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| Don't Rock The Cradle - Episode X (Josh Ziregbe) |
NB: The comic reads right to left like traditional Japanese manga.
Previous Episodes
Life is interesting. There is always something mysterious hiding around the corner. Like a goat that has four stomachs yet re-chews what it has already eaten, an animal that looks so simple and tastes so delicious is more intricate than can be seen with the naked eye. There are many suggestions for why a goat chews the cud. Some say it is to aid digestion while others say it is a state of meditation, for great thoughts to flow to the mind.
It is known that there is more to life than the physical plane, it is well known that ghosts exist, though it is many persons' prayer never to run into one. What most do not know, however, is that an aberration of nature is what they are. They are those who for reasons of mind or emotions of soul, at the time of death, could not cross over to the other side.
When life ends, a form of energy is released and this energy, spirit, ferries mind and soul across the divide; we conceive with our minds but feel with our souls. Every so often, the spirit is not strong enough to complete this task and so a ghost is born. A ghost is driven, always, by a thought or an emotion but make no mistake, there is no end to it's actions, it has no goal like you and me. The drive is it's only mission, only ambition, whatever that may mean, whatever consequences this may have for anything in its way.
Ghosts are not born by choice, if there was a choice in the matter, many would never leave and this plane would be crowded. They are fractions of mind and shards of soul held together by the energy that wasn't enough; every individual needs a unique amount of this energy called spirit to make it across. Ghosts do not stand on the earth itself because the earth itself is an endless reservoir or unfillable tank, if you will. Without a physical body, the earth would suck the mass of energy that is the ghost into itself, that is to say, the ghost would be "earthed".
Omalicha's scream has triggered this ghost. It has turned from being passive to being active and appears to be driven by emotion. If Oma had stayed oblivious for a little while longer, then the only problem would still have been just the masked man.
Strong winds are emanating from the old lady-ghost and pushing Omalicha and the boys back, they can barely hold their ground, even trees are bending. The ghost hasn't moved yet, she seems not to have been completely triggered but the emotion driving her is clearly rage. Dotun creates a shield to block Uzo, Omalicha and himself from the things being blown their way.
Masked Man III: Ehehe, biko let me join you people there. Amoosu (witch), you still have more power? Hia, Chukwunna!
Uzo frowns, but he knows it is better to have the man on their side in this situation. There's no telling how strong or what kind of power this ghost may possess.
The masked man abruptly launches his machete straight at the ghost, straight for its head. It passes clean through and wedges itself into a stone somewhere behind. Even the jazz re-enforced blade cannot touch the ghost but it does do one thing, the ghost is now completely triggered!
Masked Man III: Ewo! (Exclamation)
When life ends, a form of energy is released and this energy, spirit, ferries mind and soul across the divide; we conceive with our minds but feel with our souls. Every so often, the spirit is not strong enough to complete this task and so a ghost is born. A ghost is driven, always, by a thought or an emotion but make no mistake, there is no end to it's actions, it has no goal like you and me. The drive is it's only mission, only ambition, whatever that may mean, whatever consequences this may have for anything in its way.
Ghosts are not born by choice, if there was a choice in the matter, many would never leave and this plane would be crowded. They are fractions of mind and shards of soul held together by the energy that wasn't enough; every individual needs a unique amount of this energy called spirit to make it across. Ghosts do not stand on the earth itself because the earth itself is an endless reservoir or unfillable tank, if you will. Without a physical body, the earth would suck the mass of energy that is the ghost into itself, that is to say, the ghost would be "earthed".
Omalicha's scream has triggered this ghost. It has turned from being passive to being active and appears to be driven by emotion. If Oma had stayed oblivious for a little while longer, then the only problem would still have been just the masked man.
*Breeze!*
Strong winds are emanating from the old lady-ghost and pushing Omalicha and the boys back, they can barely hold their ground, even trees are bending. The ghost hasn't moved yet, she seems not to have been completely triggered but the emotion driving her is clearly rage. Dotun creates a shield to block Uzo, Omalicha and himself from the things being blown their way.
Masked Man III: Ehehe, biko let me join you people there. Amoosu (witch), you still have more power? Hia, Chukwunna!
Uzo frowns, but he knows it is better to have the man on their side in this situation. There's no telling how strong or what kind of power this ghost may possess.
*Throw!*
The masked man abruptly launches his machete straight at the ghost, straight for its head. It passes clean through and wedges itself into a stone somewhere behind. Even the jazz re-enforced blade cannot touch the ghost but it does do one thing, the ghost is now completely triggered!
Masked Man III: Ewo! (Exclamation)
The old lady appears behind Dotun's shield! They all get it!
*Slap!*
Uzo and the masked man are flung away! They are the closest and so take the most impact. Dotun is pushed back by a distance, he braced himself. Omalicha losses her footing and is knocked down.
Dotun retaliates by dropping his shield and attacking the ghost directly.
*Blast!*
How can an entity without physical form, an entity on which even jazz appears to have no effect be defeated?
#Flashback
Grandma Ebube: A ghost is simply a person who did not have enough spirit energy at death to cross over. So what is the solution to a ghost problem?
*Thinks hard*
Uzo: Mama I don't know.
Grandma Ebube: Mechi'onu, lazy youth! It is only play you children of nowadays know how to play. In my day, at your age, we were already taking care of serious ghosts!
#FlashbackEnds
Uzo mutters to himself
Uzo: Give it more spirit, tap from the earth, the earth is an endless reservoir.
Uzo catches Dotun's eye and Dotun understands. He traps the ghost inside a sphere but the ghost is fighting back, releasing more power, trying to burst the sphere from within. The masked man stands up, dusts himself off, assesses the situation and scampers away. Omalicha is awestruck at how slyly he extricates himself from the situation, "What a rat..." She thinks. She is also back on her feet.
Masked Man III: Nne, I will see you people later eh, ehehehe
Just like that, the man is gone. Uzo and Dotun pay him no mind. They are busy. Besides, good riddance to bad rubbish. From directly beneath where the ghost is trapped, small vines are crawling out of the earth and into the sphere. They are wrapping around the ghost and now are glowing green, the ghost begins to throw an even wilder fit.
Dotun: I'm trying!
Omalicha picks up a stick from the ground. Why? It makes her feel safer. It's a small branch of a tree that probably broke off sometime during all the madness. It's a bit moist, probably from dew caught by leaves.
*Burst!*
Dotun's sphere is broken! The ghost is free! It runs straight and Omalicha is in its path.
*Whammm!*
Omalicha closes her eyes and reflexively swings the branch in here hands. She hit the ghost! Everyone is stunned, even the ghost but the window she has created is exactly what the boys need. The orange glow around Dotun brightens. Oma is starting to see the pattern, the brighter the glow, the more the power. Dotun is glowing as bright orange as possible. He stretches his hand out and another bubble appears, the ghost is fretting but this time the sphere is not yielding.
#Flashback
A shadow appears at the doorway. Grandma Ebube looks up and smiles. Uzo knows who the silhouette belongs to.
Grandma Ebube: Nwa'm, e natago? (My child, have you returned?)
Uzo's sister: E! (Yes!) Mama don't mind Uki, he doesn't know anything. Simple ghost problem he does not know how to solve. I'm sure he cannot even resolve the ghost of an Ukike (local dog), hahahaha...
#FlashbackEnds
The vines crepe out again, this time there are a few more of them. The ghost is completely entangled and the vines glow a brighter green. A second butterfly pops into the scene.
Uzo is tapping from the earth and forcing into the ghost the extra spirit energy needed to cross over. If a ghost receives the extra spirit that it was missing it will be forced to cross. The downside, however, is that ghosts never willingly take the energy. Forcing spirit into a living person is a horrible experience and it probably is the same for ghosts.
*Booom!*
There's a loud bang from within and Dotun's sphere shatters like glass. The ghost is gone, they did it! Dotun falls on his back, Uzo heaves a sigh of relief and Omalicha drops to her knees and sheds tears of joy. What a day, a goat walks by.
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