“Jump inside the well, there is a big golden fish waiting for you,” Rebecca whispered to little Daniel, her brother’s three-year-old son, who was playing with his toy car in the compound.
Daniel’s innocent eyes widened. “Golden fish?” he asked in his baby voice, looking at the dark, open mouth of the underground well.
“Yes, my baby. Just jump, catch the fish, and show your daddy. He will be so proud,” Rebecca said, her voice dripping with fake honey.
There was no one else in the compound. The silence was deafening.
HOW IT STARTED….
Mrs. Chioma and her husband, Obinna, had been married for seven years without a child. They suffered insults, mockery, and shame, mostly from Obinna’s younger sister, Rebecca.
Rebecca had sworn that Chioma would never inherit her father’s property. She hated Chioma with a passion that burned like hellfire.
But God finally answered their prayers, and Daniel was born.
Obinna was overjoyed. He bought Chioma a car and opened a big boutique for her.
This made Rebecca’s hatred multiply. She visited them that fateful Saturday with a plastic smile plastered on her face.
“Sister Chioma!” Rebecca shouted as she entered the sitting room. “I just came to spend the weekend with my favorite nephew!”
Chioma, being a pure-hearted woman, was happy. She thought Rebecca had finally changed.
“You are welcome, Rebecca! Ah, God bless you. Please, help me watch Daniel. I want to quickly rush to the bathroom to wash off the smell of cooking,” Chioma said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Rebecca’s eyes gleamed. “Don’t worry, my sister. Take your time. Scrub your back well. I am here.”
Chioma smiled and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower. The sound of the rushing water drowned out everything else.
This was the moment Rebecca had been waiting for.
She grabbed Daniel’s hand. “Let’s go outside and play, Junior.”
Daniel followed his heavy-handed aunt, giggling.
Rebecca led him to the back of the house where the old well was. The cover was heavy, but adrenaline and hatred gave her strength. She slid it open
The darkness inside was terrifying.
“Aunty, it is dark,” Daniel said, stepping back.
“Don’t be afraid. The golden fish shines in the dark. Go closer,” Rebecca urged, looking around to ensure no neighbor was watching.
Daniel, trusting his aunt, climbed onto the small concrete elevation surrounding the well. He peered inside.
“I don’t see fish,” he said.
“Look deeper!” Rebecca snapped.
As the boy leaned forward, standing on his toes, Rebecca placed her hand on his small back.
“Go and meet your ancestors,” she whispered.
She gave a violent push.
SPLASH!
The sound of the heavy splash echoed from the deep pit.
Daniel didn’t even have time to scream. The cold water swallowed him instantly.
Rebecca quickly pulled the cover back, but left it slightly open, just enough to make it look like “carelessness.”
She rubbed her hands on her skirt, took a deep breath, and then… she started screaming.
“Ewooooo! Help o! Help! Daniel has fallen o!”
She threw herself on the ground, rolling in the sand, fake tears flowing instantly.
Chioma rushed out of the bathroom with a towel tied around her chest, soap still on her face. “What happened?! Where is my son?!”
“He ran out while I was in the toilet!” Rebecca lied, pointing at the well. “He climbed the well! I told you to cover this well, Chioma! You killed him!”
Chioma screamed and ran to the well, but it was too deep.
By the time neighbors gathered and brought a ladder to fetch the body, little Daniel was gone. His body was limp, his stomach swollen with water.
When Obinna drove in and saw his only son lifeless on the ground, he collapsed.
Rebecca immediately held him. “Brother, I told you! I told you this woman is careless! She left the well open and went to shower! She values her body more than her son!”
Obinna stood up, his eyes red with rage. He looked at Chioma, who was crying and hugging the cold body of her child.
He didn’t ask questions. The grief was too much. He landed a heavy slap on Chioma’s face.
“Get out of my house! You witch! You killed my son!” Obinna roared.
“Honey, please! I left him with her!” Chioma begged, pointing at Rebecca.
“Liar!” Rebecca shouted, hiding a smirk behind her hands. “I was in the toilet! You are the mother! Why did you leave him?”
As the police dragged Chioma away for negligence, Rebecca stood by the gate, watching.
She brought out her phone and texted her mother:
“The obstacle is gone. The property is ours.”
She smiled, knowing she had won.
But she forgot one thing.
As she turned to go inside, she didn’t notice the small CCTV camera blinking red at the corner of the neighbor’s fence, pointing directly at the well.
What do you think should be done to Rebecca when the truth comes out?