Looking at the river as the evening breeze blew pass the dancing waters. I saw frank smiling at me at the right end of the river.
Two year ago, my friend - frank and I were given admission to study mass communication in Delta State Polytechnic Otefe - Oghara. We were both happy that we got the admission the same time and in same polytechnic base on the fact that we've been friends for a long time.
We rented the same apartment, went to classes together, read together since we didn't want to fail, we did almost everything together that people starting calling us brothers which we just laugh off.
There was a river found inside the school called Ebrifo river. As new students in the school, everyone wanted to go to the river to bath and feel the water, so, both I and frank decided to go there after class one day.
Its was a Saturday evening around about 4:09pm, frank and I were already dressed to go to the river to see how it looks like since we couldn't make it the previous day.
“Frank abeg fast na...you too dey dress like woman” I said in pidgin begging him to come out quick cause I was in a haste to bath in that river. I've missed the feeling of being inside water.
“Na wa for you oh...your blood too dey hot” frank replied and came out of the house, closing the door behind him.
“Make we dey go jor” I said and started the journey with frank trailing behind me.
We got to the river and frank couldn't wait before jumping into it. He didn't even take off his clothes before jumping and I was still taking off my clothes.
“Mumu..nor be you dey do like say na only my blood dey hot just now?” I asked laughing as I watch him swam deeper into the river. Suddenly, I stopped laughing as I say frank struggling with the water to get out of the water.
“Desmond!!!” he screamed my name and i looked at him scared.
“Somebody help oh” I yelled and see if I could get anyone's attention but we were the only one in the thick bush.
“Desmond!” frank called weakly as he drown in my very eyes. I was shivering as I didn't know when I ran to the gate to get help but before they could come, frank was nowhere to the found. It was then I was told that the river doesn't accept strangers. That it kills any stranger that enters it.
The river goddess will allow the victim to get into the water, watch the victim go into deep parts and eventually make the victim drown and frank had to be a victim. Frank was an orphan who struggled very hard to sponsor himself in school. I lost my best friend to the river that day and his body was found three days later. He was taken home, where his uncles buried him close to his parents grave.
The death of frank affected me a lot that my result that semester was not that good. I couldn't stay alone because it looked as if I was seeing frank everywhere.
Its been two years since frank died and I just graduated from my N.D program. Some part of me think that I'm the cause of his death. If I had gone to save him on time then he wouldn't have died.
Yeah, frank died and him smiling at me was just an hallucination.
@Faith Godwin
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