A few days before she was fired, Laura had many quitting moments but her fiery pride didn't let her. Her pride was the main reason she was their in the first place.

Indo was ill so Laura had to take over the kitchen for the meantime before she got better. Laura did not believe that Indo was ill. The woman used up half of the night calling (she did all the calling) more than half a dozen of her suitors, talking about stupid childish stuff older women like her should never be caught dead saying and giggling like a teenager with the body of a sac of potatoes,  then woke up the next day claiming to be ill. But then Laura felt no need to make such clarification to people who were dead set on x-raying all her faults.

For the first few days, all she did where the basics, peel and fry potatoes, chop onions, blend and do some other easy things even though the first batch of potatoes she fried where half done but she got better.

Hell started when she was told to stow the left over foods away  on a certain night. Laura had no idea what to refrigerate and what not so she packed the mounds of tuwo to the freezer and left the soup in the kitchen. The chicken went to the fridge and she did tinini tonono regarding the vegetables then finally decided that the cucumber will do well in the freezer too.

The next day, she was sumnoned by a fuming Madam Binta who had already readied up for her morning outing. Madam Binta did not work but usually, she sold unique home decoration stuff and Vlisco Wax but she was out everyday by around 10:00 am and came by around 2:00pm like a prson working in a not so strict governmental organization.

Apparently, Maryam had noticed a lot of things wrong from last night. The rotund woman folded her thick gold chain clad wrists together and looked up at Laura.

'What is this?' She pointed at the previous nights leftover that Laura took care of.

'They are the food you told me to dispose of yesterday '.

'I told you to dispose them appropriately'.

'I did Ma' Laura said shortly.

Madam Binta breathed out in exasperation and her nostrils flared rather unattractively resembling a dragon breathing fire through his nose. Laura's mind hovered over the memory of her shrek-ful days when her biggest worry was how on earth a donkey can marry a dragon and give birth to dronkeys, it was disgusting.
But what expressed more disgust was the look her angry employer was giving her.

'Why are the tuwo and cucumber frozen and not the chicken? Why did you leave the stew outside and not in the freezer. It is sour now. I have to throw it away. What is wrong with you?'.

Laura kept quiet. She was still fascinated by Madam Bintas flaring nose.

'Answer me. Why don't you ask questions if you don't understand?  i will not take it if you will continue to make me throw away food. This is rougishness and i will not take it'.

'Mommy just fire her, she is useless. She is not worth the money you are spending on her. Yesterday i had to show her how to make stew and check if the rice is done. This is not a charity catering school'.

Laura knew when she asked Maryam to teach her how to make stew that it was a mistake and that the girl will surely wave it in her face but she knew how to make stew because of that and she was still basking in that glory.

'I don't like this at all'. Her mother ignored her and continued, making Maryam to huff in annoyance.

'Next time ask and think before you act'.

Laura was careful from then on. Indos body worsened in the worse way possible. It turned out that what started as a lie had manifested into truth. Though the illness was real enough, Laura noticed something fishy about it. Indo was never ill at night or when there was no work. In fact it seemed like she didn't sleep at night. She will just lie down and when not on the phone, she would be talking to herself. Laura began getting wary but didn't think much of it.

Madam Binta had told Laura two days before her dismissal to prepare food for some guests. There was stew in the freezer and all she had to do was cook rice. Laura had gotten pretty good at cooking rice. She was preparing the tray when Kaira popped in and told her to hurry up. The guests had arrived. She poured the steaming stew and rice  into the flask and took it to the guests.

It was time for prayers so she went down to their room and prayed. She was resting on the mat and was making some dua when Madam Binta forcefully opened  the door and yelled her name as if she was fifty miles away.

'Lauratu. What is wrong with you this stupid girl. How can you serve cold stew to people. I told you to warm it'.
Laura stood up confused. She warmed it. Or had she. The stew was steaming when she poured  it in but when she thought about it, she couldn't remember putting it in the microwave.

'But it was steaming when i poured it in' she explained. She was tired of been stepped on just because she hated explaining.

'It was steaming cold not hot stupid'. Madam Binta dragged her ears and Laura winced.

'This is your last warning. One more mistake and you leave this house'.

She turned and left. Maryam who was behind her mother as usual smiled conspiratorially and left.

Laura eyed her retreating figure and rubbed her earlobe. Indo who was watching the proceeding the whole time laughed. 'You really are silly'. She said then continued conversing with herself.

Meanwhile, somewhere in one of the top cabinets where people needed to climb stools to reach, a warm bowl of stew was cooling off.

That day, a cousin of theirs Hasina and their brother, Madam Bintas eldest child Auwal who was the less rotund version of his mother came back from school. They both attended the same private university  and where on vacation. Hasina was to spend a few days their before heading home. The next day, Hasinas 20, 000 naira got missing and the very first suspect was Laura.

She was in the kitchen cleaning the cabinets and occassionally hopping from one sore foot to another when Maryam and Hasina came in. They looked at her for some time as if they wanted to say something but decided against it and went towards her room, Maryam in the lead.

Some minutes later, she went back to the room and saw them searching her clothes. The moment she saw them she knew something was wrong. Hasina saw her and withdrew her hands obviously uneasy while Maryam continued pretending she didn't know Laura was there.

Laura said nothing but instead stood by the side and watched an act of God. Amazing things will never cease to happen in this world.

Maryam suddenly made a sound and raised her head triumphantly.

'Did you find it?' Jamila asked excitedly.

Maryam said nothing but instead raised the item in her hand. An I phone 6 S. It was Lauras. She had had it before the downfall and she had often communicated with home while she was working their but never in public. She knew it would raise too much suspicion and that her identity might be dug out. She had departed with a lot of things but not her I phone, never her I phone.

Maryam held it up waving it at Lauras face. 'Where did you get this?'.
Laura yawned and refused to answer her. It was one thing being questioned by the Mother but the daughter? Totally unacceptable. Instead she asked 'Why where you searching my clothes?'.

Maryam opened her mouth to answer then closed it with a huff. 'This is unbelievable. Are you really asking me that question?'.  Laura gave her a duh! Look.

Maryam moved closer to Laura. 'Where is the money?'. Laura gave her a blank disinterested look.
'I will not repeat my question again. Give back the money and this thing will go no further or else i will call the police on you'.
Police? Really? She had thought all the Nigerian defence forces where going to be summoned.

'Lauratu just give them their  20, 000 naira and get it over with. This type of character is not in anyway going to help you in this life. I know you are in need of the money,  we all are but everyone has his place in the society. Baki da gashin wane zakiyi kitson wane?*. In this life, you can only get what you can afford and your dignity is not something you can afford to lose'. Indo pleaded.

None of them noticed that neither Maryam nor Jamila had mentioned the amount so Indo was not supposed to know the exact amount of the missing money.
*Loosely - Cut your coat according to your size.

Indo had a point and it would have affected Laura had she been the one who had stolen the money and had she not known that life had a way of serving it's dishes cold when all you needed was a warm plate.

'Did you use it to buy this?' Hasina held up Lauras phone that she had collected from Maryam. 

'Is I phone 6 S #20, 000?' Laura ignored the question and asked one of her own.

Hasina squinted at her. 'You are a house help'. Wow Laura thought this girls is super dumb.

'How can she know all these things?' Hasina turned to Laura. She wasn't that dumb afterall.

They all stared at Laura as if waiting for an explanation, she simply shrugged.

'I think that is what she does. She isn't really a maid. She poses as such and steals from rich people'. You are not rich people honey.  That is how she bought this and the fine clothes she wears'.  Maryam smiled satisfactorily obviously proud of her theory. Hasina was wiser than someone.

'God you are so wise. You must be an offspring of Athena' Laura gushed sarcastically. ' looking at you one wouldn't think your brain can come up with this correct assumptions'. 

Maryam started smiling in pride then deciphered the insult and frowned. Laura chuckled. That was enough fun for one night.

'You know what? It was nice of you to visit and i wish i can offer you something but unfortunately i am a pauper so i can only thank you. Now you can leave, i am sleepy'. She backed it up with a yawn.

All three occupants of the room gave her a disbelieving look. They had thought the threat will get to her and she will beg them to pardon her like other workers then plead guilty and offer to return the money which they will accept triumphantly and kick her out like a dog in the most humiliating manner. To say her very disinterested reaction to their threat shocked them was an understatement. She was not supposed to be non-chalant, she should have been scared shit of getting locked up by then.

Hasina eyed her with a frightened expression 'I think we should just forget about the money' she said in a mousy voice. Seemed like Laura had succeeded in scaring them instead.

'She will pay me in the hereafter, this girl is capable of doing anything'. The girl reeked of power though there was nothing to indicate such. Hasina feared she will have them arrested instead.

Maryam silently agreed by turning to leave. 'I will tell Mommy about this. You are leaving this house tomorrow'.
'Then the goodbye visit is a bit too early don't you think?'.

'Who are you?' Maryam asked. Laura didn't reply. She would have replied had she known the answer. Who was she? Laura or Lauratu? Probably none.

Later that night, she was reported to Madam Binta who also threatened to call the police and when Laura refused to neither debunk the accusation nor admit it, she was promised to be handed to the thugs.

Madam Binta said she will sell Lauras phone and extract the money from it and Laura vehemently rejected that deal. She wasn't taking any of it. She was innocent so she wasn't going to pay for another persons misdeed.

The next deal was either she returned the money or the salary she had accrued from her two weeks of work was to be retained. She shrugged and her employer took it as an assent. It wasn't even upto the said money.

Though Laura felt like they all knew that she was innocent, that somehow she was above the meagre amount she was accused of stealing, they all wanted her to be at their mercy and were simpy infuriated that she was not.

That was how Laura was fired afterwards and was told to leave early the next day, she couldn't wait for daybreak.
At night, Indo continued with her monologue which later turned into chanting. Laura was tired and sleepy so she shushed her.

'Can you please keep quiet you are disturbing me?' Her tone was everything but polite.

The woman abruptly stopped and turned to face her. 'Who is that?'.

Laura gave her her signature blank look 'Indo i am not joking i need my beauty sleep and you are disturbing me'.

'Do i look like Indo?'. Laura looked at her again. She didn't. It was Indo quiet alright but the person staring at her was not. Her heartbeat escalated and and her pulse quickened. She prayed it was not what she feared. Even the voice was different, raspy and hoarse.

'My name is Jadida. You Laura, you should stop posing as someone else. See how you have stooped low just to save your injured pride. What will it hurt if everybody knew  that you were no longer rich?'.

Laura just stared on frozen. Her worst fear was live, Indos body had really been possessed by a Jinn and she was speaking to her right then. So  all those days she was acting wierd were as a result of the infestation of her body by the paranormal being.  She prayed to Allah it was only one.

Indo-Jadida laughed. 'Laura is speechless. Are you scared?'.

It was a rule to never show them that you are scared, they were bound to use it against you so she puffed out air and pretended to be unaffected.

'Pfft! Scared? Me? I laugh. You are just annoying me is all so please let me sleep'. As if she could. She was scared witless. Any sound and she will bolt to the door. Problem will arise if the door is locked and she can't open it, she will just roll into coma.

'Your Father was a very nice man, very generous but he got too careless and they got him. That was why he was killed, he found out what he wasn't meant to find out. It's a pity, now all he has left behind are orphans. It's really a pity'. She tsked.

Laura was shocked into complete silence, all fear was lost and now all she could think of was what Indo-Jadida just said. Her Father was killed. Could it be? The details of his death had always been suspicious and vague.

But she couldn't show it... rule two never believe them.

'You are lying. You don't know my father and you don't know me. He died a natural death, why should i believe anything you say?'.

'Well don't' she smirked.

'Why are you here'? Laura asked finally getting back into her element. 'Why are you in her body?'.

'She is my friend. I visit her for late night chats. She was married before in her village and she had two co-wives. They used to visit voodoo/juju men to dominate the husband and make one another hated. The spells became too strong because almost every unconcreted ground in the house had some black magic buried in it and it kind of exploded on them. They all had jinns manifesting their bodies as a result. Indo was lucky i got here first, i have refused to allow access to others if not she would have had many more of us hosting on her'.

'Lucky? This is so wrong? It is unnatural and you should be ashamed of yourself' Laura chided. She had no idea where her bravery  came from.

'I am not. She is my friend but i don't blame you. You don't know what friendship is. You have never had a real friend because you guys gossip about each other too much'.

'Excuse me' Laura spat out and turned to sleep.

'Your Father really loved you. So did your mother. Her father was a very powerful scholar, when you were young, she took you to him and he recited many strong anti-jinn verses to protect you, i would have possessed you by now and i know others who have their eyes on you too but he has successfully warded us off. But if you falter in your prayers and deen, you will open that door'.

Don't believe her Laura. She gritted her teeth. Her fear had returned ten fold and sweat was trickling down her chest.

'Madam thank you for the unsolicited advice but i want to sleep'.

'I can be your real friend since you obviously lack any' The being in Indo offered.

Laura without missing a second declined 'No no no, no need, i am fine on my own. Don't even think about it'.

'Well then, let me retire too. Good night'. She heard Indo sigh loudly then sneeze three times. Jadida had left.

'Indo'. Laura prodded her.
The woman answered sleepily with an 'Uhmm' turned and continued sleeping. She had no idea what just happened.

Laura lay awake all through the night. That was the weirdest encounter she had ever had. Her younger sister Safina also had jinns and that was how Laura knew a lot of things about them but Laura never stayed long enough to converse with them when they occasionally appeared. She did know that they were very popular especially at night and she was lucky Jadida did not physically hurt her.

The next day, Laura was out the house before the first light fully set in. What she never found out was that Jadida had appeared after she had left and had confessed to stealing the money and replacing the bowl of warm stew with a cold one.

THE LAURA CONSPIRACY

I hope that wasn't scary! 👺

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Love💜                                  -Hansatuu