A deeply introspective and suspenseful exploration of personal doubt, spiritual struggles, and the haunting idea of unseen forces controlling one's life. The narrative blends the everyday with the supernatural, as the protagonist is confronted with a series of eerie encounters and prophetic warnings about a curse or spiritual hindrance. As he grapples with these revelations, he is forced to confront the reality of his own fears, the impact of past actions, and the possibility that his life is being shaped by unseen forces. The story delves into themes of destiny, powerlessness, and self-reflection, leaving the reader questioning what is truly real.
People kept warning me, but I brushed it off. Even when my own inner voice joined in, whispering, What if it's true? I buried it deep, afraid of what I might find if I dug it up. Yet the more I ignored it, the more it seemed to seep into my life, casting shadows over my relationships, my ambitions, my peace.
One night, a lady I was seeing looked at me with a mixture of confusion and sadness. "Beenzu," she said, voice trembling, "Every time I'm with you... I feel something wrong. It's like something's following you."
I forced a laugh, but a chill settled over me. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying... people are talking. They say you've been cursed."
That comment would have been easy enough to dismiss, except it wasn't the first time I'd heard it. Her words tore open memories I'd tried to forget-moments when people seemed to look at me with that same strange pity, that same knowing fear. I remembered something a prophet once told me, how he'd suddenly switched from talking about the problem I had come for to talking about me.
One day, a brother of mine went missing, and in the midst of my search, I met a woman who claimed she knew someone who could help. She gave me the prophet's number and said, "Tell him you got the cell number from me." I didn't think much of it, but I called, desperate to bring my brother home. He made an appointment, and though I lost track of time before the meeting, he graciously waited, even sending someone to guide me to his house.
The place smelled of old incense, the kind that lingered, that stayed with you like a warning. Shadows from flickering candles danced on the walls, and his gaze was sharp, piercing. After a quick prayer, I barely started talking about my brother when he cut me short. "You know what, my brother?" His voice was grave. "The only thing I can tell you about your life is that you need a lot of help."
I blinked, confused. Wasn't I here for my brother?
But the prophet continued, his voice filling the room. "There are two people in your life, working hard so you'll never achieve anything. I see them going to an anthill around 19 hours, burying something there. And if you're not careful, you'll get frustrated and drink beer, thinking it's just stress. But that's exactly their plan. Their plan was to make your back ache every day so you can do no work in your life."
A shiver ran down my spine, his words echoing with an eerie certainty. Could this really be true?
When I finally left, my mind was reeling, but I buried it. I wasn't one to believe in such things. That night, though, I couldn't shake the thought. Could something-someone-really be working against me?
My thoughts were interrupted as the lady touched my shoulder, pulling me back into the present. Her eyes were wide with concern as she handed me the phone, already dialed and ringing. She whispered, "If you don't believe me, maybe you'll listen to her."
I swallowed, my pulse racing. I could hear the woman's voice on the other end, calm yet unsettling. "Hello, Beenzu. Do you know what's happening in your life?"
I responded, "Yes," though I wasn't sure what she meant. "Maybe you should explain what you mean."
She told me how she had wanted to talk to me the first time she saw me, but I had already gone. How if I didn't seek help soon, it would be hard for me to move forward. I had no idea who she was, but her voice held a strange authority. I remembered another strange conversation-one I'd had with my uncle after visiting the prophet. I'd asked him, What if there's something spiritual hindering me? What if people are playing with my life?
My phone had rung seconds later; it was my uncle, his voice sharp. "Beenzu, which people are you talking about? You think we'd take you to school only to ruin your life later?"
I had felt so stupid then, but now, listening to the woman on the phone, those old fears crept back. "So," she asked, "what are you going to do?"
"I... I'm not sure," I replied.
"You can follow me, or I can come there. I'll need traveling fare, though."
Embarrassed, I said, "Oh, yes, I remember, we agreed on that." The lady beside me shot me a sympathetic look. She whispered, "I'll pay for you. I also need some help."
A thought hit me, sharp and cold. I remembered how, after my conversation with my uncle, a friend had invited me out for drinks. Nyambe was waiting at a small mini-mart, whiskey and lagers lined up on the counter. I'd tried to tell him and another friend, Stewart, about the prophet's words, but they only laughed. None of us believed in that stuff, anyway. The whole conversation passed like breath in the wind, the laughter drowning my doubts.
Yet here I was again, staring down the same shadows. Could all of this be real? Or was I losing myself in fear? But deep down, I knew one thing: if this was real, facing it would be harder than anything I'd ever known.
To be continued...
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.