She poisoned her mother-in-law for the inheritance. 

She poisoned her stepmother for the inheritance.  The dead woman returns every night.  Fiona’s African stories show that there are crimes that one thinks can be committed without consequence.  We plan, we execute, we erase the traces and we wait for time to pass until everyone forgets.  But some deaths are unforgettable.

   Some spirits find no rest, especially when they have been murdered by those they loved. She wanted to be clever.  She had calculated everything.  the slow poison, the symptoms that resembled a natural illness, the doctors who would see nothing, the inheritance that would fall into her husband’s hands and therefore into hers .

  His stepmother Kadiatou was rich, very rich.  Houses, land, money, all for one son.  Aïa Kadiatou’s husband had died after 3 months of agony.  The doctors had spoken of heart failure and complications.  No one had suspected anything.  Aïcha had won, or at least that’s what she thought, because the night after the funeral, Cadiatou returned.

  Not in memories, not in dreams.  She came back in the flesh and and she wanted justice. Aïcha was 34 years old, married for 8 years to Boubakar.  A good, kind man, but also weak.  He always listened to his mother and his mother, Cadiatou, was six years old, widowed for fifteen, rich, owner of several houses which she rented out, of land, of a well-stocked bank account .

  She lived in a large house with Boubakar and Aïcha and their two children.  At first, things were going well.  Kadiatou was generous, loved her grandchildren, helped the couple financially, but she was also authoritarian and controlling.  Everything had to be done his way.  Aïcha, you cook too much salt.

  Aïcha, you’re not taking good care of the children.  Aïcha, you’re spending too much money. Aïcha endured it, smiled.  Yes, mother-in-law, sorry, mother-in-law.  But inside, she was seething.  The worst thing about was the money. Kadiatou controlled everything.  Boubakar worked in a bank. salary: decent.

  But Kadiatou wouldn’t let them keep anything.  Give me your salary, I’ll handle everything.  That way, you don’t waste anything.  Boubakar obeyed as always.  Aïcha was asking for money for groceries, for the children.  Cadia gave everything.  But do you need time, bit by bit?  You’re wasting it. Aisha couldn’t buy anything for herself .

  No clothes, no going out, nothing.  When she dies, everything will come back to us, she told herself.  Patience.  But Kadiatou was in excellent health, strong, active.  She could have lived for another twenty years.  20 years old?  Aisha couldn’t wait twenty years.  One day, she overheard a conversation.

  Cadiatou was talking on the phone with her notary. Yes, I want to change my will. Give more to the orphanage.  My son and his wife don’t need at all.  Aisha sensed the panic.  Kadiatou was going to give part of the inheritance to an orphanage.  No, impossible.  That evening, she spoke [about music] to Aboubakar.

  Your mother wants to give our inheritance to an orphanage.  It’s his money.  She can do what she wants, but we have children.  We need this money.  We’ll get through this. I have my salary.  Your salary that she takes every month.  We own nothing.  Boubakar did not respond .  He didn’t want to upset his mother.  Aisha understood.

  She had to act alone.  She started searching the internet in books for how to kill someone without leaving a trace.  She found the poison slow, progressive, which imitates a [musical] natural disease.  She bought a contact of a contact on the black market, white powder, odorless, tasteless.

  You put that in his food.  Every day, little by little, in 3 months, she will be dead and it will look like  heart failure.  Aisha paid 50,000 francs, all that she had secretly saved.  She went home, the sachet hidden in her bra, her heart pounding. That evening, she prepared dinner.  Rise, peanut sauce.

  She added a pinch of powder to Kadiatou’s plate .  Kadiatou ate without noticing anything.  Aisha ate too.  But his stomach was in knots.  She had just crossed a line, a line that can never be crossed again.  In the following days, Aisha continued.  Each meal, a tiny invisible, odorless pinch. Cadatou noticed nothing, ate normally, lived normally.

  But after weeks, she began to feel tired.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel weak .  “Go see the doctor, mother-in-law,” suggested Aisha, feigning concern.   Cadiatou went to see the doctor who performed examinations but found nothing alarming.  It’s age, madam, rest, eat well . But Kadiatou continued to decline.

After a month, she had lost weight, had dizziness, palpitations.  I don’t understand.  I’ve never felt like this before. The doctor performed more tests, including cardiac detection tests.  Your heart is weakened.  I’m going to prescribe you some medication.  Cadiaatou took the medication, but it didn’t help because the problem wasn’t her heart.

  It was the poison that was accumulating, destroying his body from the inside.  After months, she could no longer walk, remained lying down, and had difficulty breathing.  Boubakar was desperate. Mom, what’s wrong with you?  I don’t know, my son, I feel like I’m leaving.  Don’t say that, you’ll get better.

  But Cadia knew it all .  She was dying, she could feel it. One night, she called Aisha.  Come, I want to talk to you.  Aisha came, sat on the edge of the bed, her heart pounding. Did Cadia know everything?  Oh dear, I’m going to die soon.  No, dear mother-in-law, you will recover.  No, I can feel it and I want to tell you something.

Aïchait nervous.  I know I haven’t been easy on you.  I was tough, demanding, but it was to make you strong, so that you would be a good wife, a good mother.  I understand, mother-in-law.  I changed my will.  I gave less to the orphanage.  Almost everything will go to my son and therefore to you for the children.

  Promise me you’ll use this money wisely.  Aisha felt a mixture of relief and guilt.  I promise you.  Promise me you’ll take care of my son too.  He is weak.  He will need you.  I promise you.  Cadia smiled broadly and closed her eyes.  THANKS.  You are a good, beautiful girl.  I forgive you if I have caused you suffering.

  Aisha left the room, crying.  No sadness, but relief mixed with guilt.  Three weeks later, Cadia died.  In his sleep.  Peacefully, the doctor signed the death certificate, heart failure. Unfortunately, at his age, that’s common.  Nobody suspected anything .  The funeral was magnificent.  A lot of people.

  Boubakar was crying, the children were crying, Aicha was crying too, but they were tears for show.  After the burial, the notary read the will.  As Kadiatou had said, almost everything went to Abou Bakar.  The houses, the land, the money, millions.  Aisha smiled inwardly.  She had won.  But that night, something happened.

Aisha was sleeping soundly, exhausted by the days of funeral arrangements.  Then she woke up suddenly, as if someone had shaken her.  She opened her eyes and she saw her.  Cadiatou, standing at the foot of the bed, staring at her.  Aisha screamed, waking Boubakar. What is it?  Your mother, she’s here.  Boubakar turned on the light.

Person !  The room was empty.  There’s nobody here .  Aïcha, you had a nightmare.  No, I saw it.  She was standing there. You’re tired, stressed, that’s normal.  Go back to sleep.  Aisha did not fall back asleep , remained awake, her eyes fixed on the foot of the bed. Was it really a nightmare?  It seemed so real.

  The following evening, it started again.  Aisha woke up.  Early morning, Kadiatou was there in the same place, staring at her without moving, without speaking.  Aisha wanted to scream, but no sound came out.  She was paralyzed.  Cadiatou approached slowly.  Her face was pale, her eyes black and empty.

  She leaned over , whispered: “I know what you did!”  Then disappeared, Aisha began to tremble, woke up really sweating, her heart pounding with salt. This time, she did not wake Aboubakar what could she possibly say to him? Cadiatou returned the following nights. Every night at the same time, 3 a.m.

  Sometimes she would stand there, staring at Aisha, without saying anything. Sometimes she would talk.  You killed me for money.  I will visit you every night until you confess. Aisha couldn’t sleep anymore, she was afraid to close her eyes because she knew that Cadia would bring everything.  She tried to stay awake, drank coffee, watched television but inevitably she fell asleep and Kadiatou appeared.

  Aicha was getting thinner, had dark circles under her eyes, and trembled constantly. Boubakar was worried “Are you sick? You should see a doctor?”  “No, I’m fine. Aren’t you fine? Look at yourself.” Aïcha went to see a doctor who prescribed sleeping pills. “You’re grieving. It’s normal to have trouble sleeping.” She took the sleeping pills, slept soundly.

 But Kadiatou still came in her dreams, or maybe not in her dreams. Aïcha no longer knew what was real. One evening, she decided to talk to Boubakar about it. “Your mother, she visits me at night.” Boubakar looked at her worriedly. “What do you mean? She comes into our room, she talks to me.

” “Aïcha, that’s impossible. My mother is dead, I know, but she comes back every night.” Boubakar put his hand on her forehead. “You have a fever, you’re exhausted, you’re hallucinating.” “No, it’s real.” Aïcha, the  Grief affects us all differently. You need rest. Maybe we should hospitalize you. No, not a hospital.

  I’m fine. But she wasn’t fine. Not at all. Kadiatou’s visits became more intense, more physical. She no longer just stood . She touched Aïcha, her hands cold as ice, squeezing her neck, her arms, her ankles. Aïcha woke up with marks, bruises, scratches. How did I do this to myself? Boubakar saw the marks.

 You’re hurting yourself while you sleep. You need to cut your nails. But Aïcha knew. It wasn’t her, it was Kadiatou. One night, Kadiatou spoke more clearly. You put poison in my food every day, for three months. I suffered, I was in agony , and you…  I watched myself die with a smile. No, I didn’t want to.

 I’m sorry. Sorry isn’t enough. You’ll pay like I paid. What do you want me to do, turn myself in? Go to prison? I want you to suffer like I suffered. Three months of suffering for three months of agony. Aïcha woke up screaming. Boubakar shook her. Aïcha, wake up. She was crying.

  She wants to make me suffer for three months. Who? There’s no one here. Your mother, she’s here. Can’t you see her? Boubakar turned on the light, looked everywhere. No one. Aïcha, we have to take you to see a psychiatrist. You’re not well. I’m not crazy. I’m not saying you’re crazy, but you need help.

 The next day, Aïcha went to see a  A marabout in secret. An old man renowned for exorcising spirits. She told him everything. The visits, the threats, the marks. The marabout cast some talismans, studied their placement, and looked up. “You are haunted by someone you have wronged. It’s my mother-in-law. She died three weeks ago.

” “How did she die?” Aisha hesitated. “Illness, heart problem.” The marabout stared at her. ” You’re lying.” “No, I see the truth. You killed her. Poisoned her.” Aisha burst into tears. “Yes, I did it , but I didn’t want her to suffer.”  I just wanted the money.  Blood money never brings good fortune, and now his spirit is hunting you.  He wants justice.

  How do I stop it?  You can’t, not until you’ve paid your debt. What debt?  She suffered for three months.  You must suffer for 3 months too.  And then maybe she’ll leave you alone or maybe she’ll take you your life for hers. Aisha left the marabout terrified.  She couldn’t suffer for 3 months.  It wouldn’t hold up.

  She tried everything.  Slept in another room at a friend’s hotel.  But Kadiatou always found her at three in the morning wherever she was.  A month passed.  Aïcha was a wreck.  He wasn’t sleeping anymore, wasn’t eating anymore, had lost ten kilos.  Her children were afraid of her.  Mom, why are you crying at night?  Because I miss my grandmother.

  But the children didn’t believe that.  They could see that their mother was losing her mind.  Boubakar was also losing patience.  Aïcha, I love you but you must accept help.  You’re going crazy.  I’m not crazy.  Your mother haunts me.  My mother is dead, buried.  She can’t haunt you.

  Don’t you understand ?  One evening, Aisha decided to end it all.  She couldn’t take it anymore.  She was going to confess, confess everything, go to the police, turn herself in.  At least in prison, Cadiatou wouldn’t be able to touch her anymore.  Or maybe so.  But at least she would no longer be living a lie.

  She went to the police station, asked to speak to a police officer.  I want to confess to a crime.  What crime ?  I killed my mother-in-law two months ago.  The policeman looked at her. Your mother-in-law?  The one who died of heart failure, she did not die of heart failure.  I poisoned him.  For 3 months, the police officer called his superior who took Aisha’s statement in detail.

   The poison, where she bought it, how she administered it, everything.  Madam, that is a serious accusation.  Are you sure about what you’re saying?  Yes, I killed him for the inheritance.  We will have to have the body exhumed for toxicological analysis.  Do it, you will find the poison.  Aïcha was placed in police custody.

  Boubakar was summoned and arrived at the police station in a state of shock.  What’s going on? Why is my wife here? Sir, your wife has poisoned your mother.  Boubakar looked at Aisha in disbelief.  It’s true. Aisha lowered her eyes.  Yes, but why?  For the money?  For the inheritance?  I wanted us to be rich.

  Boubakar recoiled as if she were a monster.  You killed my mother for money.  I’m sorry.  Sorry, you murdered my mother. She always treated you like her daughter and you killed her.  He left the police station in tears.  Kadiatou’s body was exhumed and analyzed.  The results confirmed: “Traces of poison, significant quantities.

”  Aïcha was charged with murder, placed in pre-trial detention.  While awaiting trial, in prison, she thought she would finally find peace.  Kadiatou couldn’t come here.  Impossible.  But that night, at three o’clock in the morning, Aisha woke up.  Kadiatou was there in the cell, standing and staring at her.

   You confessed well, but it’s not over.  What else do you want ?  I will pay.  I’m going to go to prison for years. Prison is not enough.  You stole my last years.  I’m going to steal something from you too.  What ?  Your rest forever.  Every night, wherever you are, I will be there.

  Aisha screamed, waking up the other prisoners.  The guards came.  What’s going on? There she is, the dead woman.  She’s in my cell.  There’s nobody here. Calm down.  Aisha was placed under psychiatric observation.  It was thought that she was faking it to plead insanity, but Aisha was not faking it.  The trial took place 6 months later.

  Aisha pleaded guilty and told everything.  Poison, premeditation, the motive.  The defense attorney tried to plead temporary insanity.  My client hears voices, voices of apparitions.  She is not of sound mind .  But the prosecutor replied: “She was perfectly sane when she bought the poison, when she administered it for 3 months, when she waited for her mother -in-law to die in order to inherit.

 This is premeditated murder.”  The jury deliberated.  Verdict, guilty, sentence.  Aïcha accepted a 20-year prison sentence almost with relief.  At least things were clear now. Boubakar asked for a divorce.  obtained custody of the children.  I never want to see you again .  The children never came to visit him.

  Too ashamed, too hurt, Aïcha remained alone in prison, with her remorse and with Kadiatou.  Because Kadiatou kept coming every night without exception.  Sometimes she remained silent, sometimes she spoke.  You serve your legal sentence, but I make you serve your spiritual sentence.

  Aisha tried everything.  Prayer, fasting, ritual.  Nothing was working.  After five years in prison, she asked to see a marabout, the same one as before.  He came, spoke with her.  Is she still there?  Yes.  Every night I can’t sleep anymore, I’m going crazy.  I told you 3 months of suffering, but you didn’t wait.

  You confessed after a month.  So what?  So, you still have to suffer.  Many more months from now. But I’ve been suffering for 5 years already. The physical suffering in prison is not the same as the psychological suffering your mother -in-law endured.  She wants you to feel exactly what she felt.

  Fear, helplessness, slow agony.  How do I make this ?  You agree.  You stop resisting.  You let her mind do its work for 2 months and maybe maybe after that she will leave.  Aisha followed the advice and stopped fighting. When Cadiatou came, she no longer screamed, no longer struggled, she accepted.

  Two months passed, the worst of his life.  Kadiatou showed him images of her own slow, painful death.  Aicha felt every pain, every dizziness, every palpitation.  At the end of two months, Cadiatou appeared one last time.  You have paid your debt.  Three months of agony.  Like me.  Now, I’m leaving.

  You will not come back.  No, but remember every night what you did and what it cost.  She disappeared.  Aisha never saw her again .  But she never got back to sleep either.  Aïcha served her twenty years, released from prison at 54 .  Her children were adults and didn’t want to see her.

  You killed our grandmother, we will never forgive you. Boubakar had remarried, had rebuilt his life, with the inheritance money.  He had given everything to charities and orphanages.  I don’t want blood money.  Aisha lived alone in a small room with a small state pension.  She still wasn’t really asleep.

  Not because of Kadiatou, but because of memories, of guilt.  Sometimes people recognized her.  Are you the woman who killed her mother-in-law?  She lowered her head.  Yes, you got what you deserved.  I know.  One night, alone in her room, she thought about everything she had lost.  Her husband, her children, her freedom, her sleep, her dignity.

  And why?  for money she had never touched, for an inheritance she had never seen.  She cried as she cried every night.  And she understood the real price of crime is not prison, it’s what remains afterwards. Emptiness, loneliness, eternal regrets.  Cadatou had obtained her revenge not just for 3 months, but for Aïa’s whole life.

Greed drives people to commit irreparable acts.  We tell ourselves that money will solve all problems, that it is worth all sacrifices.  But money is worthless if it is earned by taking a life, especially the life of someone who trusted us.  The dead do not always forgive, especially when they have been betrayed by those they loved.

  Their minds seek justice in one way or another.  If you are tempted to do harm for money, if you think no one will know, remember Aisha.  Remember that some deaths do not stay buried and that some revenges last longer than life itself. Thank you for following this story.  If it made you think, subscribe and like.

  See you very soon for a new story.  Ah.