IN THE BACK OF THE FRIDGE, THE SOUP WAS STILL BREATHING __13TH OCTOBER

My sister Chioma is the laziest girl in Nnewi.

She will cook soup and push it in the back of the fridge, and forget it. Every time I open fridge, I see like 6 plates.

Last Saturday, I came back from market. Light has been off for 2 weeks. You know how NEPA does.

I said let me clean this fridge, because the smell don dey kill person.

I opened it. Chineke!

Front of the fridge: one plate of rice, white like cement. Middle: one pot of stew, green.

But in the back of the fridge, behind all those plates — one big pot of egusi, covered with foil.

I remembered — that egusi was from December. That was 5 months ago. Chioma cooked it for Christmas.

I touched it. The foil moved. Gbim!

I shouted, "Mama Jesus!"

The egusi soup made sound — pshhhh — like person wey open Coke.

The soup don get bubbles, like it is breathing. The lumps of egusi were moving up and down, like small frog inside water.

I called Chioma, "Come see what you keep in the back of the fridge!"

She came, looked, said, "Ehn, it still dey okay. Just heat it, put maggi."

I said, "Heat wetin? This soup don get visa, e wan travel comot for pot!"

We both started laughing, but fear dey inside.

That day I learned something: in the back of the fridge in every Nigerian house, there is always one soup that has turned to science experiment.

I carried the pot and threw it far inside dustbin. As I threw it, the soup made last sound — kpooo.

Even the dustbin cover shook.

Since then, I check the back of the fridge every Sunday. No more 5-month-old soup.

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