Chapter 2: Call Up for Ifedike

My name na Ifedike, and I dey do my internship for Benue State Earthquake Monitoring Office.

That night for Black Friday sales, I just off one shopping livestream finish and wan go sleep, when oga for the bureau suddenly call, say make everybody gather sharp-sharp.

My body still dey hot from Jumia flash sales, mind dey calculate if that phone wey I order go survive this earthquake matter. As I tie wrapper, comot for house, my neighbor Mama Nkechi still dey shout for corridor: "Na wa o! Ifedike, abeg, no forget to bring bread when you dey come back o!" Mama Nkechi spit for ground, tap her chest three times—her own way to send protection. I just hiss, tired, shuffle go office like say na village meeting.

As I dey rub my eyes enter the meeting room, na there I hear say na magnitude 12 earthquake hit Antarctica.

Everybody wey sit down just freeze; Madam Titi drop her biro, even the junior corper wey dey sleep for corner raise head. Benue people sabi wahala, but this one pass our power.

Satellite pictures show say Antarctica nearly scatter:

Big-big cracks, hundreds of kilometers long, don tear the Antarctic ice sheet.

The pictures dey show for projector—na like road dem take cut with bulldozer. I remember how we dey fear small crack for Otukpo road; this one na another level.

Magma dey rush from the cracks, but as e reach the cold sea and snow, e go freeze turn to big field of black stone.

E be like ogbono soup wey dem pour for freezer—before you open eye, e don strong. Some people dey point, dey argue whether the black stone fit be precious—trust Naija mind.

Na real ice and fire mix—this one na the strongest earthquake for human history, maybe even since this earth start.

Oga frown, point for map:

"The earthquake waves don already reach South America, Oceania, and Africa.

"Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay dey suffer heavy tsunamis. New Zealand own too bad well well.

"For Africa, we never get update, but e no dey look good.

"Federal government say make every state gather expert teams, rush go Abuja overnight.

"Once the aftershocks calm down, una go fly go Antarctica go check wetin happen, collect data, measure the wahala, and all those things.

"This one concern everybody for the world; nobody fit just dey look."

Oga voice come low small for the last sentence, na like prayer. Even the senior bros wey dey always form hard guy just nod—this na matter pass office politics.