In the bustling city of Abuja, a young and vibrant girl named Camila Balarabe lived a life of luxury, provided by her loving father. Camila was the youngest of her four siblings, which meant she was also the most pampered in her household, right from the moment she was born. At age 16, Camila was a teenager with her own thoughts, and as we all know, some of those thoughts are what will get you into trouble.
Ever since she was young, Camila's mom, Sadiyya, would always tell her stories and warn her about jinns. She spoke of their histories and abilities, most notably how they can possess people. Camila always enjoyed these stories, but now that she was older, she refused to take any of her mom's warnings seriously.
When videos would appear on her social media feeds documenting incidents that related to jinns, she watched them but would shrug them off, sometimes even mocking them with her friends. Camila held the belief that if jinns were real, "how come she hadn't felt their presence in her room or around her?". She wondered, "how come none of her friends have had any experiences with them?". She also questioned, "how come no one in the estate she lives in has stories about such things?". Her heart remained steady, completely disregarding the existence of supernatural beings, but Camila would soon learn the hard way that jinns do very well exist.
On a Sunday morning at 10:20 a.m., Camila had just gotten out of bed, threw on some baggy clothes, and went downstairs to eat her breakfast. As she ate while watching TikTok on her phone, her mom, Sadiyya, walked into the kitchen, barking commands at their maids.
Camila chuckled. "Ina kwana Mommy," she greeted in Hausa.
Just noticing her daughter, Sadiyya answered, "Lafia Camila," then sat down across from Camila with a sigh of exhaustion.
"Your uniform has been ironed, make sure you go and get them before you start running around in the morning," Sadiyya said.
"Okay," Camila answered nonchalantly.
"Don't forget oh. If you do, don't come to my room asking for rubbish, I will stone you," Sadiyya warned.
Annoyed, Camila replied, "I've heard you, Mommy".
"Toh! Me, I've told you," Sadiyya said.
Just then, Camila's 6-year-old brother, Sultan, ran into the kitchen with a toy truck in hand. Sadiyya smiled as she gave him a hug. "Hello baby! Ya kake? Ka yi sallah?" she asked.
"Yes!" young Sultan answered.
"Good! Did you do your adhkar?" Sadiyya asked.
"Umm… I don't… no," Sultan answered.
Sadiyya frowned in response. "Why? Didn't I tell you to do them after every prayer?" she queried. "Do you want jinns to possess you? To live in your body with their families?" she asked. Camila scoffed from her seat.
"No, no, no, no," Sultan answered frantically.
Sadiyya eyed Camila and then sent Sultan inside to finish his supplications. She then sat up properly to face Camila, regarding her last reaction.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Huh?" Camila responded.
"You heard me. Why did you scoff when I was talking to Sultan?" Sadiyya queried.
"Nothing, I just don't think you should be misleading the boy," Camila answered condescendingly.
"Misleading, eh? You refuse to listen to what I've been telling you, abi?" Sadiyya asked.
"Mommy, SHOW ME. I've told you before, I will believe you when you show proof. Not TV shows, not all this played-out drama with special effects. Show me solid and unfiltered proof," Camila stated.
Sadiyya sat back, her face reflecting disappointment as she let out a loud sigh.
"I sincerely hope you don't get that proof you're looking for, Camila," she said.
"Really? Why not?" Camila asked.
"...no, don't worry, may Allah protect you," Sadiyya said.
Camila looked confused. "Oh, um… Ameen," she answered.
Sadiyya got up and continued to coordinate the help. Camila shrugged off the conversation, finished her breakfast, and went back to her room with her face buried in her phone.
She spent the whole day in her room until her father, Senator Mustapha Balarabe, returned from his four-day business trip. After greeting him and receiving her presents, Camila returned to her room and used her electronics until she slept off to be woken up by her alarm later in the morning for school.