SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN 2

SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN PART TWO A Short Story by Damilola Jael "Nora, Nara!" I could hear myself calling, but the images gradually folded away from my view, disappearing into darkness. My eyelids began to open slowly. They felt unusually heavy, almost as though someone had placed weights on them. My body, which had been numb earlier, now felt unbearably heavy. Every part of me seemed to ache. It was as though all the pain I had been unable to feel before had suddenly decided to announce its presence at once. I groaned, struggling to adjust to the brightness around me. My eyes finally opened, and I began scanning the room. It was different from the police interrogation room where I had been questioned earlier. The walls, the furniture, even the smell were unfamiliar. I couldn't tell how long I had been unconscious, but judging by how weak my body felt, I could tell that days had passed. My first instinct was to reach out for her. I waited. Nothing. I tried again, listening carefully for that familiar voice, but there was no response. The silence felt strange. For once, I could hear my own thoughts without another voice interrupting them. I attempted to sit up, only to discover that my hands were chained to a heavy arch fixed across the room. I pulled at the chains instinctively. They rattled against the metal, sending a sharp sound through the otherwise quiet room. That was when I noticed something else. I wasn't alone. Above me stood a huge cross, positioned prominently against the wall. Around the room were several candles of different colours, arranged in what appeared to be a deliberate pattern. Their little flames flickered gently, casting moving shadows across the walls. Beyond the circle of candlelight, the rest of the room remained dark and hidden. I swallowed hard. "Mom," I tried calling. My voice came out as a whisper, husky and unclear. My throat felt dry, and speaking seemed to require more effort than I could manage. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Mom!" This time, my voice was louder. It echoed slightly, but there was still no response. "She's awake," I heard a male voice say. The voice sounded distant, probably coming from somewhere outside the room. I immediately turned towards the direction of the sound. My eyes searched the darkness, but I couldn't make out anyone. Seconds later, footsteps began approaching. They were slow and steady, growing louder with each passing second. I held tightly onto the chains, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal. The door eventually opened, and a man walked in. "Hey," the male voice said. He was dressed in a white robe with purple apparel. His appearance was different from the doctors and police officers I had encountered earlier. There was something about his presence that made me uncomfortable. I refused to acknowledge him. My attention was still fixed on finding my mother. I continued calling her name, hoping she would hear me. "Damilola," he called. The moment the name left his lips, something inside me stirred. I knew that was enough to annoy her, and she didn't disappoint. Every vein in my body seemed to stand out. My muscles tightened as she stretched through me, pulling against the chains with a strength I hadn't experienced before. Unlike earlier, I couldn't feel the pain now. 'That's not our name!' she roared. The chains rattled violently as I struggled against them. "Okay, now sit," the man commanded. She remained standing within me, refusing to obey. The man reached for a bottle and sprinkled some water on me. Immediately, my body felt as though it had been set on fire. The sensation spread across my skin, making me scream in agony. I struggled against the chains, trying desperately to escape whatever was happening to me. I dragged myself towards the wall, curling into myself as the pain gradually subsided. The man pulled his table and chair a little closer. A woman whom I had not noticed earlier moved with him. She held some candles in her hands, but they were not lit. "Damilola," he called again. He raised the bottle, and almost immediately, she became calm inside me. It was as though she had suddenly disappeared. The absence of her presence brought no relief. Instead, the pain returned, spreading through my body. I winced, struggling to find a comfortable position. "I am in pain," I cried. "We will save you, but you have to answer us truthfully. Don't listen to her," he said. I nodded. At least, I could talk now. "How did this happened?" The thought of how everything had begun sent a cold shiver down my spine. I sniffed, lowering my gaze to the floor. "The bottle turned facing Nora," I began. "From the beginning, Damilola." I closed my eyes. Perhaps if I opened them, everything would return. The party, the laughter, the people, and the terrible events that followed. I could almost see myself standing in front of the mirror hours before leaving home. I remembered how my mother had tried to convince me to follow her instead. I remembered refusing. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. "Nora was my Childhood friend, her mom was my mom's friend until they travelled out to Spain." I paused, dragging the chains slightly as I adjusted my position. "They came back week ago and she threw a party at her house. For her close friends. She invited me also, I was surprised at first, but since I was her first best friend I have to go." A little laugh escaped me. It was strange how highly I had placed myself in someone's life when that person probably didn't give a damn about me. I looked away, trying to gather my thoughts. "I got bored in the party and left to tour round her house, I left them downstairs and I was upstairs in a room I presume was her mom's." I took a long pause. The man watched me without interrupting. "Continue," he said. "I saw an historic book and began to read. It was written in strange languages, I do not understand any of it. I got bored too and went downstairs by then the party was done but a few people left." The memory flashed across my mind. I could almost hear the music playing downstairs and the faint conversations of people who had remained after the party. I remembered how everything had seemed so ordinary. Then my expression changed. I smiled before breaking into laughter. "Nora took my boyfriend," I said, laughing. The laughter gradually turned into sobs. I brought my chained hands towards my face, trying to wipe away the tears. "She kissed Stephen, knowing fully well how much I had a crush on him since we were kids." The man stared at me for a moment. "Is that why you killed them?" My lips slowly spread into a smile. I laughed again, but this time, the laughter sounded unfamiliar. It was too controlled, too deliberate. Then I stopped abruptly. "She killed her, not me." I repeated the words, almost desperately, as though saying them enough times would make someone believe me. 'She deserves it.' Her voice returned, cutting through my thoughts. The chains began rattling again as she struggled against them. "Damilola sit, in Jesus name" the man commanded. He sprinkled another portion of water on me. I screamed. The pain returned immediately, travelling through every part of my body the water touched. I struggled to pull away, but the chains held me firmly in place. "You are using sorcery," I shouted. 'Yes, your mother is a Christian,' she said to me. "Did mom know of this, my mother is Christian, sorcery is a sin unto Je..." The pain interrupted me. This time, it wasn't coming from the water. It was something else, something I couldn't explain. It felt as though an invisible force had pressed against my entire body. I gasped, struggling to catch my breath. 'You don't call that name like that, Damilola,' she said. Her voice carried so much anger that I momentarily forgot the pain. What name? I thought. 'Just don't call the name you wanted to call earlier,' she said, her voice spitting anger. I frowned. I couldn't understand what she meant. "Is it Jeeee" The pain struck again before I could complete the name. I screamed, my head falling backwards against the wall. "Please," I cried. "This is not sorcery, but you don't question me, I do the questioning. we are not done, now Continue your narration," the man said firmly. I swallowed hard. My throat was dry, and my body trembled uncontrollably. The pain was becoming unbearable, but I knew I had to continue. I didn't want to experience whatever had happened the last time. "We played a game, Seven minutes in heaven," I stopped, sobbing. The memory of Nora kissing Stephen replayed in my mind. I could see them again, standing among the others, completely unaware of what was about to happen. "Nora spin the bottle and it landed on her, there are 3 boys there but she picked Stephen, she picked the guy I liked." I lowered my head. The man remained quiet for a moment before asking again. "So you killed her?" "I did not kill her, she only told me recite those things I read in her mother's room. And I said it like a whisper Nora, nomen tuum in tenebris scriptum est. Umbra mortis, veni et tege. Nox profunda, cor obscura. Ultima lux, exstingue flammam. Nora, mortem voco. Sic fiat, sic finis." I began laughing. But it wasn't my laughter. The sound came from somewhere deep within me, carrying a strange satisfaction. I could feel her enjoying the memory, reliving every second of it. The man looked at me intently. "But she stabbed Stephen, then stabbed herself, Nora killed herself". "You killed her," he said. His voice sounded different now. Almost as though he had finally gotten what he wanted. He stood to his feet. The woman beside him handed him a bowl. She then turned towards me and placed a robe on my body. It wasn't just a robe. A cross was attached to it. 'Take it off!' she screamed. Her voice grew louder, and the chains began shaking again. 'Christians are not supposed to be performing sorcery!' she roared. That was definitely her speaking through me. Her voice sounded like the cries of several men speaking at once, each voice fighting to be heard. "This is exorcism, we will cast you out in the name of our Lord" 'She kissed my crush, Nora kissed Stephen!' she kept roaring. 'She's at fault ' She struggled violently against the chains, refusing to settle. The man sprinkled a white substance on me. Salt. The other woman handed him a very big Bible while he passed the bowl to her. He opened the Bible and began reading Psalm 91 At every interval, the woman sprinkled salt and water on me while calling out her name. "Umbrael out!" The name echoed through the room. While the man kept calls the name I love but she hate JESUS I could feel something shifting inside me. The presence that had been so dominant moments earlier seemed to be struggling. The man continued. "OUT IN JESUS'S NAME !" he shouted. Suddenly, it felt as though a powerful wind had swept through the room. Something seemed to leave me, and a painful scream tore through my throat. I couldn't tell whether I was screaming or she was. My body went limp against the chains. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but the room was spinning. "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jehovah, Thank you Holy spirit and Mary mother of Jesus" I heard those words before my strength finally gave way. My eyelids closed. And everything went black.