"But I don't even understand, sef," Obinna's voice echoed with worry in the dimly lit room. Eze's mind struggled to grasp where he was and what had transpired. How long had it been? Why did the room feel suffocatingly hot? As his eyes slowly flickered open, he discerned the sight of Obinna pacing restlessly by the makeshift hospital bed.

"He's up! Eze, Mr Man, what happened?" Obinna inquired, his concern relatively evident. Eze's anger simmered just beneath the surface.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Eze retorted, his voice tinged with annoyance. "Are you not the one who abandoned me there? For what?"

"Abandoned you? That's a weird word choice Eze," Obinna responded, his confusion evident. "Why would I ever abandon you behind in a situation like that?"

Obinna would then shortly recall his own version of the bizarre events in the cave.

"You followed us, remember?" His words hung in the stifling air. "We were investigating why there was no light in the weird cave, no matter what you tried."

Eze was skeptical, to say the least, "Mm mm. I don't remember that part sha. And then Chinwe appears."

As if summoned by the conversation, Chinwe made her entrance through the doorless door, her presence enigmatic. "You called?" She questioned, her tone filled with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Begrudgingly," Eze muttered, his irritation palpable.

"Well, since it seems like your brain is still waking up, would you like me to recount what happened?" Chinwe offered, her voice taking on a more narrative quality.

Eze sighed, resigned to his situation. He could barely move any part of him that wasn't his wildly gesticulating arms after all. "Well, it's not like I have much of a choice, do I?"

“After we told you that you didn’t want to leave, you followed us, alright,” said Chinwe, her tone holding a mixture of assertion and concern.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t,” Eze argued, his voice wavering with even more frustration.

“You did follow us. But silently. You didn’t say a single thing as you followed us. Then suddenly, you just jerked towards the left of us and collapsed randomly. What actually happened, Eze?” Chinwe's eyes searched his face for answers, her worry deepening.

"Well, it's simple. I..." Eze began, attempting to explain himself, but his words were abruptly cut off.

Then, he seemed to seize in place, as if his heart had stopped, his body freezing mid-sentence.

“NO, ADI!” A strange, echoing voice shouted, reverberating through his mind.

“HUH?” Eze shouted back, his voice cracking with confusion.

“ADI, I SAID NO!” The voice insisted, its tone growing more urgent, more insistent.

“What are you saying, Eze? What’s going on? Are you really alright?” Chinwe's words came out in a rush, her eyes wide with alarm and bewilderment. The room seemed to close in on him, the air getting 3 times thicker with tension and unspoken fear.

"Guy, guy!" Obinna's voice sliced through the tense air.

"Jesus Christ, Obinna, what did we do? Do you think he's..." Chinwe's voice wavered, her eyes wide with alarm, grabbing Obinna's shoulders to shake.

"No, no, no. We will not overreact here. Maybe he's just having a hard time... um... putting together a sentence, maybe," Obinna said, attempting to sound confident despite his own unease.

"He hasn't moved for like a hundred seconds, Obinna!" Chinwe's words rushed out, her hands nervously fidgeting."Too few seconds for you to be worrying," Obinna retorted, his attempt to quell her rising panic seemingly falling flat in the face of their growing apprehension. "Maybe just wait a bit. Give him some time," he said, his voice tinged with uncertainty, trying to reason his way out of the situation.

The room fell into an oppressive silence, the weight of concern suffocating the air. Not a single sound dared to disturb the heavy quietude as Obinna and Chinwe stared, their eyes fixed on Eze's motionless body. Obinna's gaze wandered, desperately seeking distraction in the rough texture of the walls and the scant light filtering through the open windows, only serving to intensify the stifling heat in the room. Chinwe, however, couldn't tear her eyes away from the main topic at hand: Eze, who remained as still as a statue, a disconcerting embodiment of their mounting fear.

As the silence stretched on, it soon became unbearable for both of them, a palpable tension hanging in the air. Chinwe's voice broke through the hush, her desperation evident. "Obinna, I don't think we can ignore this anymore! We have to do something, get help, anything!"

Obinna stole a quick glance at his friend, the worry etched on Eze's motionless face intensifying his unease. Then he looked at the scared Chinwe, who he knew wasn’t good in these situations. He couldn't deny it any longer.

"This isn't normal," Obinna admitted, his voice tinged with concern. "Let's go quickly."

Time hung suspended in the room, a frozen tableau of stillness that echoed the absence of life. The remnants of activity seemed to dissolve into the air, leaving behind an uncanny silence reminiscent of a historic event meticulously recreated in a museum display.

Then, as if thawing from an icy slumber, Eze stirred, his breaths echoing through the room like a man surfacing from the depths of a submerged world. His eyes darted around the vacant space, finding the familiar emptiness that accompanied his solitude. "Why does everything always go wrong for Eze Adi?" he murmured, shaking his head. He investigates his hand, turning it over as if searching for answers etched in his skin. Dissatisfaction etched his features as he clenched his fist, striking his chest. Thud. Once more, a resounding echo reverberated. Thud. And then, with a final, desperate swing, he struck himself, as if seeking to awaken from a perpetual nightmare.

In that moment, the room crackled with an otherworldly energy.

For the first time since Rainy season winds, a gust of wind swept through the room, carrying an electric charge that seemed to infuse the very air. Eze's heart, the epicenter of this strange occurrence, began to emit a strong, ethereal blue glow. "Blue? What's happening oh?" Eze whispered, his voice laced with apprehension. The wind howled for a brief eternity before subsiding, leaving the room in its former state of eerie tranquility.

"Mary, mother of Jesus," Eze gasped, collapsing onto his bed, his pulse racing with a mix of awe and terror. But more importantly, EXHAUSTION.

"Mary? I am not Mary," a voice replied, cutting through the silence like a hot knife through butter.

With a shiver of dread, Eze turned his head slowly, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. There, on the other side of the room, stood the same accursed black, blue-veined spider that had entangled him in this bewildering mess in the first place.

"JESUS!" he exclaimed, catapulting out of the bed with a speed that defied reason. "I'm not Him either, you know. I'll give you a few more guesses," the spider said calmly.

Eze's mind whirred like gears in a rusty clock as he stammered, "B-Buddha?"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Nope," the spider responded coolly. "Mother Nature?" Eze ventured weakly. "Yeah, right." "Z-ZEUS?" he tried again, geniune confusion edging his voice. The spider scoffed. "I wish."

"Then what... why... and who are you?" Eze stammered, attempting to maintain a cautious distance between them.

The Spider shook its head in dismay. "You really don't know, huh? Does Anansi ring a bell?"

A burst of realization erupted in Eze's mind. "Anansi? Anansi? The trickster god? That Anansi?"

"There we go," the Spider confirmed.

"Please, PLEASE, abeg, don't kill me!" Eze pleaded, his voice quivering with fear.

"WHY SHOULDN'T I?" the spider suddenly thundered, its voice reverberating with a depth that shook the very room. Simultaneously, it grew in size, looming menacingly over Eze. The room would start to fill up with complete and utter darkness, only illuminated by blue veins.

"PLEASE!" Eze begged, his terror now palpable.

"Abeg e, calm down," the spider said, its tone softening as it gradually shrank back to its original size.

"Why are you here? Here in Lagos, Nigeria of all places?" Eze questioned, his voice finally steadying, albeit still laced with apprehension.

"Trust me, I would've preferred to go to Ghana as well. But I'm here because of reasons beyond your understanding. I deem you as a worthy host for me, Eze Adi," the spider explained cryptically.

"Host? Host for what?" Eze pressed, his curiosity mingling with his fear.

"I am a weaver of tales, a spinner of destinies, and the keeper of all stories. I require a vessel in this world to carry out my divine duties. You, Eze, you shall become a conduit for my stories, the one who will protect this cluster with me, like my own mini adventurer. You are my chosen one," Anansi explained, his voice resonating with a strange mixture of authority and amusement.

"Chosen... One," Eze repeated, the weight of the words sinking in. This was all moving too fast for him, the reality of his situation unfathomable.

Anansi tilted his head, the blue veins on his jet-black body pulsating with an otherworldly glow. "Yes, chosen one. If that's what you want to call it."

"But what about my dreams? My ambitions? Everything I set out to do with my life? I don't want to just throw everything away!" Eze protested, his voice tinged with desperation.

The spider perked up, almost baffled at Eze's words. Eze hesitated, his mind caught between fear and fascination. The prospect of being part of something grander than himself was both alluring and terrifying. "What if I refuse?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Anansi's eyes softened, and for a moment, he seemed almost paternal. "Look at you. A pathetic and worthless specimen. No life, passable academics, and no real family to speak of," the spider's words dripped with a peculiar mix of contempt and pity, emphasizing Eze's perceived shortcomings.

"You are the first useless mortal to even consider rejection for a normal life. WHAT NORMAL LIFE? YOU HAVE NO NORMAL LIFE TO FALL BACK ON, YOU FATHERLESS, MOTHERLESS MORSEL!" Anansi's voice rose, his words cutting deep, finding their mark in the softest parts of Eze's heart.

Tears welled in Eze's eyes as the brutal words pierced him, striking his deepest insecurities.

"Refusal, my dear Eze Adi, is a luxury you no longer possess. A luxury that I no longer possess. Fate has woven our threads together, and now, we embark on a journey that transcends mortal comprehension. Embrace the power of stories, for they are the essence of existence," Anansi declared, his voice now resonating with a somber, ancient wisdom, as if imploring Eze to understand the weight of his newfound destiny.

"Think of it this way, Eze, you're like a superhero now," the spider said, scurrying closer towards him, its eyes glittering with an odd mixture of kindness and mischief. "And everyone likes to be a hero... right?"

But rather than feeling excited, Eze was saddened by the spider's words. Even a literal god found his position hilarious. He had slumped down, sitting with his hands around his knees, and his head buried deep inside them, consumed by a profound sense of hopelessness.

As the spider stamped the bed, veins traveled from it towards Eze, snaking upwards to his eyes, forcing his head up and drying the tears almost instantly.

"Was what I said truly that impactful to you? Humans these days and their lack of emotional resolve. Come on, be excited or something," Anansi urged, attempting to infuse some enthusiasm into Eze.

"If you're really going to be stuck with me for eternity or something, this is not a good first impression, Anansi," Eze retorted, his voice laced with a mix of sadness and frustration.

"There we go! So, should I wipe your brain and start over?" Anansi teased, a mischievous glint in its eyes.

"W- What?!? NO!" Eze exclaimed, his fear returning in full force, his heart pounding in his chest. His body tensed up, and he involuntarily shuddered at the thought of losing his memories.

"Then STOP THE INSOLENCE!" Anansi's voice boomed, its echo bouncing off the walls of the cave.

"Fine, fine, I will," Eze mumbled, his defiance evaporating in the face of the spider god's power.

"Now finally, Eze Adi, are you ready?" Anansi's tone softened, a strange blend of eagerness and patience. "Eze Adi," Anansi said, its voice creating a tapestry of doom and destiny. "As my chosen vessel, your existence will be interwoven with purpose and pain." Even with its grandeur, your divine vocation has a price. You will carry the weight of folktales from long ago, the anguish of unrealized dreams, and the tragedies of lost souls. The cries of the oppressed will resound in your heart, and the tragedies of the world will haunt your dreams. You will bear the weight of all of humanity's stories together, a thick shroud of grief over your shoulders. You will experience the entire range of human emotion in its most unadulterated form, seeing the heights of happiness and the depths of despair. Your own being will become infused with other people's pain, transforming you into a sympathetic and perceptive being. Trials will plague your path, and sacrifices necessary to achieve your mission will be made. But through it all, you will shine like a lighthouse of hope, shedding light on the shadows with the knowledge of old folktales, and you will find strength in your pain."

"Ok..., so what is this divine duty that you spoke about?" Eze questioned, his curiosity piqued despite his lingering fear.

"Is it because I calmed down that you want to ask me silly questions suddenly?" he added, suspicious of the sudden change in his own demeanour.

"Why do I suddenly feel better? Like I don't know, I feel a whole lot more confident suddenly," Eze confessed, surprised by his newfound assurance.

"Well? What could be so important that you make such a song and dance about?" Eze asked, his voice steadier now, a mix of determination and curiosity in his eyes.

"Hmph, aren't you an inquisitive one? Well, here's a twist you didn't expect," the spider said with a mischievous glint in its eyes. "The duty is simple. There is no duty! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What? So what was the long speech for?" Eze asked, feeling a mix of relief and confusion.

"It's not too late for me to recreate your memories, you know," Anansi teased, his laughter echoing eerily in the room.

"Sorry," Eze stammered, realizing he had been played.

He continued to laugh at his not-so-funny joke until suddenly, the door creaked open slightly. Anansi vanished, taking the black and blue illumination with him, leaving the room in its ordinary, dim hospital light.

In walked Obinna, then Chinwe.

"See? I told you!" Obinna said, his chest puffed out with confidence.

"EZE!" Chinwe exclaimed with a wondrous, childlike scream, almost knee sliding to the floor to give him a comforting hug around his neck.

"I thought you were dying!" she said, her eyes misty with tears.

"Seems like a thought you would think, Chinwe," Eze quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

"Could you skip the sass for just a few seconds, Eze?" Obinna said, his arms crossed, a mix of worry and annoyance on his face.

Eze smiled finally. "I'll consider it."

"So what was that about being a vessel for Anansi?" Obinna said, his curiosity piqued.

"H-huh?" Eze stammered, his surprise evident.

"Don't worry, Eze." Obinna reassured him with a knowing smile.

"I heard everything."