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Introduction

Welcome to my blog. It's another week of the story "The Wounded Captain," and in this episode, I will be writing about how Abia visited the Juju Man and why he did that.
At the end of the story, please visit other episodes for a better understanding of this story.

Abia With the Juju Man

To some extent, Ndopnda has influenced Abia's thoughts and actions. At a point, he could not do away with certain ideas of Ndopnda put across to him. He took them as the best. He did not also joke with sports.

Abia's school visited another school to play a friendly match. The match was an exciting one because the opposing team was the current champion of All Round Principals' Cup. Abia showed much dexterity in the game, though his team was defeated by a lone goal. This was caused by defensive blunders. All efforts aimed at equalizing were fruitless.

In his few years of playing football, his school recorded many defeats and winnings. Yet, the last defeat by its rival team had put paid to the argument over the superiority and ability of the two schools in terms of football. It was one of the matches Abia lived to remember.

The loss of the match worried him throughout the week, and he could neither eat nor sleep. His only consolation was the school's yearly
inter-house sport that was slated for the following week. Again, there was a match in his school, and G.S.S. wanted
to play with S.A.S. for a trophy donated by a Rotary Governor.

These two events lifted the spirits of many students, including Abia's. He considered winning the Governor's cup a do or die affair.

It was a means of redeeming their school's image from the past week's defeat.

He put in extra time and training on both events. He discovered that apart from himself and two other students, other members of his house were not good at sport Israel, who was the leader, brought the idea of contacting Iko Edem, a juju-man who would weaken the morale of sport boys and girls in other Houses, but causes their House to excel.

Iko Edem was known in and around his community for executing devilish deeds. Everybody bought the idea. They resolved that part of the money from the house be remitted for the journey. Abia and Israel were mandated to visit the juju-man before he commenced his work, the juju-man
demanded consultation fees and was paid. He kept seven feathers according to the seven houses of the school. He placed each feather on the top of half an inch of bamboo with a scrubbed outer layer. He lit seven candles and placed each beside a feather. He mediated for a few minutes and then began to invite strange. Immediately, the feathers. stood up.'Give me the names of all sporters in your school who belong to your house,' said Iko Edem.

As soon as he had the names, he put the list into a calabash that was at the far end of his juju room. He commanded the spirits again, and the feathers fell down. He handed them to rub oil-like substance without odour and advised them to rub the substance on all their house-members before they took part in any game. He requested payment for his services before they departed.

On the D-day, they were dismayed to watch all sporters in other Houses continue to excel in all the events while Abia and two others in their Houses also kept to their position in all the activities they had taken part in. The house members were not convinced because of the poor performance of the house. They accused Abia and Ekpenyong of taking the money given to them for consultation for their personal use. 'I can never consult a juju-man again. They are all rogues,' said Abia.

"My mother has given all our fowls to a juju- man who claims he can cure my younger brother who is suffering from an undiagnosed illness,' said his colleague.

'You should advise her to take him to the hospital. Where the hospital can't help, God can help. If you are interested in saving his life, then do something fast. Take him to see a doctor.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading to the end. I believe you enjoyed the story. To understand this story better, please do well to read other episodes below.

• Episode 1, Taboo on Playmates
• Episode 2, Hocky the dog
• Episode 3, The Gardener
  Episode 4, The-master
• Episode 5, The gate man encounter with Itina
• Episode 6, Thieves in the warehouse
• Episode 7, The Cook and The Steward Imprisoned
• Episode 8, Reward For Honesty
• Episode 9, The White Master
• Episode 10, The Powerful Strokes
• Episode 11, Abia Becomes Captain
• Episode 12, Ndopnda in school