what is Calabash

The calabash Chike remembers from his youth is a symbol of the occult/supernatural-based belief system prevalent in some areas of Nigeria. Chike recalls stepping on a calabash (a gourd-like fruit) and discovering a dead chick inside, some sort of totem meant to ward off bad luck. When Chike told his mother what happened, she made him wash his feet in holy water so that he would not "catch" bad luck himself from coming into contact with it. Chike thinks of this event when he stumbles into a job directing traffic and wonders about his destiny.