Itanife: The Book Of Ifa (Orisha Chronicles) #NaNo2015Winner

THE ENCOUNTER - Part 8

     "What are you talking about?" This time I yell. She is making no sense. "Who are you? What are you?".

     "I am Bisimbi Bi Masa, I am a water nymph and you are my guests".

     "Bisimbi what? Water nymph? Are you insane? Look I don't care who you are, we are here with a lot of people-"

     "You are here with no one". She proclaims solemnly, arms spread wide. "Look around you, your people are not here. No one is in the forrest aside from us three".

     "How do you know that? Our friends are nearby and all we have to do is call them and they will come.". Abi says. Thank god she's speaking again, I'd thought she might be in shock or something.

     The Bisi fish girl ignores her and smiles, staring creepily at me. I decide to try again.

     "Look! let us go". I say, yanking a bit on my hand that's still got her freakish hair/tentacle tightly wrapped around my wrist. It's the only one doing that. Which makes me wonder how many more people she could hold on to with all her tentacles.  I don't want to think about it, I don't want to look at my hand, the tentacles move and rub against one another in a constant motion. It is the most disturbing and horrible feeling. 

     "Does this have any thing to do with the festival? Are you some sort of priestess or what?". I ask. I'm grasping at straws here. I know she is no priestess. At least no human one. The alternative is mind blowing but the evidence is staring us right in the face. It's wrapped around my wrist.

     "Haaa...the festival....it was a good opportunity to reach you".

     "What do you mean? We are on a school trip, what does that have to do with you?" I can't believe I am actually talking to her, asking her questions like this is not the most bizarre experience of my life. I can't..I can't I can't...........

     "Why do you think you are on this 'school trip' as you call it? Has your school ever gone to Osogbo before?". She asks, again cocking her head. When she mentions Osogbo, I am even more terrified, because she knows our destination. I'm afraid of what else she knows.

     "You have a teacher do you not that is barren?". I close my eyes wishing this is a nightmare that will stop when I open them again. It doesn't stop. It is real.

     "Humans are so predictable....so greedy....they will do anything to get what they want". She lets out a little laugh as she moves slower to us. The sound is both beautiful and terrifying at once.

     "Your teacher has been praying so long for a child, she was very eager to deliver you to me in exchange for that privilege". She concludes.

     Now she is standing directly in front of me and I can see despite the scales she is beautiful. The type of female men write poetry and songs for. At least that's what I think men do for such beauty. She has very delicate features which belie her true nature. If it wasn't for the scales she would look like an angelic teenager. Except for the albino snake hair of course. I wonder if that means she is young or just doesn't age.

     I want to keep her talking, since in every movie I've ever seen, you have to keep the bad guy talking until help arrives. Only in our case I don't think any help is coming, no one knows where we are and even if they did I don't know how they would help us.

     "What do you want with us? Why were you waiting for us?". I ask her but she doesn't reply and continues directing her creepy death stare at me.

     "How did you know we would be lost in this forrest?"I try another question."That was an accident."

     "Was it?". She asks coyly. "Come now, you knew there was something wrong from the first moment you stepped into this forrest. You felt it. And yet you continued. Why is that?". She arches what I assume are eyebrows which in her case are perfectly formed delicate sized scales of a shiny turquoise colour. I'm so startled by this simple feature, it takes an effort to drag myself back into the conversation.