“ Izegbede” ……
“Yes mother”, he answered walking towards the entrance of the door, as the voice called, as he concentrated on the game he was playing on his phone.
“ I will be going to the market and will be back very soon”
Please take care of my home and especially your younger ones” Mrs Dimezi, his mother said as she peeps further to look at her twins, Ogboono Ndika and Ogboono Tuo Tuo who were lost to the television screen watching Justice League.
Mrs Dimezi had a suspicion that something would go wrong during the intervals when she wouldn't be around, but it was important for her to stock the necessary products before dinner.
“Do not forget what I just told you about,” she said, tugging her earlobe as a warning.
She turned back towards the exit of the door’s entrance and Izegbede stopped the game he was playing for the main time, looked at her as she walked past the giant Mango tree and out of the main gate.
He followed her immediately, locked the main gate, and turned back towards the house to where his younger brothers were.
He walked towards the television, paused the movie to have the children’s attention, pointed his two fingers at his eyes, and then at the twins to show them that he was watching them.
Izegbede pressed play from the remote button and the movie played once again and he walked to his room.
He peeped five minutes later to confirm if the twins were sitting still or otherwise and continued playing his game before he dozed off.
And while Izegbede was fast asleep and snoring like a sleeping dragon.
The twins had just finished watching the movie and became fascinated by Superman and Batman.
“ I want to be Superman,” Ogboono Ndika said excitedly.
“ Mine is Batman,” Ogboono Tuo Tuo replied.
The boys tiptoed into the store and back to their room with things needed for their adventure.
Ogboono Ndika tied an old torn Isiagu wrapper around his neck as a cape and Ogboono Tuo Tuo did the same but added a rope he tied to a gripping hook he found in the store.
Soon, the twins stood before the gigantic mango tree in their compound and said, “Heroes don't stay on the ground”
They climbed the tree until they reached a very high branch and looked at each other tugging out their chests.
Ogboono Ndika spread his arms wide like a bird that was diving sideways and jumped expecting himself to be floating but instead his wrapper got caught on a branch leaving him dangling in the air.
“Help !”, he cried to his partner in crime, Ogboono Tuo Tuo.
“We are supposed to work together,” he concluded.
Ogbono Tuo Tuo tried to rescue him.
“ Don't worry, Batman is here” he replied bragging and throwing his gripping hook but the hook caught another branch and the rope he tied around his waist saved him by hanging him when his legs slipped.
In seconds, his legs were wrapped and he was hanging upside down.
They were swinging helplessly like two ripe mangoes but the most surprising thing was that they kept quiet, saying superheroes don't ask for help. Instead, they tried to help themselves.
Izegbede woke up to meet this strange silence which looked as if he was in a graveyard.
It was audibly mute when he couldn't pick up any noise from the television either.
He checked to see that his brothers were missing and he went to their room, all other rooms including the store, and still couldn't find them.
His heart started racing and beeping that he could hear its sounds himself and he opened the door to look around the house.
As he stepped out the door, he couldn't believe what he saw but he remembered shouting, “Don't move, just stay put”
He quickly brought a ladder and carefully brought them down and after that, he couldn't hold it but laughed that his ribs almost cracked.
Their mother pressed the alarm button and she entered immediately after the twins were safe.
Looking at the ladder which was still resting on the tree and the strange outfits her twins were wearing, she demanded an explanation.
“ We wanted to be superheroes,” Ogboono Ndika cried.
“ We thought we had powers!” Ogboono Tuo Tuo added.
Mrs Dimezi replied “ Movies, are for entertainment where superheroes have special powers but in real life,
Children like you do not have such power,
Never copy dangerous things you see on television” she concluded with a grin.
“ We are sorry, mother” they replied together.
She looked at Izegbede who quickly looked down and was speechless.
Mrs Dimezi replied, “ I knew my twins were copycats who may want to try something mischievous watching that movie,
But I'm glad that it didn't go beyond this” she concluded.
From that day on, although the twins still love Superman and Batman, they never again tried to perform superhero stunts or copy anything dangerous from the television but Izegbede won't stop pulling their legs by naming them one after the other,
“The mango tree Superman with his tear-tear wrapper,
And the mango tree Batman with his old Galagala” was their names individually.
