THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL!

Jesus something special supernatural about your name/Jesus sometimes happens when I mention your name/Jesus oh there’s power in your name!………”

Mercy Efe sang along with the Kurt Carr singers gospel track playing on her Nokia C3 phone. She lifted up her hands, closed her eyes and slowly turned her body in a spiral motion imitating the choreography dance move she had seen a dance group perform in church.

Mercy was standing at the center of the living room that Sunday evening, alone at home. It was one of those rare moments where she had the house totally to herself. She was 19 years old and was a house help to the family of Mr Douglas Edewor.  She came to Lagos from Ughelli and had been with the Douglas family for 5 months.

 Have you ever called on Jesus name? Supernaturally he turns your situation around! the lead vocalist inquired in the song

“Yes!”

Mercy shouted as she sang along. She danced totally oblivious to her surrounding, she was caught up in the spirit of worship in the heavenly realm.

“Young lady i can see you are having a good time” a voice sounded from her back.

Brought back to earth she stopped and turned round, her master Mr Douglas was standing behind her hands akimbo. He was a tall man with a cubical head, a wedged body shape with well muscled arms and legs, he was watching her with an expressionless face.

 Mercy quickly turned off the song, the reality check registered in her mind. Gospel music was one of the prohibited items in the house.

“Good evening sir” she curtsied, “I didn’t you know you were back”.

“How will you know someone else is in the house when you are busy fooling yourself with your religious songs?” he queried.

“Mercy come and get these things out of the car boot”

 A clear voice called out to her from the front door. That was the voice of her mistress mrs Ann Douglas Edewor.

They had gone out visiting some family friends and also made a short stop at the amusement park.

The Douglas home was an atheist household.  Mercy was quite unsettled when she came into the house newly from her village.  On the first Sunday of her stay she had woken up by 4.30am and done some chores in preparation for church.

“Aunty what time are we going to church today?” she had asked Mrs Douglas who exchanged quick glances with her husband.

“Ask your master” she had replied her.

The reply got Mercy confused. Right from that moment she knew that something was amiss.

“Mercy we are not religious people like others, you see we don’t do church business in this house. We don’t go to church. We live our lives according to the dictates of our moral conscience”.  Master addressed her to her consternation.

It was unthinkable to Mercy.  She came from a strong Christian home background in the village.  Every member of her family was involved in all activities of the small Christ hope church. Her father was an elder, her mum a deaconess, her elder brother was the Youth president of the church. She and her elder sister Mary were strong members of the choir. It was almost a taboo to miss a single Sunday service!

What kind of family stays without going to church? Jesus what have I gotten myself into!? She had wondered in her mind.

 Overtime Mercy accepted the situation with an air of resignation. She had no choice but to adjust to the situation in the household. Master was paying her well. 15,000 naira salary per month plus free food and accommodation was no joke. She read her bible everyday at her spare time and sneaked out to attend the late morning service in Rhema city church in the next street whenever she could. Mr Douglas, his wife and their kids were nice people, the only thing wrong with them was that they didn’t attend church.

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Douglas Edewor sat on the king sized bed in his bedroom, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He admired the soft interior décor in the room. His thoughts fell upon Mercy who was gradually becoming a problem. She was becoming too religious for his liking. He could understand her frustration at not being allowed to worship her God openly but that was the rule he set and rules must be obeyed.

 He was 40 yrs old and with all his accomplishments in life he was convinced he had no use for God. He remembered following his mother to the church in their little town taking part in all the church activities as a kid. He was a dutiful kid who loved God.

 All that changed when he got a scholarship into Kansas state university USA to study Management science. The exposure he had to western culture and civilization made him begin to question the things he had been told about God. He became convinced that God was a manufactured being/concept by lazy minds to rationalize the things the mind couldn’t understand. He became an atheist and a free thinker.  His cycle of friends included fellow atheists like himself, young students who were bent on discovering the truth about life. In his third year he met Ann a fellow Nigerian who was a second year student in the same college studying Fiscal planning.  They got married two days after his graduation. He waited for her to graduate before heading back to Lagos, Nigeria where a juicy position at Magnum oil and gas Ltd was waiting for him.

Back in the country, he found the situation the same way he left it. A corrupt government with no concern for the citizens and zero development in all the sectors of the economy.  He saw the same hapless people who attributed every good thing to a supernatural being and every bad thing to a manufactured devil.  At 40 he was comfortable, he had a good job with six digits monthly salary, a car that rolled on bread wheels, a hot looking wife with two beautiful kids, a one storied apartment building and investments in stocks, all his achievements were done by him.

Mercy started teaching Austin and Wendy some of her bible stories in the first week of his stay in his house.

“Stop it, don’t brainwash my kids with your dogma and doctrines!”

He had shouted at her as he walked in on them from the garden. She was obviously taken aback but he knew she got the message, no Christian stuff in the house. His kids will be brought up as pragmatic liberals free from the shackles of religion.

She have stepped up her religious activities recently, imagine her dancing to a religious song in his living room! It sometimes amused him to hear her pray to a God he knew wasn’t existent, he overheard her talking about the salvation of his soul and mumbling some mumbo jumbo she called “speaking in tongues”.

He will find a way to curb her activities. He will instruct Ann to give her more work in the house. If that doesn’t work out, he will make her an offer to increase her salary if she stopped all her religious activities. The thought of the inner struggle Mercy will have in her mind at the offer to throw her Christian faith under the bus to earn more money brought a smile to his face as he got up and walked on the neatly tiled floor towards the direction of his private refrigerator to pour himself a drink.

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Mrs Ann Douglas gazed at the paintings hung on the wall in the living room in admiration. A couple of the 18^th century French artist De’saille paintings and the priceless Italian artiste Michelangelo renaissance masterpiece were proudly displayed on the wall.

“These painting must have cost Douglas a lot of money”… she said to herself.  It was a Monday morning and she was ready to go to work.

She and Douglas were art enthusiasts. They had first met at Professor Martinez Sacher Art exhibition in Reddington hall, Kansas state university. A Nigerian living in USA, she had planned on staying back in the states after graduation from college. That was until fate threw Douglas her way. Douglas chased after her until she had to say “Yes” to him.

She found him to be a charming man who impressed her with his depth of knowledge and grasp of issues.  She had no qualms following him to Lagos, Nigeria to settle down.

 Ann was of average height, a curvy body shape with long dark hair, brown eyes and looks that could pass for the actress Genevieve Nnaji.  She wasn’t the religious type of person so she had clicked instantly with Douglas on that level. Her present job at Zity bank was a nice one.

As her eyes moved around the wall, she noticed that the positions of two paintings have been interchanged, someone had shifted their positions! No one else in the house had the permission to touch the paintings apart from her and Douglas! The positions of the paintings had not been moved for two years.

Ann rushed and quickly brought down the De’saille painting from the wall, her hands quickly ran through the back. The treasure was missing! The treasure she had hidden in a little groove at the back of the painting for two years had been removed! No one else in the house knew that she had hidden something at the back of the painting. It had been there for two years but now it was gone.

“No! it cannot be Mercy!” She could vouch for the integrity of the girl. Ever since she came into the house she had given a good account of herself. It cannot be Douglas either, they had no trust issues.

She will go upstairs to confront Mercy all the same. The treasure was worth a fortune. She had kept them in a safe box for three years but always felt uncomfortable. Thieves always go for the enclosures and safe boxes, they often overlook the unlikely hiding places.

 The treasure was a diamond encrusted jewelry that Sally a wealthy friend of hers had given her in college on the eve of their graduation from college as a wedding gift. The painting was the most unlikely place to keep the diamond. It was an experiment that had lasted for two years. No one else apart from her knew what was inside the painting. Now it was gone. She raced up the stair case.

“Mercy did you by any chance touch the paintings in the living room when you were cleaning up this morning?” Ann asked Mercy who was bent over a pot on the electric cooker in the kitchen.

“No aunty, I never went near them as you have always instructed me!” Mercy replied in an anxious tone. Something was wrong, she had never seen madam looking this distressed before.

“Mercy tell me the truth, someone changed the positions of two paintings. I kept a valuable item at the back of one of the paintings. Did you by any chance take any jewelry from the back of the painting? That jewelry is worth millions of naira! I will have to involve the police if you don’t tell me where you kept it”.

“Aunty I didn’t take it!” Mercy protested raising her hands up, shaking her head, a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Okay, help me search for it when you are done with cooking”, I am going to work now.

Ann could see the innocence in Mercy’s eyes. The girl wasn’t in possession of the jewelry.

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“Dear did you touch the paintings on the wall this morning? Ann asked her husband. They were sitting on the couch watching News hour on CNN.

“No, why are you asking?”

“Those paintings were shifted from their original positions and interchanged. I kept something valuable at the back of one of them, it is missing now”.

Mr Douglas got up and brought down the paintings.

“Look at the small groove I made here, I made it to keep the item” his wife said as she pointed to a small opening on the back of the painting.

He examined it closely and asked “What did you keep here exactly?”

“My jewelry piece, the one Sally gave me back in Kansas”.

Douglas expressed shock on hearing that she had kept such a valuable item at home and was outraged when she told him the probable naira value of the item.

“How could you have kept this all these years without letting me know? He demanded. He couldn’t fathom why she hid it from him.

“Sorry I had always wanted to tell you later”. She apologized.

“Who could have removed them? Mercy?

“No not her”, I have questioned her and she denies ever touching the paintings. I believe her. You know that no one else in this house apart from you and I have the right to touch those paintings”.

“I will ask her myself, we must get to the truth of this matter!”...in the meanwhile keep searching the house.

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In moments like this/I sing a love song/I sing a love song to Jesus/In moments like this/I lift up my hands to the lord.

Singing I love you lord/singing I love you lord.

Mercy laid on her bed, singing one of her favorite gospel songs. Her King James version bible was in her hands.

Mr Douglas had burst into her room interrogating her about the missing item. She had vehemently protested her innocence and had burst out in tears when he threatened to invite the police to question her. She disliked those men in black having heard stories of their crude and uncouth methods.

Stealing was a crime that she abhorred. Her parents were simple country folks who taught their children to be contented with whatever they had. She had tried to pray about the matter but instead what came out of her mouth was the song. Surely God will vindicate her.

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“Mummy i have a slight headache!”  Four years old Austin informed Ann his mom as he walked to the car to join Wendy his sister who was already seated waiting to be driven to school. They schooled at Bright Lads Academy Ikeja, a posh and highbrow school for children of Lagos elites.

“Mercy bring two Panadol tablets for Austin” Ann called out to Mercy.

Their relationship now was a little bit strained. It was two weeks after the loss of the jewelry. The matter had been reported to the police who had promised to trace and recover the jewelry. Ann had no confidence in the ability of the police to track down the thief/thieves and was gradually coming to terms with the loss of her expensive stones.

“Austin don’t play too much today, let your teacher know how you feel when you get to school okay?” Mercy instructed him while patting his head to encourage him to swallow the white tablet.

She waved as they drove them off.

Around 11 am Mercy’s phone rang. It was her mistress calling.

“Mercy drop ever what you are doing now. Find Sule the driver and rush down to the school and pick up Austin! I have just received an emergency call from his class teacher, he is very sick. I am on my way down there but I know I will be stuck in traffic at the third mainland bridge.

“Yes maam”.

They met Austin lying on a tiny cottage bed at the school clinic. He had been running temperature and vomiting all through the few hours he was in school. The school doctor informed them.

Austin’s condition deteriorated when they got home. Ann got back home and called her husband who rushed in rom the office and together with his wife took Austin to Noah’s ark clinic.

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Dr Eze Kpangolo the consultant and chief pediatrician Noah’s ark clinic examined the medical report of the boy lying under the covers of the white hospital sheet. He had his stethoscope hanging around his neck. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt on top of a blue jean trouser. A young man with boyish looks, he looked more like a rockstar than a medical doctor.

 He had put Austin on intravenous therapy. The fluid was trickling down the drip bag into the veins of the boy.  He had assured the parents of the boy that everything was under control. The necessary tests have been ran, nothing much was found. Only a few strains of malaria parasites which will be brought under control by his administered drugs. The boy will however be admitted overnight to monitor his progress. In 24 hrs he will be good to go.

“Mercy what is wrong with Austin and is mummy coming back today?”

Wendy inquired from Mercy. She was sitting at the dining table staring at the plate of indomie noodles prepared for her by Mercy. Wendy was 6 years old and was the first child of the Douglas family.

“I don’t know what is wrong with him, but he is very sick, I pray that he recovers soon, everything will be alright.”

“Mercy why is daddy always angry with you anytime you pray”?

“Wendy i don’t know but i am praying for him that God should touch his heart and save him.”

“Mercy your madam won’t be coming back tonight, she will be staying with Austin at the hospital”.

The voice of mr Douglas sounded from the balcony

 “Prepare a light dinner for me, tea and bread preferably. Wendy sweetie come over here”.

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Magnum oil services ltd was a corporate organization with high standards, a multinational oil firm with headquarters in New York and offices in major cities around the world. The company operated the policy of hiring only the best hands.  

Mr Douglas was one of the best hands that were hired 10 years ago by the firm. He had worked his way up the echelon to attain the post of Deputy director Sales unit.

Douglas’s mind was occupied with thoughts of his son Austin at the hospital as he alighted from his Toyota Prada and took the lift to his serene office on the third floor of the building. He would take a quick dash to the hospital to pick up Austin by 12 noon.

He had barely settled down to work when Monique his secretary barged in with an official memo.

“Sir this came in 5 minutes ago, a management staff meeting is scheduled to start in the next 20 minutes at the conference hall”.

“Really? Okay thanks”.

“Jide what is happening?  Why are we having a management meeting by 10 am on a Tuesday morning?” Douglas inquired as he accosted Jide Afolabi the Director of Communications, his colleague at the next office.

“Mehn it looks like something serious is in the offing. Big Sam is in town!”

Big Sam was the nickname they gave to Sam Walter the Chief executive officer Magnum oil Nigeria ltd.

“Wow the big guns are coming in huh?”

“Brace yourself for the impact of the bullet”

“What bullet? I am clean bro”

“Yeah me too”.

“Gentlemen we don’t have time to waste. I ordered an audit of our corporate accounts last month. The report is out. A massive fraud to the tune of 4 billion naira has been uncovered in this organization in the personnel, research, marketing and sales units. We are suspending the heads of all these units with immediate effect until all investigations are concluded. We are handing them over to the police. I advise affected staff to co-operate fully with the law enforcement officers in the investigations”.  Dr Sam Walter the Magnum oil magnate announced in his gravelly voice.

The meeting was over as soon as it started.

The different unit heads were dazed with the announcement. As they got to their offices, teams of stern looking mobile policeman were on standby with handcuffs to arrest them. Douglas was cuffed and led away. He kept on shouting at the top of his voice.

 “This is a setup! I am being setup! The truth will come out!”

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