Bisi darted through the crowd, her braids bouncing, a wide smile lighting up her face. The villagers waved, calling her name with fondness, while her mother’s gentle voice echoed from their verandah. "Bisi, remember to come straight home after school today, my dear," she called, her eyes warm but firm.
Bisi nodded with obedience, her heart brimming with joy, certain nothing could ever darken her world.
Bisi[/@ch_1] stands at a crossroads, her friends beckoning from beneath a sprawling mango tree.]
Laughter and playful teasing fill the air as Tolu, a spirited girl with mischievous eyes, grins at Bisi. "Bisi, just this once—stay with us. Your mama won’t mind!" The shadows grow longer as Bisi hesitates, torn between duty and delight. The promise of adventure tugs at her heart, and she steps away from her mother’s words into the gathering dusk.
A strange chill prickles Bisi’s skin as her friends lead her among whispering trees. Circles of salt and cryptic symbols glimmer faintly on the ground. The Cult Leader, veiled in darkness, chants softly, and a sudden wind whirls around them. Bisi feels her body shrink, fur sprouting, until she is small and helpless—a rat, trembling beneath the ancient moon.
Bisi[/@ch_1] sits alone on the steps, eyes hollow, her laughter gone.]
Her mother watches with worry, unable to understand the change. At night, Bisi slips from her room, her form twisting into a rat, scurrying through the shadows. One night, her mother, startled by the squeak and scuffle, raises a broom in fear. "Yee! Rat! Leave my house at once!" she cries, nearly striking her own daughter, who escapes by a whisker.
Bisi[/@ch_1] drifts through crowded hallways, her old friends exchanging anxious glances.]
Tolu approaches, guilt lining her face. "What happened to you, Bisi? You don’t laugh anymore. We’re all worried," she pleads, but Bisi only lowers her eyes, unable to explain the darkness that now clings to her soul. The once vibrant girl becomes a shadow, haunted by secrets too heavy for her young heart.
The question spreads like wildfire: Elder Emeka, a wise old man, shakes his head. "What happened to that child? She was the sun in our midst," he murmurs, sorrow weighing his words. The story of Bisi becomes a cautionary tale, a mystery that lingers in every corner, as the village wonders if the light can ever return to the eyes of their beloved girl.
