Nobody likes stress, and nobody wants to waste energy unnecessarily. Anytime my mum sends me to buy something from a particular place, she always warns me not to take the shortcut.
I always found it suspicious, but I obeyed her.
Why can't I take the shortcut? I wondered many times. There are houses there, and I'm sure the people living there wouldn't mind if I passed through.
So one day, I finally decided to ask her.
"Why can't I take the shortcut?" I asked my mum.
"The houses along that shortcut rear dogs," she replied.
"So?"
"Not just ordinary dogs," she said seriously. "Dogs that can feed on humans."
"I'm not afraid of dogs."
"My point is simple. Don't take the shortcut."
"Fine, I won't."
"That's my boy," she said, planting a kiss on my cheek.
Two days later, she sent me to buy something from that same place again.
While going there, I obeyed her and avoided the shortcut.
But on my way back…
I stopped and looked at the narrow path.
I'm not afraid of dogs, I thought.
My ego began speaking louder than my mother's warning.
"If any dog comes near me," I bragged to myself, "I will kick it and it will run back to its mama."
With that confidence, I entered the shortcut.
Little did I know…
I was the one who would soon run to my mama.
The first compound was quiet. Too quiet.
Suddenly, something licked my ankle.
I turned slowly.
What I saw almost stopped my heart.
A dog stood right in front of me. And this was not a normal dog.
This dog was bigger and taller than me, with saliva dripping from its mouth.
For a moment, fear froze my body.
But then my brain shouted one word:
RUN.
My legs immediately obeyed.
I ran as fast as I could, but the dog chased after me and jumped on me, knocking me to the ground.
"Egbami ooo!" I screamed. (That means "Help me!")
But nobody came.
"I don enter fresh trouble!" I cried. (Meaning: I'm in serious trouble!)
I struggled with the dog and somehow managed to escape, though my body was now covered with scratches and bruises.
I ran into the next compound and stopped suddenly.
Three more dogs were lying there.
Sleeping.
This time, I moved slowly… carefully… quietly.
I just needed to pass without waking them.
But fate had other plans.
My leg accidentally kicked a bottle.
The sound echoed.
The dogs' eyes opened immediately.
I didn't wait for an invitation.
I ran.
My tiny legs carried me as fast as they could while the dogs chased me like I was their evening meal.
"Baba God!" I shouted while running. (Meaning: Dear God!)
"Please give me another chance. I promise I will never disobey my mother again!"
Soon the dogs caught up with me.
I had no choice but to fight for my life.
I kicked one dog in the face, hit another on the head, and used that small opportunity to escape.
This time, I didn't stop running until I reached my house.
Breathing heavily, I told my mother everything that had happened.
Instead of shouting at me…
She laughed.
Then she said calmly,
"Obedience is better than sacrifice."
That night, while lying on my bed, I kept thinking about what happened.
Something didn't feel right.
Those dogs were not just chasing me.
It almost felt like…
they were trying to stop me from going further into the shortcut.
And that made me wonder.
What exactly was hidden deeper inside that place?