Shadows of the Past

By Ikechukwu Joseph

In the beauty salon woman's house the strange ring cried out at midnight. "I want to drink water. I want to drink water," repeatedly. The curious husband of the Saloon owner dropped the crying ring into a bucket of water and behold the act was displayed and played out the money game. The ring transformed into a kid's head. Drinking the water the kid's head vomitted bundles of money at each gulp. In the morning the man rushed to the bank and deposited the money...
“The law should not just have found me only guilty but also human, not only to have condemned me but to have corrected me also, not only lowered me but would have given me a second chance. The police instead of being peace keepers or peace enforcement agents, they prefer to enforce the law. They prefer crime detection to crime prevention. Crime detectives wait for a crime to be committed instead of preventing it and in some strange cases will lure you or help you into breaking the law so that they can enforce it. The world I met! No one told me that there was no uhuru. No one told me that all that glitters were not gold. No one told me that all that are black are not bad..."
"I came across a membership document of a white lodge in his file. Some detailed information there said that two pythons are fighting over his life. The day one kills the other, he will die. Pastor could this be serious. I dont know what I have gotten into in this marriage?" the wife cried...
Shadows of the Past (Shadows Series Book One) is a page turner and game changer. A novel of how the dark past comes to haunt people. Some were swallowed by the past while others overcame. This series is revealing and suspense full. Get your own copy today and recommend it to others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ikechukwu Joseph
• Release date: Oct 14, 2019

Book preview

Ikechukwu Joseph

Shadows of the Past

Shadows of the Past

(Shadows Series Book One)

By

Ikechukwu Joseph

*****

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the Author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is coincidental

Shadows of the Past

(Shadows Series Book One)

Ikechukwu Joseph

Published by Ikechukwu Joseph at Amazon

Copyright 2019 Ikechukwu Joseph

*****

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Appreciation

Discover other titles by Ikechukwu Joseph

Appendix A: How to become a Christian

Appendix B: Testimonies

About the Author

Author’s Contact

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*****

Introduction

A reflection of three family’s journeys in life. Scenes of dark debilitating secrets of the past, encounters and its attendant nemesis or retributive justice! Reflections of the past that seem to hurt the present! Intrigue of jealousies, heated fights within the family, spirit wars, deceit, betrayals, conflicts, rape, vicious competitions between business men and the absurd of the bigger society. Reflections, nemesis, haunting, hurting shadows, evil shadows, daunting shadows, captive names and God’s succor! Dr. Ayo, Mr. Obi, Miss Christabel and the damsel Ronke had to face and confront the consequences of their past. Will they choose to live with it, overcome it or succumb to the pressures and weights of these conflicts? The intervention of the supernatural, the intrusion of the dark world or the forces of nature. Read on and ride on to majesty. What you read will tickle you, excite you, thrill you, enthrall you, reform or transform you and drive you into the world of discoveries. A page turner into the adventurous world. Let's see how this plays out with other extraneous, intervening variables and foil characters. It is explosive, a game changer and will blow your mind.

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*****

Chapter One

"'I have really fallen in love with this girl. Her blond hair flowed down like a waterfall over the contour of her bust just like the rainbow colors arc over the blue sky. Her complexion blended with her calm, peaceful demeanor, lilting voice and bouncy steps.' The spontaneity and solemnity with which the impulsive words ‘nma chi’ that is the beauty of God came out of my mouth left no one in doubt of the sudden change that has taken place in me. God has given and nothing with stop me now," Obi rambled, deeply overwhelmed by emotions. He’d played games, philandered and was tired of playing around. It was time to settle down and become a man.

I must marry her, Mr. Obi said to himself. As a Manager Director I need this now to add credence, prestige and cadence to my life and career.

Mr. Obi got married and lived a successful life until his life was punctured here and there by his involvement with one cult activity or the other. Reading occult books and getting involved in astral travels for power or just for the fun of it was where his story began. One day something strange happened in his room as he was grossly absorbed in one of those books. He found himself transcending into another world while physically in his room. Then the table fan was struck by an invisible force and it clacked so loud and the chairs moved positions. From that day Obi began to have inexplicable pains and delusions. Shadows of strange images began to invade his total being; body, soul and spirit. Evil shadows! One night he had a painful nightmare and woke up to see a standing man-shaped shadow, dark deep black shadow with hands and legs pointing at him while he was lying supine on the bed. Eerie voices emanated from different parts of the room to the loud point of almost blowing his tympanic membrane. The evil human-shaped shadow moved backwards and upwards simultaneously, once, twice, thrice and continuously till it vanished into the ceiling. Mr. Obi’s problem started after that strange visit of an evil shadow. I think that was the genesis of the myriad of problems that ensued. Sickness, headache, psychotic disorders characterized by delusions of persecution followed that he needed a shrink to attend to him.

I read about this evil shadow, that whenever it visits anyone, the person will either die or run mental, Obi admitted to himself as he gazed the direction of stacks of books on his shelf. From fat to small sized, large print to paperback and to even audiobooks. He was an avid voracious reader indeed. Obi read everything there’s to read, from cover to cover. He even read and analyzed the book cover colors and their shades. He developed a critical and analytical mind that created problems for him in his relation to other people. That earned him the name or catch phrase, Obi the radar, instead of the reader.

Evil people are projecting evil against me. I have tried to live my life independent of others. Now why would anyone be after my life. He fell into deep reflection of his life’s ordeal and into depression worsening his fragile failing health. He sagged on his swivel cozy chair, eyes closed, gazing into his bleak future. Any hope for him.

Even though I have been nasty to others but I was created that way, he tried to justify his demeanor. Leopard cannot change its glaring obvious mottled skin. I never hurt anyone except you stood on my way and I don’t see anything wrong with being yourself or self-defense, Obi concluded, full of himself.

Obi grew into a thick skinned tough ruthless man by reason of the things he passed through in life. Shadows, not just physical shadows, but reflective shadows, hurting and daunting shadows from the past haunted and hurt him through life!

In Mr. Obi’s house, the wife, Nma as Obi fondly called her when he was in the mood, had a new baby and worried with the children what to eat, school fees, and what to wear while the husband, a managing director of a thriving company wasted away with call girls far away in the city of Lagos. For three years after giving birth to a baby boy, they never saw nor heard from the husband and father, Mr. Obi. This rainy morning Mrs. Obi woke up and prayed absent mindedly, reflecting on what was happening to them. "Oh God, why is this man treating us this way. Why has he suddenly changed? Oh God help us. I cannot bear the pain of seeing my children in hunger and out