“Thank you,” Sunny said, putting her juju knife in the large pocket at the front of her dress and taking the coconut in both hands. She’d been offered kola by Chukwu and now was offered a coconut by a coconut masquerade. What next? The masquerade stepped into a coconut tree’s trunk and was gone. She put her coconut down and then did the cleansing flourish with her knife. The green wilderness residue that she left when she stepped to the side was so thick that it was like standing beside a solid green shadow of herself. She stared at it as it turned to her and seemed to stare back. Then it began to dissipate in the gentle breeze. When it was gone, she picked up her coconut and walked past the trees onto the street toward Ekwensu’s land.

As she walked, others joined her, heading toward the noise. There were people who looked as if they’d come from her town, some who were dressed more fashionably like they were from Lagos, some who didn’t seem quite human, and some who looked as if they were in the wilderness. Sunny was part of a crowd by the time she arrived at the house . . . or at least where the house used to be. It had crumbled into dust, leaving nothing but a tall lonely palm tree. The dust glowed like embers in a fire and was slowly disappearing back into the wilderness.

“Orlu!” Sunny shouted, pushing past the various people in the crowd. She decided to glide through them, feeling her body cool and separate in that strange way she was still getting used to. She flew through misty blobs and felt them question where she was going. They’re my friends, she thought to them as she passed.

When she reappeared in front of Orlu, a silver chittim dropped and she caught it in her hand absentmindedly as she stared into Orlu’s wet eyes. He was covered in the strange dust, and it glowed orange yellow on his skin like jewels. He twitched as his eyes met Sunny’s, then his eyes grew wide. “Sunny?” he whispered.

Sunny grinned.

Orlu removed her glasses, placed both hands on her cheeks, and pulled her face to his. His lips were warm and the glowing dust on them made Sunny’s lips tingle. Then he pulled her into a tight hug. “You were dead. We were sure you were dead,” he said into her ear.

Over his shoulder, Sunny saw Grashcoatah standing to the far side of where the house had been. Sasha and Chichi were using their juju knives to cut long, long hairs that hung from his back and sides. At Grashcoatah’s feet was a big pile of bronze chittim. He was nudging some of them with an inquisitive foot. Sunny frowned and let go of Orlu.

“I . . . No, I didn’t die. But . . .” What was she going to say? That she’d broken kola with Chukwu the Supreme Being? What would that sound like? Would Orlu even believe her? She touched her forehead and for a moment, the world brightened and deepened. She took her hand quickly away from the spot. “I pulled off Ekwensu’s mask.”