped at once. After dinner and some television time, the children went to their rooms. George was still busy with some auditing while Sade was knitting a stylish cardigan for Ronke. And suddenly, John screamed again. As usual, he had seen a grizzly figure come out of the cupboard walking towards him. But this time, Ronke, Iyanu and Sarah were also in John's room. Sarah was helping them with their assignments. By the time George and Sade got to John's room, they met their kids shaking for fear as they gathered in one corner of the room. Sarah was the only one bold enough to point to the cupboard. And as usual, George attempted to open the cupboard to show his children that it was empty, the same grizzly figure appeared from the cupboard and George fell to the ground. Sade ran towards the kids to protect them as she open wide her arms and stood in front of them. George crawled backwards as the grizzly headless figure approached him. Everyone was terrified to their bones. Fear filled the whole room and they shook. In a situation that seemed as if there was no glimpse of hope, Sade remembered the Bible study for that day. She managed to say a few words, "God, please help us in Jesus Name." Suddenly, the grizzly figure ran back into the cupboard. George managed to catch his breathe as he said "Now, I believe."
That night, they all slept together in the same room because they were afraid. Sade called George into the kitchen as she told him the history of the house Julie told her. George could no longer deny the fact anymore that the occurrences were somewhat supernatural because he had seen it himself.
(Stay tuned for the next episode)
Credit: T-Ralph Olaniyi www.teachingoftheword.com