Kope nor mi

Two years ago, a 26-year old man went on holiday to the Le'meridian Ibom Five star Hotel. When he arrived at the hotel, he found everything to his liking.

The weather was perfect, the pool was immaculate, the hotel was high class and the atmosphere was exciting. That night, he put on his most fragrant aftershave, donned an expensive shirt and went down to the poolside bar for a drink.

He spotted a beautiful woman in a revealing, red dress standing at the bar. She was incredibly attractive, with long dark hair, deep brown eyes, tanned skin, full lips, round hips and ample charms. She had it all. The man stared at her and was enchanted by her eyes. So much so, that he instantly fell in love.

Gathering his courage, he sauntered over to the woman and stood next to her at the bar. When the opportunity arose, he leaned in and asked if he could buy her a drink. Imagine his disappointment when she refused and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. It made him crazy! He felt rejected and became very annoyed. It was as if she had stabbed him straight through the heart. He was so disappointed that he returned to his hotel room, hanging his head in shame.

The next night he was back at the bar and he spotted her again. This time, he would give it a second chance.

“Hi, my name’s Prince,” he said, flashing a smile.

“Why would I care what your name is?” she asked.

“I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little better,” he said hopefully.

“I’d rather drown at Ibaka Sea,” was her withering reply.

Again, the young man found himself making his way back to his room, feeling humiliated.
The next day, as he was exploring the village outside the hotel, he walked past an old woman who was selling her wares by the side of the street. He saw that she had a sign that read “Spell Casting & Black Magic”. Stopping at her cart, he asked her if she had something that could make a woman fall head over heels in love with a man.

The woman smiled and told him that she had the perfect solution for him. She held up a small bottle with a heart emblazoned on the glass. It contained a red, syrup-like liquid. She told him that it was a love potion called "Kope nor mi". The man eagerly took the bottle and paid her for it. As he was leaving, the old woman warned him to only put a single drop into the drink of the woman he intended to use it on. Otherwise, she said, he might regret it.

That night, the young man strode into the poolside bar and sat down at the young woman table. He began to speak with her, gently and with confidence. She turned her head as if to avoid it. He took the opportunity to pour the love potion into her glass. In case the potion was ineffective, he poured the entire bottle of "Kope nor mi" into her drink.

Twenty minutes later, the woman turned to him and smiled. Her eyes glittered and her pupils dilated. Before he could say a word, she threw herself on him and began to kiss him passionately. The man couldn’t believe his luck. The love potion actually worked! They spent the entire night in a romantic embrace, kissing and cuddling like newlyweds.

When morning came, the woman wanted to surprise him. So she decided to go to town and get some lovely gifts for him. Unfortunately, the minute she set foot outside the hotel, she was run over by a car. The car tires squished her head into a bloody pulp and she died on the spot.

The young man spent the whole day crying. As night fell, he began to get over her, but he found himself unable to sleep. As he lay in bed, tossing and turning, he suddenly sensed a presence in the room. Turning over, he was horrified to see the ghostly figure of the lady in red crouching down by the door. When she raised her head, he realized that the skin on her face had been ripped off, revealing the bone underneath.

Before he had a chance to react, she jumped on him and began kissing him passionately, mashing her bony teeth and mutilated lips against his mouth. He screamed and screamed, but she didn’t let go until morning. Every night she returned, until the end of his life...