Dear GhanaWeb,

My mother ran a very successful food business, which she used to take care of all of us until she passed away two years ago. As the oldest daughter, I know something about her that makes me feel we are paying for her actions today.

My mother loved to sell her food herself. Whenever I offered to help, she would refuse, saying she hated to be idle. As soon as we finished arranging the food, customers would surround us, and sometimes we had to prepare food three times in a single day.

I never imagined my mother used charms to attract customers. Whenever we were happy about the food selling out quickly, she always said it was the grace of God.

One dawn, however, I walked in on her using something in a calabash wrapped in red cloth while chanting. I panicked when I saw her, and she quickly dropped what she was holding.

I rushed into my room, but she followed me, pleading with me to keep what I had seen a secret. She explained that she did it so her children could live comfortably, and she believed the properties she acquired would help us when she was gone.

I agreed to keep her secret. But after her death, our lives have been nothing short of miserable. Problems keep piling up, and things only get worse.

My brother lost both his children the same month our mother passed. We all lost our jobs. My sister abroad was deported without reason. I had an accident that left me hospitalized for over a month.

Our lastborn was run over by a public bus early last year and did not survive. The sister after me has suffered three miscarriages in the past two years, while I have had one myself. My business collapsed, and even our spouses are suffering alongside us.

The sister who miscarried thrice had to move from a two-bedroom house to a smaller place with her husband because of financial struggles. None of us can help her because we are all fighting the same battles. All the properties our mother left us have been sold.

I am a mother of two boys. The third pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and just last month, I lost one of my sons after a short illness. I am devastated and now live in fear for my surviving child. That is when I decided to confront what I know and seek a solution to our suffering.

My siblings and I are struggling, and at this point, I don’t know what to do or who to confess to. I need help.

FG/EB

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