Like every other house in Abuja, they planted the Williams mansion in the middle of a gigantic compound. The rule of every man with his business applied to Mr. John, too. They hardly had any visitors. The sky was aglow, reflecting the light onto the dewy morning grass of the lawn.

Bunmi woke up with a cough. She grabbed her sweaty forehead in and shut her eyes right. As if collecting an event. Slowly, she let her eyes open and her right hand drifted to her chest. It raced.

“Was that a nightmare?” she couldn’t understand. 

Bunmi was never scared of the dark, but the dinners of the room gave her chills.

Without delay, she pulled out of bed and checked through the cracked windows. It was windy. Although Bunmi did not like how things looked, the dull day burgeoned into slight rainfall, and it wasn’t even 8 a.m. yet.

Her little fingers held her neck as she walked into the bathroom. Brush her teeth, wash her face and returned to her room. The John's family had three guestrooms at that apartment. Bunmi usually stays in one. Once they reached the bed, her legs bent in a kneeling position, as she placed her hand together in prayer.

She prayed for journey mercies for both of her parents and begged that nothing evil befalls them.

After her morning devotion, Bunmi strolled to the living room. She met Mrs. John cleaning the dining table. The jollof rice aroma filled her nose, and she blushed at her presence. Good morning, ma,” Bunmi greeted.

Rebecca turned to her with an identical smile.

“Good morning, my dear. Hope you slept well?” her lips pressed a slim lined smile.

“Yes.” Bunmi replied, knowing she just lied. She climbed a chair in the dinning and sat. For used to Mrs. John.

“Can you help me with your phone, please? I need to call my mum.”

Rebecca’s eyes blinked. Again and again. “You... You said what?” She pretends not to have heard.

“I want to speak with my mum right now. Please, help me daily with her contact.

“Why the hurry?” Rebecca whispered. She glimpsed at Bunmi for an answer.

“I dreamt about mum and dad were in a beautiful garden. They had a baby boy at hand and he looked like me. They chuckled at him as they brought him to me. They looked so happy.”

“What?” her eyes went round with a prolonged breath. “A baby boy?”

“I didn’t know if my mum was pregnant. , it felt so real.”

“I wanted to carry the baby when they both turned their backs to me with sad expressions. I called them back, but the scene suddenly turned dark. It began to rain. I called them but they didn’t turn back. They faded right in from of me, Aunt.” She then squinted her eyes and said, “I shouted at them, but it was all a dream.”

Rebecca gasped at the overwhelming confusion, and the chaotic thought of Bunmi’s dream drove her baffling. Her hand drifted to her raised lips before she realized that her mouth was wide opened. Mrs. John just watched Bunmi, out of words to say. “Uhh... I’m out of airtime.”

“That’s not true... Dail her contact just once least. I forced myself to sleep last night.” She pleaded with dotted-puppy eyes. “I need to know if they arrived in Dubai safely. It’s the fourth day today, and I haven’t heard from my parents. Why hasn’t mum called? She promised to call.”

“Let us wait a little more for her call. We will call your mum later in the evening.” Mrs. John pressed anxiously.

“I just want to hear her voice. I also need to know when she is coming. You should text her now?”

Sick of the uncertainty, Rebecca pinched the bridge of her nose. She tapped her forehead twice to come up with a drastic solution.

After considering the situation, Rebecca felt a strange sense of perplexity. Ordinarily, she would keep secrets in her sealed mouth and mind. But now, the feel of guilt clouded her teary eyes. Keeping Bunmi in the dark would hurt her feelings. 

“I don’t know. Let me daily your mum’s contact.” She grabbed her mobile phone from the other side of the dining table and called the number.

“Ring! Ring!”

The electronic buzz of her phone rang. It rang over and over, but there was no reply. “The number you dialed is switched off. Please, try again later. The number you dialed is switched off. Please, try again later.” A lady’s voice alerted repeatedly.

“So why isn’t she picking my calls? Is mum avoiding me so much that she turned off her phone?”

“No... Don’t utter such words.” Rebecca comforted. “I’m sure your mum would likely call us back when she sees our missed calls.”

“Why are you backing her up? It’s not as if she called you earlier.” Bunmi hissed under her breath.

“There’s something I need to tell you, my dear.”

“What is it, ma?” Bunmi pulled forward, and gazed at Mrs. John like a deer in headlight. 

Rebecca went silent for a moment. She knew she had to tell her now. Keeping it any longer might be risky. She stared at her eyes. Shook with sobs and turned away.

“Is anything the matter, ma? You look sad.” Bunmi leaned over you see Rebecca’s eyes but saw misery. She pursed her lips together and dropped her head.

“I’m fine, Bunmi.” she blinked.

“Are you crying?”

“No.” Mrs. John sniffed and looking away with a straight mouth. The tears lingered, and she wiped it away. “I’m not crying... I’m just thinking about how to tell you-“

Bunmi pulled out of the chair and held Mrs. John’s hand. “I hope all is well. What is it, you want to tell me?”

“Your parents kicked the bucket, Bunmi. They passed away.”

“What do you mean by that, ma? Which bucket? I don’t understand.” Bunmi tried not to blink.

“It means your parents your parents died. They didn’t make it safely to Dubai. They’re in heaven.”

“Heaven?” her eyes filled up with tears. As if elated.

“Yes.”

“Where is heaven?” she paused for a minute.

“Heaven is where God lives.” Rebecca stressed. “You know what? When someone dies, he goes to heaven to live with God. You won’t see them now.” the corner of her life pulled down toward her chin,  in grimace.

“Will I be able to see them later?” She snapped.

“Yes of course!” Rebecca rasped, wiping off her lingering tears. The next time you meet them, they would never leave you even for a minute.

Sad that her parent’s journey might be longer, a dejected smile spread across her lips.

“And where is heaven?” Bunmi raised again. Her eyes were wide open in shock and wonder.

“Heaven is the home of God.” Rebecca replied in a low, calm voice. “It is where good people stay. A beautiful garden with a cool flowing river and a colourful garden with various fruits.”

“Will my parents be safe there?” Bunmi queried.

“Definitely. It’s the safest place, my dear. A place of no worries and fears.”

”Wow! Sounds beautiful.” She giggled. “ I wonder why they hid this from me. Anyway, I’ll pray to God to send my parents a lot of love and send them home safely.”

Bunmi knew heaven up up, in the sky. She thought that if her parents went to visit God; it wasn’t a bad idea. People should be happy and wait for their arrival. Will I see her later?

“Yes, of course.” She agreed, convincing her more. “But the next time you will meet your parents, they will never leave you again.” Rebecca put on a gentle smile.

Bunmi wore an identical smile, and they hugged.

“I’m fine with that, as long as you are here with me. I’m alright now.” Bunmi assured Mrs. John.

Mr. John watched Bunmi and his wife cuddle with tears and smiles as he climbed downstairs. He sniffed as he reached them.

“Hm... What is burning?” Mr John held his nose.

“Oh... That rice has burnt!” Rebecca came to the realization that she was cooking jollof ice. At once, she stormed into the kitchen and turned off the gas. Checking it, it slightly burned in the middle. Rebecca turned the rice and began to serve.

The fragrance of the dished jollof rice left Bunmi gasping for food amid the news. She was more hungry for food that she soon forgot about missing her patent. ‘They must be dining with the creator now. How nice will it be to be in their shoes?’ She blushed while eating.

Watching her, Rebecca held unto her head, studying her check growing from time to time. “She will grow to get used to the idea.” Rebecca told herself.

If only Rebecca had known the risk of painting such a beautiful danger for Bunmi to belief, she wouldn’t have said it.