Mother of Bunafu

Hickory Dickory Doc,

I told that fool to stop.

When he said no,

I let him go

Hickory Dickory

Doc

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I wrote and read a true story, a family story to my bestie a while ago.

about growing up in my crazy household, about witnessing an exorcism,

about begging,

screaming for them to stop, to please,

please stop.

A story to begin an episode of Spoot.

And when I finish,

she says she really likes it,

really likes it.

Then she says, but

it feels raw,

painful.

And a lot of people are going to hear this.

Uh-huh.

Well, aren't your mother, your father,

aren't they going to have feelings about it?

I'm all defensive.

Look, this really happened.

And it occurs to me,

like she's saying,

because she cares about me.

She's asking if the story will cause me problems,

pain with my family.

Oh.

Oh, don't worry.

They'll never hear it.

What do you mean, never hear it?

This is going on a national show.

Over a million listeners.

Not my family.

Well, someone will tell them about it, right?

Nope.

What?

Look,

I know it sounds strange, but...

In this world they live in,

if it's not on Fox News or maybe the church bulletin, they're never going to know.

Like

if a tree falls in the woods kind of thing.

What if they just turn on the radio?

My mama says my show doesn't come on the radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Does it?

Of course it does.

Two or three times a week, but not if you have the dial turned to the crazy January 6th Patriot show.

I don't know,

she says.

Feels like you're dodging something.

Your parents are getting older.

You don't have much time.

Would it be so terrible if they hear the stories you reveal about yourself, about your family, about what happened?

I think about this.

For a moment, maybe

I am dodging,

avoiding something.

That is my emotional modus operandi.

After all, you know, never get too close to the feelings because that

is where the hurt lives.

I go quiet,

understand

that she's waiting for me to say something.

No.

I don't think it would be so horrible if they'd finally hear my stories.

Uh-uh.

The horrible thing

is knowing for certain

that they never will

stoop.

Family, the joy and the pain.

We're traveling now, through time and through space, to Uganda, a tiny village.

It's 1985 and our storyteller David, he's visiting this village because that's where his mom, Agnes, and his stepdad George live.

Of course,

in this village,

there's something else living there as well.

Spoot.

My mother, Agnes, means a lot to me.

She had four children, but I was the darling.

Wherever she was going, I would accompany her.

When I was in primary school, she asked me to teach her how to read because she had not gone to school.

She bought a book where I taught her to write her names first.

Then slowly, I started reading her some storybooks.

I read, she repeats.

Inspired by teaching his mom how to read and write, David chose to pursue a career in education.

After graduating high school, he moved from Bonafu to the city of Jinja for college, just about two hours away by train.

But he would visit home often.

This story takes place on one of those visits.

In the morning, my mom calls me, David.

I'm going to work.

You stay here.

Maybe you can help us to do housework.

So she left me behind and I stayed in the bed.

It is around 10.

I'm in the bed sleeping.

And then

I hear

a lot of noise.

I hear

drumming,

it is a single drum following a certain beat.

Then other people were shouting.

I was wondering what's happening outside

quickly.

I jump out of the bed,

even not putting on my shirt, just pick the shirt.

I came out.

There was a lot of excitement around the whole village.

People are running, shouting, drumming, making noise.

That whole atmosphere was electric.

Everyone was happy.

There are two people who are drumming, and these were small boys.

I said, what is going on?

What's going on?

They start saying, David, you are mommy.

You are mommy.

I said, what?

What's wrong with my mom?

Your mommy.

You are mommy.

Again,

what's wrong with the Agnes?

I was now nervous.

But for them, it was the opposite.

They are so happy.

I couldn't tell whether it was good news or bad news.

Come and see.

Let's go quickly.

And they are running towards where my mom was.

I'm holding the shirt in my hand, running down, following them.

And the question is lingering in my mind.

If it was bad, why should they be happy?

I find my mother.

In the main road,

surrounding my mother,

there's a big gathering.

It's a group of around 60 people encycling her.

And she was walking slowly backwards while looking at us,

her eyes widely open.

When I moved nearer,

I realized

Her eyes had turned white.

She was not blinking.

and she was not talking to any of us.

I had goosebumps.

I'm shouting on top of my voice, Mommy, mommy, what is it?

You need help.

Can I come and help you?

What is it?

Can we go home?

I wanted to make my way to see what's wrong with her.

But one of the old ladies who was nearby holds me back.

Don't go, please don't touch her.

Don't go near.

Leave her alone.

What is it?

What's happening with Agnes?

My mother, what is happening?

Then she says, calm down.

Let me tell you.

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Munoro has picked her to be his wife.

Munoro has picked her amongst all the women in this village.

She's now a wife to Munyolo.

What?

My mom marrying Munyo.

Who is Munyolo?

Because I was hearing Munyolo for the first time.

Who is Munyolo now?

Tell me more.

What is this?

Munyolo is the spirit

for the bice and govi.

He is the divine giver of the village.

When the current wife has grown old and can no longer perform the duties which Munioro expects her to do, he picks any

hard-working, beautiful lady he wants from amongst the ladies in the village.

So, this time around, he has picked on your mother.

I lost words.

I was wondering how a human being can get married to a spirit.

And if so, why should Munero marry my mother, who is already married to George?

And then this lady, she told me, David, respect whatever is taking place.

It is a special day for the village.

If you go and interfere, the consequences to you

is death,

or you get deformed for the rest of your life and no one is going to help you

I'm thinking

this can't be true

I was not believing her

this clan

the Ngobi clan

They have

traditional beliefs.

But the rest of us, we are Christian.

But

I was having emotions,

much as I was fearing for my mom.

Now I feared for my life.

But I had to do something.

I ran towards the group,

and now it was a magnitude of people.

But I don't see my mom.

All of a sudden, I see her.

She was on top of a tree.

It's a big, giant, vicious tree.

I don't know how she climbed it.

She was in her 40s.

She's someone who does not ride a bicycle.

How can she climb a tree?

Everyone was in a circle around her.

And she was sitting on a branch of the tree up there,

doing nothing but sitting, holding on to the branch.

There was smoke.

They are now set a bonfire under that tree.

Out of nowhere, it starts raining amidst all that chaos.

They were saying that it's a blessing.

Munolo getting married, he has brought blessings in the village.

They are taking some days without rain.

Now there's rain.

And from nowhere, I can't tell you how my mom climbed down the tree.

She started rolling on the ground, rolling several times, rolling, rolling,

and she became very dirty.

She started throwing the hands here and there.

She had red eyes.

I was feeling bad,

you know,

having a lot of goosebumps.

I fell down, I started crying.

I was not believing what was happening.

I wanted to go and help her,

but I couldn't go.

All of a sudden, the sound of the drums went silent.

People now all are quiet,

and

this gentleman whom I didn't know arrives.

This man is dressed in a kanzu, which is a tonic, a white tonic.

He has

the arms with so many bungles,

a crown.

This man now approaches my mom

and she's just sitting on the ground, spreading her feet.

This man

starts talking.

Kusangaido, Mukamawaifi Monolo,

our spiritual leader, Monolo.

Isukayo okuyiga

we all come back from the hunt.

We are happy now that you have picked on your choice.

My mom now started talking.

The voice was of a manly voice, not a user voice my sons my grandchildren you're most welcome

officially i've got married and i picked on this lady is my wife

the drumming goes louder than it was

in that moment i realized it is true

something has taken over her life

and that was Munoro.

Munyolo was now

owning her.

All the drums go silent again.

The man says, What can we do right now?

What do you want us to do?

You know what to do.

First, prepare the house where she's going to stay.

Also, you have to

prepare a feast.

You get my cows, you get their goats, you even have to slaughter sheep.

And of course, you cannot hold that feast without the process.

After they had agreed with the spirit, he says,

You can now leave.

Go away to your daily activities.

From nowhere, I saw my mom turning into a normal person.

She raises her arms and she twists around,

saying,

Why am I here?

How did I come here?

What has been going on?

These are the elders, the ladies, go near to greet her.

They tell her, Agnes,

Munyola has brought you here.

You are now a wife to Munyolo.

She was quiet.

She doesn't say anything.

I walked slowly towards Sam.

I greeted her and I told her, How are you feeling?

She called me, My son,

what you have seen, what you have heard, it has happened.

And I had to accept that it has happened.

And even equally, you, my son, accept

This is a blessing.

I was

having so many things in my mind.

What is next after marrying her?

Why, my mother, to marry a spirit?

Why, why her?

Not all these other is, but why her?

I just told her, okay, okay, okay.

Are you staying here or we are going back home?

She said, yes, we are going back.

After a silent and uncomfortable walk home, David's mom takes a bath while David cooks her favorite dish, matoke, a stew made out of bananas and potatoes.

We had our food, we ate,

not speaking anything.

I could see that she was not the usual charming mother.

Something changed completely.

Soon after, David's stepdad, George, arrives home from work.

When he reaches home, we pick his bicycle, push it in the house.

Then he sits, mommy comes, he greets him,

and he was just sitting calmly,

not talking to anyone.

I was waiting for him to ask me

what took place,

but he did not ask me anything.

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Once David's mom finishes dinner and heads to bed, David finally works up the courage to tell George about his mom marrying Unioro.

But

he

simply told me, thank you so much.

I'm already aware what took place.

I was told by some of my brothers and uncles, so I think

let's leave it at that.

He was just quiet as if nothing had happened.

Then I told, How are we going to live without her?

What are you going to do?

He told me,

It is a blessing.

It's a blessing to you.

It will bring you riches, longer life.

I asked, Why?

How can you participate

to help your wife to go away?

He just told me,

I don't have a wife.

She's no longer my wife.

That night, David and his stepfather helped move his mom's belongings to another bedroom.

According to tradition, she could no longer share a bed with George, as she is now married to a different man.

Next morning, many people come to greet her.

Even some of her relatives from her village came to greet her.

The aunties, the sisters, the cousins,

whoever was coming there was not coming to find out the story, but was just coming to congratulate the family.

They have got a special greeting, shaking hands.

She's given ropes officially that she's married.

She's given the bangles.

She's given the crown

and she's given the pipe to start smoking.

This

is the first time that I saw my mom smoking a pipe.

She was not a smoker.

And now she had even a new name from Agnes to Mrs.

Monoro.

Where is Mrs.

Monoro?

Where is Mrs.

Monoro?

Where are you?

I'm here.

She was also answering happily.

I'm here.

How are you?

How are you today?

And then they start playing music.

They slaughter cows, goats, sheep, chicken.

They take the local brew.

It was a feast that Sunday.

The village celebrates this new marriage for the next several days.

On one of those nights, David's mom receives a visit from another family who has brought along a sick relative.

And they told my mother that they have come to visit Munoro.

Munoro, being that he is a spirit, they believe that he has got the healing powers.

David's mom and the family move to a nearby shrine.

David follows and watches them at a distance so they can't see him.

His mom puts on a robe while a helper starts a fire.

Finally, they all sit in a circle around her.

And from nowhere, I see her stretching her arms in the air with a lot of strength.

And I see her shaking her hands, twists her head on either side.

I could even hear some sounds coming out of the bones cracking.

I feel scared when I see my mom turning the eyes rolling

and she's smoking a pipe.

I can see a cloud of smoke around her, a heavy one,

inhaling.

Next to my mom is a helper.

He's putting herbs on the fire

and

he's holding a shaker.

They shake, they shake, they shake, they shake vigorously.

She's shaking also herself.

And then, all of a sudden,

her body,

the face changes,

the voice changes, like a man.

She talks with a lot of vigor.

She's possessed.

My people,

sons,

daughters,

I'm here.

She throws shells on the ground.

She tries to interpret the shells the way they are on the ground.

Now, Munioro starts talking.

Oh,

my son,

you are sick.

She talks, she talks, she talks, and directs how the disease is going to be worked on.

This younger man is listening to the instructions,

and

Munyoro instructed the helper to go and look for the medicine for the patient.

And in turn, Munyoro requested the patient to pay some money plus an animal, a goat for that matter.

Then, from nowhere, she opens her eyes,

she rigo, she raises her arms, and she twists around

and comes back to her normal senses.

It was the first time witnessing my mother kill the other people.

To me, as her son, I was feeling bad, but it came to me that maybe

this is good.

They respect her because of Munioru.

After a week, the time has come for Agnes to move to her new home.

I helped her in packing all of her belongings.

We took the things, food, her clothes.

She had a small situation.

I was feeling sad, lonely,

but now I was feeling sorry for George.

They were so happily married.

They had a lot of things in common.

Now he's living George.

The joy that we had in this home is over.

Later that night, some relatives and local clansmen show up to help Agnes move to her new home, which is about half a mile away.

It was late evening.

There was moonlight.

I'm walking within a group.

I'm carrying the sutras.

It was a moment of disappointment.

She was going to start a new life.

She's married to a ghost.

It pains me, but I have nothing to do.

There were a few neighbors who were there to welcome her.

She was laughing with those people around, we were talking, she was happy.

As a family, we gathered.

There were some short speeches.

Some were saying, Again,

as we move into this home, please we should remain together as a family.

We told mommy, have a good night,

and she went to sleep.

I walked back home.

I had a lot of questions:

Am I going to meet her again?

How often was she going to be possessed?

Will Munoro be kind to my mother like Joe was to her?

It was a hard moment for me to accept that mommy is now in another world.

world.

It was so hard.

It was as if she had died.

David leaves the village the next morning and returns to school.

Eventually, David becomes a teacher and moves to Entebe, a city near Kampala, Uganda's capital.

Despite being away from his family, he calls his mom every week and tries to visit often.

From that time up to today, I'm talking of 36 years.

My mom has been married to Munyoro.

She's now 86.

People come to my mom from all walks of life

for different reasons.

There are those who are sick.

There are those who come for counseling.

There are those who want to get blessings.

Even for harvest, those are going to plant the good weather.

My mom cannot do anything without instructions from Munyolo.

So her life changed completely.

She can't eat fish,

she can't eat pork, she can't eat chicken,

she drinks alcohol,

she smokes a pipe.

I even fear that she's going to develop lung cancer because she smokes a pipe heavily.

But she has never

regretted being a wife to Munoro.

She's respected in that village, and even the clan people take care of her.

They bring food, people even bring in money.

Her essentials are catered for.

I feel proud that people respect her.

I'm proud of that.

But deeply, I'm against.

They snatch her from me.

But I couldn't tell her, Don't.

She's my mom.

She had accepted.

So let her take that path.

I take mine.

At the end of the day, we all believe in God, but we have different avenues to reach God.

This year, I visited my mom.

We are talking.

Casually, she tells me,

David,

I'm leaving

this place.

I've grown old.

There are certain things that I can no longer perform for Munyolo.

And it has come to my notice that

Munyolo seems to be looking for another wife.

I want to leave this place by January.

Can you prepare where I can live after here?

I was happy.

I felt so good, and even I called my siblings and announced it to them that you know what?

Mom is leaving Munyolo.

So I bought a piece of land recently.

I'm going to construct a house for her where she's going to stay.

And hopefully, she lives a new life.

That day, when she will be out of that place, we shall go for a feast.

I'll call all my children, my sisters, to welcome her back to the normal life.

I'm looking forward to that day

that we shall be living together.

Thank you, David, for sharing your story with Spook.

We are so glad you'll be reunited with your mom very soon.

The story was scouted by Lulu Jemima.

The original score was by Sandra Lawson Undu.

It was produced by Eric Yanez.

Now then,

I have a query for you.

Because we've heard tales of families that have a gift passed down from generation to generation.

Foresight, dreamwalking, even telekinesis.

We're exploring family histories here at the underground lair, where the same power runs through particular bloodlines.

Maybe sometimes skipping a generation, but eventually reasserting itself.

If you have such a legacy,

or if you know someone who does, we'd love, I'd love to know all about it.

Let me know, spoot at stampjudgment.org, because there is nothing better than a spook listener with a spoot story.

Spooks are brought to you by the team that would never impose their own belief system on anyone else, except

for Mark Wischich.

Just because he's lactose intolerant, he won't tolerate your lactose or anyone else's lactose either.

There's David Kim, Zoe Frigno, Ann Ford, Eric Yanez, Taylor DeCotte, Marissa Dodge, Miles Lassie, Doug Stewart, Paulina Creeke, Elizabeth Z.

Pardue, Aditya Matu, Lulu, Jemima, The Spook Theme Song is by Pat Massili Miller.

Let him go from Washington and whether you liked them or not, whether you knew them.

or not.

Your parents gave you a legacy.

They set you on a quest and so often that journey is to fill holes that they had.

The things they couldn't bequeath to us are the things we set in search of.

Money,

stability, love,

respect.

Often they leave us other questions as well.

Mysteries.

See, the needs of the shadow follow from mother to daughter, from father to son.

How many times have we heard from people discovering, shocked that they are treading the same path as grandparents, great-grandparents, generations previous?

The shadow remembers,

even when we have forgotten,

but their legacy is never your destiny.

The best way to ensure that you follow paths of your own choosing

is to never,

never, ever,

never, never, never, ever, ever, never

turn out

the lights.