"That's impressive, truly," Ego said, smiling. "Someone took the little the forest gave him and somehow turned it into a life. It's like the gods kept throwing yams at him, and instead of complaining about the porridge, he learned how to cook it."
"Nda, sorry to interrupt you," Onumara said, stepping forward. "One of the men found this beside the hut."
He held out a small stem bearing a few green leaves.
Ego took it and examined it closely. It looked ordinary enough, yet something about it seemed important. She turned it over in her fingers, searching her memory for an explanation.
"What does this have to do with the disappearance of the old woman?" she asked, pointing at the plant.
"Did you come in contact with it at any time?"
Ego gave him a doubtful look.
"You really expect me to remember that?"
Onumara nodded.
"Well, I don't remember. Is it dangerous?"
"Very."
The amusement disappeared from his face.
"This plant has been responsible for making people lose their way for hours, sometimes even days. Once someone comes in contact with it, it can cause severe delusions. They begin seeing people, animals, and places that aren't really there."
Ego's eyes widened.
"Some people hallucinate for hours; others for days. The effect differs from one person to another. If the person isn't found and brought back to their senses by someone calling their name repeatedly, the consequences can be severe. They can wander into dangerous places, suffer accidents, and become sick or starve to death."
"My fathers!" Ego exclaimed.
She stared at the plant.
"That means this is Ndu Nkita?"
"Yes."
"You've heard of it before?"
"Of course I have. But I've never seen one before."
Ndubisi stepped closer.
"So you didn't touch anything like this when you entered the forest that day?"
Ego gave him a tired smile.
"How am I supposed to remember that? That's like asking someone who has just climbed out of a river to identify the fish that slapped him on the backside."
Ndubisi chuckled.
But Onumara remained serious.
"It's not quite like that. Everyone I've encountered who came in contact with Ndu Nkita remembered touching it. You may not be an exception. Slowly retrace your journey. Think about everything that happened from the moment you entered the forest until you met the old woman. Something may come back to you."
Ego took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She searched through the memories that had tormented her for weeks, separating one strange event from another.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes flew open.
"Oh! I remember!"
Everyone became attentive.
"I first came in contact with the leaf when I found Nti Ngbada. It was growing beside it. I must have touched it accidentally while plucking the other leaf."
"What happened afterward?" Onumara asked.
"It was immediately after that that I began hearing footsteps behind me. I thought someone was following me, but when I turned around, it was a dog."
"Which dog?" Ndubisi asked quickly.
"Ogologo. The old woman's dog."
Ndubisi exchanged a look with Onumara.
"Go on," Onumara urged.
"After the dog, I met the old woman on my way home. I helped her, and we returned to this hut together. We ate, talked, and spent the evening together."
She paused.
"Later, I needed to urinate, so I came outside."
Her face slowly changed as another memory surfaced.
"That must have been when I touched the plant for the second time."
"What happened then?"
"That's when everything became strange. I began hearing people behind me. I thought they were chasing me, so I ran. Then I met the old woman again, and she took me to that hut you described earlier."
"The old dibia's hut?" Ndubisi asked.
"Yes. That's where I saw my in-laws, the chief priest, and all the others. They accused me, tried me, and gave me poison."
She stopped.
"Then I woke up here."
Ndubisi nodded slowly.
"That must explain why I found you with such a terrible fever. You had probably been lying exposed to the cold for a long time."
Ego stared at him.
"So everything I saw and experienced after touching that plant... until I woke up here... was an illusion?"
"Yes," Onumara said firmly.
Ego shook her head.
It was difficult to accept.
"The old woman? Ogologo? The people who accused me? The poison? The grave?"
"None of them were real," Onumara replied. "At least, not in the way you experienced them. Ndu Nkita was affecting your mind. Everything you saw was being created inside your head."
Ego turned toward Ndubisi.
"How can you be so sure?"
Onumara smiled.
"It isn't because I've experienced it myself. I've seen people suffer its effects. I've even joined search parties looking for people who wandered into the forest after coming in contact with the plant. In my village, it is a known danger."
Ndubisi looked at the leaf.
"So how does someone protect themselves from it?"
"Very simple," Onumara replied. "Carry bitter kola with you. It protects against its effects."
"Hmmm."
Ego's mind was racing.
The old woman had never existed.
Ogologo had never existed.
The mysterious hut and the people who had supposedly persecuted her had never existed.
The entire terrifying ordeal had been manufactured by her own fevered mind after coming into contact with Ndu Nkita.
And the person who had actually saved her was standing right beside her.
Ndubisi.
Suddenly, one of the biggest mysteries that had troubled her for months became clear.
She had always wondered how the frail old woman could possibly have carried her from the shallow grave to the hut.
Now she knew.
There had never been an old woman.
Ndubisi had done it.
She looked at him for a long moment.
"Well," she said, breaking the silence, "since the old woman we came looking for never existed, I suppose we cannot leave this place empty-handed."
Ndubisi raised an eyebrow.
Ego smiled.
"Ndubisi, I want you to leave this forsaken place and come home with me."
He stared at her.
"My business needs a man with your skills, experience, and confidence."
He opened his mouth to respond, but Ego continued.
"You saved my life. I owe you more than I can repay."
Ndubisi looked away.
"I am comfortable here."
"Are you?"
He glanced back at her.
"What assurance do I have that the news of my excommunication hasn't already reached your village? What happens when people discover who I am?"
Ego stepped closer.
She placed her right hand gently on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes.
"Ndubisi, you saved my life. Let me repay you."
She paused.
"Come and work for me. I will provide you with everything you need. I will help you rebuild your life and pursue your dreams."
His expression softened.
"And your banishment?"
"I'll deal with it."
"You're certain?"
"Very."
She squeezed his shoulder.
"No one will discriminate against you while you are under my roof. I give you my word."
She took a step back.
"So, what do you say?"
She pointed playfully toward him.
"Are you in or out?"
A smile slowly spread across Ndubisi's face.
"In!"
His answer echoed through the forest.
Ego laughed.
That evening, she left the Ajofia with Ndubisi. He returned briefly to his little shelter to collect the few belongings he considered important. Before leaving, he opened the cages and released his rabbits into the forest.
He no longer needed them.
He had found something far more valuable than rabbits.
He had found a second chance.
As they walked away from the forest together, Ego believed she was simply repaying a debt to the man who had saved her life.
She had no idea that she had just brought a man into her household who would change the course of her life forever.