The money ritual Thread

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On their way back from school, Harry and IK got stuck by the rain. They ran into a shade for cover to avoid being drenched. Immediately they entered the shade, Ik saw it as a good opportunity to step up his convincing game on Harry, for him to go 'wash his hands' in a spiritual home for him to be successful in their internet fraud activities.

"Just look at it very well. Ever since you joined us, have you gotten up to $50?" IK asked him, looking directly at his face.

"You want to bring up this topic again? Please not today." Harry frowned at him,
grabbed his phone and connected it to his left AirPod, playing a playlist.

"It's funny how you are not ready to change your approach to things. I've explained several times to you that you don't need to sacrifice any humans or use blood. So you think I sacrificed anyone, right? All you need to do is to follow the instructions from the priest, and that's all. As simple as ABC" IK preached again, and for the very first time, Harry looked at him and showed a sign of conviction.

"Hmmm, okay, you won. Let's give it a try. When should we go?" Harry agreed, and Ik became very excited, he shook his hand and answered, "Tonight".
"Tonight?" Harry bristled

"Yes, or do you have anything to do tonight? It's not going to be time-wasting, Just 10 to 20 minutes, and we are done," Ik said, and Ik concurred.
The rain had stopped, so they walked out of the shade and trekked together to the junction that led to their different homes.
"See you by 7:00 p.m."
"Yeah, see you."

They both waved off.

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When Harry got home, his roommate was not around, which was unusual because his roommate usually gets home from school before him. Maybe he stopped by the football viewing arena to watch football match, he assumed. He jumped on his bed, and launched into dreamland with a 6:40 p.m reminder set on his phone.

Time got to 6:45 p.m., alarm beeped, he got up from the bed, rushed to the bathroom, had his bath, and dressed up in a dark blue jean with a black polo shirt, topped up with a black facecap.
As he was about to leave, he remembered that his roommate was not yet back. He picked up his phone, about to dial his number, but when he saw the time, which was 6:59 p.m., he concluded that it's not yet too late to bother him.

He jacked the door, walked out of the street, boarded a bike, and zoomed off to Harry's house.

He got to Harry's compound and met Harry, locking his door.
"Oh! I came at the right time" Ik extended his hand. Harry shook his hand and said, "I was about to call your phone"

They took a bike and left for the priest's place. They got there at exactly 7:10 p.m. Harry was totally surprised at the well-beautified duplex before him.
"Guy, I thought we were going to a hurt-like building situated in the bush like those ones in Nollywood movies"

"Hahahah, please follow me." Ik laughed, dragged him with his left hand, and they walked into the house to the parlour.

A man, dressed on white gown, like that of cherubim and seraphim outfit, in his early 60s, was sitting down in the parlour. "Oh, Ik, you're here, have a seat." The man welcomed them while Ik and Harry rested their asses on the soft sofa.

Harry was totally confused at the well-decorated parlour with fine furnitures and a big, large-screen TV with a massive music player. He was expecting to meet a house filled with big deities, but the reverse was the case.

The man left and came back in jiffy with a stainless flat plate with red ribbons, red thread and native chalk inside.

"You, step closer," he said, pointing at Harry.

Harry began to quiver, shaking like a fowl caught with cold. He got up and walked towards him.

"Stretch forth your two hands with your palms opened," he instructed Harry again as he got closer to him.

He stretched for his hands, and the priest spread some dust of the native chalk on his hands with some incantations. After that, he placed a red coloured thread on his palm saying, "as long as you're able to keep this thread away from the sight of anyone, you'll be successful in your networking operations"
"Now, put it inside your pocket, do not allow anyone to see it, not even Ik your friend. If anyone sees it, the repercussions will be unbearable for you.

The warning sent a shock to his spine, but he braved up and put the thread in his pocket as instructed.

IK paid the priest, and they left.

"So, it's as simple as this? I don't need to kill anyone no capture anyone, just to keep this thread out of people's sight. Wow! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Harry rejoiced as they were going back.

They parted ways, and when Ik got home at 8:00 p.m., his roommate had not returned.

What could be keeping this guy outside? I hope nothing is wrong. He pondered and wanted to give him a call, but decided to have his bath first. So he pulled off his clothes, dropped on the bed, and entered the bathroom to have his bath.

While he was inside showering, he heard footsteps in the room.

"Who's there?" He asked in a slightly high tone from the bathroom.

"It's me!"
"Please, do you have N200 naira? I want to pay the bikeman that brought me back with it, because I don't have change," his roommate replied.

"Okay, check in my pocket, I have some notes there," Harry replied from the bathroom.

"Okay, thank you." His roommate picked up the jeans, put his hand inside the pocket, and brought up some notes of naira with the red thread. He picked N200 and rushed back to give it to the bikeman waiting for him outside.

Suddenly, Harry remembered that he just f**cked up for not remembering to remove the thread from the pocket.
"Jesus!" He screamed and rushed out of the bathroom naked with soap foams on his body, only to find the notes of money and the red thread on the bed.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on one of his fingers on the left hand as it vibrated and became paralysed.

He held the finger in pain, still standing on the sport in awe. His roommate suddenly popped up to the scene, he became shocked to see Harry standing naked with soap foam on his his body.

He asked what the problem was, but Harry didn't say anything. He just picked up money and thread and went back to the bathroom. He checked the finger again, he flickered and twisted it, but it was dead already.

He finished his shower, wore his clothes, picked up his phone, and went outside. He called IK to tell him what just happened, expecting a solution, but IK told him nothing could be done.

Harry refused to take that answer, so the next day he went personally to meet the priest, and yes, the priest gave him the same answer, "There's nothing I can do. You should count yourself lucky that it wasn't your eyes, ears, or manhood that were affected"

That's how he lived the remaining part of his life with the dead finger, and he didn't get the wealth he went for.

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Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to the Dreemport contest, THREAD.