Chinedu first saw something strange when he was nine years old.
It was a hot afternoon outside of his grandmother's house in Enugu. His Granny was looking for her lost glasses.
"Ah! I wonder where I put them?" she complained, and again she looked at her kitchen table.
Chinedu kept his eyes on her.
Then for some reason he heard a little voice in his head.
The title of this book refers to the blue chair found in the garden.
The sound of the voice was quiet, something like the rustling of dry leaves in the wind.
He looked around. No-one was around him.
Slowly he said to "grandma, look under the blue chair."
His grandmother stooped over.
There they were.
She yelled, "My glasses!She cried out, “My glasses!” "How did you know?"
Chinedu simply shrugged.
"I guessed."
However, it wasn't a coincidence.
As he became a bit older, the weird thing persisted.
Whenever something was lost, he could somehow hear where it was.
At times the whispers were distinct.
Within the old bag.
"Behind the cupboard."
"Under the mattress."
He was a very observant boy, his parents believed.
His friends said that his good fortune.
It was just Chinedu who knew the truth.
He was able to hear the voices of lost things.
Not in actual words. More like thoughts.
At the age of seventeen he was a celebrity in his local community in Lagos.
When people lost their keys, paperwork, phones or purses, they looked for him.
One Saturday morning Tunde called him at his house concerned.
Tunde said that his brother's school certificate was missing. He is interviewing for a job Monday, and "we can't find him anywhere.
Chinedu sighed.
"Let's go."
Everyone seemed to be stressed at Tunde's house.
His brother was sitting silently in a corner.
He said he might miss out if he doesn't find it.
Chinedu was walking slowly around the house.
He closed his eyes.
There was no action for a few seconds.
Then he heard his familiar whisper.
“Top shelf” – “green box”.
He opened his eyes.
"Look in the green box on top shelf."
Tunde jumped up on a chair.
He shouted, a moment later.
"It's here!"
Everyone cheered.
His brother's almost cried with relief.
News spread quickly.
One day, strangers started coming to visit Chinedu.
Others were from other nearby streets.
Other folks were from other sections of the town.
Initially, he was fond of helping.
However, in no time things got tough.
He was at his door from morning till night.
Some even got angry when he wouldn't assist them right away.
One night his mother sat next to him.
She said, "You look tired."
"I am tired."
"Then stop."
Chinedu shook his head.
"What if someone is actually in need of help?"
His mother smiled.
"You cannot carry everyone's problem."
He was certain that she was correct, but he didn't know how to reign in.
Then something happened.
One rainy Thursday afternoon, a rich man in one of the business communities, Chief Adewale came.
Chinedu's house had 3 expensive cars that were parked outside.
All the street onlookers.
A man with a black umbrella came in the compound.
"I know of you," he replied.
"What is it that you would like to do, sir?" Chinedu asked.
"There is a very important not-book that is missing."
Chinedu nodded.
"I can try."
The man got close to her.
"You must find it."
Chinedu was uncomfortable at the thought of his conversation with him.
Nevertheless, he closed his eyes.
Silence.
No whisper came.
He tried again.
Nothing.
This was the first time that he heard nothing in years.
He finally said, ‘I can't find it."
The businessman frowned.
"I know you are always able to find things!"
"Not this time."
The man's complexion grew dark.
With a nod to his heels he rose to his feet and went.
Chinedu had been in the dilemma for days.
Did his gift go away?
He tried it out on the little items.
A missing pen.
A lost shoe.
A set of keys.
The rumours persisted.
Only the notebook was still.
Chinedu was again in the Chief's presence, this time when he was coming from a bookstore, about a week and a half later.
A man was outside a café.
To Chinedu's surprise he smiled.
"Young man."
"Good afternoon, sir."
The businessman chuckled softly.
"You were the first one who could not do nothing to help me."
Chinedu was at a loss for words.
The man went on, saying that the notebook wasn't lost. "I put it where I couldn't see and never knew the location."
"Oh."
"I realized that there was something interesting going on."
"What is that?"
I think all around me really knew everything, except you, which was always, "I don't know.
Chinedu smiled.
The businessman stretched his hands out.
"Thank you."
So, Chinedu remained in silence, gazing at the night sky.
The one thing about him that he had always believed was the most important was his unusual ability, which he had possessed for years.
Today, however, he wasn't so certain.
It was a cool breeze blowing along the street on that night, when he sat outside his house.
There was a football game going on nearby which children participated in.
There were loud hums from generators in the distance.
A woman was selling roasted corn and was pushing her cart down the road.
No one was calling at his door for the first time in many years.
There was no one to look for anything.
Nobody needed help.
In some way, it was peaceful.
Soon, he heard a little voice.
"Under the bench."
Chinedu laughed.
Over in the vicinity a little girl was searching for her toy.
He was indicating at the wooden bench.
The girl went running up to her and she found it at once.
She shouted a "Thank you!" in a happy voice.
Chinedu waved and smiled.
The whisper slipped away into the evening air, patiently waiting to be heard by the next lost object that needed discoverin'.
