URBAN LEGENDS ADAPTATION

The Drowned Men of Black Volta (A Mami Wata Story – Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo)

The Legend of Mami Wata

She watches from beneath the waves.

Her laughter ripples through the water, soft as silk, sweet as poison.

If she chooses you, you will hear her singing.

You will feel the pull in your chest, the unshakable urge to step closer.

And once you do—

You will never return.

---

The Five Who Went to the River

Kojo never wanted to go.

He wasn't like the others—Kofi, Mensah, Ekow, and Daniel—who always pushed boundaries, always looking for a thrill.

Kojo had heard the stories. He had seen the old woman's haunted eyes when she spoke of the river.

And tonight, when she caught him at the market, she grabbed his wrist with fingers like bones.

"Do not go," she whispered.

Her voice was urgent, her grip cold.

"The river is angry tonight. If you hear singing, do not answer. If you see a woman, do not look at her. If she calls you—run."

Kojo believed her.

And for a moment, he almost turned back.

But when he told his friends, they only laughed.

"Kofi, tell Kojo to grow a backbone," Mensah scoffed, slapping Kojo on the back.

"A little ghost story scared you?" Kofi teased. "What are you, a child?"

"Come on, Kojo," Ekow smirked. "You don't want to be the only one left behind, do you?"

Daniel grinned. "We'll tell everyone in the village how you ran from the river like a frightened goat."

Kojo felt heat crawl up his neck.

He should have listened to the old woman.

But shame is a powerful thing.

So, against the pit in his stomach, he climbed into the boat.

And the river welcomed them.

---

The First Disappearance

The water was too still.

Kojo sat at the front of the boat, staring into the black waves.

No wind. No insects.

Nothing.

Mensah grunted, casting the net over the side. The others sat in tense silence, their laughter from earlier fading into unease.

Then—

A sound.

Soft.

Like a woman humming.

Kojo's skin prickled.

Kofi chuckled, shaking his head.

"Did you bring a woman, Kojo?" he teased.

But Kojo didn't answer.

Because the humming was getting closer.

The water was glowing now, a faint, unnatural shimmer just beneath the surface.

And then they saw her.

She rose from the river, her hair floating around her like dark silk, her skin pale as the moonlight.

She was beautiful—too beautiful.

Kojo's breath caught in his throat.

She smiled at him.

Kofi stood.

His eyes were empty, his body moving as if pulled by invisible hands.

He took a step forward.

"Kofi, sit down!" Mensah snapped.

But Kofi did not listen.

He stepped to the edge of the boat, staring at the woman as if she was the only thing in the world.

Her lips moved.

"Come to me."

Kojo grabbed Kofi's arm.

"Kofi, don't—"

Kofi fell.

The river swallowed him whole.

The glow vanished.

And the water returned to silence.

Kofi was gone.

Kojo wanted to scream.

But his voice was locked in his throat.

---

The Second and Third

"Row," Mensah whispered.

His voice shook.

"Row the damn boat!"

Ekow was already paddling, his hands trembling. The air felt thicker now, pressing against their skin like a weight.

Then—

Laughter.

A woman's voice.

Kojo turned, his heart pounding.

The water was rippling, though there was no wind.

The glow returned.

And when the waves settled—

Kofi was there.

Standing in the middle of the river.

His clothes were dry. His skin was wrong—pale, almost translucent. His eyes were black as night.

He smiled at them.

"Come," he said.

Mensah screamed.

The boat lurched, tipping to the side as Mensah stumbled.

His hand grazed the water.

And the river took him.

One moment he was there—breathing, panicking, alive—and the next, he was dragged under by hands that should not have been there.

Bubbles rose to the surface.

And then—nothing.

Ekow let out a shaky sob.

Daniel clutched his head, rocking back and forth.

Kojo did nothing.

He couldn't.

He just sat there, gripping the side of the boat like a coward.

---

The Last Two

Only Kojo and Daniel remained.

Daniel was muttering to himself, his nails digging into his skin.

"She won't take me, she won't take me," he whispered. "She won't—"

A hand rose from the water.

It landed on Daniel's shoulder.

Kojo's blood ran cold.

Daniel's eyes widened. His mouth opened in a silent scream.

The hand pulled him back.

Kojo did nothing.

He just watched.

And Daniel was gone.

---

The One Who Returned

The boat washed ashore the next morning.

Kojo sat inside, his clothes soaked, his skin cold.

His eyes were hollow, staring at nothing.

The villagers ran to him, desperate for answers.

"What happened?"

"Where are the others?"

But Kojo did not speak.

He just sat there, shaking, his lips moving over and over.

When they leaned in close, they finally heard the words.

"She's still singing."

"She's still singing."

"She's still singing."

Kojo never spoke again.

His mind never returned.

And at night—

When the river was quiet—

The villagers swore they could hear a man crying by the shore.

And beneath his sobs—

A woman's voice.

Humming.

Waiting.

---

The river is not empty.

It never was.