Chapter Four

"Tessa please let us change the channel." Tia begged. Tia was the last girl my own mother had birthed. Terra was older than her with two years, but they looked similar, so similar people joked that they were twins.

"Yeah, I don't I want to keep watching about snakes anymore." Tami pleaded.

"Me too, it's scary Tessa." Terra whined.

"What do you mean? You all wanted this too didn't you?" I asked them.

"That was before obviously, we didn't know it would be this scary.." Tami replied.

"Mommy! Tessa won't let us watch cartoons!" Tia reported to my mom. I eyed her. Couldn't they see that I was scared myself? That was the reason I couldn't stand up to go change it, I was really really scared, probably more scared than they are right now. But I won't show them that. I was their elder sister, I was supposed to be strong, and very brave. Taking a deep breath and a self motivation, I finally let go of the many blankets I had used to cocoon myself in fear of the snakes. I briefly wondered how they couldn't sense my fear.

"What do you want to watch now?" I asked changing the movie. I exhaled deeply, because I did it, I removed the movie without them detecting the level of fear I felt.

"Barbie!" They chorused. I swiftly inserted the disc in the DVD player.

The chorus of the Barbie song that played with my sister's voices lulled me to sleep. I couldn't stay awake to enjoy their Barbie with them, I had already watched it a thousand times.

I saw myself playing with my neighbors daughters, we were playing a game we called, "seven square." It was very famous for children who played on the sand, but mostly for the girls. I should have been happy, but I was not, I could not be happy, not when I knew that my dreams were always terrible. Very very terrible. I wondered what would happen here.. I saw I was with Tami and Tia. Tami was playing with me and a few other girls my age, while Tia played with her mates.

"Where are mom and dad?" I asked Tami.

"Where do you think?" She asked me back. Just before it was her turn. She hopped on one foot as she talked.

"I don't know, that is why I am asking you." I deadpanned. She was supposed to know that.

"Where else would they be on a Saturday morning, except family meetings, and today is the first Saturday of the month, they won't be coming early, whatever it is you want to tell them.. hopefully it can wait." She answered, just then she made the mistake of placing her both feet in one square.

"Ugh I lost because of you!" She exclaimed. I winced, it was true she lost because of me.

"Can she take my place? I did make her fail." I asked the others. They seemed to think a bit.

"I won't play this round, it will be just her." I assured them. They nodded.

"So where is Terra?" I asked when I finally realized she was not here.

"Somewhere around." She said absent mindedly. She was watching the next player intently, to make sure she didn't cheat.

"Somewhere around? Your kid sister is not being accounted for and you say she is somewhere around?" I asked annoyed. She faced me fully now.

"She is probably at home watching TV.. that was where I saw her last anyway.. why are you so worried?" She asked.

"Because, I am dreaming right now." I replied.

She looked so confused.

We heard a scream suddenly, everyone looked towards where the scream was coming from. My house. I looked at Tami alarmed, as if in sync we both started running towards my house. I saw Tia's best friend's mother take her into the house. I smiled gratefully.

"Terra is home.. the only one home." I told Tami. When we got there, there were many people inside of the house. My heart was beating really fast, the world felt like someone had pulled the rug under my feet, my throat felt dry.

"It is that Saturday again." A lady said.

Instantly I knew what she meant, every Saturday, for as long as I could remember, a snake visited the neighborhood, but entered just one house. The one opposite ours.. every Saturday in every month this always happened, but they managed to kill it all the time. And it only entered their house. Why was it in mine?

"Where is Terra?" I asked them.

"Why don't you call your parents on phone? This wan no be small pikin matter." They said half English and half pidgin.

"Tami call Mom and Dad." I ordered her and she left.

"Now where is my sister?" I asked authoritatively.

The lady sighed deeply.

"Terra is..."

I woke up with a start. I was annoyed, why was i awake now? I was just about to hear what the lady was going to say. I got up angrily. It was dawn already. I went outside to meet my father outside. He was lost in his thoughts.

"Daddy Good morning." I greeted like every Nigerian child was thought to.

He smiled at me,

"Morning my child, did you sleep well?"

I was about to say yes but I remembered my dream, then I got confused, did I sleep well or not..

I decided to ignore that question.

"Dad? What does snakes in the dream mean?" I asked him.

"I told you to change that movie you watched yesterday night, you refused now you are dreaming about snakes." Mom said coming out. I turned to her and smiled, it was true. It was because I watched that scary snake movie.

"Good morning Mom." I greeted. She smiled.

"Go and wake your sisters up, your dad and I have the Saturday meeting today, you can't delay us." Mom said already heading to the kitchen. The little detail about the Saturday meeting left a mark in my mind.

Soon after they had left, I was playing in the neighborhood, and someone asked me to go get something for her when I got back I heard a scream.

"Jesus I dey your hand!" My sister's voice, Terra's voice.

I rushed to her, with others in tow.

When I got there, I saw Terra standing close to a dead snake. Fear gripped me .

"Terra are you okay ?" I asked her.

She seemed close to tears.

"shhhh I got you.." I said carrying her away from it gingerly.

"What happened here?" Tami asked shakily.

"Call Mom and Dad." I ordered her.

"I was sitting there, when it just fell out of nowhere and wrapped around me, I got scared and shouted. And it just died.." my sister said crying.

I looked at the dead snake... Why did I see it?

"So you could have stopped it.." something soft whispered to me.

Note: These words are in something Nigerians call pidgin.

"This wan no be small pikin matter": (meaning) This matter is not for children.

"Jesus I dey your hand": (meaning) Jesus I commit myself to you.