SUPERNATURAL WRITING CONTEST " MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE" - DEATH CAME VISITING

Hello Steemians this is my own story for the Supernatural writing contest organized by @jerrybanfield

My Early Childhood Experiences

A. FIRE INCIDENT
I think this incident happened around 2006. Then, I was still much younger. Dad was not at home, he travelled to lagos, and it was me and my mum that were at home. What we do use at night the most was a naked lantern and on this fateful night, I was in the bedroom doing my assignment when I heard mum call my name. I rose up, opened the door and as my second hand was already filled, I used the other hand bearing the naked lamp to draw the curtain aside. Immediately, it caught fire, I was so scared that I ran to hide. Mum kept on calling me but I was too scared to answer, she decided to come and check on me.

When she got to the passage that leads to my room, she could perceive something smelling and the fire was very bright as it kept on spreading. She panicked and she rushed to a neighbours house to seek their help. They both came rushing back to the house. Eventually, after a while, they extinguish the fire with water.
She immediately ran inside in search of me, she shouted my name but still I sat there transfixed from intensified fear; fear of the fire, fear of beating by my mum etc. So they started the search and I was found, she initially planned on beating me but when she saw how scared I was, she drew me closer and gave me a hug.

Indeed! It was such an experience for a little me. If she hadn't shown up at the right time, the whole house would have been up in flames.

B. DEATH IN MY SLEEP
When I was still a little boy of about 9 years of age , I almost had this experience of death from my sleep. I know we are all familiar with stories of different people that died in their sleep. Not long after I close my eyes to behold sleep did I drift away and I began to dream. In my dream, I and two of my childhood friend were playing in the front of our house, we played away heartily and it was as though everything was perfect.

We played for what lasted hours but was however interrupted by rain and a violent wind displacing things, causing trees to bend etc. My two other friends, on seeing that panicked and they scrambled towards their own compound, I shouted after them to wait for me but it was as if they didn't hear me at all and I was all alone.

I tried moving away from my position but it was as if I couldn't move. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulders. I look back and saw an oldman, his face was almost completely buried by his beards, he took me by my hand and started dragging me away.....away from the compound. I was stupefied as I couldn't believe that an old man such as that could possess such strength.

I tried to free myself of him but it seems impossible. Every step we took the more the path ahead darkens, I screamed for help. I hadn't been as scared as that befor. He continued dragging, I mustered all my strenght, even pulled up resistance shook violently to free myself. It keeps getting darker, I screamed " no!!! and suddenly I heard a far away voice that said to me "wake up", it was the voice of my mother.

I woke up and right there, I knew it wasn't just a dream. When I woke up, I was drenched in sweat and very afraid. My mum had to calm me down. It took me a great deal of time before I could muster enough courage to sleep soundly.

I know then that is a glimpse of how some people never wake up from their sleep.

C. MY MOST RECENT EXPERIENCE

On the 24th of April 2015 prior to my First Semester Examination, I nearly had my fair share of death. It happened during my first year as an undergraduate, we were to have a biology practical that evening (5pm). I did skip most of the lectures we were to have that day.

THIS IS MY STORY
Two weeks earlier I noticed that I was having a headache which usually comes and go, instead of visiting the university clinic, I chose to self-medicate instead and as it was only headache, I used paracetamol anytime it resurface and for a couple of days, it stopped. But the week that followed was in a way different, I had woke up earlier that day to behold a very severe headache and cold “I couldn’t eat well nor drink, I couldn’t even get out of bed because it was like it doubles anytime I tried to get up. Therefore, I decided to rest well at home because I was unfit to attend the lectures.

As the day continue, I noticed that the pain began to subside, I even told myself that as soon as those pains were gone, I would try attending the lectures if there is still time. As though it heard my resolve and perhaps decided to play games with me. When it was around 4pm, it was as though the pain never existed and was very much overjoyed as I was the kind of person that doesn’t joke with my Education. I had my bath and I trekked for about 15 minutes to the car park where we do board bus not far from the school gates.

I was already onboard and almost at mid-distance to the practical laboratory when I started feeling the pains “it was now intensified, I felt very dizzy and was even contemplating going back home but it wasn’t possible as I can’t drop mid-way. I dropped at the bus stop about some few meters away from the laboratory and by then, I almost didn’t see anything clearly. I managed my condition to the laboratory because there is none that I know was available and ready to help. If I had taken a return bus going home, who will help me home? I had put that into thought before continuing my journey.

On arrival at the venue, a lot were surprised that I was a little bit late which is most unusual. A close look at my face would have told anyone that cared that everything is wrong. I tried to say a word, but words failed me. All of a sudden, I began to drift away bit-by-bit tapping deeper into a sleep I know I might not wake from. I tried all in my power to fight it, but was very weak. I was immediately carried by a friend to the inner laboratory where the biology lecturer was seated. There were a couple of others inside running up and down looking for what would help the situation. I was first revived by a bowl of very cold water, even so I was still unconscious but now could hear sounds faintly which seem to me like it was coming from a very faraway place.

Having succeeded in stabilizing some of my body system, “Immediately, I was rushed on an emergency to the university clinic. That day, I started receiving drips and could still hear the murmurs but my eyes were closed. It took about three drips before I regained my consciousness but there I was, pale looking, running temperature etc. The first face my eyes beheld was that of my closest friend “Michael” who had been with me for the rest of the day and he also bought food and water for me. That same day, my parents were contacted and briefed but they couldn’t believe what they heard as it was very rare for me to fall sick, even sick to the extent of receiving drips which was actually my first.

The lecturer had earlier accused them of not sending me adequate money for feeding and some other ridiculous things which wasn’t true, but there I laid helpless and unable to say something, unable to do something etc. I was hurt at the conversation that when I eventually regained consciousness, I continued pondering on it. I later spoke to them on phone, they asked after my wellbeing and I can feel the scare in their voice especially that of my mum. On hearing from me, I was able to allay their fears.

I used three and a half days at the clinic before I was discharged and told to come back for regular check up. At the end of my treatment I can boldly attest to the fact that I received about eight bags of drip and much other medication before I got better. On my day of discharge, the doctor told me the probable cause of my illness-"overwork". Right from time, I had been a workaholic, always doing one thing or the other, going places with little time to rest.

When I heard that, I remembered the story of a man whom people refer to as indispensable but the end made me realize something; that no one but God is indispensable. If I hadn’t been saved in those few minutes that I needed help, I would have passed on probably without even realizing it. From then, I introduce new changes in my schedules. Whenever I see that there is something probably stressing me out, I avoid it. During biology lectures for over a thousand students in a 750 capacity lecture theatre, I noticed that the lecture theatre was kind of air tight as people were so much and there was no fan or air conditional to take control of the situation. I tried to endure it but when I could bear it no longer, I boarded a bus home immediately only to hear on the Second day that about four people fainted in that same lecture theatre. Some weeks after, I sat for my Examinations and I thank God for my being alive to witness such a success in my Academics and victory over death.

LESSON OF THE DAY: Sometimes we kill ourselves due to ignorance or by wearing out our cells or body. So after each day’s work, rest well and eat well. Don’t be a workaholic and live a healthy life.

NOTE: No one is indispensable, it is a lie just meant to brainwash you. If you die, there is someone already out there waiting to take up your role. I do hope you learnt a great deal from my story.

Thanks to you all for your support, love y’all

IMAGE SOURCE: GOOGLE.COM

© @aduragbemi
28th February, 2018.