Two months after Nelson's dad was buried, he got in charge of the mass wealth of his late dad due to the fact that he was the only child.
On a Tuesday afternoon while at his office, the sound of a gentle knock echoed through the room, causing a slight interruption in the otherwise tranquil atmosphere, the door opened, and Clara, his secretary, walked in and said while stretching her hands towards Nelson,"Sir, someone dropped this envelope for you. He just dropped and left."
Nelson's thoughts whirled, attempting to decipher the mystery that awaited on the envelope. He stretched forth his hand and collected the envelope from her while Clara walked out of the office.
Nelson examined the envelope closer, his eyes were drawn to the intricate seal that adorned its flap, he made an opening, and brought out an invitation card.
"Who's getting married that I don't know?" His surprise was accompanied by a tinge of excitement, the anticipation of unraveling the mysteries that awaited him, he decided to flip it open to see the content and as he pulled out the contents from within, his eyes widened in wonder, and his breath caught in his throat. The sight before him was nothing short of extraordinary, transcending his expectations and leaving him in a state of awe-struck disbelief.
Dear Nelson,
Your initiation ceremony to the Fox Brotherhood, as per agreement with your late father, Mr. Odu, comes up this Friday by 10:00 p.m. at The Godfather's house, No. 89 White Avenue.
RSVP: 081xxxxxx
His thoughts ran through to a lot of angles as to why his dad would agree on such a thing without informing him when he was alive. Yes, he was aware that his father belonged to the occultic group, but he never thought of himself as a replacement to his dad.
His fury intensified, like a smoldering fire growing into an uncontrollable blaze, he grabbed his phone and dialled the number on the RSVP. The call connected, but there was no response at the other end. He ended the call and dialled again.
"Hello, Mr. Nelson Odu," a deep masculine voice answered as soon as the call was picked up.
"Hello, I don't know who's on the line, but as far as I know, I'm not attending the initiation ceremony, whatsoever my dad agreed with you before his death was in the passed. Wait, don't you know I'm a Christian? Mtchwww!" Nelson's fury reached its peak, and ended the call without allowing the man on the phone to reply.
"Gosh!" he unleashed a powerful strike upon the table, which made Clara run into the office and say, "Sir, are you alright? Is everything okay?" She said in trembled voice of shock.
"I'm fine, do not worry, go back to your post," he replied with a voice accompanied by a fake smile.
Clara had no option but to leave.
Nelson was very sure he wasn't attending, but the fear of things he had seen in Nollywood movies of such nature made him scared.
"No! I don't see myself ever joining a cult. Never!" With a determined resolve, Nelson reached a definitive conclusion and discarded the swirling thoughts that had consumed his mind. He didn't even tell his wife about the issue.
Thursday night around 9:00 p.m., he was on his laptop going through some records while his phone beeped again. He got the phone, and the same message welcomed him again with repercussions attached and stated that unbelievable things would happen to him if doesn't attend the ceremony.
Upon seeing that, a veil of sadness settled over his features, dimming the light in his eyes. Instantly, with anger on his face, he dialled the number to warn who was sending the message, but the number didn't connect. Frustration and anger etched themselves onto Nelson's face, leaving visible imprints of his inner turmoil, his wife walked inside the room and noticed the strange look on his face.
"Honey, what's troubling you? You're not settled, and I could feel it".
"It's just a glitch I noticed in the work my accountant did, but there's no problem because I just sorted it out." He said this with a fake smile while petting his wife's hair and later moved her to the bed, where they slept off after series of cuddles.
Around 3:00am, he jacked up from the bed, the abruptness of his movement conveyed a sense of urgency, as if he had been rudely awakened from a disturbing dream. His wife, pooled up too, her trembling lips quivered, barely able to form coherent words or sound at how her husband was breathing, asked, "Honey, something is wrong somewhere, tell me what the problem is, please".
"Okay, I will tell you."
"I just had a dream, and I saw my dad begging me to go to his occultic group initiation ceremony. He emphasised on the importance of belonging to the group because all his wealth was secured by the governing power of the group, and also there's no bloody sacrifice of any such. But failure to join would cost the soul of one of our children." Nelson voice resonated with a remarkable calmness, defying the fear that may have gripped his heart.
'Please, please, I don't want anything to happen to my children. You better go and join them, or haven't you seen what happens in Nollywood movies when a successor refuses to identify with them?" His wife said and the words sank into his mind.
He was left with no option but to attend.
Friday reached, he attended, got initiated, and just like his later father told him in his dream, no sacrifice was demanded; the only requirement was that he must put down his son's name as a successor when he dies.
He did that and had his wealth protected all through his lifetime.