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Gargadan So - Book Complete
A tortured breath, teetering on the edge of leaving her mortal frame. Ibtisam yanked it back with desperate force, returning it to its resting place, and swallowed hard with a bitter taste in her mouth, her eyes still locked in his.
Out of her mind, pointing a finger at him while her body trembled, she said: "Ja'afar! Do you have someone you love here in Chad? Why didn't you tell me you replaced me as your life partner? I walked all the way here to you, I chose you... You truly showed me the ways of men, you taught me sense and woke me up. Truly, thank you so much, Ja'afar, I wish you the best."
She finished speaking while suppressing her tears, flashed him a stunning smile, and turned to leave. Barely able to see where she was going, a sudden dizziness overtook her. Luuuu, she was about to collapse when Ja'afar rushed to catch her as she fell into his arms, holding her and saying: "Ibtisam, what are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself!"
She looked up at him with her large, beautiful eyes that had turned bloodshot in a split second, gave him a smile, and said: "No! I won't get hurt. Off you go, see you later, bye."
She finished speaking, pulling her body away from his, and headed toward their restroom with a brave facade. Her walk was unsteady, she couldn't see properly, but her body moved like a tarwa'da (a swaying gait)—you might think she was doing it on purpose, but that was just how her natural walk was.
Ja'afar’s body went cold. He stared after her, feeling deep love for her, but he couldn't bring himself to follow or comfort her. He bowed his head and left the house, opened Ma'aruf’s car, got in, and drove off. He planned to drop her off later and return in a taxi.
Meanwhile, on Rahma's side: when she left Abie 2’s presence, she had slipped away, whispering sweet romantic words to Ja'afar with intense longing. Abie 1, who was just about to walk in, heard everything she said to Ja'afar.
His shock was beyond description. He waited until they finished their phone call. Though his breath threatened to fail him, with typical fierce courage, he rushed over, grabbed her hand, and called out to her with a gasp that felt like it was tearing the soul from his body: "Ummina! Who is this? When did you meet? Where is he? When did he ruin your life with this love thing?"
Rahma looked at him with her small, beautiful, half-closed eyes, her face sour as she tried to yank her hand back. She said: "He is my choice, I love him. If you don't marry me to him, anything could happen to us because we love each other. God brought us together..."
With a fierce grab, Abie 1 yanked her, pressed her against the wall, and raised his hand to slap her. Abie 2 caught his hand, saying, "Subhanallah! Abdul Majeed, you yourself? Haba! When anger flares, reason should guide you."
He finished speaking as he took Rahma’s hand, pulled Abie 1 toward the living room, and sat them down.
Right then, Rahma burst into a wild, unsettling cry, grabbed Abie 2’s feet, and said: "Please, marry me to Ja'afar, so I don't lose my life. I swear I could die, or he and I will leave town..."
Abie 1 blurted out: "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir raji'un! Ummi, are you in your right mind?"
Abie 2 took Rahma's hands and said: "Ok, ok! We heard you, we will marry you off to him. When did you two meet?"
Rahma stopped crying and said: "Today is when God brought us together."
Abie 1 and Abie 2 stared at each other in utter astonishment, hearing that they met just today, yet she had gone completely mad over him.
Abie 1 was about to speak when Abie 2 cut him off, saying: "Ok, no problem. Let him come so we can discuss. Once we know his background and approve of his character, there is no problem."
He finished speaking, cupped Rahma’s face, and said, "Look at me, my blessed daughter."
Rahma looked at Abie 2 with the last of her tears. Her eyes widened significantly, peering into the bridges of her nose. He reached out, removed her hijab—pulling it back just above her head—and parted the center of her hair.
He was terribly startled to find that what he had suspected was true. He began blowing Ayatul Kursiyyu and the protection of the Messenger over her.
When he finished, he pulled her hijab back over her head, seeing how her body was trembling as she clutched Abie 1. Abdul Majeed pulled her into his embrace, also blowing prayers over her while she let out a strange, guttural sound. Abie 1 said: "Leave her like this. This is a major work—husband and wife are involved here right now. She can't hear or see anything except Ja'afar. Don't let her sleep until he arrives. I want to understand what is going on—is it natural, or was something cast upon her?"
Abie 1 let out a deep sigh of relief and said, "O Allah, look upon me and bring us relief from this emerging calamity."
Rahma pulled her body away, glared at them, and said, "Because I chose the one I love, you're diagnosing me with jinn sickness?"
Abie 2 said, "Take it easy. Go and get some snacks ready for your guest before he arrives. He will be welcomed right here." He finished speaking while taking her phone.
With joy, she stood up, saying: "Thank you, Abie 2." And she walked out.
Abie 1 watched her go with a look of wonder. Abie 2 took his hand and said: "Take it easy. Right now, she could develop a fierce hatred for you if she realizes you don't want her with Ja'afar. She is completely out of her mind; evil demons are possessing her. Let's wait and see the boy, in sha Allah everything will come with ease. I will separate her from these demons in a few days, and in sha Allah, she will return to the exact Rahma we know."
Abie 1 was deeply shaken, but hearing what Abie 2 said brought him a little comfort and peace of mind. He bowed his head and couldn't say anything more.
Rahma's phone started ringing. Abie 2 answered it quickly, suspecting it was Ja'afar. Sure enough, he heard him exchange greetings and switch to French, saying: "Star of my soul, here I am at the gate."
Abie 2 didn't say anything; he stood up and walked out.
Rahma arrived in the living room and found Raiyana, Jaddatu, Hanan, and Iman. She sat off to the side, crossing one leg over the other, and didn't look at any of them—none of them even got the privilege of a greeting.
"Latifa!" she called out a bit louder than usual, which wasn't her normal character.
Latifa rushed over upon hearing the tone of Rahma's voice. "Mistress of my room, here I am. Hope you are resting well."
Rahma nodded, opened her tiny mouth, and said: "You are going to gather snacks, include a bottle of Faro, a carton of drinks, and make sure you arrange everything that will catch his eye and make him eager to eat it. Then take it to Abie 2's section. Let me go change my clothes."
She finished speaking, stood up, looked at Jaddatu, and said: "Jaddati, why are you staring like that? Like I’ve changed?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed upstairs.
Latifa stood up and headed to the kitchen to fulfill her mistress's orders. Jaddatu said: "Kai! This thing is no joke. Rahma is not well, I swear without a doubt jinn have touched her."
Raiyana said: "No, Ummi, I swear Rahma is perfectly fine. Maybe it's just that grandmother-and-granddaughter kind of teasing..."
"You! Raiyanatu, keep quiet, I don't want any nonsense. You are like an older sister; you should notice that this girl has changed. Even her father, whom she fiercely loved, she no longer goes near. She doesn't socialize, she hates participating in our activities—and you say she's fine?"
Hanan took a deep breath and said: "I swear she's not well. Let her Abie come."
Raiyana felt uneasy, worried they might ruin her plans before things even got started. But she hardened her heart and said, "Well, if that's the case, we haven't seen anything yet, Ummi."
Jaddatu glanced at her dismissively and said, "I can see you're standing firmly with her."
Rahma came back out wearing a dazzling blue abaya adorned with stones that suited her immensely, radiating a sweet fragrance as she hurried because she had forgotten her phone. They watched her with wide eyes until she was out of sight.
Outside, Abie 2 had instructed someone to open the large gate for Ja'afar, who drove his car inside. After parking, Ja'afar stepped out, looking at the sheer size and beauty of the house. But being a man of extreme self-restraint and indifference, he gave the house one look, turned his gaze away, and pressed Rahma's number again.
Abie 2 answered with a greeting, walked up to him, ended the call, and extended his hand. Ja'afar bowed respectfully and greeted him.
Abie 2 was extremely surprised to see that Ja'afar was dark-skinned. Wait—wasn't this the same guy who had bumped into their car a few days ago? What did this mean? At that time, they hadn't acted like they knew each other.
He relaxed his face, returned the greeting, pulled Ja'afar up, and said: "Ja'afar, right? And you're the one who bumped into our car not even two weeks ago?" Only then did Ja'afar remember. He nodded respectfully.
Abie asked: "When did you and Rahma meet? And let me ask you a question, in all sincerity: what did you do to her that has blinded her eyes to the point where she doesn't even want to be with us anymore?"
Ja'afar replied: "What could I possibly have done to her? I swear I didn't do anything to her. In fact, today is the day God brought us together, but we felt like we've known each other forever. Please, for the sake of the Prophet, Abba, give me Rahma to marry. Do not mind the fact that we are from different backgrounds."
Abie 2 said: "Please, bend down a little so I can see your head." Since Ja'afar was a tall, sturdy young man, Abie 2 couldn't see his head properly unless he leaned down. Ja'afar didn't object; he bowed his head.
If his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, what he had seen on Rahma was definitely present on Ja'afar as well. So if that was the case, who had performed this work? What did this mean? Abie stroked Ja'afar's head and thought to himself: "I need deep reflection and night prayers, crying out to Allah to show me what I need to see in my sleep."
Outwardly, he took Ja'afar's hand and said, "Let's go inside."
Abie 1 was sitting there with his chin propped in his hand when they walked in with greetings. He looked up, returned the greeting, and stood up.
Abie 2 said: "Don't say anything, in sha Allah everything will be resolved. They are not in their right minds, so let's give them a little time, follow along with what they want, and hold your ground—don't let's upset them."
Abie 1 sat back down. Ja'afar looked at Abie 1 and immediately recognized from his facial resemblance that he was Rahma's father. He knelt and greeted him. Abie 1 returned the greeting and pointed to a seat. Ja'afar sat down.
Latifa walked in with greetings, placing a large tray filled with snacks, water, and drinks. She poured a cup, pushed it toward Ja'afar, and left. Abie 2 kept Ja'afar engaged in conversation, while Abie 1 felt as though the bottom of his heart was about to shatter.
Rahma walked in quickly, worry written on her face because she knew Ja'afar had called her. She froze dead in her tracks upon seeing him sitting there. A wave of pure joy washed over her; only then did her face relax, and she blurted out before she even realized it: "Habiby nah! Oyoyo!"
Both of them looked up at her. Ja'afar flashed her a soft smile—unfazed by the jinn's work, treating it as if he were sitting before her parents—and replied in his sweet, deep voice: "Oyoyo, My Qalbi. Come sit next to me, here with Abba. I know they won't stop us from marrying each other."
Abie 1's eyes turned deeply red. His head began to throb fiercely, the veins on his temples bulging out prominently. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness sitting there; his mouth tasted bitter, and his throat felt completely dry. This caused him to lean his back against the chair and close his large white eyes, which had turned the color of wild tomatoes. Slowly, his small dark lips moved as he began calling upon the name of Allah.
Rahma walked over and sat next to him, flashing a tender smile as they gazed into each other's eyes.
Abie 2 said: "The power of Allah! Which wicked soul performed this extremely dangerous act?"
Abie 1 opened his eyes with sheer endurance and said: "Please, Abdulmajid, do something before I lose my life." He stood up, shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, and headed toward the exit.
Rahma ran up, hugged him from behind, laughed brightly, and said: "Abie, thank you! You're going to let me marry Ja'afar, right?"
He forced a smile, peeled her hands off his body, pinched her nose, and said: "Yeah, go sit down. Abie 2, take care of things until he leaves." He turned and hurried out of the living room.
Filled with happiness, she went back and sat down as the three of them chatted. Abie 2 encouraged them further because he knew that if Allah willed it—provided it wasn't a decreed marriage bound by this affliction—he would certainly separate them from those jinn demons.
As soon as Abie walked out, he hopped into a massive black Jeep 2021, revved it alone, and sped toward the gate while laying on the horn. The security guard, wearing his uniform, swung the gate wide open with trembling hands. He shot the car forward and bolted out of the property. His security team, seeing this, piled into their own car and gave chase.
Meanwhile, on Ibtisam's side: her heart was terribly heavy. Right then, she felt the intense love she had for Ja'afar morph into a burning hatred because he had completely deceived her. She went into the bathroom, cried her heart out, thanked God, and came out. She went into their room like a normal person, opened her bag, and took out the money Ja'afar used to give her to buy whatever she wanted. She counted it; it was plenty to cover her return to Niger.
She praised God, tied the money securely around her waist inside her wrapper, put on a long hijab, deleted all the contacts from her phone, and left the phone sitting on top of her bag because she had vowed not to take anything belonging to Ja'afar with her.
She came out. The old taxi driver was sitting there while Falmata fanned him and ate food because of the rising heat. Bintu was sitting nearby.
Ibtisam bowed, hiding her distress, and said: "Baba, I'm going to get some medicine from the shop nearby. My stomach is cramping."
The old taxi driver said: "Subhanallah! Stomach pain is no fun. Go check in with Ja'afar first, then let's go to the hospital. That's better than those carded shop medicines; I don't trust them."
With joy and a sense of triumph, she replied, "Okay, Baba." She stood up and started walking. Falmata called out: "Feel better, Ibtisam. Stomach pain is no good. May God grant you health." "Ameen," she replied and walked out.
She hurried away, praying she wouldn't run into Yahuza or Harisu. Once she rounded the corner of the house, she broke into a run—she was sprinting with astonishing speed. When she reached the main road, she flagged down a taxi, got in, caught her breath, and said: "We're going to the Main Motor Park." The driver stepped on the gas and they drove off.
They were nearing the motor park just as Abie was driving like a madman, speeding without stopping, completely lost as to where he could go to find peace of mind. He didn't notice the taxi in front of him until he was right on top of it. He blurted out: "Ya Salam!"
As he tried to slam on the brakes and honked for the taxi to get out of the way—since the brakes refused to respond—all you heard was Kaaaaauuuuuuuuu! He slammed into the back of the taxi. The car flipped over onto the ground, sliding toward the side of the road, just as the driver of the big SUV was reaching the spot. People screamed in terror, shouting Allahu Akbar!
Out of sheer panic, Abie’s body trembled, his eyes bulging out of his head as he cried out: "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir raji'un!!"
Summary
The story revolves around a sinister plot of spiritual possession and emotional manipulation involving two main threads. In the first plotline, Ibtisam realizes Ja'afar has moved on and replaced her, leaving her heartbroken yet determined to leave him behind entirely without taking a single penny of his money, escaping back to Niger. In the second plotline, Rahma has fallen under a sudden, unnatural spell of obsessive love for Ja'afar, orchestrated by evil jinn. Her family—specifically her father (Abie 1) and relative/elder (Abie 2)—discover the spiritual manipulation when Rahma's behavior dramatically shifts and she demands to marry Ja'afar immediately. While Abie 2 attempts to manage the situation calmly to uncover the truth and break the spell, Abie 1 is driven to the verge of collapse by the supernatural burden. When Ja'afar arrives at the family home to meet Rahma's family, Abie 1 flees in emotional and physical anguish, jumping into his Jeep and driving recklessly. The narrative crescendos with a heart-stopping cliffhanger as Abie’s out-of-control vehicle plows directly into the taxi carrying Ibtisam as she attempts to flee back to Niger.
Description of Analytics and Comments on Keywords
Text Analytics Overview
- Genre: Contemporary Hausa Fiction / Romance / Supernatural Drama.
- Tone: Emotional, tense, dramatic, and suspenseful.
- Thematic Elements: Betrayal, spiritual possession (Jinn/Black Magic), heartbreak, family loyalty, and fateful convergence.
- Character Dynamics: The contrast between Ibtisam's quiet dignity in departure versus Rahma's unnatural, spell-induced obsession highlights how external forces disrupt relationships.
Keyword Analysis & Comments
- "Ja'afar": The central male anchor connecting both narrative paths. His character acts as an unwitting catalyst; while he harbors genuine feelings for Ibtisam, he becomes the focal point of a supernatural obsession for Rahma.
- "Rahma" / "Ummina": Represents the vulnerability of innocence. The keyword tracks her tragic transformation from a loving daughter to an entity controlled by malevolent spiritual forces (aljanu).
- "Ibtisam": Symbolizes resilience and pride. Her choice to strip herself of Ja'afar's gifts and flee back to Niger underscores a refusal to accept compromised affection.
- "Abie 1" & "Abie 2": Dual paternal archetypes representing grief and strategy. Abie 1 embodies raw, visceral panic and emotional breakdown, while Abie 2 represents analytical composure and spiritual counter-measures.
- "Aljanu" (Jinn) / "Musiba" (Calamity): Critical narrative keywords that explain the root cause of the conflict. They shift the story from a standard love triangle into a high-stakes supernatural thriller.
- "Tchad" / "Niger": Geographical anchors highlighting displacement, distance, and the physical journeys undertaken by the characters.
Analytical CategoryDetailed BreakdownComments & Insights Narrative SummaryThe chapter converges on dual emotional crises: Ibtisam quietly strips herself of Ja'afar's ties and escapes toward Niger, while Rahma is consumed by an intense, jinn-induced obsession with Ja'afar. When Ja'afar arrives at Rahma’s family home, her father (Abie 1) breaks down under the supernatural strain, flees in a panic, and tragically crashes his Jeep into the taxi carrying Ibtisam.The narrative brilliantly uses parallel storytelling—contrasting quiet dignity with violent supernatural possession—before crashing both storylines together in a high-stakes cliffhanger. Character Analytics• Ibtisam: Resilient, proud, emotionally self-sufficient. • Rahma: Vulnerable, manipulated, stripped of free will. • Ja'afar: Unwitting catalyst, polite, caught between two worlds. • Abie 1 & Abie 2: Polar opposites in crisis; Abie 1 represents raw panic, Abie 2 represents spiritual strategy.Character arcs are driven by contrasts. Ibtisam's deliberate rejection of tainted gifts contrasts sharply with Rahma's irrational, spell-driven submission. Thematic Elements• Betrayal & Deception: Explored through Ibtisam's heartbreak. • Supernatural Manipulation: The intrusion of black magic/jinn (aljanu) into human emotions. • Paternal Protectiveness: The lengths to which fathers go to shield their children. • Fate & Convergence: The literal and metaphorical collision of separate lives.The shift from romance drama to supernatural thriller highlights the destructive power of unseen external forces on human relationships. Stylistic & Linguistic CommentsWritten in popular contemporary Hausa prose style (Littattafan Soyayya), seamlessly blending emotional dialogue, vivid internal monologues, and dramatic scene transitions between French phrases, Hausa idioms, and cultural expressions.The author utilizes sensory details—such as throbbing veins, tearing breaths, and shifting gaits—to heighten the visceral tension of both heartbreak and spiritual affliction. ConclusionThis concluding segment of Gargadan So delivers a masterclass in pacing, escalating romantic tension into a terrifying supernatural mystery, and ultimately resolving in a catastrophic cliffhanger that intertwines all major characters in a single fateful accident.The chapter leaves the reader suspended between supernatural resolution and physical tragedy, cementing the book's reputation for high-drama twists.
AP