In a small town, and a distant time ago where whispers traveled faster than light, Nwayirindu lived a life of quiet desperation. Her days were spent in the modest home she shared with her husband, Irie and his sister, Esther. Once a haven, their home had turned into a cage, where suspicion and accusations loomed like dark clouds.
One evening, after a long day at work, Nwayirindu returned home to find Esther waiting, her expression twisted with malice. "I saw you with him," Esther spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You think I wouldn't notice?"
Nwayirindu's heart sank. "With whom? I don't understand," she replied, confusion etched across her face.
"Don't play innocent! Everyone knows you've been seeing someone," Esther accused, pointing a finger at her. "Irie deserves to know the truth."
As Irie entered the room, the tension crackled like electricity. "What's going on?" he asked, his eyes darting between the two women.
"Your wife is a liar," Esther declared. "She's been unfaithful. I saw her with another man!"
Nwayirindu's breath caught in her throat. "It's not true, Irie! I've done nothing wrong!"
But Irie's face hardened. The trust they once shared shattered with a single accusation. "How could you do this to me, Nwa?" he thundered. "You've brought shame upon our family!"
Days turned into weeks, and the abuse began—verbal assaults that cut deeper than any physical blow. Irie's fury was fueled by Esther's relentless whispers, twisting every innocent interaction into evidence of betrayal. Nwayirindu felt herself drowning in a sea of despair, her spirit battered and bruised.
In the darkness of her room, Esther sought solace in memories of happier times, when love was a gentle embrace, not a weapon. She longed for freedom, for the chance to reclaim her life, but fear kept her shackled.
One night, after another brutal confrontation, Nwayirindu laid awake, tears streaming down her face. A flicker of resolve ignited within her. She couldn't allow this to continue. The next morning, she quietly packed a small bag, determined to escape the torment.
With a heart full of fear and hope, Nwayirindu slipped out of the house, leaving behind the suffocating darkness. She sought refuge with a friend who had always believed in her, someone who would listen without judgment. There, she found the strength to tell her story, to share the truth that had been buried beneath lies.
Days turned into months as Irie rebuilt her life. With each step away from her past, she found pieces of herself she thought she had lost forever. She began to heal, surrounded by those who supported and uplifted her.
Eventually, Nwayirindu decided to confront her accusers. She stood before Irie and Esther, her voice steady. "I will not be defined by your lies. I am not guilty of the things you've accused me of. You may have tried to break me, but I am stronger than you know."
As she walked away from their hateful stares, Nwayirindu felt lighter, empowered by the truth but only then did her nightmare begin.
Irie grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to him. He hit her chest enough to render her unconscious. Then he carried her small body into his room.
"Yes, do with her what you deem fit, she's your wife, you could kill her and no one will utter a word about it." Esther said.
"I'm curious, what exactly are you planning to purchase at the market?" Irie politely inquired.
"I intend to purchase some new clothing and any other necessary items," she responded.
"Please use the card that is on the kitchen table and be mindful of your spending," he advised.
"Thank you, brother," Esther expressed her gratitude.
Her brother's wife was irrelevant and should remain so.
Prior to their marriage, he had received strong advice against marrying her, but he disregarded it. Now, he is facing the consequences.
Nwayirindu appeared perpetually youthful, never seeming to age beyond twenty-four. Esther harbored resentment towards her for this reason and also for her lavish spending of her brother's money as if it were her own.
Despite these perceived flaws, Nwayirindu was a hardworking and intelligent woman, which endeared her to her husband. Her beauty was such that no man could resist its allure, yet she possessed the strength to withstand the relentless torment it could inflict upon those who beheld it.
"Wake up"
She groaned.
"Wake up you wench" Irie slapped her back to reality.
"Irie" she moaned, her body sore from the endless beating. One of her eyes were almost covered now. She could not bring herself to get up. Her heart ached.
"What's the name of your lover?"
She shook her head slowly. "I don't have a lover" she said slowly. He brought her skirt down and removed her underwear. He had sex with her wounded body, like an animal he devoured every part of her. Sometimes it was orally and anally and other times it was through the natural way. He defiled her body the best that he could and all these things he did while he hit and battered her beautiful to no recognition.
When she was left alone she'd pray. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." it was her favorite verse of the Bible.
"What have I done ?" She questioned herself. "I chose a traditionalist over someone who fears God."
"Love only exists in Christ"
Her husband came again and this time harder and performed more wicked acts on her body.
" I get to decide what is right and what is wrong" he blurted out one time.
" I gave you everything, there's nothing I didn't give to you yet It wasn't enough for you."
"Who was it? Our landlord?, the pastor's brother? I've seen how they look at you and how you blush when you're around them" he spat.
"What do you want with me?" She finally asked after a quiet moment.
"I'll make sure you never get the opportunity to reincarnate. That your soul is bound to this body and earth forever". He cursed.
"That's cruel," she said and winced.
"For someone who is innocent"
The door flung open and there was Esther with a priestess who claimed to have traveled through time.
She entered the room, her gray locs complementing her black dress. She approached Nwayirindu cautiously, as if to avoid getting infected.
"Excuse me," she said in a firm voice, commanding the attention of Irie and Esther. The siblings went to wait outside as she produced sage leaves from a small purse she carried and proceeded to burn them. "Tell me, child, what is the nature of your offense?"
"I've been falsely accused of adultery"
Tears trickled down her bloody swollen face and she sniffled. Every movement she made sent pain to her brain and spine. "Relax child"
Irie knocked. "When do we come in?" He asked.
"Soon"
"What do you want child?" The priestess asked Nwayirindu.
Nwayirindu winced out of pain when she tried to speak.
"Your soul is not ripe for plucking but can be sent to another host and another time but your husband wants otherwise. He wants you trapped forever. Alive but dead. Dead but alive" the priestess cackled.
"What do you want child?" She asked again.
"To get out of here, somewhere far away, another time, another space, another life" she stuttered.
"Are you sure?"
Irie pushed the door open.
"Let's begin."
"Let me guide you through this moment as there are consequences." Esther didn't care, she stood there with her hands crossed over chest and her legs stood apart.
"Let the accuser come forward," Esther stepped forward.
"Let the accused step forward." Irie roughly made Nwayirindu stand by herself.
"In our world, when events transpire and certain things are compelled to occur, the consequences are dire." She glanced from Esther to Irie and then to Nwayirindu.
"Esteemed spirits of time, I humbly present myself before you once more. I bring forth an individual accused of a crime and the one who accuses them. May the soul found guilty be bound to this earthly realm, while the innocent soul is granted liberation.
Irie nodded in acknowledgment, while Esther's eyes betrayed her apprehension.
"This night," I proclaim, as thunder rumbled in the distance, "let destinies be altered and peace prevail." The clouds parted, and rain began to fall.
What commenced as a gentle drizzle soon transformed into a tempest. The priestess emitted a boisterous cackle.
"Wait!" Esther shouted.
"What, child?" The priestess turned sharply to face Esther.
"Please, wait."
"It's too late now, as judgment no longer resides with me or the being I serve."
"Let the accused never leave this earth, bound to fulfill destinies but never find fulfillment." She continued, then paused. Nwayirindu chuckled and spoke words no one but the priestess understood. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." She kept repeating Those words hung in the air until the priestess disappeared, leaving the three people in the room. He rushed to catch his wife's feeble body before it touched the ground.
"Irie," she blinked as tears trickled down her swollen face. "I feel free, and nothing holds me bound."
"Irie," she spoke calmly.
He looked away toward his sister. "What was that about?" he asked Esther.
"I'll look for a way to rectify this mess I've created," she said and scurried out of the room.
"Esther!"
"Let me go, Irie," Nwayirindu said and spat blood from her mouth. She coughed and winced.
She smiled. "I have to go now."
"Call a doctor, you fool!" Irie yelled at Esther.
Nwayirindu patiently waited for the moment when her physical form could no longer contain her spirit, and she gracefully released it.