A little girl named Jumoke once lived in a small house in the streets of Ibadan with her mum. She was an only child and was barely 7 years old.
She was playful and full of life, she liked to play hide and seek mostly, she'd hide in the corners of her room and behind the curtains.
Her mum always found her of course, "oh Juju" her mum would call and she'd impulsely reply revealing her hideout. This made Jumoke sad sometimes, she did not like being found.
So one day she took her hiding too far, she was determined to not be found. She stepped outside while her mum was busy, she looked around trying to find the perfect place to hide, but everywhere seemed open. She turned to go back into the house when an idea popped into her little head.
She saw the open well close to their house, "they'd never find me here" she must have thought as she ran and skipped happily to the open well.
"Oh Juju" her mum said as usual from inside the house, this time she heard nothing back. She checked all the corners and curtains, Jumoke was nowhere.
"Oh Juju" she shouted a little louder than usual, she was starting to panic. Her hands were sweaty and her voice was shaky.
"Oh Juju" she screamed desperately as tears filled her eyes, she heard nothing but deafening silence and then she heard a giggle.
She knew that giggle, "oh Juju" you scared me she said turning back to see nothing. The giggle faded and fear struck her heart, "oh Juju" she cried out, "where are you."
She heard footsteps that ran past her, she was scared and confused, her whole self was trembling. The giggle and footsteps led her outside where she saw the open well, her head was telling her what had happen but her heart refused it.
She approached the well slowly with tears rolling down her cheeks, her feet could barely move. She stood above the well to see the dead face of her floating daughter. Her heart stopped.
The neighbors found out about what happened and they told the stories to their children. But as they mentioned her name, her spirit would enter their houses unnoticed, her giggle haunted the children.
The stories spread like wild fire and parents adopted the story to scare their stubborn kids, "oh Juju will catch you" they'd tell their children, unknowingly inviting her spirit into their house.
Her silent noise haunts their sleep, she lurks in the shadows, behind the curtains and in the dark corners. Never seen, only felt, her faceless presence sends chills down the spine of children, her name is bane to little children.
OJUJU. The unseen, the household spirit. Haunting children since the 90's.
