Akata Witch

In the aftermath, Sunny finds Orlu unconscious with the two children, who are now alive and emotionally attached to him. He wakes, happy that they were successful, and explains that he reversed Black Hat’s juju to the children back, but that he fainted. When Sunny tries to explain how she sent Ekwensu back, not quite understanding herself, Orlu answers, “The old ones sent us for a reason” (330). Sunny and Orlu find Sasha, now recovered, with Chichi, and together they gather the huge piles of chittim they have earned. The library council sends a van to pick them up. They ride first to the police station to drop the two toddlers off safely, and then to the Obi Library in Leopard Knocks. On the way, Chichi explains that Sunny’s grandmother came to Chichi’s mother in a vision and gave her the juju she used. Once in the library, Sugar Cream listens to their story and tells them they did very well. She also agrees to be Sunny’s mentor.

Sunny returns home, having been gone for 24 hours. Her brothers warn her that her father is angry, but Sunny feels calm. Her mother is happy to see her, but her father demands to know where she has been. She protests she has been “up to nothing unholy or shameful or dirty” (338), but he tries to hit her anyway. She dodges his blows, and her mother defends her. He shouts that, like Sunny’s grandmother, she will “come to no good” staying out at night (338).

This leads Sunny to ask: “Who am I, Mama?” (339). Her mother explains that her mother, Ozoemena, was a strange woman, and that she wasn’t married to her father. She says Ozoemena had a secret, and she admits she saw metal pieces in Sunny’s room that looked like the pieces her mother used to have, referring to the chittim. She also tells Sunny that they moved back to Nigeria because she had a feeling Sunny shouldn’t be in the United States, but she actually thinks it’s more that Sunny needed to be in Nigeria. She tells Sunny that today is the day that Ozoemena was killed, and Sunny thinks that timing must have been important.

In her room, Sunny finds a wooden box on her bed. Inside is a page of Nsbidi symbols that Sunny can’t yet read, as well as a letter from her grandmother, addressed “Dear child of my child” (343). In the letter, Ozoemena introduces herself as a member of the Nimm Leopard clan and a rebellious child who became involved with a Lamb man, which led to a double life. She explains her natural ability, which is the same as Sunny’s (invisibility). Ozoemena knows that something is coming and that she will die soon. She expresses love for her future grandchild. The letter moves Sunny. She finds a photo of her grandmother in the box and studies it.

The following morning, Sunny’s wasp artist Della has built a sculpture of a man who looks like Black Hat. She beats her wings, and his head blows away. Sunny praises Della and laughs. She then reads the newspaper coverage of the previous day’s events. The newspaper says two three-year old children were returned to their parents after being abducted by Black Hat, rescued by two young men who found them wandering. Another headline mentions a gas station being struck by lightning and catching on fire. 

Back in Lamb school, Orlu tells Sunny at lunch that Anatov will likely give them a few weeks off before they meet again. He also observes they will be meeting with their own mentors, and Sunny expects Sugar Cream will keep her working hard. Orlu tells her that Chichi and Sasha are going to prepare to pass their Mbawkwa second-levels, even though they are a little young. Sunny asks Orlu if he will, too, but he shrugs. When he asks if she will, she answers, “I don’t even remember what the second level is called” (349). Sunny comments it feels strange to have a double life, and Orlu responds that “[having] two lives is better than none” (349). Sunny agrees.