''H-e-l-p!'' Saudah screamed. She had woken up at night to find herself sweating profusely. The shock of that dream suddenly brought her to a sitting position. Her head throbbed, with a severe headache. She was very dizzy and delirious. It was then that she looked around the environment she was.

''Are you okay? How do you feel? Can you see me? Talk to me please.'' It was her mother, who was sitting beside the bed she was.

''Take it easy with her.'' She heard her Dad's voice, but couldn't make out where it was coming from. ''Saudah, can you talk?''

''Y-e-s'' she croaked, feeling her lips crack a little.

She was still plagued by the dream she had, migraine, and aches of different kinds in some vital organs of her body. That night, the dream had reflected her in a wedding feast. She saw a long, peal-studied train of a creamy candlelight satin wedding gown cascading in graceful folds behind herself, as she glided to a halt in front of the alter. She saw herself smiling demurely at her groom, who looked terribly ugly today through her veil.

She was then jerked and thrown away, and as she looked up, she saw an extremely black dog, barking. She then ran and ran as far as her feet could take her, shouting for help.

She gulped and asked slowly. ''What happened?''

''You fainted,'' her mum quickly replied. ''We have been with you since morning, you kept sweating and shouting in your sleep. You look terrible. Are you okay?''

''I think so'' Saudah replied. ''Can I get something to drink? Water preferably.''

''Get her some water.'' Her mum ordered no one in particular.

''My body aches. I feel like I've been beaten, is that weird?''

Her mum exchanged a look with her dad, who Saudah noticed was sitting on the other side of the bed. ''Is that all?'' Her dad asked.

''No, my head pounds a lot.''

''I think it's just stress. You've been busy for the past few months with school and everything. I also think you're still not over the fact that Sadiq left you...''

''Asiya!'' Her dad snapped at Saudah's little sister.

Saudah closed her eyes, willing for the throbbing in her head to stop, or better yet get rid of the dream that is still haunting her. This is more than just stress or her pains. There's more to this than all of them can comprehend.

''I agree with Asiya Alhaji. Muhammad checked her before he left for work and confirmed that it was stress and nothing more.''

Why can't they look beyond that and see? She could feel it, this is more than stress or anything. She can't be suffering from stress for over two years, can she? Even thou, today was the very first day she had ever lost consciousness ever since it started.

''Can you all just go? I need to rest.''

*

Saudah Baba Ibrahim was her name. A beautiful girl at the age of twenty-three, born and raised in Kebbi state. She was pretty enough to be wooed by any man she came across. She was tall, slim, and dark-complexioned with a slender waist. She has wide doe eyes and two deep holes form on her cheek when she smiles. She was always sad and apparently grief-stricken; and if she smiled at all, it was sorrow concealed in facial delight. And because she had always been an introvert, her family didn't notice the change she went through.

She was the third child of her family, having an elder brother; Muhammad, and have two younger siblings, Asiya and Kamil. Growing up in a family filled with love and care, Saudah was the only outcast among them. The only person who likes isolating herself in a dark room, who listens to music a lot and absorb herself in her own world.

Growing up, she had different tastes in everything. She eats fried grasshopper as none of her siblings does, she also loves the water so much, and the quiet peacefulness she feels from slightly dark bushes when they visit their Village, Tunga; a little village under Bunza local government area in Kebbi state.

Her father, Baba Ibrahim was a retired NDLEA officer, while her mum; Hajiya Balkisu was a retired teacher too. Her elder brother, Muhammad is a doctor and is still yet to get married.

With the beauty, Saudah possesses, one might wonder why she's still single or why she was dumped a few months back. But that was not the first time. The first year in the university, Saudah fell in love with a man. They courted for seven months and the arrangement for marriage was made. But a week to the said date, Saudah decided she's not interested anymore. The shocking part was she kept crying and fainting when her dad insisted the wedding must hold. At long last, it was called off.

This had happened three times in a row, and every time she was the one to call it off.  But the story changed a little bit the last few months, instead of her calling off the wedding, the man did. And she was heartbroken!

*

It had been two days since the incident. She had wallowed in sadness for missing her graduation. Her parents are keeping a close watch on her, her mother always seats with her. But now, she was sitting all alone in her room with her phone in her as she reads a book titled ‘Kalthum’ on Wattpad with a song playing on her laptop.

“Are you busy?” Asiya asked as she peeped into the room, holding a copy of the Holy Qur’an, “can you help memorize Surat Al Taubah? I am to memorize it today at madarasa, and I’m yet to learn some verses.”

“Sure, come on in,” Saudah replied stopping the music she was listening to. But the problem here is that it has been almost two months since she last read the Qur’an, she might hear her siblings reciting, but for her to personally sit down and recite the Qur’an has been for the last two months. She throbbing in her head makes it unbearable for her endures reading the Holy book. Mustering enough courage she could, she collected the Qur’an and started reciting it. But as she kept reading, she got confused and started mixing the verses from other Surahs. And the throbbing in head increased painfully and she felt drenched in sweat. What is wrong with her?

Unable to continue, she passed the Qur’an to her sister who had been looking at her in shock.

“Go,” Asiya heard her sister say, but the voice doesn’t really sound like her sister’s “leave, and don’t you dare call anyone, else I’ll break your bones. Now, leave!” Saudah snapped, her eyes bloodshot.

As soon as the door was closed, Saudah trembled, finding herself in a total gloom, when she saw something she could barely see stood to her right and another to her left leading her into a great, dusky hole inhabited by some creatures with multiple heads, limbs, and abnormal heights; they were no human beings. She then discovered that he had been brought before someone shorter than a dwarf sitting on a raised dais in the background. It seemed like a chieftain of this mysteriously invisible world.

“Were you trying to get us killed?” It snapped angrily, “do not do that again, or you’ll face the consequences!” It then looked around and pointed at the tallest one, take her back and get someone to treat her husband.”

“Can I play with her a little first?”

“Go on, let her pay a little for trying to harm us.”