The Baptism of Fire - A compendium of short stories

Natasha Omokhidion in her book, No be from Hia said, "we are natural storytellers." I am an advocate of people writing their stories, no matter how it started, how sweet the middle was, or how sorrowful the ending became, write your story! Not only does it encourage the younger generation to act better from the mistakes of people who have gone before them, it further helps in shaping our world for the better.

When the lizard falls down but lands safely, he then raises his head high, bouncing, he does that to pass a message that he has not hurt himself - meaning if no one praises you, don't forget to do it for yourself, the time has come that we should not wait for the approval of men before we take some certain steps which will lead to where no one knows but only you.

OF BEING BRAVE

There comes a certain time when I was growing up, I was bedeviled with an issue of peer pressure ranging from being lured to do some small grade smoking of cigarette, and other social vice like staying out late, clubbing and harassing other peers, all these did not freak me out than this act of luring me with coercion into cultism.

Here is my story. 

It happens that, I have this childhood friend, or so to say Church friend, whom, while growing went to a boarding school, while I attended a day (8-4) school, each holidays makes us see one another, exchange pleasantries and we all share the beauty part of our experience in the respective schools we attend. Weeks over weeks, years abound, and we graduated from school, waiting for admission into Tertiary school, and you know the waiting period will be on many fronts, sometimes characterized with being idle, at another with getting yourself engaged, and most times it is of visiting colleagues and all that, mine was intertwined, I did all. I and this certain friend, became so close due to the relationship our both parents had, as members of the same club/unit in church.

Before I knew it, I started knowing another of his friends, the issues about friendship at that tender age is that you don't get to know who is who, neither will you be suspecting of a friend whom you knew his families and attend the same church. We started going out togethr, they come to my house, and we take a walk out, in a bid to walk them after a visit, weeks pass week, month passes month, I noticed a sudden change in our conversation, and it began by the issues of girls, later to becoming a big boy, later on to the point of showing me an exhibit material, a fighting short axe and a fighting rusted curled ring. 

At first, I wasn't moved, owing to my bravery in fighting and daring the unknown, but later on, the topic started improving to "won't you consider becoming a 'Big Boy' I was asked, I answer in the African way, what do you mean a big boy? Then the many explanations erupt, little did I know that those periods are moments calling for a new initiation of new members of the fraternity group they belong to, and I guess it is like a networking business, where a leader have foot soldiers, who grow in the hierarchy with the number of new and potential investors his foot soldiers could bring. 

There was a "Sharp"(real codename withheld), the leader of the ring, whom I was made to meet, and it grows from there, all this while, I never told my Mum of the happenings, I just played along, and you know you get pleased with the narrative to becoming a big boy, to evade bullying which was common at that time. 

Also Read: The Making of a Flint

Fast forward, the initiation day was fast approaching, I was introduced to the color of the fraternity, through wrist band, beret, symbols and body signs, like how to greet, slangs to use, and what is commonly referred to as orientation {OT}. I was all involved, and being a brilliant student, I grasped all the whole thing in a speedy manner, remember, no matter what you do, with a stint of education it will always come with class and difference, the major leaders of the Fraternity were already involved with me, only God knows why?

There came an issue, which almost cause a scene in the streets, as rival groups, who got the wind of my proposed initiation, protested my joining, they went as far as telling the leaders of my friend's group that if they initiate me, it will cause a bloodbath, and many will be sorry of the decision to proceed on my initiation. I believe it was due to the fact that, I was a socialize personality with small pockets to finance the view, while I encourage children to go to school in the community, respectful to elders and support the elderly in their activities, it is not gain saying, I was well brought up.

Here comes the D-day!

I was told to come to a certain location by 6:00pm on that very faithful Saturday, after being processed with information and how to behave on the day of initiation, it wasn't called an initiation, I was told we are going to a party that night, then as God and my fate will have it, on Friday, a day preceding the initiation day, I went for a vigil, where I dance my ass out, I am a petty social dancer, so I was exhausted, on getting home, I slept like a baby. 

When I woke up, at about 8AM, I did not taste food, drink water neither did I greet anyone, I just went into my dad's bedroom, there I continued my sleep - a sleep I still today believed was a hand of God, because it was a Jonah like experience, I was unconscious. I later woke up that day at about 8PM.!!

When I stepped out, I was greeted with; some people have been coming to ask of you, strange faces as they could not describe them as a friend or a company of associates. I became skeptical of who this people could be. Shortly, I became conscious of events, I noticed the environment was a bit quiet unlike what it used to be, then I remembered the day was a special day, a day I was to attend a special party with like minds. 

Aftermath, I began to join the lines together, the people coming to ask of me were sent to create an alibi, so that if I was to be at the initiation ground, upon my return home, I will have been bruised, beaten to condemnation, cut with strange instruments, and on rare occasion possibly be unalive, as it is the usual experience. These things usually occur when a new member passed the 'Devil Passage' - it is as deadly as the name implies.

I dodged a bullet!!!

POST INITIATION NIGHT

On Sunday evening, I heard a knock on the door, who is there? my sister responded, I have a visitor, I came out, where is the visitor? I saw my friend, and some other people at the end of the road, and he requested if we could take a walk down, which I agreed to, this moments was around 8PM, has God and fate would have it there was a new moon, with its full glory, so everywhere was bright, as we got to a point while I was circled, I asked where are we going? he just said, let's go, follow us, I stopped when I saw people around, asked again, where are we going? they said, lets proceed, at that point I became violent, before I could say Jack, one guy initiated a slang, "shey, make I burst this ITJ" - I smiled, this person speaking was my Junior for over 3 classes apart in secondary school, I looked at him, and asked him, you go burst me?, while beating my chest, 'you wan burst me'? He said, Yes, I go enter you, you dey muah! answering in the affirmative!

At that point, I throw caution in the wind, and told my friend; "When you are smart by half, half will outsmart you." And I tried leaving their circle, I was heavily resisted, dragged, but of being brave, I resisted all the shenanigans. At that point we are having the gbas gbos{the back and forth} I started raising my voice, to invite sympathizers, but in a bid not to draw the attention of residents around, one of them just shouted, 25, which means silence, and ordered, 'Leg' fly safe. I left on one way, they proceeded through the other, in a scattered mode, common of birds in classes. 

Also Read: The Road That Leads Home

When I got home, after some moments, I told my mum, I need to see her privately, a listener and shield of a nature in her to her children, approved of it, and while everyone was sleeping, we spoke at length, and narrated my ordeal with my friend and his gangs of cultist. The rest they say is a story!

Photo: A SpaceX launching into space. Source: Twitter

THE AFTERMATH

My mum prayed for me, reported my friend to the church, his parents and his parents to their extended family of their son and grandson outwardness. Weeks passed week, months gone by, I got admission, to study Architecture, on my Matriculation day, I saw this my friend again, and he was wowed, asking where have I being, that they have been looking for me, to kill or wounded with one of my legs taken out, I smiled, and I told him have been around, the farmer cannot run from the rodents, that was my bold reply. He smiled, and said, it is all gone now, that I behave like a coward in those times, I don't know his reasons for this statement, maybe to further lure me, but I respond in admittance, of maybe I am or not a coward, we dispersed. He continued with the fraternity thing in school, I later became an ardent church goer with a touch of regards for the 'world'.

* With this scenario, I told myself, I won't allow my children attend a boarding school in the nearest future, these guys became cultist at a tender age while in boarding school facility, they were taken out secretly from school for initiation, with the help of some staffs in that school.

I write this story today, so I won't be in the shadows of my humiliations and guilt, this scenario was a Baptism of Fire! - I came out more stronger, bold, and courageou to sail any waters. A memory that will go with me till child bearing and 6feets.

I hope this was a short story as it should be, I planned to write more short events, but in the creative world, you just follow the flow, not minding your initial title limitations.