“In the name of Jesus, whatever spirit is behind this dream, we bind it! Take off your hands off my husband in the name of Jesus! I speak freedom, I speak restoration, I speak peace into the heart of my husband. And I declare, that affliction shall not rise a second time. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen!”

“Amen!” Jeremy responded gratefully, squeezing Aurelia’s hands. Letting them go, he nodded. “I really needed that.”

Aurelia nodded, rubbing his back. “I know, my dear. That’s what partners are for. So what exactly was the dream about?”

Jeremy swallowed, then started. “Ummm… it’s like I was in this house, on the corridor. There’s no light. I’m trying to find my way, and then this horrific monster bi just pops out of nowhere and roars, saying he’ll tear me limb from limb. Chale! It was just awful!”

Aurelia shook her head and sighed. “Horrible. I’m sorry, babe. Everything will be okay, alright? Don’t fret. The devil is a liar. He’s definitely not gonna tear my husband. Not on my watch.”

Jeremy nodded, a sense of guilt in his bosom over the lie he had just concocted. “Amen to that,” he responded quietly.

“Yep. Now relax. Let me go wake the boys up so they get ready for church. I’ll be back with you soon, okay?”

Kissing him on the forehead, she then got up and left the room. Jeremy threw himself back on the bed and let out a huge groan. He really hated the fact that he had just lied to his wife on a Sunday morning before they set off to church. But as he had lain on his bed after that abrupt awakening, unable to sleep out of fear, he knew what this was all about.

It had to do with the girl he slept with.

But… how was he starting to have nightmares about her? How could this be happening?

Breathing in and out slowly as he stared up at the ceiling, he murmured to himself, “This just has to be my guilty conscience overreacting. It just has to. Because it just doesn’t make sense. None at all…”

***

Afternoon had arrived, and the family had returned from church. It had been an okay service, and the pastor, during his benediction, had prayed against bad dreams. Aurelia made sure to hold her husband’s hand and yell the loudest Amens she could to enforce that blessing. Of course, he shouted it too. He truly did need it.

Now he was seated outside on the balcony, rocking in the garden swing while playing with his phone. Aurelia was out with the boys to buy something, so he was alone.

While he continued to check out posts on Instagram, the phone began to vibrate.

The caller ID: Lincoln Avegazi.

Jeremy frowned. “What’s he calling for?” he wondered. “He never calls me. Unless he says he’s seen someth…”

Halting mid-sentence, his heart suddenly began palpitating quickly.

This gentleman was in another branch of their church, but came around every now and then. Having what you would call a ‘prophetic eye’, he was known for catching wind of certain spiritual activities through visions and trances. Unless you were close to him, a call from him usually meant that he had seen something in the realms of the spirit about you.

And now that he remembered that, Jeremy had that uncomfortable feeling he had seen something about his infidelity.

He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and answered.

“Hello Lincoln.”

“Yeah, Jeremy. How are you doing?”

“I’m good, I’m good, by God’s grace. And how are you?” he responded carefully.

“I’m also doing good. How’s the family doing?”

“Everyone is good oo… so, what’s up?”

He heard Lincoln sigh, then hesitate for a moment before he started. “Umm… this is awkward, but I gotta do it. So, I was just sitting here in my room listening to music when I suddenly fell into a bit of a trance and certain things were revealed to me in the realms of the spirit…”

Jeremy felt the most uncomfortable churn in his bowels. Had this guy caught wind of his illicit one night stand?

“.. And uh, there are some questions I need to ask. I know this is awkward, but… please, bear with me. Um, Jeremy, have you been having some crazy nightmares recently?”

Jeremy swallowed hard again. “Umm… yeah. Yeah, I have,” he admitted. “About twice.”

“Mmm, alright. Would you be okay telling me what kind of dreams they’ve been?”

“Ummm… they… they’re mainly about some evil female voice screaming at me that I belong to her and her alone.”

“Alright.”

Another long moment of awkward silence followed.

“Umm, Jeremy, this is really hard to ask. I apologize for being so nosy, but I’m under compulsion to do this, so… have you… recently had sex with a woman that is not Aurelia?”

Jeremy inhaled and exhaled slowly, his defenses breaking as he struggled to open his mouth and answer.

 I knew it! I knew he had found me out!

“Umm… Jeremy?”

Flashes of that regrettable night before his eyes… tossing that girl’s dress aside… her moans of ecstasy… his declaration before getting it in…

He covered his eyes and began to sob. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” he whimpered pitifully. “I wish I hadn’t done it, I swear! I wish I didn’t do it. I was such an idiot, I’m so sorry…”

His breakdown lasted for about a minute, with Lincoln still on the line, awkwardly silent. Anyone could guess this was extremely uncomfortable for him.

As Jeremy got himself together, he started again, the sympathy in his voice very apparent. “Umm, Jeremy, I’m sorry. I really am. I hope you know it was never my intention to make you weep. I’m sorry about everything that happened. I think it’s crystal clear that what happened was an error you never would have made had the circumstances been different, so, I’m not here to judge you, and neither is God. But there is a warning I need to deliver to you.”

Jeremy’s heart began to beat faster than usual, his little moment of sadness quickly getting relegated by worry. “Umm… wh-wh-what’s the issue?”

Lincoln took a deep breath. “Well… the thing is… as a result of that night of intercourse with that strange woman, there’s a soul tie you’ve contracted. And, uh… this is the unpleasant part. That girl you had sex with? She’s not an ordinary girl. At all.”

The fear grew bigger and bigger in his gut.

“She’s actually a witch. A member of the Sisters of the Midnight Coven, a dangerous society of witches with some crazy powers. She’s tracked you down by virtue of the soul tie, and she’s demanding you return to her. That’s the meaning of all those dreams.”

Jeremy placed his hands on his head. This was not what he needed to hear. At all.

“Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God, I’m finished!” he wailed. “Eiiii! What have I done?? Oh God, I’m finished!”

“No, you’re not! Don’t say that!” Lincoln stated firmly. “That’s why I called you. Because there’s a way out of this. You can break that soul tie. Don’t despair, man. There’s hope.”

Jeremy calmed a bit upon hearing that. He quickly tried to gather himself, then nodded. “Okay, okay, okay. Thank God. Sorry for that. Serious overreaction. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. Now, it’s simple. You need to break that soul tie by declaration. You know in the spiritual realm, words are powerful. Words carry might. So you need to do that. Decree and declare that every bond you have contracted with her by way of sexual intercourse is abolished in the name of Jesus.”

“Okay! Okay! I’ve got it! That’s simple enough!” Jeremy gushed, relieved that this was all he had to do. A simple, powerful declaration? Perfect!

“Wait. There’s one thing you need to do first.”

Jeremy’s excitement dimmed a bit. “What’s that?”

“First, you need to confess your infidelity to your wife.”

Jeremy’s face paled immediately. “C-c-c-confess?”

Lincoln’s voice softened. “Jeremy, trust me. I know it sounds terrifying. I can imagine. I know telling the truth might cause some wahala, but it’s the only way to free yourself from this entanglement. You need to follow that process if you want freedom.”

Eyes shut, Jeremy was silent for a moment. Letting out a sigh, he nodded reluctantly. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it.”

“Good, good. You can call me once you’ve done the confession, so we can work on the declaration. You use your own words, but I’ll pray with you afterwards.”

“Sure, sure, no problem. Thanks so much, Lincoln. You’re a life-saver.”

“Please, I’m just a vessel being used. Don’t worry at all. So I guess I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sure thing. Bye.”

Ending the call, Jeremy placed his head in his hands. “Oh, God, why? Why? Whyyyy???” he moaned loudly. “What have I done??!!”

Just when he thought he was all clear with no STDs contracted from that strange girl, he had to find out that something much, much worse than STDs had been contracted. And on top of that, she was a servant of the devil.

Now he had to actually confess to Aurelia about sleeping with another woman. And that was way more terrifying to think about than you’d imagine.

What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?

Well, you better get it done, Jeremy. Because this witch girl looks ready to torment your life as it stands…