“The depth of a person’s life is more important than its duration”
– Swahili (East Africa)
On the northeastern slopes of Mount Kenya and adjacent to the Kathita River is a village called Meru, where Nkirote was born and lived her entire life as a child.
Nkirote was a well-behaved girl who lived by the rules set by her parents. She was the kind of girl most parents wouldn’t waste time using as a yardstick to judge their children. This made her the envy of many girls her age. People considered her a role model; a standard by which every girl should live.
Despite all the attributes he possessed, he was not and has not been happy for many years. To top it off, this was her wedding eve and she was supposed to be happy. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the numbing fear that crept into her heart with every passing second as the night hours drew closer to his wedding. He looked at the clock on his dresser; it was fifteen minutes to midnight. Oddly enough, there was nothing to get excited about. This was to be his third attempt at marriage. His first two weddings were disasters. ‘Maybe she should call off the wedding’, she thought to herself.
He tried to sleep but his mind couldn’t help but wander to the painful past; a past that she tried so hard to forget; a past full of regrets, heartbreak and shame. Her first wedding was to Gitonga, a boy she met and dated at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.
The story of her life took a sad and unexpected turn on that beautiful day at St. Paul’s Church when she stood in front of the priest smiling and looking into the eyes of the love of her life. When they handed her the microphone to take his vows, she suddenly saw an apparition; it was the ghost of a girl who was wearing exactly the kind of wedding dress she had, but it was covered in blood. She screamed in fear and before anyone could stop her, she threw down the bouquet she was holding, kicked off her shoes and ran as fast as she could from the church and onto the streets with her family, friends and supporters. the pursuit of her.
She wandered the streets of Meru for many days, while her family desperately tried to find her. She filed a complaint with the Meru Police Station’s Missing Persons Unit and was, fortunately, found. However, she was in a situation of mental instability and she had to be admitted to the psychiatric unit of the Meru General Hospital.
Three months later, she was released as mentally stable and subsequently released from the hospital. She never heard from Gitonga again. It took her over a year to recover from the traumatic experience.
Just when all hope of her being happy again had been lost, Muiti arrived, and she thought that God had brought him to wipe away her tears, but she did not know that her happiness would be short-lived. The same thing happened at her second wedding to Muiti, but this time, before she could get away from her, strong hands grabbed her and stopped her from running out of the church.
His family was growing worried. No one knew the cause of this misfortune that befell him. The rumors that circulated were that she was possessed and needed release, others said that she had a mental problem, that it was probably hereditary, finally, an influential religious group said that there was a curse on her.
His mother made believe the last group of people and immediately sprang into action and with the help of some friends and family, Nkirote was taken to all sorts of places. His healing sojourn took off with a visit to a prominent herbalist named Prof. Onyango, where he offered all kinds of sacrifices, including bathing in the middle of the night at Turtle Beach in Sukamade, to appease the gods. He was also served all sorts of nasty concoctions in an attempt to scare away the ghost of the wedding.
Nkirote’s house became a platform for chants and demonstrations of spiritual gymnastics and prophetic finesse. All manner of diviners flaunted their skills to win the prize that would follow whoever freed Nkirote from the ghost of her wedding. The family did not stop there, they went after charismatic leaders in the Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and finally Pentecostal churches.
The wedding ghost had become so popular in Meru that whoever got married received special prayers to keep the Nkirote wedding ghost away from the celebration.
His family became concerned and made plans for his full recovery. People fervently prayed for the ghost to go away. No one knew what was wrong with him, but Nkirote knew what the problem was. She was the only one who knew what was wrong with her, but she couldn’t say. The ghost that she constantly appeared to on her wedding day was Kaimuri Bitok. This was her big secret. She already swore an oath of secrecy and she was bound by him! Even if she costs him her own life…
However, Nkirote was running out of time. She had to do something. Why did Kaimuri Bitok choose this time in her life to pursue her? What does the ghost of the wedding want?
Nkirote wasn’t quite sure what Kaimuri Bitok wanted, but this is what she remembers…
About twelve years ago, she attended Maua Girls Secondary School, Meru in Kenya. Nkirote and her friends were being promoted to a new class. It was special as they were graduating from High School. They couldn’t help but enjoy the euphoria of it all. They imagined the power and privileges that came with being a senior.
The days of sending them on unnecessary errands, punishing them for the slightest infraction, and extorting pocket money were finally over. It was about time they also enjoyed such privileges. It was really going to be so much fun that they excitedly chatted to themselves. For the first time, everyone was looking forward to the restart.
Her closest friends Mwenda and Lela were so much fun to be with, and they made the challenges of being a third year a little less stressful as they always found a way to bring humor out of every awkward situation.
Mwenda was stubborn, daring and headstrong, always known for getting all three of them into trouble. Lela was always unpredictable. Nkirote was a passionate follower, suave and always pleasant. They were considered the perfect combination. Classmates used to refer to them as the three musketeers.
One hot night, the three of them decided to go swimming. Arriving at the pool, they were surprised to find a third-year student there. Minor students were not allowed access to the pool late at night and without supervision. The opportunity to assert their authority presented itself on a golden platter, and they were not about to pass it up.
Wasting no time, they confronted her and demanded to know why she was there. They yelled at her and ordered her to leave the pool immediately. Before she could come up with a reasonable explanation, Mwenda impulsively jumped into the pool in an attempt to physically pull her out of it.
Little did they know that she was not going to give up without a fight. She struggled and kicked hard at Mwenda. They were both out of breath as the fight degenerated into a more physical battle. Nkirote and Lela watched in shock.
Lela, who couldn’t bear the embarrassment of seeing a third-year mother retaliate so vigorously, joined in.
Lela joined Mwenda and together they dominated her.
Nkirote stood there rooted in indecision and watched in horror as her friends did the unthinkable. They joined forces with her until they were sure she was resting peacefully at the bottom of the pool.
In an instant, the reality of what they had done hit them suddenly. Nkirote was the first to run, while the other two ran out of the pool and ran after her in great fear and uncertainty. She was going directly to the housekeeper to raise the alarm and save the girl’s life. Since she was stupid enough not to stop her friends, she could at least make it right by saving the poor girl’s life. She hadn’t gotten halfway to the housekeeper when her friends caught up with her and pulled her back.
They gave him a tough talk. They explained to him what the consequences of his action might be. All of them would be in big trouble. Mwenda persuaded them to take an oath, which they did.
The next day, news of the pool incident spread like wildfire throughout the school. The victim was Kaimuri Bitok. The name resonated everywhere. Guilt, trauma, and regret haunted Nkirote. The weight of the crime was unbearable for her. She fell seriously ill and was granted permission to go home. She never returned or had any contact with her friends. The incident of that night was forever etched in her memory.
Nkirote did not speak to anyone about it. He had fulfilled his part of the bargain and he hoped the others would have done the same. Now his whole life was falling apart. She couldn’t forgive herself. She wished she could turn back the hands of time. It was too late!
“Nkirote!” “Nkirote!” the Reverend Father’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. “Time to take your vows. You don’t want to keep this young man waiting, do you?”
With that, she silently took her vows as she looked around in great fear, hoping that the wedding ghost would not appear again.
Cries of ecstasy of “Happy married life!” they emerged from the congregation as friends, family and supporters, all surrounded them with joy and jubilation. Songs of celebration followed as the newlyweds danced outside the church.
“I have a surprise for you.”. Her husband whispered excitedly. “Here, come, let me show you.” He said, leading her to a private place. At that moment, to her greatest surprise, three ladies started walking towards her. She looked at them and recognized two of the three ladies, but she couldn’t make out who was the third. “Mwenda and Lela!” She thought of herself. “Impossible!”
… And there they were, advancing towards her. The third lady was looking directly into her eyes. Nkirote in utter confusion, stared wide-eyed in horror as he approached, reaching out his hands to her, he said, “Hello, I’m Kaimuri Bitok.”
THE END.
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