I remember following my boyfriend to his village to greet his great grandmother last year. The woman was 105 years old as at then so Iremide wanted us to celebrate with her before she died. We planned for three days and left.
We got there very late in the night and even my boyfriend’s car stopped working at some point. Already in the village, the engine just died. We had to walk the rest of the way to his family compound in the dark.
When we finally arrived, his great grandmother was still awake. The moment she saw us, her face changed. She looked worried. Scared even.
“You came so late,” she said, her voice shaking slightly. “You were outside after dark.”
“Mama, the car broke down,” Iremide explained. “We had no choice.”
She just shook her head and muttered something in Yoruba I didn’t understand. But the way she looked at us… it made my skin prickle.
The next day, I found myself sitting with the great grandmother while everyone else was busy. She was telling me stories about the village, about the old days, and I was fascinated. This woman had lived through so much history.
That’s when I remembered something I’d read years ago.
“Mama,” I said carefully. “Do you know anything about Araromi-Oke? The village that vanished?”
Her whole body went stiff.
“Why are you asking about that place?” Her voice was suddenly cold.
“I just… I read about it online. It’s between Oyo and Osun, right? The village that disappeared in 1957? All the people just… gone?”
She was quiet for a long moment. Then she leaned closer.
“Nobody knows the exact road that leads to Araromi-Oke,” she whispered. “But from what we know, it’s across the Opagun River. We’ve all been warned – nobody should ever go close to that village. Ever. They never told us why exactly, but we suspect the village near that river is Araromi-Oke.”
“But why can’t…”
“Because some places are meant to stay lost, child. Some places are lost for a reason.”
The way she said it made my blood run cold. But it also made me more curious.
That evening, around 6pm, everyone had finished eating. Iremide went to the room to sleep early – he was exhausted from the journey and fixing the car. The great grandmother and her maid were also asleep.
I lay there outside, Ire already asked me to come in but I told him I was coming, so I lay outside, wide awake, thinking about Araromi-Oke.
How can a village just swallow its own people? Where did they go? What really happened?
I had so many questions. And I wanted answers.
So I did something incredibly stupid.
I waited until I was sure everyone was deeply asleep. Especially, my man. Then I got up, put on my shoes, grabbed my phone and power bank, and stepped out into the night.
I started asking the few people I saw on the road about Opagun River. How to get there. They pointed me in the direction and I just… kept walking.
And walking. And walking.
I walked for what felt like forever until I finally saw it.
A massive river cutting through the darkness.
Opagun River.
And there was a bridge. Old, wooden, shaky-looking. But it was there.
I stood at the edge, staring at the dark water below, and my phone showed 9pm.
You should go back, a voice in my head said. This is crazy. Go back.
But I’d already come this far. I couldn’t turn back now.
I stepped onto the bridge. The wood creaked under my feet. At one point, I almost fell into the water – I had to grab onto the railing and hold on tight until I regained my balance. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it.
But I kept going.
When I reached the other side, all I could see was thick forest. No village. No houses. Just darkness and trees.
My phone was at 50% battery. I had my power bank, so I wasn’t too worried.
I turned on my torch and started walking into the forest.
The first thing I noticed was the feeling of being watched.
I couldn’t see anyone. Couldn’t see anything. But I felt it. Something was watching me.
That’s when I started running.
And then my phone just… died.
“What?!” I stared at the black screen. “No no no no!”
I tried switching it on again. Nothing. The phone had been at 50%. FIFTY PERCENT. What happened?!
I was standing in complete darkness. In the middle of a forest. Alone.
“God please,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Please don’t let anything happen to me. Please.”
I just kept walking. Feeling my way through the darkness, branches scratching my arms and face, my heart racing.
About thirty minutes later, I realized something strange.
I couldn’t feel bushes around me anymore.
The ground under my feet felt different. Clearer.
Like I’d walked out of the forest into… something else.
I tried my phone again and – thank you Jesus – it came back on!
I quickly toggled the torch and pointed it ahead of me.
That’s when I saw it.
A black creature. Standing right in front of me.
Looking directly at me.
I can’t even describe what it looked like. I don’t have words for it. All I know is that when I opened my mouth to scream, nothing came out. My whole body started shaking. I tried to scream again. Nothing.
We just stood there. Me frozen in terror. It… watching me.
About two minutes later – though it felt like hours – it was just… gone.
Disappeared. Like it had never been there at all.
Omoooo, God abeg ooo, I started running.
I ran looking around with my phone light, trying to figure out if I should keep going or turn back. That’s when I heard the sound of a goat.
The sound of a goat bleating. Somewhere in the darkness. Followed by other sounds I can’t even begin to describe. Strange sounds. Wrong sounds. Sounds that shouldn’t exist.
I wanted to see what the goat looked like – was it THE goat? The one from the legend? – but those other sounds scared me so badly that I just decided to turn back.
Because I was supposed to have seen at least ONE human being by now. But I hadn’t seen anyone. Not a single soul. Just that creature. And now these sounds.
I turned to go back the way I came and that’s when I realized I couldn’t see the forest anymore.
I was standing in an open space. No bushes. No trees. And I had no idea where I’d come from.
I was hearing the goat. Those other sounds. But I couldn’t see anything. Couldn’t see anyone.
It was about 1am now.
And I was completely, utterly lost.
Panic set in. Real, raw panic.
I tried to retrace my steps, just picking a direction and running. But the more I ran, the closer the sounds got. The goat. Those other things. Getting closer and closer.
“JESUS!” I was calling out loud now. “JESUS PLEASE!”
That’s when my phone died again. And this time, it literally fell out of my shaking hands.
I dropped to my knees in the darkness, feeling around desperately for my phone. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely feel anything. But after what felt like forever, my fingers finally found it.
I tried to turn it on. Nothing. It was completely dead.
So I just kept moving. Walking. Running. Crying. Praying. In complete darkness.
About thirty minutes later, I felt it – my legs started touching bushes again!
I was back in the forest!
I tried my phone one more time and it came on. I immediately turned on the torch and –
A snake.
The BIGGEST snake I have ever seen in my entire life. Right there in the bush. Moving. Black and massive and so, so close.
I almost screamed but I covered my mouth just in time and jumped out of there. I ran like my life depended on it. Because it probably did. My legs were literally touching my head I was running so fast.
I was still running when I felt something grab me.
Something grabbed my arm and I struggled. I fought it. I don’t even know what it was – I couldn’t see it clearly – but I felt it. Felt its grip. Felt it trying to hold me.
I screamed, and pulled and twisted until I finally broke free and kept running.
I could feel it chasing me. Whatever it was. I could feel it behind me.
Until suddenly… I couldn’t anymore. The sounds stopped. The feeling stopped.
But when I looked down, I realized my cross bag was gone. The one with my power bank in it.
My phone was at 10%. It was 2:30am. And I had no way to charge it.
I cried. Proper cried. Because how was I supposed to get home with 10% battery?
I noticed my dress was torn too. Ripped in several places. There were scratches on my arms.
But I had to keep going. I had to.
So I ran. Walked. Ran. Walked. Switching the torch on and off to save battery.
Hours passed. My phone was down to 3%.
I was so tired I could barely stand. My legs kept getting stuck in roots and vines.
At one point, my leg got caught and I was trying to pull it free when I realized – too late – that I was standing right at the edge of the water.
The Opagun River.
As I yanked my leg free, I lost my balance completely.
And I fell.
I fell straight into the river.
The water was FREEZING. And so, so deep. And my phone – my phone was instantly gone. Sank straight to the bottom.
I can’t swim, was my first thought.
Well, I can’t swim. Not really. I mean, Iremide had tried to teach me at pool parties – holding me in the shallow end, showing me the motions. But I’d never actually swum on my own before.
But right then, in that moment, I didn’t have a choice.
My parents don’t even know I’m here, I thought, panicking. I didn’t tell them I was traveling with Iremide. If I die here, they won’t even know what happened to me.
So I swam.
I remembered what Iremide had taught me. The arm movements. The leg kicks. And I just… did it.
The water was so deep. It kept getting deeper. The current was pulling at me, trying to drag me under. I was crying and swimming and praying all at once.
“God please,” I sobbed. “Please let me get home. Please.”
My arms were burning. My legs were cramping. I was so tired. So, so tired.
But then – after what felt like forever – I started to feel like I was getting close to land. I could sense it somehow.
That tiny bit of hope gave me the strength to keep going.
And finally – FINALLY – my feet touched sand.
I crawled out of that river more dead than alive. It was getting light. Maybe 6am. 6:30am. I could see the bridge not too far away.
I had so much water in my nose, my mouth, everywhere. I collapsed right there on the bank and for about an hour, I literally couldn’t move.
When I finally managed to stand up, I started walking back toward the village.
Please, I thought. Please let me see a human being. Let me see someone who can help me get to the house. Let me know I’m safe.
But I could barely walk. I’d take a few steps and fall. Get up. Walk. Fall again.
I was soaking wet. My dress was torn to shreds. I had scratches all over my arms and legs. I was so hungry. So tired. So scared. I was crying the whole time.
Never in my life – NEVER – was I going to do something like this again.
After walking for what felt like forever, I finally saw him.
Iremide.
He was walking quickly, looking around frantically. When he saw me, he literally froze.
“Mopelola?!” He ran to me. “Oh my God, Mope! Where have you BEEN?!”
His eyes were wide with panic and relief and confusion all mixed together.
“I’ve been looking for you since 4am! I’ve been calling and calling your phone! Where…” He stopped when he really looked at me. At my soaking wet clothes. My torn dress. The scratches. The state I was in.
“What happened to you?! Where were you?! What…”
But I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t say anything. My mouth wouldn’t work. I just stared at him.
He kept asking questions the whole walk back but I didn’t answer any of them. I couldn’t.
When we got to his great grandmother’s compound, I walked inside and just… collapsed.
Fell flat on the floor.
“Mope!” Iremide was screaming now. “Somebody help! Get water!”
They started pouring water on my head. Iremide was terrified. I could see it in his face. He’d never looked so scared in his life.
I was barely conscious. Everything was spinning. I could hear voices but they sounded far away.
Later that day – after I’d rested, changed into dry clothes, eaten something – the great grandmother asked everyone to leave the room.
It was just me and her.
She looked at me for a long moment. Then she moved closer. Close enough that only I could hear her.
“You went there, didn’t you?” she whispered. “To Araromi-Oke.”
My blood ran cold.
“I warned you,” she continued, her voice so quiet, so serious. “The scratches on your arms… those aren’t from the forest, child. Look at them closely.”
I looked down at my arms. At the scratches I thought I’d gotten from branches and bushes and whatever had grabbed me.
“They’re marks,” she said. “And once you’re marked, you belong to them. You’ll hear the sound of the goat every night now.”
She paused. Looked me dead in the eyes.
“Until…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
Just left it hanging there in the air between us.
Until.
Until what? I wanted to ask. But I was too scared to.
That night, I lay in bed in Iremide’s room, staring at the ceiling.
He was snoring softly next to me, completely exhausted from the stress of the day.
I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that black creature. Felt that thing grabbing me. Heard those sounds.
I looked at the scratches on my arms in the darkness.
They’re marks, her voice echoed in my head. Once you’re marked, you belong to them.
I pulled the blanket tighter around myself, trying to calm my racing heart.
That’s when I heard it.
Faint at first. So faint I thought I was imagining it.
But no.
There it was again.
The sound of a goat.
Bleating.
Somewhere outside in the darkness.
Getting closer…
