Beth, a resident of Karatina in Nyeri County, is a woman in distress.This is after she accepted a present from a strange man in exchange for a promise to meet him at Nairobi's Uhuru Park the following day.

Beth accepted the gift but failed to honour the pact.

According to reliable sources, the mother of four and a staunch Christian recently left home to attend a church conference in Nairobi.

Since it was not her first time to attend such an event, her husband gave his permission. He, however, gave her only enough money for transport and accommodation during her three-day stay.

When she returned from the conference, Beth brought with her a huge shopping that stunned the husband.

She lied that a woman friend had accommodated her in Nairobi and she had, therefore, used the saved money on the shopping.

After four days, Beth started suffering from severe stomach ache. The husband took her to hospital but nothing was diagnosed.

During that night, the stomach ache got worse. Then the sound of a cock crowing seemed to come from her tummy

The husband dressed up quickly and disappeared into the darkness, fearing his wife had become a witch.

The following day, Beth contemplated confiding in her church pastor and asking for prayers.

She later changed her mind, fearing that the husband might hear about it and probably divorce her for infidelity.

Cock’s crowing

Since the trouble had abated, she thought that all would be well.

But that night trouble started all over again with the cock’s crowing being heard in the whole house. The children screamed that hens were eating them.

Beth got up to pray but nothing seemed to change. Instead, a horrible voice roared that she had to keep her promise.

"We must meet at Uhuru Park as we agreed or I will come for you. I know where you are," the voice said.

Early in the morning after a troubled night, her pastor arrived accompanied by two church elders when he heard rumours of the strange happenings.

Beth confessed everything. It transpired that after the conference in Nairobi ended, Beth went to a supermarket to buy something she needed.

But before she could pay at the cashier’s, a smartly dressed man beckoned her.

He offered to buy her some shopping if she accepted to have a good time with him the following day.

Beth quickly accepted but then gave the man the wrong contact before bidding him goodbye and departing for Nyeri.

The pastor prayed for her and the children but before he finished the prayer, sounds like those made by wild animals filled the house. A female voice then demanded that the visitors leave the house.

Church men

"We want you to leave our woman alone or we will also come for you tonight. She spent our money and must pay for it," the voice said.

Even before the voice ended, the church men were already on their feet running as fast as their feet could carry them.

After the pastor’s failure to solve her troubles, Beth is now considering meeting the strange man. But her husband, whom she wants to accompany her to Nairobi, is nowhere to be seen and cannot be reached on phone.

By James Kuria via The Standard.