The Ilorin Shock Episode 6

Episode Six: The Promise

As days turned into weeks, Ilorin slowly stopped feeling like a shock and started feeling like a test.

Me and my brother were still adjusting, still learning, still counting days. Home was far, but it never left our minds. Every night, we talked about Oyo State like it was a storybook place familiar streets, familiar voices, familiar peace.

One evening, we found a small light of hope.

We called our brother’s sister my aunt’s daughter. To us, she was family and comfort rolled into one. Hearing her voice felt like touching home without leaving Ilorin.

She listened quietly as we complained in low voices.

Then she said something that stayed with me.

“Once you people finish the holy book, you will come back to Oyo.”

Those words entered my heart and sat there.

Finish the holy book… then go home.

From that day, the holy book was no longer just reading. It became a passport.

Not long after, our teacher gathered us and spoke seriously.

“You must finish the holy book before the next coming Ramadan.”

His voice was calm, but the message was heavy.

Before Ramadan.

Time suddenly became an enemy.

We looked at each other me and my brother. We understood without speaking. This was it. If we wanted to go back home, we had to push ourselves harder than ever before.

Every morning, we woke earlier.

Every night, we slept later.

Play reduced. Laughter reduced. Focus increased.

The pages of the holy book began to move faster under my fingers. Sometimes my eyes burned. Sometimes my head hurt. But anytime I felt tired, I remembered the promise.

Oyo State.

Messages kept coming to my brother from people asking about his progress, encouraging him, pushing him. He was the senior one, the example. The pressure on him was heavier.

But something unexpected happened.

I was moving faster.

Page after page, day after day, I advanced. I didn’t even notice at first. I was just chasing home. Chasing familiarity. Chasing relief.

Then one afternoon, it happened.

I finished.

The last verse.

The last page.

I closed the book slowly, my heart beating fast. I didn’t shout. I didn’t celebrate. I just sat there, breathing.

I had finished the holy book.

Before my senior brother.

When people found out, reactions were mixed. Some were surprised. Some were proud. Some looked at my brother with new expectations. I felt happy… but also careful.

I didn’t want to hurt him.

That night, I lay beside my brother again the same brother I arrived in Ilorin with, the same one that shared my confusion, my laughter, my fear.

I wondered what finishing early truly meant.

Did it mean I was going home sooner?

Or did it mean another test was coming?

Because in Ilorin, every victory came with a question.

And deep inside, I felt it

This was not the end of the journey.

It was only a turning point.

To be continued… Episode 7