Nnedi Okorafor - Lagoon

Philomena came rushing down, out of breath. “Sorry, Madame,” she said. She took Kola and Fred’s hands. “I was… I was in the bathroom. Kola, come. It’s time for lunch.”

“Mommy, we want to see the alien,” Kola demanded.

“How do you… ugh, Kola, go!” Adaora snapped. “Upstairs, now!”

The startled children snatched their hands from Philo’s and ran up the stairs. Philo followed.

Adaora shut her eyes and sighed, tired. Agu plopped on the sofa beside her, looking equally as exhausted and far more physically battered. It was around 2 p.m. and none of them had gotten even an hour of sleep. The television news droned on about the rising water, how the government still did not know who was attacking Nigeria, and how government offices and facilities were closed for the day.

“Please, all of you, come,” Ayodele said, sitting beside Adaora.

They couldn’t leave now. There would be checkpoints. And checkpoints were potential trouble; Agu knew this best. Ayodele didn’t seem bothered.

“You three were chosen,” Ayodele said. “You made sense. I know we’ve made the right choice.”

“Wharreva,” Anthony drawled. He was sitting on the coffee table, his long legs stretched before him. He seemed more interested in the chaos on the news than in Ayodele.

“Adaora, you understand water,” Ayodele said. “You’ll soon also understand something about yourself, and what’s to come. You can explain.”

“Myself? Meaning? And will you people affect the water?” Adaora asked. She remembered what she’d seen when they were under the sea. In the surrounding glowing water had been a riot of bright yellow butterfly fish, clown fish, sea bass, eels, shrimps, urchins, starfish, sharks, stingrays, swordfish, barracuda, a bit of everything local; some from the deep, some from the shallows. She’d never seen such a thriving coral community in any of her dives off the coast of Lagos. Would they come out of the water?

Ayodele took her hand and Adaora instantly stiffened. Ayodele’s hand felt warm and remarkably… human. “Agu, soldier,” Ayodele continued, looking into Agu’s eyes. “You come from a family of yam farmers, they are the salt of the earth to you. They represent the heart of Nigeria. You joined the army to protect them. Now you understand your army is corrupt. You need a people to join.”

The clear truth of her words warmed every part of his body and left him speechless.

She smiled. “ And you have a direct connection to your country’s leader, your president. Your superior is his relation and can reach him quickly.”

Agu and Adaora looked at each other, uncomfortable. Agu wiped his eyes and began to explain. “Yes… but our president is…”

Adaora shook her head and Agu shut up. Ayodele didn’t seem to notice. “Anthony,” she said.

“What?” he snapped. “ Haba , what about me?” He turned away.

Adaora almost chuckled, marveling at the fact that he was nothing like his public persona. He was actually rather reserved. He certainly hadn’t bulged his eyes and randomly screamed, “Anthony DEY CRAZE!” once since she’d met him.

“You are a communicator, like us,” Ayodele told Anthony. “You spent the most time with the Elders. You’ve heard their song. Even I can’t imagine what you’ve learned.”

Adaora and Agu both looked at Anthony, who backed away. Tears started to roll from his eyes. Helplessly, he held up his hands. “I… I don’t want any part of this,” he said, his voice quivering. “OK? I just want to leave.” His lower lip trembled. “But I can’t stop hearing it.” He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “ Chale , it… it is beautiful. I was hearing it during my concert, too. That’s why I needed to go out for some air afterwards.” His wet eyes grew wide. “I was seeing trees grow between the crowds…”

He sat down hard on the sofa, breathing heavily. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“This house is a good location. You will draw a crowd here,” Ayodele said, smiling.

Anthony untied the veil from around his neck and wiped his face with it. Agu stood very stiff, gazing at the fish tank. And Adaora looked at Agu’s hands, wondering if they’d changed size when he’d punched his superior into unconsciousness.

“Anthony, you understand, correct? You must call the people to you,” Ayodele told him. “The way my people operate, we need a gathering, first.” She turned to Agu before Anthony could ask why. “Agu,” she said. “Go to your ahoa superior. Explain things to him. Take Adaora as your expert. You know what you must convince him to do.” And both Adaora and Agu knew very well.

It was time to find the President.

Moziz took a deep hit from the joint Troy handed to him. “Pass am give de others, e still plenty,” he croaked as he held in the smoke. Troy, Tolu and Jacobs, also students forced to “take time off” because of university strikes, had just arrived and he wanted them to be relaxed when they watched the footage on Philo’s phone. He let them smoke.

They were outside at the old table under the tree behind his apartment, a nice quiet spot. He squinted at them through dry red eyes, knowing that they were waiting for him to speak. He’d sent urgent texts to each of them saying it was a matter of lots of money. Still, right now, they knew not to rush him.

Philo looked at her watch. She could make it back to the house in about five minutes if she ran. And today Sir and Mistress were so preoccupied that they didn’t even notice when she was gone, and the children didn’t mind her absence. For now, she leaned against the tree, her arms around her chest. She was nicely sore from the early afternoon with Moziz. He’d made her a thousand and one promises in the dark, including marriage and a big, big house. All would come true once he got the creature to do what he knew it could do. She felt a tingle of arousal between her legs as she watched him eye his friends.

After they’d seen the footage, Tolu, Troy and Jacobs stared at the phone. None of them knew what the fuck to think. Moziz’ girl Philo wasn’t smart enough to make up something so extraordinary, and Moziz had no reason to. And that meant what they saw could only be real.

“E get anybody here wey no still believe wetin e don see with him own eye?” Moziz asked, after Tolu, Troy and Jacobs had watched the film another three times.

Tolu handed the phone back to Moziz. He held it out using only his thumb and index finger, as if it were contaminated.

“Lagos don scatter for confusion sake of say dem no fit know wetin dis kine wahala come mean,” Moziz said, getting up. Like Father Oke, Moziz knew when he had people wrapped around his finger and he reveled in it. He sat on the table before Troy, Tolu and Jacobs. “ We know wetin e be. And one of them dey my girlfriend oga house. Una don see am unaself. Na from space dem come. Dem get ability to change dem shape and dem body as dem like. Now, na only imagine person fit imagine all de many many other things dem fit do.” He leaned forward. “Una know wetin we fit do if we kidnap them? Tink am well well!” He held up a fist for emphasis. He leaned back. “Ol’ boy! If we no act and move fast now, na our chance we don miss be dat, o.”

When none of them said a word, Moziz continued, “De first thing we go ask am to do na to print money for us. Naira, notes, American dollar notes, euro, even sef, pound sterling! My people, nobody go rich like us! We fit even tell am to enter online people bank accounts too. Fuck all de 419 rubbish, we go bypass dem middleman dem and go direct to the money.”