Gods of the earth - chapters 11 &12

Chapter 11

Joy didn’t like the church…it wasn’t like the one she was used to, where the pastor cracked jokes and there was a lot of music and choreography and drama…everyone had an opportunity to exercise their gift depending on which activity group you joined; but this church was oh so boring!

But she knew she had to remain, after all she was being paid to be a member of the choir, and quite a sum of money at that.

All she had to do was to report back to Mr Akande every Sunday evening about the activities of the church, especially of Wunmi and Mary the main worship leaders.

She had been curious as to why she had to monitor those two ladies in particular, but knew enough to know that there was something big at stake.

Mr Akande had recruited her along with three others from his office…they were used to running different kinds of errands for him…mostly ‘spiritual’ errands…they were what you would call witches.

She remembered the party Mr Akande had organised for his  core staff and they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves…but the next night she found herself in a ‘meeting’ in a dream that was so real, she still remembered every detail of it…that was where she had been informed that she was now a witch…she and others had eaten something which had covenanted them.

At first she had been terrified and wanted to tell her parents, but every time she tried, there was a strange monkey like creature that sort of ‘lived’ in her that would begin to suffocate her…he had introduced himself to her at the ‘meeting’ and told her he had taken up residence in her permanently to ensure she didn’t tattle under pain of death.

She had tried to call his bluff and had nearly died…so she never tried it again.

But that was like three years ago…she had gotten used to the ‘meetings’ now and things weren’t so bad after all…for instance, Mr Akande saw to it that they never ran out of money…in fact, they didn’t even live off their salary…that was mere extra savings for them now.

Everything about them was taken care of…their accommodation was top class…they even had their own cars…so life was good as long as they did their bit.

Through the years they had received promotion based on merit…on trust…and now Joy had been given abilities…they had told her that the Familiar that lived in her could help her do certain things such as transporting her spirit in the night to go and spy on those she had been assigned to…among other things.

Sometimes when she got angry, she found she could express her anger externally by just thinking about it…she could move chairs and other objects violently with her mind…but then she found out that it was really the Familiar doing it…he simply projected out his power through her mind.

All in all she had no regrets about being a witch…so Mr Akande would be delighted about what she had found out recently…she hoped she would get gifts from him…he liked her more than the other witches in his office…at least she thought so; or why else would he prefer to sleep with her so often?

She turned her head to look in Wunmi’s direction…she was whispering to her cousin Mary. Joy closed her eyes and listened to them with her mind…quickly the Familiar made the connection and she was able to hear what they were whispering about.

“As I laid my hands on him I could feel the heat transfer from my hands to his body and gradually his twitching subsided and he fell into a deep sleep,” said Wunmi.

“Thank you Jesus! That was definitely the gifts of healing in operation!” said Mary joyfully.

“Sometimes I feel that everything I get from God comes at a price,” said Wunmi.

“How do you mean?”

“Well it’s like, something bad happens then God uses me to fix it,” responded Wunmi.

“Well I suppose that is the meaning of bible verses such as I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me; and let the weak say I am strong,” answered Mary.

“Yeah”

Pastor Adewusi opened his bible right after the announcements were over…

“This morning I woke up with a strong sense of urgency in my spirit. We don’t have much time left. I know we keep hearing it over and over again that Christ will return anytime  from now…and we are beginning to sound like a broken record but the truth is that there is really nothing left preventing him from returning for his church today.”

“So today, I just want to show you a few things from the scriptures that will prepare you for the Rapture. All through the scriptures of the New Testament, there is reference continually being made towards being worthy. To be worthy of something means to have proved yourself fit or qualified for it and I will show you from scripture that it takes a whole lot more than just being born again to enter into God’s Kingdom.”

“Here are a few scriptural references and they will be projected for you to copy after the Service.”

1Thess 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 

2Thess 1:4-5 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:  
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

2TH 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

These scriptures point to the fact that God requires our conduct in life to be such that it can be befitting for Him to value and praise.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:20, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees were extremely self-righteous…they didn’t commit adultery or fornication…they followed the Ten Commandments religiously, they obeyed the letter of the Law, but strangely I see all around me that born again Christians who are supposed to be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus cannot even compete with the righteousness of the Pharisees, let alone surpass it,” said Pastor Adewusi.

Joy yawned and turned to look for Nike…she was already dozing…Nike always dozed in church!

Pastor Adewusi was bringing the Service to a close when he felt himself breaking into sweat in the cool atmosphere of the church, but what bothered him the most was the strange weakness and dizziness he began to feel…his words were slurring as he called for Offering Time.

That was all Pastor Adewusi knew till he found himself falling in slow motion and heard people running around and shouting…he saw his wife suddenly appear by his side along with several other people before he finally passed out.

In the commotion a middle aged man stood up unnoticed and walked out of the church auditorium…he wasn’t alone…the commotion was a signal for Joy and Nike to leave as well, for something was about to happen.

Mr Akande walked briskly to his car and drove off. His secret instructions from their leader – Mr Oduyela was to ‘smite the shepherd and so cause the sheep to scatter’. It was the beginning of a build-up of lack of faith in the ability of their pastor to protect them.

The Familiar held on for dear life as Pastor Adewusi’s body went rigid and he began foaming at the mouth.

Joy watched the church members begin to panic…she could see their prayers were from fear not from faith…they were all panicking about what had happened to their pastor. Some had had the presence of mind to take him off the stage and into the vestry.

She was mildly amused as she turned to look for Nike in the pandemonium and winked at her.

They had been taught at their ‘meetings’ that Christians were basically cowards who could not stand pain or persecution; that they were very fearful people and she had come to find that it was true. It was really very easy to intimidate a Christian.

How different from the bible kind of Christians she had been told stories about as a child.
Joy and Nike left the church quickly, the pastor may possibly die and they didn’t want to be near the vicinity when it happened.

The pastor had been deceived into accepting a spiritual attack in the name of stress…all the symptoms of stress had been present and at the instant Pastor Adewusi had admitted to himself that the way he was feeling was caused by stress, he had given the Familiar an inroad into his body.

Joy and Nike watched as his wife and other pastors drove him off to the hospital before getting into their cars and driving off…if he died, the activities of the church would be severely curtailed…but more importantly; Wunmi and Mary would be on their own without his ‘protection’…it would make them more vulnerable to attacks…it was only a matter of time before they weakened sufficiently enough to be compromised…Mr Akande’s plan had been sheer genius!

Chapter 12

Mary tried to reach her husband on the phone but it was switched off.

“Try my husband too,” said Wunmi as she stepped on the accelerator. She wasn’t sure what hospital they were taking the pastor to, so she meant to keep the car in sight.

“What do I say to him?” asked Mary.

“That our pastor collapsed and we are following the car to the hospital to see if we can be of assistance. He will understand; he knows how he came about his healing.”

“Okay”, said Mary and made the call.

“I still didn’t like leaving the children with the music director and his wife, but it seemed like the best choice in an emergency,” Wunmi said, as she caught sight of the speeding car turning at a junction.

“Yeah me too, don’t you know anything about them?” asked Mary questioningly.

“Nope, nothing more than you do” said Wunmi; the speeding car in front of them finally turned into a large compound…the large signboard read: Welcome to MercyLand Hospitals.

As they drove in, Mary linked her hands with Wunmi’s…

“Has the Holy Spirit said anything yet?” she asked.

Wunmi knew exactly what she meant…did she feel any heat like she did with her husband?

“No. I will have to trust him on this one, pray with me,” she said after parking the car.

The hospital was clean and quiet, but as soon as they brought in Pastor Adewusi, it suddenly burst into life.

Wunmi watched as Mrs Adewusi, the assistant pastor and other elders of the church surrounded the still unconscious pastor, holding hands and praying till they nurses came in with the stretcher to wheel him away.

“If you don’t go now, you may never be able to get through to him again,” whispered Mary.

“But I don’t feel the heat; shouldn’t I wait till the Holy Spirit manifests the heat in my hands?”

“No I don’t think so; I think this is a faith thing. Just because you felt the heat the first time does not mean you will always feel the heat. He said you shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover, he didn’t say you shall feel the heat and then lay hands on them,”

“Thanks for that Mary, you are right,” replied Wunmi, suddenly bolting after the hurrying nurses.

“No wait Wunmi, they won’t allow you in there, what are you doing?” shouted Mrs Adewusi, but Wunmi was already gone.

 Two nurses blocked her way…she made as if to turn round but as soon as they relaxed she ran through following the nurses wheeling the pastor.

Once she got close enough she laid hands on her pastor…

“I rebuke you spirit of death in Jesus Name!” she shouted out much to her surprise.

She had meant to say “You are healed in Jesus Name”, but her tongue twisted as she was about to speak and other words came out.

Pastor Adewusi sat up spluttering as though he was choking on something.

The nurses stopped suddenly and one of them began thumping him on the back, staring at Wunmi in surprise.

The other nurses who had tried to prevent Wunmi from entering the private area suddenly showed up with a couple of security guards, but by then Pastor Adewusi was already on his feet.

Wunmi escorted him back to the reception area along with at least seven nurses who still looked pretty shocked, talking all at once among themselves.

Mrs Adewusi saw them coming and began jumping up and down, praising God till her head tie fell off…not that she cared.

The nurses quietly gathered around Wunmi, kneeling down and asking for prayers.

“It was the Holy Spirit, not me,” she said in dismay.

“Yes but pray for us to have the Holy Spirit too,” they said.

Wunmi looked at her pastor, wishing he would take over but he simply nodded his head in encouragement.

“Thank you Wunmi,” he said later just before he left the hospital with his entourage.

The Familiar spirit had felt a terrific blow in his midsection that careened him out of the building…he was still soaring as the pastor left the church…he watched them leave with a grimace of pain on his face…he had failed and there would be consequences…severe repercussions.

He was very low in the Hierarchy on earth…but this had been an important job…a job that could have gotten him a promotion…now he would get some sort of punishment…especially if their Prince got to know. He had heard that the Prince over his territory was a really bad one called Janut!

Kola was terrified…he didn’t want to remain at home alone so he went to the nearest fast food joint…the Translucent Man wouldn’t bother him in public…he would wait here until his wife arrived. She had called already to say she was on her way back from the hospital, but had to pick up their children first.

Suddenly his ambition to develop cutting edge software had died…his craving for knowledge promised by the Translucent Man had disappeared…now he loathed the microchips that were in his body…they made him feel less than a human being.

It was as if his eyes had suddenly opened and he found himself in chains.

While he was in hospital, he had seen the Translucent Man in another form entirely…he had looked horrible with his burnt and scarred, huge broken wings…he had told him his real name was Janut and that he would certainly not survive the night…he had not been alone…there were at least three others with him, though they didn’t have wings…they all leered and laughed at him.

Then he had seen a white light from afar that came closer and as it approached it became brighter.

 Janut couldn’t seem to be able to stand it and began shrieking in pain or anger…Kola wasn’t sure…but they all fled as the Light finally arrived. A huge hand held him firmly as the Light permeated his entire body which appeared to be transparent…then it had disappeared and he had woken up to see his wife with her hand on his chest.

The white light had come because of her! He could have died if she hadn’t come…he realized that now…and she had come probably because the Holy Spirit had asked her to come.

He was familiar with the story of the great battle with Lucifer…but as the years passed, it had also eroded its memory…the Holy Spirit had come to his rescue…maybe he wouldn’t get another chance to repent…that was why he had to do it now…what he was afraid of was that he had already legally allowed Janut to enter his body and life…he had taken something from Janut and hadn’t given him back anything in exchange yet…how could God set him free from that in all fairness?

He had tried calling Muyiwa several times to tell him of his experience but his phone had been switched off.

He would have to confess everything to Wunmi…she was the only one who could help him now…she and the Holy Spirit!

Gods of the Earth - Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 9

The Translucent Man

“The world is changing as planned, and we must change with it. Gone are the days when they believed in witches and wizards. Today the age of Science is reaching its peak. They do not believe in angels and demons anymore, so we will give them something to believe in. We will give them aliens from other worlds,” said the Lord of Darkness.

“They would have to have flesh, for did one of them not say; “Except I see I will not believe?” said Janut. He was one of the new progressive Princes appointed over the Black Territories that seemed to keep extending. 

They had all roared with laughter at the joke. Janut smiled at the memory of the last Council of War they had had just before the great battle that had almost been won…he brushed the memory away from before his eyes with his hand…if not for that girl who had given up her life! His eyes smouldered with hatred for the girl…were it not for her; the world would be at their feet by now…the Divine Agenda would have had to be extended by several Ages at least, affording them endless freedom.

“Janut! Stay…hide yourself until the appropriate time, I will send word later. Find out if both girls still live, and if not…kill them…kill everyone connected with them. But before you do, see that you beget a child through the very girl that is responsible for this, if she is still alive. Let the days of Noah return faster than planned by the Divine Agenda…let giants be born…it is our only chance now to extend our freedom. Hide yourself till everything is forgotten,” Lucifer had said as he faded out of the Earth Realm in great pain, following his defeat at the great battle.

That was six Earth years ago, but it was barely a few moments in the memory of a fallen angel…he recalled his last seen memory of the girl and watched her for a while, then batted away the memory with distaste.

Janut had fashioned out a body for himself that looked like pictures of aliens that covered their newspapers. He had needed lots of blood and had found it in wars his colleagues had fomented. With arts unknown to mortals he had then been able to fashion out a body that he could live in…a body that could appear and disappear at will…it was an ancient art that Lucifer had taught them at the dawn of time when mortals had just begun their lives. 

At first it was a simple experiment to recreate the Majesty’s creations, but that had failed…they did not have the required Eternal Life to accomplish it…but their Lord had come up with the idea of ‘Secondary Creations’…they could use the life already created and fashion another life out of it, using their own spirit bodies to animate it…that had worked! They had long since gone on to perfect their art, knowing it would be of tremendous use in the future of Earth Realm.

She was married now…Janut had been there…he kept surveillance over her all the time, for she was the one that had been named Enemy of Darkness by the Majesty on High…she was the one that had ‘taken out’ their Lord.

He had hastened time and caused the deaths of her husband’s parents so he could step into his inheritance quickly…he would use his interest in the world’s final technology to get to him and then to his wife. It was only fitting that the mortal who had ‘taken out’ his Lord should be the one to usher in the return of the Nephilim.

He had even hastened their technology by giving him a little of what was to come…the microchip that would enslave the whole world would initially be used for mundane things…to pay for purchased items. It was the technology of the Antichrist, but it was so much more than using it to pay bills and keep identification records.

She was proving to be quite powerful, but it was only because she was protected somehow by the Spirit Himself. That was why he had approached her sister…between the two of them; he could easily identify the weaker one. After all, it didn’t really matter which of the two became the mother of the Nephilim, as long as one of them did…Janut chuckled to himself as he watched their pastor and the girl walk into the house.

They would find her husband on the floor…all the prayers in the world would not wake him up…he was in need of urgent medical attention…Janut had forced him to drink some poisonous chemicals!

If he died as Janut hoped, it would make the girl more vulnerable still…her spirit would be weakened…possibly broken…then at an opportune time he would enter her forcibly…he would possess the body of her brother in law and use him to do the deed….wouldn’t the Lord of Darkness be pleased with his ingenuity? He smiled, pleased with himself.

Mr Odugbemi watched the Elders unnoticed from under his eyelids…they all looked thin and gaunt except for Oduyela…he had been in prison too, so how come he looked so robust and chubby?

“By now it is very clear that they are under the protection of the Majesty on high, so we cannot kidnap her or even use spiritual power on her. She was not named Enemy of Darkness by the Lord of Light for nothing.” Oduyela paused and looked around him, hoping for suggestions…but no one spoke up...he was their leader and should be the one to make the first suggestions.

“Very well then, we will follow the way of Balaam. We must find a way to make her compromise and in that brief period when she is in sin, she will be without protection…we must be ready to strike then. Akande, I believe you have done a few things while the rest of us were in prison?”

“Yes sir. The church and both girls are under surveillance. There are ten of my people who have been attending that church regularly for the past three years. Four of them are in the choir to keep an eye on both girls,” replied Akande.

“That is not enough, we need concrete information as to what goes on in their homes and work place,” said Oduyela with a frown on his face.

“Perhaps I can be of help here,” offered Mr Odugbemi; “My son now owns a software Company similar to that of the girl’s husband. The husband is none other than the late Adeleke’s son Kola.”

There were loud exclamations from the elders as they expressed their surprise.

“Okay this is progress and thank you for that information Odugbemi,” said Oduyela.

“It means we can send him a Familiar legally through his late father’s covenant with us,” said Prince Adebajo, eager to make an impression as a new elder.

Prince Adebajo came from an ancient royal family steeped in traditional ways and spiritual beliefs…he had been nominated as an elder, but the other elders were of the opinion that he should go through the same stages that they all had to go through…it had been Oduyela who nominated him and pushed hima forward based on his already advanced spiritual arts and skills…when the other elders had seen what he could do, everyone had fallen silent.

“Yes, I shall leave that to you Adebajo,” said Oduyela, rising to his feet to indicate that the meeting was over.

“Are you his wife?” asked the doctor as they raced beside the stretcher to the emergency room. Wunmi nodded her head, unable to speak.

“Please if you know how to pray please pray now!” said the doctor as he closed the door of the emergency room behind him.

Pastor Adewusi ran up towards Wunmi as they had not allowed him beyond the reception area…

“He will be fine Wunmi,” he said…the words came out automatically…it was what people in trouble were always told…that things would be fine…he knew he hadn’t spoken out of faith, he just didn’t know how to reassure her…he didn’t even know if God wanted her to be reassured…he could tell that Wunmi was quite shaken…she seemed to be in some kind of daze.

“Let us find somewhere to pray,” said Pastor Adewusi at length. He put his arm around her shoulder and gently led her out of the hospital. All eyes turned to stare at them…it was the way of the world…they stared in fascination but did not venture to offer a word of comfort…they would then talk about it and even sympathize behind their backs…from afar... when they were gone…the love of men had long since waxed cold…

Chapter 10

Mary had sent text after text to Wunmi but she had not responded…Muyiwa tried to rape her that morning; it was the reason why she hadn’t been able to come for Service! She had run out of the house and was now in a hotel far away from home.

Mary decided to risk calling Wunmi even though they had agreed to only text each other…perhaps Wunmi was also in trouble…perhaps that was why she hadn’t responded to any of her messages.

“Mary we are in hospital, my husband is fighting for his life…apparently he tried to commit suicide and drank some insecticide. Pastor Adewusi is here with me,” said Wunmi, picking up the call instantly.

“In the name of Jesus I rebuke you spirit of death!” shouted Mary into the phone and instantly let loose a torrent in other tongues as she cut the line.

Wunmi started praying half-heartedly…she looked at Pastor Adewusi praying calmly and quietly as he paced up and down in the scanty car park…

Pray with a sense of urgency or he will die!

Wunmi galvanized herself into action, feeling like she had just been released from a huge catapult…she blazed away in tongues, strolling towards the entrance of the hospital where the security guards stared at her in amazement…Pastor Adewusi followed behind at a respectable distance.

Then words began to be dictated to Wunmi…at least that was how she perceived them as she prayed in other tongues. It seemed like she was receiving the interpretation of her tongues…she prayed for a while then began to interpret her own words…

Because I tread upon serpents and scorpions, nothing shall by no means harm you husband!

If you drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt you, because you are yoked to me; for what God has joined together none may put asunder!

That was when Wunmi realized that something was going on in her fingers…they had begun to tingle…they were suddenly becoming hot…she placed one palm over the other and the heat instantly became almost palpable.

I’ve been given the gifts of Healing!

Without a second glance at Pastor Adewusi, Wunmi rushed back into the hospital. She neatly dodged the two nurses who tried to stop her as she rushed round the corridor towards the emergency room.

The doctor was furious as she pushed him aside and headed for her husband who was twitching and breathing heavily, soaked in sweat.

She laid hands on him and waited…she could feel the heat leaving her hands and transferring to his body…a few minutes later his breathing had calmed down…

“I’m so sorry I pushed you doctor,” began Wunmi when her husband had dozed off.

The doctor and the nurses still gaped in shock at what they had just witnessed.

“What did you just do?” whispered the doctor, pushing back his glasses as they began to slide off his nose.

“Me? Nothing, it was the Holy Spirit at work sir,” she said as she walked out of the door.

Pastor Adewusi stood up instantly and strode towards her…she was smiling brightly.

“What happened?”

“He is healed, but asleep. I will come and pick him up later,” replied Wunmi.

As they drove off she called Mary…

“You can stop praying now dear, I will tell you what happened later,” she said.

“Wunmi, I am no longer at home. I’m at the Paragon Hotel,” said Mary.

“What! Why?” asked Wunmi worriedly.

“This morning my husband tried to rape me. I could see that his eyes were somewhat glazed over. He locked the bedroom door and then forced me on the bed. I bit him and while he was screaming I ran out of the room, picked up my daughter and my ATMs and left.”

“I will come over as soon as possible okay?” said Wunmi.

“I guess Mary is also in some kind of trouble?” asked the pastor as he eased the car into the heavy traffic. 

“Where is she?” asked the pastor.

Janut raged as he watched them drive away …his plans had once again been thwarted. He watched Kola with malevolent eyes for a few moments before he vanished.

Ade knew that he had to make up for lost time…he would certainly enjoy himself, but more importantly he had to rebrand himself…he had seriously been thinking of changing his name, but he knew how his dad would feel about it…he would put it on hold for now, until he had established himself firmly in society again…what he needed now were friends and connections…stooges and puppets.

Yet he knew he couldn’t come out publicly yet…the paparazzi would tear him to pieces concerning his recent incarceration. 

He had some catching up to do…he would read up on all the ‘who is who’ especially in his new field…he also had to employ some guru to take him through a crash course and bring him up to speed on this new technology. He pressed the intercom on his table and Toun appeared almost immediately.

“Look for a competent Bio-tech Software Company that specializes in training, I want three profiles within the hour” ordered Ade.

“Yes sir,” said Toun with downcast eyes as she curtsied and left the office.

There was still one more thing left for him to do…his Familiars had not left him…they would not leave until his death…he needed a favour from them and he needed a sacrifice for that purpose… 

They could easily tell him who his competition is or would be and how to get rid of them…thankfully he didn’t need a human sacrifice…that was reserved for material favours…this was mere advice…he could easily purchase a small animal.

It was time to initiate Toun…he would need an assistant…so far she had merely satisfied his sexual desires…that was a necessary step in possessing her Will spiritually…now she would become his slave indeed…she would find someone to use for his Money Ritual when the time was right.

Prince Adebajo completed his incantations and poured the blood upon the idol in his shrine. He was an immensely wealthy man who had gotten his wealth through spiritual means as did everyone in the cult, except that he had gotten his wealth before he joined the cult.

He rubbed the ointment on  his eyes that would allow him to see the Familiar spirit he was sending to Kola Adeleke.

“I want to know everything he does and everyone he speaks to. Find out about what he does in his company and who his friends are. Above all find out what his relationship is like with his wife,” said Adebajo in an ancient Yoruba dialect.

The spirit waited patiently for him to finish then vanished…he would be back in three days…that was the usual time span they were accustomed to working with…three days…

Adebajo’s father had not been fortunate to be next in line for kingship…it had fallen to another royal household. He had hoped that his son would be next in line for the throne when it came round again, but he saw now that it was impossible. 

That was why he had prevailed on Oduyela’s father to get his son Prince Adebajo initiated into the most powerful cult on earth – the cult of the Queen Mother.

After much pressure, Oduyela had yielded, following the death of the Queen Mother.

Oduyela would soon realize his mistake, for Prince Adebajo was far more advanced than he in spiritual matters…Adebajo uncovered the effigy that was shrouded in cloth…in a matter of days he would animate it with something more powerful than a Familiar spirit…he would bring it alive with Ogun himself!

Ogun was the god of war among the Yorubas…but he was well known in the heavenlies…only a blood bath could invoke him…for he was Ba’al Lord of the flies…flies only gathered around dead, decaying things…he was the Lord of Death, and Adebajo knew exactly where to go for the blood bath!

Gods of the earth - chapters 7 & 8

Chapter 7

She is mine!

She was in the kitchen washing dishes when someone wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

“Muyiwa, this really isn’t the way to apologize for the stress you have been giving me, but if this is supposed to be an apology I’ll accept it on one condition,” said Mary as she turned round and stared into the huge round black pupil-less eyes within a head that was almost twice the size of her own. Mary screamed and woke up sweating.

Muyiwa sat up beside her and switched on the bedside lamp; “What is it?”

Mary was panting…she couldn’t seem to get the face she had seen out of her mind…it hovered before her as though it was still real…she pointed her finger ahead of her.

“A semi-transparent man with only big round black eyes in his head held me in my dreams and I can still see his face,” she shouted hysterically, as she moved into Muyiwa’s arms.

“Calm down, it was just a bad dream okay?” said Muyiwa.

“No it is not a bad dream,” said the face that hovered and followed her gaze wherever she looked…the eyes seemed to draw Mary into them…they seemed to get larger and larger…she was entering a whole new world through those eyes…they were only a gateway…she saw herself tied up and the being with the big eyes standing over her…he was preparing to have intercourse with her;  “I am coming to take what is mine,” said  the face as it slowly faded away.

Mary sat rigidly on the bed…Muyiwa could see that she was entering into shock so he slapped her gently on the face to try to snap her out of it, but Mary had gone deeper than he had thought…he slapped her harder and yet she did not respond.

Muyiwa tried once more and elicited some response from her, for Mary’s eyes got back into focus as she blinked…

“”You are mine,” said Mary in a deep voice definitely not her own; “both of you,” Mary brought her face close to Muyiwa’s.

 “Now make love to me and let our union be complete, for our child must be born…my child!” said the Translucent Man.

Mary pushed Muyiwa down on the bed…he tried to struggle out of it, but Mary’s grasp was too strong…she pulled up her skirt and positioned herself…

“Mummy I can’t sleep!” Mayowa barged into the room with her long pretty hair dishevelled…the trance was broken. Mary jumped up suddenly…it took a moment for her to get her bearings…she carried her daughter, and with soothing words went into Mayowa’s bedroom without a backward glance at Muyiwa…her daughter had saved her.

Mary spent the rest of the night in prayer long after her daughter had slept off…she paced the living room like an angry lion…she still didn’t remember what had transpired during her trance like state, but she could still feel the revulsion and disgust in her…it had to have been something really bad!

Something stirred up within her as she used her disgust and anger to fuel her prayers…at length a scripture verse floated into her mind…

2Tim1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

She had allowed the spirit of fear to enter in…fear always precedes the invasion of the Enemy…that was the lesson she had learnt in all this…so now she had to first get rid of the spirit of fear and then be prepared to confront whatever hideous creature it was that had appeared to her and tied her up in her dreams…it was not over until she had confronted him and gotten the victory.

Is that all there is to that verse?

Mary pondered the verse further until her understanding opened…what she had been given was a spirit of power and a spirit of a sound mind…what she had done was to refuse to use the spirit of power to resist the spirit of fear…for they are opposites…this had led to the binding of the spirit of a sound mind…for it worked with the spirit of power…it would remain passive while the spirit of power did nothing!

Mary quickened her pace around the spacious living room as new understanding dawned on her…

It is written, whatever I bind on earth shall be bound in heavenly places and whatever I loose on earth shall be loosed in heavenly places…in the Name of Jesus I release my spirit and its power within me…I release the spirit of a sound mind within me…with them I bind the spirit of fear…I cast you out now into outer darkness, never to return to me or my loved ones.

She knew where the power was located…it was in her spirit and she knew how to build it up…it was by praying in the spirit…she glanced at her wristwatch…Muyiwa would not wake up for another two hours at least…she smiled ‘evilly’…she would use the time to blast that demonic creature out of her home…out of her world.

“You want me? Come and get me bro!” she whispered nastily to herself as she launched herself into praises that would lead into high praises and the binding of kings and princes with fetters of iron.

Ps149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 

7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 

8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;  

9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD. 

Muyiwa twisted and turned on the bed in pain…he felt first his arms then his hands being constrained to his sides…they appeared to be paralyzed…

Stop your witch woman or I will kill you!

It was Mary that was doing this! It was the Translucent Man feeling the effects which he now transferred to Muyiwa’s physical body.

Muyiwa tried to get up, but now his feet were paralyzed, he couldn’t move…as a last resort he rolled over till he came to the edge of the bed, then pushed himself over the edge with a loud scream, hoping that the fall and the scream would both be loud enough to get Mary’s attention and break the flow of what he now realized to be her prayers at work.

Mary heard the noise and rushed back into the room to find Muyiwa on the floor groaning in pain. He had broken the power that held his hands and feet bound…he was free…and so was the Translucent Man…but Mary hadn’t known what had happened, and Muyiwa intended to keep it that way.

“How did you manage to fall Muyiwa?” asked Mary rushing to help him up.

“I don’t know, I must have been in deep sleep and somehow rolled off the bed,” lied Muyiwa.

“That’s strange, it has never happened before. Did you take any drugs or alcohol, because I don’t know what else can explain this?” Mary brushed some dirt out of his hair.

“Of course not,” said Muyiwa. He had decided he had slept enough for one night…besides, Mary might go back to praying again and that would be disastrous…he now knew that the Translucent Man had inhabited him permanently…he had almost had his way with Mary, if not for their daughter…and now she would be very alert…it won’t be easy for him to try next time…unless he wouldn’t mind their daughter instead.

Muyiwa knew his life was at stake…the friendship offered previously by the Translucent Man had soured…now he was angry and wanted what had been promised him…after all, he had fulfilled his own side of the bargain.

“I will be downstairs in my study, I think I’ve had enough sleep for one night,” said Muyiwa, leaving the room.

Chapter 8

The Beginning…

Ade sat down gingerly behind the executive table and looked slowly around his office…for the first time in six years, he felt in control again…the thrill of the power he was holding rushed through him like the rush of alcohol to the brain…he was somebody again.

He was the sole owner of a bio-tech software engineering Company…it was relatively small as it boasted of only 50 employees…but Ade intended to change all that soon.

He had just been given a grand tour of the facility by a young lady who had been the former PA of the former CEO. He would have to work on her…he needed a girl to warm his bed at night…and to be his eyes in the office, among other things...He also needed a young lady who would be his eyes in the realm of the spirit. She had said her name was Toun…she was a bit too refined for him, but he could mould her to suit his tastes.

There were native spells he had had to learn as a new initiate when he had first joined the cult…it had been necessary…it was the way the cult gave their new members a taste of its power and built their trust in them.

He had learnt various ways of poisoning people unobtrusively, so that the poison didn’t have its full effect until several days later…they were mostly untraceable poisons….they had taught them to make love potions that truly worked, and how to hypnotize, using charms and concoctions.

Then he had moved on to more advanced spells that had to do with capturing and imprisoning a human spirit…it was such a spell that he would cast over his new secretary Toun.

But when he had become a full member of the cult, things had moved rapidly…he had been initiated into the spirit world where he learnt how to communicate with spirit beings and enlist their help for various projects. He had learnt how to bargain with them using human souls other than his.

The door opened and a light skinned girl wearing a black top and skirt came in…she definitely had on too much make up…Ade eyed her as she came close to his table…he liked the smell of her perfume though.

“May I do anything for you sir?” Toun asked, looking directly into her boss’s eyes.

Ade bit down on the leaf he had kept under his tongue and waited for a few minutes, bowing his head down so she could not see the movement of his lips as he made the usual incantations.

“Yes, several things actually, firstly you must never look me directly in the face again. Secondly whenever you come into my presence you must curtsy deeply or kneel if I ask you too.”

Instantly Toun dropped to her knees with her head bowed…Ade smiled…it never failed to work…it was his dad’s favourite charm and now his own too…it saved so much time in dealing with difficult people when you could just command them to do whatever you wanted.

“Thirdly, I need a heavy meal,” he dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a wad of notes and plucked a few and handed them to her.

“Do you live alone or with your parents?” asked Ade.

“With my mother sir, my dad is late,” answered Toun still on her knees and her head bowed.

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. Well you will need to call your mother and inform her that you will not be returning home tonight because you will be travelling with me to a conference.”

“Okay sir.”

“Finally, you will spend the night with me in my home, is that okay?” 

“Yes sir,” replied Toun.

Ade watched her leave, and then turned his attention to the files on his table. His new Company was registered as Cutting Edge Technologies…he also learnt that he had some competition…Micro-tech Inc.

Toun stepped into her small office with a smile on her face…she liked her new boss and felt a compelling urge to do whatever he wanted her to do…she felt like submitting herself wholly to him and to do his bidding. A frown crossed her face briefly…one part of her felt this was all wrong, but another part…the stronger part insisted it was the right thing to do…so she accepted it and felt at ease…the familiar spirit tucked himself deeper into her soul, keeping a firm hold on the thick strands of her Will…he was going to like it here.

Wunmi ran into the arms of Mrs Adewusi joyfully…Service had just ended and finally it was her turn to welcome back her pastors from their trip abroad.

“I’ve missed you so much,” She said happily.

“We too have missed all of you,” replied Mrs Adewusi. 

Pastor Adewusi beamed at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Where is your cousin Mary?” he asked, looking round to see if he might spot her in the crowds milling around them.

“She couldn’t make it to church today, she’s tied up,” Wunmi said, feeling miserable inside. It was the best she could do without out rightly lying…after all Mary was indeed tied up in a way.

Pastor Adewusi took her aside,leaving his wife to bond with the other members of the church…he had seen the guilty look that had come into Wunmi’s face when he had asked of Mary, and needed to know what was going on.

“What’s going on?” he asked tersely as he led her to the Vestry behind the church.

“Mary can’t come because her husband won’t let her,” said Wunmi.

“Why not?”

“Both our husbands are in deep trouble pastor. They have gotten themselves involved in some new kind of pioneering technology that creates brain implants to enhance human abilities such as physical strength and speed.”

“A couple of months back, my husband underwent a surgery to implant a brain chip of his own creation. Ever since then our lives have never been the same again. Some kind of creature that can materialize in the flesh whenever he chooses; began appearing to my husband and helping him with make progress with the new technology.”

“In fact one day I saw the being with my own eyes, implanting another chip into my husband’s head. He just pushed his fingers into Kola’s head and pulled them out again.”

“And I’m guessing the same thing is happening to Mary’s husband too?”

“Yes sir, the same being. He looks semi-transparent but my husband calls him the Translucent Man.”

“So why is Mary being prevented from coming to church?” asked Pastor Adewusi.

“Mary told me on the phone that a few days ago, the being tried to hypnotize her. He tried to enter her body by making her fall into some sort of trance. He succeeded partially because his goal apparently was to make Muyiwa make love to Mary while he was trying to possess her; but it failed because Mayowa – Mary’s daughter barged in on them and Mary broke out of the trance.”

“A being that can materialize in the flesh,” mused Pastor Adewusi.

“And what about your children?” asked the pastor.

“They are with me here in church, but they follow me wherever I go except when they go to school. I can’t leave them with anyone, and you were not in the country,” said Wunmi.

“Okay, here’s what we will do. First let’s get the children out of the way. Will your husband allow you to bring them over?”

“Most definitely not sir, I have noticed him trying to suck up to them. Buying them gifts and taking them out every now and then even against my wishes. I can’t help but think that he has a plan for them. I feel that he wants to use one of them in my stead since the being tried to possess me too and failed.”

“Hmm he seems to have traded you for something he considers very valuable and having failed to get you, he wants to renegotiate with one of his children…but I may be wrong.”

“Exactly my thoughts pastor,” said Wunmi.

“The only kind of beings I know that can materialize into flesh are the ancient principalities that once came down to earth and mated with mortal women in the days of Noah and even before.”

“But weren’t they rounded up and incarcerated? I think I’ve read that before somewhere in the bible,” said Wunmi.

“Yes Jude 6 mentions them…the angels who left their first estate have been reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until judgement day,” replied Pastor Adewusi.

“Then if it wasn’t them…who else could it be?” asked Wunmi perplexed.

“Well there is so much we don’t know yet about these wicked beings, but we are definitely up against a very powerful being. It is probably a demon trying to trick people that there are other forms of physical life elsewhere in the universe. This is why we are hearing so much about sightings of UFOs and the like.”

“Mary says she hasn’t been sleeping well. She has been sleeping in her daughter’s room, expecting the being to appear again. She needs help soon pastor.”

“Well if she can’t come to church, then the church must go to her. I will inform my wife and then we can leave.”

“What would be our plan when we get there?” asked Wunmi.

“Where there are two or three gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them said Jesus. We will have to walk by faith. Perhaps there is a way we can call him out…perhaps the Holy Spirit will compel him to appear to us, who knows? Are you spiritually prepared?”

“Yes sir, Mary and I have been fighting this thing for weeks now. We are exhausted but we do not rely on physical strength,” said Wunmi grimly.

“That’s the spirit!” said Pastor Adewusi, rising from his seat and ushering Mary out of the office.

The Translucent Man watched them go…he had been following Wunmi around, waiting for an opportunity…all he needed was a brief moment of weakness…but no opportunity had presented itself and his patience was running out. The little girl at home was too young…he needed an adult that could bear children…his child…it was time for the return of the Nephilim…the giants of old.