Every Midnight, the Food in My Pot Disappears… Until I Did This

Episode 4 This was deeper than I thought. Slowly, I turned my head to see who she was pointing at. But I saw no one. The night was cold. The room silent. Confused, I looked back at the girl who had pointed.“I don’t see anyone,” I whispered. She shook her head and murmured,“That’s where my mum always stood… when she was alive. Whenever she stood there, she would call me princess of the moonlight, because the moon shone so bright the night she gave birth to me. And each time I look there now, I feel like she’s still waiting… like she wants to tell me something, but I can’t hear her.” Her voice cracked as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She walked slowly to the wall and placed her hand over faint lines of a drawing. Her small fingers trembled as she touched it. My heart broke. In that moment, I didn’t just see a girl eating my food at midnight. I saw a child carrying a heavy heart. I walked to her and, for the first time, I hugged her. The fear I once had was gone. Gently, I asked, “What happened to your parents?” She wiped her eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “My dad left one day and never came back. My mum would stand by that window, waiting… crying. Then news came that he was no more. My mum cried for days, even stopped eating. She was pregnant at the time. During childbirth… she didn’t survive. I was left alone. Relatives blamed me for everything. They called me names. I wasn’t safe. I had to hide in the ceiling. They took all we had. Nobody cared.” Her body shook as she wept. My own tears flowed, I realized eating my food was the only way she knew to survive. “Please,” she whispered, almost breaking. “You’re all I have. Don’t send me away. I’m sorry for sneaking out at midnight to take your food… I had no choice. I am scared of being seen. It feels like the world is against me.” I took a deep breath, my chest heavy.“It’s alright,” I whispered. I took her in, and from that day, I promised to stand by her. Days passed. We blended like family. I kept her safe and even used part of my salary to enroll her in school. But then something happened. I had been seeing a man. Someone serious. He promised me a better life. He sent money, bought me a small car, and said after our marriage, we would move abroad together. Finally, the day came, he was arriving in the country to finalize our wedding plans. I was overjoyed. I picked him up myself. But the moment we stepped into my house… everything changed. He froze the instant he saw the girl. And she… her lips trembled as she whispered,“Welcome, sir…” I turned to him. Then back at her. My heart raced. What’s going on? ...To be continued

Other insights from Victoria Olaniyi

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons