INFONIX INSTITUTE

At thirteen, Maranna still couldn't give explanations on what she had always seen around people's heads all through her life. She described it as shiny ribbons that fluttered around every head she saw. She had no idea what these ribbons were or why she had to see them. She incessantly bugged her parents over this, and it made them see reasons to go on a leisurely trip to Qatar, leaving her and her elder sister, Helen, under the watch of their neighbor, Ajoke, who lived at the other side of the lane.

One day, Ajoke visited them with a good-looking boy, whom she introduced to Maranna and Helen as Moshood, her nephew. Maranna saw him and was taken aback. Though he seemed about her age, she observed some unusual things on him: his head was void of the ribbons, and he had a line of three eyelike birthmarks below his left eye, which she had, too. The way he looked back at her seemed he observed something unusual about her, as well. He turned away from her gaze and, after that day, ceased to come.

On a drizzling Saturday, Moshood suddenly visited and, to Maranna's surprise, became friends with Helen. In a lengthy discussion between them both, he sounded nerdy and fun to talk with, and before he left, Maranna saw him give Helen a medium-sized book, which Helen prevented her from seeing. He visited two more times and gave out some more books to Helen before leaving.

A week later, in the early days of July, Moshood came when Helen wasn't at home, and from that scene, our story begins. Behind the lobby door, Maranna watched him through a thin gap. He stood with the book pressed to his chest, staring around the house, without asking to know where Helen was. After a while of staring, he stuffed the book in the couch and left.

Maranna waited to hear the thud of the door before coming out to see the book he had dropped. She briskly walked to where it was erected between the foamy seats and pulled it out, gaping around it's weird cover page.

"Children of the Gheshem's Magnetar," she read out the title.

She shifted her view to the image on it; a blue sun with a large keyhole in it's face. She mused over it for a while but later shrugged off the thoughts to lift the book's cover. At that point, she heard Helen's voice from outside. She sounded like she was on a phone call. Maranna quickly stuffed the book into the couch and sat on it. Helen was still on the call when she came in, and when she was done, a cold silence gripped the living room.

"I met with Moshood outside the gate," Helen said.

Maranna sighed. "Tells he should have spent a bit more time gazing around the parlor."

"Same time you've spent sitting on what he had dropped," Helen said. "You need to get up from that couch now. What did you read in it?"

Maranna, seeing the ribbons around her head fluttering speedily, reluctantly got up. Helen reached for the book and saw the edges of the leaves crumpled.

She glared at Maranna. "Tell me what you read in it."

Maranna gave back the stare. "I really don't know what you and Moshood are up to, Helen." She fell to the couch. "I didn't read it, though."

"Such a feeble lie," Helen said. "You took --"

"Actually, I was about lifting the cover when I heard your voice from outside, and I quickly stuffed it back," Maranna said.

Helen stood with a doubting expression.

"What?" Maranna said. "You both can go on with whatever thing you have, provided you don't blow up the house."

The final expression on Helen's face told her tension had calmed a bit. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'll be going to Ajoke's salon to braid my hair, care?"

Maranna ran her fingers through her unmade hair. "You would pay for mine, too?"

"That could be arranged later," Helen said. "For now, just a leg from you."

Maranna yawned and looked around. "This house could be boring, though."

"That's a yes?" Helen asked.

Maranna nodded.

"Let me go change into something else," she said and walked to the lobby door, then turned back to Maranna. "You do same."

Maranna watched her leave, the speed of her ribbons gradually calming. She shrugged and got up.

The sun burned their necks while they walked along the tarred road of Chief Ubani Street, Independence Layout, where their house was situated. Their eyes were fixed on the honk-filled junction in front, where they could see cars and okada riders swiftly driving past.

They came out to the busy road, filled with strident honks and yells from bus drivers. Maranna loved viewing the ribbons here, because they were usually in quick action; flapping and swinging around all heads, especially while drivers yelled at each other.

They approached a computer center, and Maranna's attention was drawn to a middle-aged woman sitting beside an advertisement board. She was wearing a purple ankara boubou with a matching scarf around her head. Maranna got that sudden chill she had when she first saw Moshood. Just like Moshood's, the lady's head was void of the ribbons. Maranna kept squinting and moving her head slightly to check below her left eye. She was startled to see the birthmarks there. The woman seemed shocked, as well, when her eyes met with Maranna's. They both had a lengthy stare at each other until Maranna passed her. Maranna turned around and caught her still staring. She quickly faced forward and continued.

They reached Ajoke's salon; a mini salon with posters of distinguished braids pasted on the four walls. They entered and saw Ajoke and a pregnant lady doing lengthy braids on a long-mouthed lady, whose image they saw in the mirror. And her mouth ran restlessly in talks with both of them.

Ajoke gushed when she saw them. "My fine babes," she said, chewing a gum that made smack-smack sounds all over. She offered them a pair of seats at a corner.

"You girls will have to wait a little," Ajoke said. "We are almost done with this one."

The pregnant lady glanced at them. "Their style of composure is similar. Are they sisters?"

"You can see the resemblance," Ajoke said. "But the younger one is more quiet." She glanced at Helen and sniggered. "I still don't know why my nephew didn't choose to chase her. He chose this one called Helen instead."

"And who told you Moshood is after me?" Helen said. "He is only being friendly."

"By stuffing books in our couch," Maranna said.

Helen nudged her, flashing a scowl.

"Ah, his books have reached your house too?" Ajoke said. "My elder brother he used to live with told me that, after returning from a holiday last year, he came back with plenty books and shared them around." She paused and arched her lips. "And he kept going out and returning home with more copies of the books, to share to more people."

"What kind of holiday is that?" The pregnant lady asked.

"I don't know. It's between him and his uncle," Ajoke said.

"Yes, he told me of the holiday he normally went on during this period," Helen said. "But he said he wouldn't be going this year, for reasons best known to him."

"What kind of books does he give to you?" the pregnant lady asked.

"Well, I'm just starting the first one he gave me. It's just a tale, nothing serious in it," she said.

"So, why do you prevent me from seeing?" Maranna said.

"Cause he said it's beyond you," Helen said. "Well, the one I'm reading seems pretty interesting."

"Ajoke," the pregnant lady said, "you haven't cared to know what those books are?"

"No, no, I don't like books, please. If it won't teach me how to braid with a single hand count me out," Ajoke said.

They all laughed.

"But, at least, as his aunty, you need to know what he is up to," the lady in front of the mirror said.

Ajoke smacked the gum a few times. "Okay, I will."

"It's nothing to be worried about," Helen said. "He said the books are very interesting, and he wanted everyone to read them, too. That's why he shares his books to people."

"He wants everyone to read, yet advises you to keep them from me," Maranna said.

"You are not of age, Maranna," Helen said. "I don't know what I was thinking when I asked you to join me here."

"No, don't talk like that," the lady in front of the mirror said. "She is your sister. No matter what she does, don't mind."

Ajoke laughed. "Don't mind Helen. They behave like dog and cat, but touch Maranna and see Helen's craze."

They all laughed. Helen gasped and placed her eyes on the rapid movements of Ajoke's fingers. They were almost done with the lady. Helen quickly took the scarf off her dense hair.

When Ajoke was done with everything, Helen took out the braids she had in her bag alongside her hair cream, while the other lady stood aside, caressing her hair and admiring herself in the mirror. She turned to Maranna and winked.

"For my sister's wedding this weekend," she said.

Maranna smiled at her.

Helen was about going to sit at the mirror when she looked at the hair attachments she had.

"Oh my goodness." She hit her forehead.

"What is it, my dear?" The pregnant lady asked.

Helen showed her the attachments she held. "I brought the wrong one." She fell back to her seat.

"Ehe, nothing spoil," the lady who finished doing her hair said. "You can send your sister to go and bring it."

"Hope your house isn't far from here," the pregnant lady said.

"No, it's not far." Ajoke said. "Mara baby, could you go get it?"

Maranna got up.

"You know where it is, right? Inside the drawer beside my bed," Helen said.

Maranna nodded and walked out.

Maranna got out of the salon and saw the lady with the ankara boubou again. Her heart plunged into her blood stream and back to it's position. The lady stood beside the salon, staring at her with dark glasses, gently moving her head while Maranna passed by. Maranna quickly took off her gaze and sped up.

She entered the street that led to her house and saw a young girl that seemed her age walking along the other side of the lane, smiling lopsidedly. She was dressed in ankara, as well, but not boubou. Her's was in form of a vest with a fitting pair of trousers that barely gripped her legs. She stared at Maranna with a head void of the ribbons, and she had the birth marks, too. She had two lengthy, thick braids that ran down her collar bone, resting on her chest, and her pretty looks were somewhat tomboyish. Maranna was gripped by fear when she saw her. She wondered why she had to see weird things for the day. She took her eyes off and continued walking.

She walked along a provision stall and saw a bald boy of about her age. He was dressed in the ankara, as well, and he had the same weird features.

"Be calm," Maranna said to herself, her legs knocking against each other as her pace increased.

The boy had a more disturbing look. He had a pair of adjoined eyebrows which made him look aggressive. He kept following her movements. With a pounding heart, she looked forward and saw the old bus that was parked in front of her gate and sighed in relief.

At the gate, a foolscap sheet with a note was pasted. She read the line with the boldest characters -- ALFE-BEE. Though confused, she couldn't spend the next second outside. She took it off and quickly entered the gate, locking it behind and breathing hard. She looked at the paper and it read.

ALFE-BEE

(A new cycle presents itself)

You could see them; glossy and grey

You could see them; they flutter and sway

If you could peek into what you see what would you say

You must play the Alfe-Bee match to make a way.

She scrunched her face. What she read made not a jot of sense to her. She read it one more time, but the more she read the more her head quaked. She squeezed it and threw it away. She got into the house and stayed in her room, not willing to go out again. Helen and every other person in the salon could wait for all she cared. She laid in bed, watching the slow rotation of the ceiling fan.

When it neared evening, she heard loud bangs on the gate and got up in fright. The bangs kept coming, then she heard Helen's voice. "Maranna, Maranna, open this gate!"

Maranna quickly ran out of the house and unlocked the gate. Helen forcefully pushed it open and Maranna lurched backwards.

"Maranna, what's the meaning of this?" Her eyes were red. "What had kept you?"

Maranna ran her lips aimlessly, moping at her.

"I sat there waiting for you while someone else took my turn. Maranna, what happened?"

Maranna still stared.

Helen tightened her fists and opened them up. "I don't know what to say to you. Thanks for spoiling my day. I'll go back tomorrow." She walked out.

Maranna took pity on her and gently closed the gate.