The Pregnancies That Took My Family
I have been carrying a secret that is destroying me slowly. People in my village still talk about the strange things that happened at the hospital whenever I went into labour. They talk about how the nurses cried, how the doctors were confused, and how I would push with all my strength only to give birth to nothing. They do not know the full truth. No one does. So today, I want to confess everything.
My story began the day I decided to look for riches in the dark world. I was tired of poverty and watching my family suffer. Someone told me about a ritual at the river, a ritual that would tie my womb to a snake spirit that gives money for nine months. They said the snake would “sleep” inside my womb and bring wealth. After nine months I would have to “give birth,” but it would not be a normal child.
I ignored all the signs that this was wrong. At the river, they tied a cloth around my stomach so tightly that I felt like my skin was burning. They told me that I was now spiritually married to the snake. They gave me blood from some animal to drink, and I still do not know what animal it was. They smeared me from head to toe with muti that smelled like death itself. I wanted the money, so I accepted everything without asking questions.
The money came quickly. My life changed. My whole family started living better. But nine months later, my stomach grew like any pregnant woman’s. I felt movement. I felt kicks. I felt everything real mothers feel. When the time came, I went into labour like a normal woman. But when I pushed, nothing came out except a strong, cold wind. The nurses ran out screaming. The doctors were shaking and confused. And that same night, my grandmother died. I told myself it was a coincidence.
The second time it happened, the same thing repeated. The money came. My stomach grew. I went into labour. I pushed and pushed until that cold wind came out of me again. That night, my grandfather died. That was when fear began to grow inside me, but it was already too late. I was tied to something I could no longer run away from…
