[b]CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PROFESSOR’S AWARD


“Henry!” the man shouted. Henry’s buttocks were glued to his seat. “Are you saying that this can earn me the award?” The Professor waved the write up before his face.
“I don’t know,” responded Henry, anticipating something worse.
“Well, I shall go through it today. I’ll get across to you—at night.”
“At night?” Henry yelled, “Hope not through the mirror.” Henry’s reaction depicted that he was possibly eisoptrophobic, but in the actual sense he wasn’t. Perhaps, he was just scared of the magical mirror in particular, which could even be illuminating at night when put to use.
“Where else?” said the dean, not intending to ask a question, but was letting him know that he was bent on using the mirror. “You think I’m going to want to burn my credit unnecessarily on telephone calls when I’ve got my mirror—charge free—and every other benefit attached to it. Listen, if you don’t use it you don’t get wiser. Have you ever proved your magic at all?” the man asked inquisitively.
“No sir.” Henry’s face glowered. “… and I don’t think I’ll use it at all.”
“Why?”
“’Cause I don’t see the need.”
The Professor smirked and said, “You’ll sure use it…someday.”
“Why d’you think so?”
“Because Professor Wilson Gee say so,” said the dean, beating his chest in an egoistic manner.
“I won’t—” replied Henry, “because I said I won’t,” he added in a mimetic style.
“You’ve got goat-like characters indeed—stubborn.”
“Can I take my leave,” Henry had said rudely.
“Sure, if you want to,” the dean had replied, “Got no business with you till after the presentation of the seminar.”
Few days later, early in the morning, the indispensable urge to look at the mirror came upon Henry again. Henry picked up an ordinary mirror at first.
“Not this,” said Henry, quickly dropping it carefully to go for the magical one. His heart missed a beat on seeing the dean’s image in it.
“What’s he up to again?” Henry had thought.
“Shocked!” the laterally inverted image of the dean had said. “You’re thinking of what I’m up to again.”
“What!” Henry exclaimed. “How d’you know that’s what’s on my mind? Does the magic include mind-synching?”
“Sure. While looking into the mirror you’ve got the benefit of reading the mind of the other fellow in an unmistakable and precise manner—something that the psychologist cannot do.”
“Really!”
“Henry,” said the man going straight to the point, “I’ve obtained a flight ticket for you. We’re flying together to Washington today. Guess what, we’re going to the venue of the Seminar Presentation together, this morning. Meet me at the Port of Los Angeles presently.”
“Must I come with you?” said Henry out of panic. “I don’t deem it necessary.”
Henry was afraid that the man would vent his anger on him if he eventually did not come out the winner of the presentation, so he had felt that avoiding him would be the solution. The return flight would be full of reprimands, if the dean lost the award.
“I’ve bought the flight ticket already—you have my word,” the dean said, and in a moment, he was off.
Henry, being left alone still staring at his mirror in awe, was able to view the reflection his face. It was glum. Having no choice, Henry had to prepare to meet the dean. But he was going to visit the school library first, to return some of the borrowed books he had got with him. After taking a cup of coffee Henry left the apartment to get a cab that would transport him to the library. Henry saw the poster of the dean, placed side by side with that of Einstein, pasted on many suitable places around the school. It seemed both geniuses (Albert Einstein and Professor Wilson) were performing the same action in them—clicking their skulls. Henry moved very close to one of those amazing pictures with great interest. He read the statement on the poster:
THE DEAN OF THE PRESTIGIOUS CALIFORNIA CITY UNIVERSITY IS PRESENTING A SEMINAR TODAY, ON NUCLEAR PHYSICS. IS HE A MATCH FOR ALBERT EINSTEIN THE GENIUS? LET’S WATCH IF HE’S GOING TO EMERGE THE WINNER OF THE GLOBAL SEMINAR PRESENTATION.”
No one knew who had put those posters there. They just crowded around them, making silly remarks about them in a hilarious manner. The dean had seen it too, but himself was amazed, never remembering having taken any picture in the ‘skull-clicking’ pose like the one in the poster. But seeing it, Henry’s mind flashed back to his first encounter with the dean in his office, when he was bragging and clicking his skull subconsciously as he prided himself on being wiser than Albert Einstein, in Henry’s presence then.
“Someone must have snapped him then,” thought Henry, calling back to memory the flashes of light he’d seen then, coming from the window.”
Henry soon joined the Professor in the Airport. The plane arrived after some moments of waiting patiently. The two were not silent all through the flight period. They were busy all the while discussing, since their seats were abutting each other.
The dean said, “Young man, have you been to the campus this morning—before coming to the airport?”
“Y-Yes,” said Henry, already speculating what the lecturer had intended to do with the question. As conjectured by Henry, Professor Wilson said further, “I’m definitely sure you saw those pictures of myself and Einstein put side by side.”
“I saw them. What about them?”
“Who did that?”
“I don’t know, “Henry said. “All I know is I didn’t do it.” Henry had quickly uttered such to get himself out of the trouble he was insinuating.
“That fellow must be a silly plonker!” the dean had yelled. “Henry, d’you know the implication of the statement he’d written along with the picture? If I don’t win the award then I’m not a match for Einstein—that’s the implication.” The dean resumed his speech. “But…that’s not philosophically true.”
Henry never uttered a word. His chin was leaning on his right palm, probably, engrossed in thought.
“Dude, If I lay my hands on him I’ll sure tear him apart. I’m quite sure he’s going to be expelled from the CCUL,” said the dean frankly. He spoke on as Henry remained speechless beside him, like an android, which had been asked to keep shut.
“I don’t even know when the picture was taken. I’ve never posed myself that way in any of my photographs. Checked through them yesterday and never came across any as such,” the dean murmured continuously.
“I think I know when it was taken,” said Henry suddenly and the dean gripped the collar of his silky shirt immediately, demanding impatiently when it was.
“The first day I stepped into your office, while you were telling me about your ability, which, according to you, surpasses that of Albert Einstein,”
The dean, having remembered, said, “Then who snapped me?” Henry saw it as an opportunity to get the dean to tell him what the seventh question was all about. He was going to use diplomacy to get it.
“Promise me you’ll remind me of the seventh question if I tell you.”
“I will,” agreed the dean impetuously.
“Sincerely I don’t know who…but, I saw flashes of light coming from the window. I’m sure the photographer was standing behind the window then. So… the seventh question,” Henry demanded. “At least I’ve told you all I know—about the incident.”
“Sincerely I don’t know the last question—I’ve forgotten it too,” said the dean uproariously. “I’ll be a fool if I tell you that, when you didn’t provide an answer to my own question too.” “But will you tell me if I eventually find out and tell you who was behind the picture?”
“Sure,” the man had agreed.
“It’s a deal,” Henry had said.
The plane soon touched down. A taxicab was already waiting to pick up the professor.
“Sir, are you Professor Wilson Gee,” said the taxi driver and the dean said, “Yes.” The man noticed Henry and said, “Is he your kid?”
“Yeah, my kid,’ the dean said, but the driver had got one more question for Henry, “What’s your name?” “Henry White,” said Henry, but his answer seemed not sufficient to satisfy the dean, who said immediately, “Henry Gee, not Henry White.” Nevertheless, they got into car and it sped off.
Henry thought he’d known something; that the dean would stop saying “Henry Gee,” as soon as he had lost out in the seminar presentation. Henry was instantly lost in thought:
“He’ll say, ‘Henry White, you’re not going back home with me. You’d better find your way back to campus yourself.’ I’ll say, ‘Sir I’ve got no airfare’ but he’ll say, ‘I don’t care’. I’ll say, ‘Sir… but you brought me here for God’s sake. Is this how you want to have me punished?’ He’ll say angrily, ‘This isn’t punishment. Be sure I’ve got stacks of punishments, real ones, waiting for you on campus. Be sure I’ll see to it that you don’t graduate Summa Cum Laude from the CCUL.’
“I’ll say, ‘But why? I think I said it then that I’m not capable of writing for you an award-winning synopsis. I’m a teenager for God’s sake.’ He’ll say, ‘Shut up there! Collins the youngest Professor in history was only nineteen when he became a professor. Ain’t you nineteen too—so what’s it you’re saying that you’re not capable of…?”
Henry screamed suddenly, “I’m not Collins for Christ’s sake—got my own destiny to fulfill!” He soon became aware of what had happened. Henry had just let out a scream, a product of the ‘He’ll-say-I’ll-say’ imagination he’d occupied his addled brain with.
“Henry, are you all right at all?” the dean barked. “I don’t think so?” he had added in disagreement to Henry’s head movement. “You yelled like that just because I tapped you to inform you that we’ve got to our destination? You’ll sure tell me who that Collins of yours is.” While the man spoke, Henry kept mute, but that doesn’t make the dean stop talking. Instead, the man became more persistent.
“Are you dreaming or what…or did I call you Collins?”
“I’m very sorry. I’d been in a reverie,” Henry had pleaded, intending to make him keep calm. “I’m very very sorry,” he said again, as if two adjoining “veries” would do instead of one to placate the dean.
It’s alright,” said the dean. “Let’s alight.”
Henry’s heart missed a beat.
The presentations were broadcast worldwide. After all the hustle and bustle of the day, Professor Wilson was eventually announced the gold medal award winner to Henry’s amazement. He was given a check instantly, bearing a large amount of cash. The silver medal went to Professor Teddy Brown from England, while the Bronze medal honor was for Professor Kofi Johnson of Africa (who was a Ghanaian, known to Henry in Gyrus). Henry’s joy knew no bound on hearing his dean’s name called as the number one. Seeing Henry when the judge was about to announce the winners earlier, one would have clearly perceive that Henry was more under pressure than any of the contenders—even the dean. Henry had felt that somebody from bigger Universities such as Harvard or Oxford would have carried the day. He had almost collapsed when the judge was announcing it:
“And the winner is professor…” the speaker had paused deliberately, maybe, to increase the blood pressure of every one in the large auditorium.
As expected, the spectators had said “Professor what?” and the judge had finally said, “Professor Wilson Gee from the University of California…here in the US.” Then shouts of joy, which might have possibly been adulterated by some immeasurable amounts of contumelious moans by the unsatisfied ones, had filled the air. Seemed Henry’s voice was the loudest. He had screamed, “I did it!” to the hearing of people around him, jumping and leaping triumphantly, but the poor boy had received a sharp query from one of them.
“ You did what?” asked a black man who was sitting next to him, while many others were staring at him too.
“Em…Em,” Henry stammered, knowing that there was nothing he had to say.
“Young man, you’re just fooling around here in a corner, yelling for someone who never knows who you are,” another man had said, and yet another said, “You’d better not let the Professor hear that you said you did what he did. A dream that can never be accomplished, that’s what you’ve got. He’ll sue you.” She was a young lady.
Not able to swallow the shame, Henry had sneaked away from their presence to another place.
A limousine pulled up the next day in front of the motel they had lodged in overnight. It was an entirely different vehicle this time, from the one that had transported them to the presentation venue. The limousine pulled up at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport, from where they took their flight back to California.
Aboard the plane, they spoke again:
“Henry Gee, I’m so proud of you. I’m sorry I’ve got no time with you yesterday, due to my frailty…you know…after times of sleepless nights.
“No thanks Prof., you did it,” said Henry, but the man said, “We did it!” instead, then he added excitedly, “Got an open check for you.”
“What’s it sir?”
“Ask anything from me till the one-third of the cash prize,” said the dean. Just as if he knew what Henry can do the man quickly modified his words by saying, “But don’t ask what I can’t do.” Some kinds of emotional expressions of elation had explicitly elevated Henry’s mood on hearing the dean’s statements, so he asked promptly, “The seventh question…and the answer.”
“I can’t tell you that Henry.”
“I thought you’ve just said that I should ask you anything,” Henry frowned.
“Yeah, but I said—don’t ask me what I can’t do. To get the seventh question you have my condition already—to get me the photographer,” said the dean, smiling.
“Well—I’ll sure find that out—very soon,” Henry had resolved.
Henry was silent again, but the dean had to remind him of the open check. “You’ve not asked me what you want me to do for you?” the dean had said, but Henry had replied, “First thing first…I need the seventh question. Maybe I’ll think of what to ask after that.”
“It’s okay,” the Professor had said, and in a short moment he was dozing off unconsciously beside the wondering boy.[/b]

[quote]Continuation

[color=#000099][b]Henry was engrossed in the taxing work that he had just been endowed with by the Professor. Fear mingled with horror at a gargantuan extent, had possibly thrust him into some ineffable actions for seven days. Having set everything apart, he had focused on the dean’s arduous task assiduously, though not trusting in his ability to write an award-winning synopsis for the dean. While at work only one thought sometimes crossed his mind—Susie, not Cynthia this time. Since having a clinch with Susie in the rain, Henry had developed a secret affection for her, though not yet made known to her.
Henry had considered perusing the whole textbook a suicidal manifestation. He made up his mind not to open them at all. From the knowledge he had already acquired in the past on Nuclear Physics, Henry wrote the synopsis. He had had much cognition of the subject, Nuclear Physics, earlier in life. Thanks to the library he had made his ‘next of kin’ those times.
Henry was through with it after seven days, but he waited till the eighth day to get it across to the dean, for fear of being snubbed by him, believing that a nineteen-year old boy of his kind cannot write out what was going to be award-winning amidst the intelligentsias across the globe.
On getting to the lecture room, he saw his photographs with mates, made a cynosure. In them he was carrying twelve huge textbooks, the Professor’s own.
“Hi Henry, bookworm,” he was taunted by a girl, who had burst into laughter. Another said, “I’m pretty sure you’ve got the content of these books inside your puny brain,” pushing Henry’s forehead roughly with a finger. Henry was abashed. He had felt like applying his yet unproved magical power on them immediately, but he declined.
Susie came closer, still conceiving a guilty conscience.
“I got you into these. I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Never mind Susie,’ replied Henry in a very polite manner, which had sent her smiling secretly, believing that she’d got him at last after about two years and a month of trials and errors to get his attention.
On the marker board was written an implicating statement about Henry. He read it silently and the look on his face was that of dejection:
Henry needs Cynthia badly. He will do anything to get her. Yes, things like carrying myriads of books in his hands—just to impress her that he’s such a genius.
Still looking at the board in anger, Henry felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he discovered it was Pete, Cynthia’s boyfriend. The boy smirked and said, “Young chap, you think you can have her love by this—impossible? She’s no braniac-freak.”
Pete was loud-mouthed, but seeming to be the most easily cowed. He was a timid type who could even be intimidated by a tomboy, or any lady which had felt like scaring him. All such a person would need to do was to pose a threat at him. Pete had joined the school basketball team so that he could receive a level of protection from his teammates, who had helped him out of troubles at one time or the other.
Henry said in annoyance, “Who’re you talking about?” as if he didn’t know. The boy replied, “Cynthia. She’s going to stick with sportsman—like me. She’ll kick your arse.”
Though Henry’s care for Cynthia was no more wholesome, the urge to have her by all means so as to silence Pete who had been bragging all the while came upon Henry immediately in a gush.
“I’ll sure get her one day,” Henry had thought, “but not with magic,” he had added.

Aipete2:
Uncle sammy, did you change your moniker? Missed ya so much bro

Missing y'all too.
This is a season of CHANGE, so I have to do that

“Stubby, you’d better bury your obstinacy and let’s have some rest here together,” they advised. “Or aren’t you exhausted too?”
“Exhausted my foot!” Stubbornness screamed at them. “Remain if you wish, but I’m going right away to seek them before they get into the River of Achievement,” Stubbornness reacted angrily, rushing away from the sight of the Bads.
“It’s good for him to leave,” Baddream whispered and ejected a nauseating draught from his mouth. “Remember, Stubby isn’t going to co-operate with us as we all know, so let’s not worry over him.”
“Yeah, you’re right, brother,” agreed Badwill as he lay on the ground beside his two brothers.
The ups and downs on the way to the River of Achievement seemed to be the secret behind everyone’s lacklustre stance on getting to the Island of Greatness. There were numerous hills and rocks on the way to climb, some bare and some overgrown with crabgrass to make them slippery. The footpaths had many unpleasant twists, thereby making the journey an irksome one. In no time, a great mass of dust had fastened to their clothes and had bedecked them with the grungy appearance of a vagrant. A sprightly stinking hog jumped out of the mire near a bale of hays and ran haywire ahead of them, yet Vulnerability trembled at its sight even when it was not coming for them. On the paths they traversed stood shrubs and trees having thick barks drooling saps. Some of them, the deciduous ones, now stood stark naked and withering, for they had shed all their leaves and were now deprived of the colourful weaver birds which had left for some greener pastures. The dogwoods waved their flowery hands as though to the seekers of the River of Achievement, yet their action had only been propelled by the gust pushing forcibly at them from every side. The sight of the foliage plants close to the foliated rocks on the path they trod captured the attention of Vulnerability and the triplets such that they halted for a long time to stare at them. Hope was shocked when he suddenly found himself few metres ahead of them. He had to rush back to them.
“What are you staying back here doing?” Hope asked, miffed.
“We felt like staying behind an hour to play with these roses,” they chorused, having plucked a handful to nuzzle, but Hope said sharply, “Life is not a bed of roses, says Father Sage. Did you plant those roses there? So why should you reap them when you haven’t planted them?” They sulked. As they turned their backs against the roses, they found steep hills ahead of them, which they must need to climb. Each time, Vulnerability would hiss under his breath, thanks to little Hope and Goodwill who supported him all the time while climbing the rocks and hills.
“Why am I doing this?” Vulnerability would ask in tears. “Tell me, why? I never attended the Tough-minded School of Thought, if at all there’s such one in Happy-Go-Lucky, yet I’m been forced to perform this hilarious uphill task of hill-climbing.”
“Vulne, stop complaining and start complying. We’ll surely get there,” Hope motivated.
“Get there? Did you say get there?” Vulnerability reacted aggressively. “No! In fact, I no more believe Father Sage’s words that there’s an Island called Greatness. I doubt his dream as well.”
In annoyance, Hope cried, “And what’s the basis of your doubt?”
“Uncle Doubt’s words, Doubt all things except—”
“Hold it!” screamed Hope to keep him shut, and instantly Vulnerability began to jitter.
“Let him complete his speech, Hope,” Goodwish requested and Goodwill added, “Perhaps it could be of help to us in this journey.”
“No, brothers, it’ll proffer no help,” said Hope. “Let’s forget it and keep moving.”
As they moved, the Goods’ curiosity grew. They wanted to know what Doubt’s quote was all about. Hope paced faster, not realizing how far from the Goods and Vulnerability he had gone. In ten minutes Hope was far out of eyeshot to the Goods and Vulnerability.
“Here’s an opportunity to satisfy our curiosity,” said Goodwill, smiling. “Now, brother, tell us your uncle’s quote.”
“Nay my brothers,” Vulnerability replied wanly. “Remember, Hope warned me not to do that, and I trust Hope for his advice,” added Vulnerability. His declaration sent six knees bowing before him, getting him into confusion.
“We adjure you to tell us,” said Gooddream. “Right from the time you gave the half-quote few minutes ago, I’ve been weighed down by the Weight of Curiosity.”
“Myself too…and Goodwill: that was exactly why we couldn’t keep pace with Hope any longer,” Goodwish divulged.
“Now tell us,” they said unanimously and Vulnerability began to whimper and whisper.
“What? Why weeping like a baby?” questioned Goodwill.
“You’d better say like a lady,” argued Gooddream.
“Hey boys, why talk about his tears? Let’s wipe it for him,” Goodwish said passionately. In a jiffy, thirty fingers were on Vulnerability’s cheeks, not to slap them but to rub out the tears on them.
“Thanks brother,” Vulnerability whispered with his hoarse voice as he sniffed and smiled.
“So?” asked the Goods…
Stubbornness had fallen over a boulder several times but he wouldn’t give up.
“I shall receive the favour of Mother Witch if I could kidnap Hope all alone,” said Stubbornness who had been tracing the pugs left behind by the seekers of River Achievement. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” he laughed as he trudged along.
“Doubt all things except Doubt’s word, for if you doubt Doubt, you die quick,” said Vulnerability and all four went a-yawning.
“Ouph! I think we have to rest now,” Gooddream said, sitting on the sand.
“Rest? Oh, rest is indeed the best choice now,” said Goodwish as Goodwill sang, “Rest is sweet! Rest is sweet!” Undoubtedly, Doubt’s quotation being uttered by Vulnerability had altered the functionally of their body systems, perhaps enervating the cells and tissues in them and making them go drowsy. Vulnerability laughed satisfactorily to himself as he joined the Goods in ‘bed’, and in a short while, they were all dozing off, their mouths producing snores.
Little Hope sighted a cave and his interest was caught by it. Ecstatically, he exclaimed, “Hey my good friends, did you get here with Alacrity before Badmanner lured you away?” Hope, being astonished at the silence responding to his question, turned around hastily and discovered he was alone.”
“What!” he yelled in shock.
Baddream thumped up from sleep suddenly and then screamed, “I have a dream!” His noise got his two brothers up too.
“What’s it Baddream?” they asked.
“I have a good dream,” Baddream whispered wanly.
“What’s it?” Badwish demanded hastily as Badwill said, “Tell us quick!”
“I saw Stubbornness catching up with Hope and his fellows.”
“What a good dream, Baddream!” Badwill yelled excitedly, glancing into Baddream’s sleepy face. “We must hurry to catch up with them—now.” Badwill led the way.

CHAPTER SIX
TEMPTERS BEHIND, ATTEMPTERS AHEAD

Hope and Vulnerability had not trekked long miles when they came across Goodwill, Goodwish and Gooddream who agreed to accompany them to the River or Achievement.
Mother Witch peeped through her window and noticed five silhouettes striding towards the rough path believed to be leading to the River of Achievement.
“What!” she exclaimed as she noticed the persons of the moving figures.
“Hope, Vulne and the Goods!” she cried. “I must stop them,” she said, smiling sinisterly as she rushed out of the room to get the Bads aware. Mother Witch thumped the door of the Bads so hard that she nearly ruined it. For fear, the three brothers rushed out to see who was at the door. They heaved sighs of relief when they saw Mother Witch.
“Mother, what’s it again?” asked Badwill, panting.
“Come and see,” she replied. “I’ve got a task for you.”
“I wish it’s not a task too hard.” Badwill said uneasily. “Because I’m afraid of Revenge who could be sent after us after we’ve accomplished your said task.”
“Forget it,” Mother Witch responded. “It’s a very easy task, and I’m sure Revenge won’t get himself involved in this. Little Hope is heading down the hill, towards the rough path leading to the River of Achievement. I want you to go bring him here right away.”
“What a good news!” the Bads exclaimed simultaneously, and in a jiff they were all out of the Hurt to capture them.
Mother Witch tarried behind the Widow’s window, smiling to herself in self-conceit. Her smeared widow’s weeds hung loosely down the window, for she had put them there for a blind. To the left of the window was an old cupboard whose interior was reeking terribly. It seemed like the old woman wasn’t perceiving the nauseating smell, perhaps dotage had ripped her off her olfactory organs. The tall wooden cupboard had been named the Fume Cupboard, for inside it was where Mother Witch did poke her head whenever she was fuming at any of her tenants to avoid scaring them to death with her horrifying face made worse with angry mood. On the cupboard sat a calabash containing a giant rafflesia flower oozing out its usual concentrated rotten meat smell to attract houseflies, whose tastes she relished for dinner. Brooms of various sizes hung down loosely from her dusty ceiling with cobwebs entwined around them. Geckos scuttled from one place to the other to contend for food with Mother Witch who would feel cheated at the sight of them feeding on her favourite meal— roasted houseflies.
Mother Witch perambulated the stuffy room antsy as she anticipated the return of the Bads with Hope in their grips.
“I shall now capture Hope and end this adventure,” she grinned wickedly. Just then, her door wrenched open forcefully.
“Who’s there?” she cried out suspiciously.
“It’s me!” replied a feminine voice, and then Mrs. Jealousy entered. She looked dowdy, perhaps because of the outworn attire on her. The look on her frog-eyed face conspicuously suggested that she must have been here for something very crucial.
“Hey, it’s you Jealo!” Mother Witch heaved. “How dare you barge in just like that?”
“I’m sorry my lord,” she apologized. “I spotted the Bads hurrying out of the Hurt just now, and I’m sure they’re up to something bad.”
“So?” Mother Witch frowned.
“I asked them where they’re heading, but they refused to tell me,” Mrs. Jealousy said angrily. Mother Witch smiled as she bit the corner of her lips a bit. “Tell me, mother, did you send them on an errand?”
“Of course yes!” said Mother Witch. “Anything?”
“What errand mother? What errand?” Mrs. Jealousy asked with great concern. Mother Witch gazed into her bold face and sensed in them a measure of trepidation.
“Why are you scared, Jealo?”
“Mother, each time the Bads are out there they incur the wrath of Revenge who comes here with Waste and Drunkward from the Dungalow bungalow to tear the little pieces of peace we’ve got here into pieces the more.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed Mother Witch. “This time the case is different. This kind of errand hadn’t wrought the wrath of anyone. Come over and let me tell you what it’s all about.” Eagerly, Mrs. Jealousy bent her head towards Mother Witch and the whisper done into her left ear made her right cheek to bulge in smiles.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” she laughed loudly. “Ha! Ha! Ha!”
“Come over and let’s see through my window what has become of Hope and his friends,” Mother Witch said. Immediately the two began to peep through the Widow’s window after pushing aside the widow’s weeds improvised for blind.
Hope and Vulnerability were seen hurrying down still, towards the River of Achievement. They weren’t wary of the Bads who were skulking after them. Suddenly, Mrs. Jealousy’s face wrinkled in displeasure after pondering on a thought. Mother Witch detected and said, “Jealo, it seems you’re getting annoyed with somebody. You’d better go and keep your face in my fume cupboard for some time to avoid—”
“Mother, it’s wicked of you to be doing away with my child, my only son, in this great errand. I’m sure that if you have included my child in the company of the Bads, kidnapping Hope would become easier.”
“Oh, Jealo, why think in this manner?” Mother Witch replied. “I’m not bearing any grudge against your son, Stubbornness. All I have in mind was that this task is too easy for three to perform. Why then should I send four to achieve the feat three could perform so well? Listen, Jealo, if you think including Stubby will do to make you glad, then it isn’t too late to send him.”
Mrs. Jealousy’s joy knew no bound over the news. Hastily, she rushed out of the room. In few minutes she was back again at the Widow’s window with Mother Witch.
“I can see Stubbornness rushing towards the Bads,” said Mother Witch in a low tone. “Well, I wish he’ll bring good luck this time.”
In silence, the twosome remained at the window, but a sneeze from Mrs. Jealousy beckoned on the attention of Mother Witch.
“Huh! Jealo, what’s this sneeze about?”
“Oh! It’s nothing,” said Mrs. Jealousy quickly, but the former wasn’t ready to give in to her reply.
“Your sneeze is composed of envy, isn’t it, Jealo? And you must tell me what you’re envious of.”
“Mother, you’re right that I’m jealous over something,” said Mrs. Jealousy. “I’m jealous over these Bads.”
“How?” howled Mother Witch like an adult owl.
“Father Creator has been so unfair towards my only child and me. See, Stubbornness has no brother or sister to share the sweetness of life with him. He’s living in isolation in the Hurt here without a brother—or at least a sister.”
“You’re funny,” laughed Mother Witch. “But he’s got you around him, isn’t it?”
“You’re right Mother, but the vacuum of brotherhood remains unfilled in the life of Stubby. He’s got only me—no brother, no father. As if that’s not enough, I’m a widow too. Mother, tell me why life’s been so unfair to me.” She broke into tears but Mother Witch tore her tears apart when she yelled, “It’s you who are unfair to life, Jealo. If you are calling yourself a widow just because you’ve lost Envy your husband, what is then left for me to call myself? Barren? Widow? Bereaved? Well, each one would do to fit me, whose husband and children all died one after the other. Listen Jealo, I had ten children in the past, all died and my husband wasn’t spared too, yet everyone pointed Fingers of Accusation at me, calling me the murderer of them all. But it was my horrible look that fumigated them when I was fuming at them. Thereafter, I made the Fume Cupboard so that I could do my fumes into them.”
“Oh, Mother—”
“Your son is luckier than these triplets, Baddream, Badwill and Badwish. How? Stubby has parental care but the Bads haven’t had one. Their mother died on her birth bed after giving birth to the triplets.”
“And who was their lucky father?” she demanded, yet she knew him so well.
“You mean the father of the Bads?” Mother Witch requested and replied almost immediately, “Mr. Wickedness is the Bad’s father, but he died few months before Mrs. Wickedness was delivered of her triplets.”
“How did he die?”
“He died in the brutal hands of Giant Faith, the son of Mrs. Wisdom who was exiled few years back.”
“Tell me more.”
“According to what I heard, Father Sage sent Giant Faith to destroy Wickedness School of Thought, the very first school to be established by someone from this Hurt. While Giant Faith was destroying the school of Wickedness, the owner confronted him boldly, bringing Go-Lucky soldiers along, who were armed with the Arrows of Sorrow, but Giant Faith dealt them all with mortal blows, leaving Mr. Wickedness severely battered. The wounded man passed away after two weeks, after becoming too weak to live.”
“Dang!” Mrs. Jealousy yelled in rage. “This Faith is wicked for murdering Mr. Wickedness. Mother, was he not the same person who rescued Hope from your grips last week?”
“Exactly! If not for this Faith and his family who keep things balanced, by now Happy-Go-Lucky would have been destroyed utterly by Mr. Wickedness’ School of Thought, where it was taught that being wicked, and nothing more, is the only solution to every situation. I shall not rest my hoary head in the grave until I’ve dashed Hope and gotten rid of the lives in the Faiths,” Mother Witch revealed belligerently.
“And how shall you achieve these?” asked Mrs. Jealousy. Mother Witch grinned wickedly as she replied, “I don’t know yet. C’mon let’s keep eyes on our children.”
The five had trekked long miles along the hilly paths, yet they hadn’t spotted the River of Achievement. Vulnerability seemed to be the most bored of the journey, demanding rest every moment.
“Vulne, it’s no time to rest yet,” Goodwill had said. “It was rest we were having last year when Badmanner caught up with us and misled us to the River of Haste where the octopus caught up with Alacrity and cut off his life.”
“Listen Vulne, if you rest on your way to the Island of Greatness, you may not reach the River of Achievement,” said Goodwish. “How I wish Alacrity had heeded Gooddream’s advice then, who told him to beware of resting. He sought rest and found it, and then rested in pieces in the belly of the Octopus of Trouble after wrestling with it.” Hope became irritated by the discussion, so he craved to change it. That he did successfully when he said, “Let’s forget the past and continue this journey. Recalling past failure can lure into future failure,” Hope added, quoting Father Sage’s quote.
The journey persisted but not without Vulnerability insisting on resting.
“I’m tired brother! I’m tired! Rest is what I need, nothing more.” He wept like a baby.
“Brother let’s keep moving,” psyched Hope in exasperation. “I’m now tired myself but I can’t give room for rest this early.”
“I need rest!” screamed Vulnerability insistently, breathing hard. “Let me rest while the rest of you can keep moving,” he demanded further but Goodwish yelled “No!” at him as he pulled him along.
The Bads had lost sight of Hope and his colleagues and they were now weary and worried.
“Badwish, Baddream, what shall we do now?’ Badwill asked.
“Let’s do my hobby,” Baddream said as he hobbled after them gnashing his teeth, having gashed his leg against an outcropping stone few moments back while he was sleepwalking.
“Your hobby? Sleep?” replied his brothers funnily.
“Of course yes! I’m tired of this task!” he hollered fumingly
“Tired of this task…tired of this task…” they chorused as they yawned along, but a voice behind them sent their chorus into extinction:
“I AM NOT TIRED!”
It was the voice of Stubbornness.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I knelt before my aunt to say I was sorry for her burnt house. She pulled me close to herself and said she didn't have any grudge against me. I kept feeling guilty, even after she had incessantly assured me that there was no cause for alarm.

When it was time for the court case at the court of appeal, we didn't have enough cash to pursue it. Our lawyer was demanding too much. My aunty was more than bankrupt, having lost all to the fire accident and my classteacher had too much on her neck already, being the one to cater for both my aunt and I.

Aunty Rachael began to get sick; I knew she was thinking too much about her lost property. She didn't even come out from there with a pin. She would lean against the wall and shed tears all the time.

Mrs Oyin had tried consoling her to no avail. Something that baffled me was that she didn't weep when the house just got burnt. Instead, she was speechless for two to three days; now after a week she began to weep.

"Stop weeping Rachael," my classteacher would say over and over again. "Tears cannot bring back what is lost; only God can do that. Do you want to cry away your eyes on this same issue? Listen and listen good Rachael, what you should be doing right now is to get a drum and dance, because some people had fire accident like this and got burnt in the process. Look at you still breathing. Don't you know that there is hope when there is life?"

Aunty told us a short story amidst tears:

"There was this young lady who knew no God at all. She lived her life in the normal moral way, truthful, gentle, kind and meek and got everything she wanted--a good husband and a good home. Just then, she began to know God and spoke about God to his husband who also received him..."

I shook my head and waited for my aunty to continue the story. She was sniffing, but that wasn't affecting her speech since it was a voiceless one--the sign language.

"Shortly after this woman and her husband knew God, bad things began to happen to them; the husband had a plane crash while travelling from Lagos to Abuja. As if that wasn't all, the woman lost her job because she was bent at holding on to her God at the expense of joining a multitude to do evil in her workplace; she refused to change receipt with them, so they set her up."

My aunty was coughing. I was weeping for the woman in her story because it sounded like herself. She was telling us her true life story.

"Her faith towards her God waxed stronger despite all these storms of life," my aunty continued. "Somebody advised her to insure her building, fire accident insurance policy she called it, but the woman would not listen to her friend. She said God is in charge of the house. It turned to a great argument and in the end she lost her friend. Eventually, the only thing left--her husband's house--got burnt. She has nothing right now as we speak..."

My aunt began to weep aloud. My classteacher tried all she could to console her: she wouldn't listen.

"Is there God?" she asked. I was stunned. Was it not my aunty who added 'God' to my poem few days back? Was she not the same woman who was running from church services to miracle crusades some months back? How come she was doubting God now?

"I think there is God," I answered back.

"What is the proof that there is God?" my aunty challenged me.

"The proof?" I asked. Suddenly, I thought of the piece of paper my poem was done into. Though crumpled, yet powerful because God was in it.

I placed the poem on a table and began to demonstrate the last three stanzas with my hands:

Oh! my idle hands
Speaking idle words
Brain befuddled,
Like a mouldy cake
God isn't an idol
And he is for real
He will forever heal

Taller than the heavens
Brighter than the sun
His ways are glaring
Though to us blurry
'Cos we are human
Seeing a bit afar

Through the twilight
The stars bowed
The rainbow cowed
The gaoler turned the gates
Leading my mother out
Freedom at last!

"Aunty, if there was no God I wouldn't have won the award. You added God to my poem and I won. So I believe there is God."

My aunty looked incredibly at me for sometimes. She couldn't believe it. She was in tears. My classteacher went close to her and gave her a tight hug; I joined them. We were all weeping.

My aunty and my classteacher suddenly loosened their grip on each other. My teacher made for the door while my aunty quickly wiped off the tears on her face and sat up. Definitely there was a knock at the door but I couldn't hear the sound.

My teacher's mouth went wide when a woman stared into her face at the door. A cruel look was glommed to her face. She had her arms akimbo like a beauty pageant. The eyelashes on her face were mere marks made with eye pencils, having scraped off her real eyelashes. She was blinking her eyes intermittently in a belligerent manner.
She was Toyosi, my stepmother, or would I say my father's concubine? What was her mission here?

Now I knew I would have to wait for twenty minutes or thereabout in silence because the house was hot in voice language already. Nobody had the time to interprete. They were in war of words with Toyosi.

Toyosi left after her rantings and shoutings. Now I await the interpretation of all the rancour unfolded before my face.

"Why was she here?" I asked.

CHAPTER NINETEEN


Since the day before when my aunty's home was burnt, she hadn't spoken a word to me. It made me almost go insane.

My classteacher had taken us to her place at Magodo. Since her husband was a london-based businessman, we wouldn't have any problem putting up with her till further notice. Her two sons and only daughter were all in the UK with their father.

Mrs Oyin called me into the parlour. Then, my aunt was fast asleep.

"Why did you do that, Rose?" she asked me.

"It wasn't intentional!" I replied her. I had begun to sob.

"I am not talking about the fire accident, Rose," she said. "That was the devil's work and God must have a good reason for it because according to a Yoruba proverb, a King's house that got burnt would only bring about more beauty in the end. I am only asking why you left the graduation ceremony like that."

I couldn't explain clearly. I didn't even know what to explain.

"I--I..." I couldn't speak on. I was down in tears.

"Rose, congratulations!" she said.

"For what?" I asked. It was strange to me. What was here to be getting congratulated for? For all I care, I have only been a thorn in everybody's flesh--my mother imprisoned because of me, my aunt's embarrassed and rendered homeless, all because I am existing.

"Rose, guess what?"

"I can't guess," I said.

"Your poem won you a lot of prizes!" she said. "You were announced as the best graduands of the ceremony."

"How?" I couldn't believe my eyes. She must be joking. "Do you mean that...that poem in which I lambasted God?"

Mrs Oyin unzipped her bag and produced the piece of paper into which I wrote the poem. I was shocked when I checked and discovered three more stanzas added to it:

Oh! my idle hands
Speaking idle words
Brain befuddled,
Like a mouldy cake
God isn't an idol
And he is for real
He will forever heal

Taller than the heavens
Brighter than the sun
His ways are glaring
Though to us blurry
'Cos we are human
Seeing a bit afar

Through the twilight
The stars bowed
The rainbow cowed
The gaoler turned the gates
Leading my mother out
Freedom at last!

I was shocked.

"Who added these stanzas?" I was quick to ask.

"Thanks to your aunt. She picked it up and recited those stanzas offhand while looking into the paper blankly. Everyone thought it was the continuation of your poem and a round of applause rented the air for you in absentia. The scream was deafening. They wished you were around."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Rose. It was a standing ovation, unfortunately you weren't there. A lot of gifts were awarded--a bicycle by the governor-representative, an electric kettle, electric blenders, all for you. My car boot was filled to the brim yesterday."

"I don't believe this," I was confused.

"After the party, the PA to the Commissioner for Education, Honorable Daniel, picked interest in the poem. He asked to see the write-up, therefore myself and your aunt brainstormed and came up with these. We had to strain our brains to remember every word of the three stanzas she had rendered impromptu. Then we wrote it down here and showed him."

"Awesome!"

"Not only that, Rose, Judimax, a publishing company also showed interest in your poem and they asked that you should provide them with nine more to add to your anthology. You have won yourself a publishing contract with them. They would publish you under the title: Rose's Anthology; The Voice Of The Deaf Mute."

I wept. I was shy. How would I be able to face the world? Didn't I have my limitation? More so, how would I be able to write nine more touching poems? That one I wrote came as a result of luck. I could write nine more craps and make a fool of myself.

"Please ma, let's forget about all that for now. I am only twelve so what can I do? You said I won a lot of awards ma. Where are they?"

"All gone in flame in your aunt's store room."

I wept.

CHAPTER SIX
RECEPTION BY DECEPTION

Ted had gone miles in search of the said genius in the campus, who, according to Henry, was having the same Grade Point Average as Henry. If Ted had found him, he would have extended a hand of friendship to him immediately, not minding the fact that Henry could be skeptical about the motive behind such ideated friendship, but unfortunately Ted’s effort was not fecund. He never saw someone like such.

Two years back, Ted had carried out such kind of exercise too, to discover Henry. Having heard about Henry then, Ted came to the Physics Department where Henry had belonged, to seek for him. Prior to that time Henry was without a single friend, having determined before getting into the campus that he was not going to have one. When Ted came around, Henry made it known to him that he was going to be faithful to his rather seemingly impossible resolution, but Ted assured Henry that it was not going to be possible.

“It’s a lie young man. No man can live in isolation,” Ted had said.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Henry voiced out, red with anger. He was undoubtedly a Prima Donna, never wanting to accept his flaws.

“ That’s who you are if you are telling me that,” replied Ted, fearlessly. Henry moved closer and held the collar of Ted’s shirt rudely, shouting out some swear words:

“Look at this idiotic mad fellow! I hate liars all my life. How dare you call me a liar!”

“So that you can hate yourself,” replied Ted, “for lying that you can be in isolation.”

Hearing Ted’s reply, Henry left the collar of his shirt in a way that seemed he had been affected by the boy’s speech. However, he looked at him with a wrinkled face and yelled, “Bastard” at him as he turned around to leave.

“Ain’t you going to consider my proposal… to become your friend?” said Ted, remaining on the spot.

“Never!” shouted Henry cruelly without turning back to look at him. “We can never be friends.”

“You’re wrong,” said Ted. “We shall be best friends…soonest.” On hearing that Henry turned back. He was at it again, wanting to win an argument. He came to Ted.

“I bet you, we shall never be,” yelled Henry as they hooked their index fingers together briskly to seal the bet.

Hardly had Henry left when a female student walked up to Ted. She was Henry’s departmental mate—Susie.

“Hey guy, you want to make friend with somebody?” she said. Ted was shocked, because he never noticed anyone was around during the course of his conversation with Henry. However he answered, “Yes…that boy over there.”

“Hmm,” sounded Susie. “You can’t get him, I’m assuring you. Seems like he’s autistic,” said Susie in a critical and rather genuine manner.
“Autistic or no I’m getting him, as far as he’s a genius and—I’m a geniophile,” Ted had said, not minding the fact that his last word could be grammatically unsuitable for what he had meant it for.

Susie, not taking into consideration the fact that Ted was just meeting her for the first time, had demanded for a bet instantly, in opposition to what Ted had just said. Ted agreed to the bet and the wager was agreed upon by the two—some paltry amount of money.
“Give me a week and he’ll be my best friend,” Ted had said.

Henry was going to write a test. Suddenly, some groups of boys, who had on them some tattered jean trousers and bedraggled hair, encircled him. They were mixture of the Whites and the Black Americans.

“Hey,” said one of them, snatching his schoolbag. “You’ve got to drop something for the guys.”

“My Bottom,” replied Henry inimically, pointing a finger at his buttock ridiculously.
“You’ll pay for that—with your test,” the gutted boys said. Henry soon realized it was no child’s play when his hands were suddenly held backward by those guys and he was lifted off the ground. He shouted.

“Leave me alone. I’m almost late.” His words seemed not sufficient to make them have a change of mind. But Ted was around just in time to rescue Henry from their unfriendly hoist.

“Leave the poor boy alone,” Ted demanded.

“Who the hell are you?” said the guy in whose hands Henry was.

“I’m Ted,” Ted replied, “He’s a gentle boy.”

“It’s none of our business. He’s got to give us something,” they said with a tone of hostility.

“He’s a genius,” Ted said. As if those boys were genius—freaks they put Henry down gently, each of them stretching their palms before him, this time not to ask for money, but to demand an autograph.

“We’re very sorry,” they said. “Please your autograph.” Henry picked his pen, which had fallen off his bag, from the floor. Like a celebrity Henry scribbled his signature into the palm of each boy.

“Thanks,” they said happily, leaving him.

Henry stood like an , looking shamefacedly at Ted. Just as he was about to say a word one of the boys ran back to them. Henry had almost run away for fear that he was coming for him again to ride roughshod on him, but to his utmost surprise the guy said, “My second palm too” stretching it before him. Henry signed into it again, then the guy skittered away childishly, looking into his newly autographed left palm.

“Thanks,” said Henry to Ted in a whisper, “You won me.” He shook hands with Ted, who was grinning excitedly. Susie was watching them covertly too. It staggered her to see them together at last, being the seventh day Ted had given as a deadline for the bet. Since she did see clearly the event that led to the friendship between the two, she was going to find out the real cause of it at the expense of the test she was soon to write. She hid herself somewhere, watching Ted’s movement.

After Henry’s departure, Ted walked slowly to the bullies. Seemed he had been in connivance with them from the onset to get Henry deceived. They gathered round him, stretching their palms towards him, but this time it seemed they were not asking for an autograph.

“The money,” they demanded and Ted tucked his right hand inside his pocket, brought out some money and delivered it into the waiting hand of one of them. At this time the autograph signed by Henry was no more on their palms. They had all got rid of them by scrubbing their palms together, having spat little saliva into them for easy erasure of the unwanted autographs.

Susie smiled, having got the mystery solved. She had it settled in her mind that Ted had colluded with those guys to get Henry deceived. She had to rush down to her class in order not to be late for the test.

Ted later came demanding for his bet from Susie. She refused giving it to him, letting him know that he had achieved the feat in a dishonest manner. To make Ted agree to the non-remittance of the wager, Susie threatened to blackmail him. Ted had to forgo the money for good, since he wouldn’t want to lose Henry, whom he had paid dearly for, to earn his friendship.

Susie was going to coerce Ted into telling Henry her feelings towards him. Henry was adamant. He never listened to Ted, telling him that he had aversion towards the opposite gender, using his sister as an example.
“I’m not interested in girls,” Henry had said. In a short moment his keenness with Ted had become full-blown. Susie was jealous, having been chasing after Henry right from the first month on campus, but had never been considered once by Henry.

Susie felt that by intensifying her threats towards Ted, much pressure would be mounted upon him to as well intensify the talks concerning her before Henry, believing that one day Henry was going to change his orientation toward her, but it seemed she was making a mistake. Henry was willful still.

Susie began to blackmail Ted, receiving some paltry sums of cash from him often. Ted had no option then than to give them to her, to avoid losing his friend. All of a sudden Ted was fed up, but not until Susie had bilked him to bankruptcy. He told Susie to go ahead and tell Henry about it and she never hesitated to do such.

Surprisingly, Henry was not a bit perturbed by the news. He only confronted Ted to confirm the authenticity of the news and Ted unequivocally admitted that Susie’s observation was the truth. Thereafter Henry didn’t take any step whatsoever to end the relationship with Ted. Instead his abhorrence for Susie congealed from that moment, on the ground that she had swindled Ted, his new friend often.

Susie was sad that she had made a fool of herself by reporting the case to Ted, who could have been the only hope of bringing her into a chummy relationship with Henry. Realizing her mistake, she later went to Ted secretly to apologize, yet she never restored all the cash she had extorted from him since Ted never asked her for that.

It went on that way between Henry and Susie until two years later (the day Henry had the hug with her in the rain) when she finally had his favor, but Henry had already begun to cast his eyes at Cynthia before then.

Ted’s quest for geniuses on campus had also led him to a bully called Julius. Ted had misconstrued the macho man for a genius, having heard friends and foes call him ‘Genius’. He never knew that the senior student had only acquired such name by bullying on some weaker ones. Julius had asked to be called by such name and they had to give it to him to avoid his avoidable troubles.

Ted, being a first-year student then, had approached Julius to ask for his hands in friendship, but the guy had treated him badly.
“What level are you?” asked Julius cruelly as he grabbed Ted’s scruff forcibly.

“A first year student,” Ted spoke in a shaky tone.
“First year!” exclaimed Julius, expressing shock. He had counted it a discourteous attitude for a first year student to walk up to someone like him, a final-year student. He would have him disgraced.

“I’ll teach you how to respect your seniors,” Julius had said, shoving him away and winking concurrently to his followers. As if under the influence of a remote control, they descended on Ted, beating him blue-black and getting rid of his trousers, but leaving him with his underwear, at least to let him have something to still make do with. However, they went away with his pocket money, pulling out the inner part of his pocket.

Ted since then had kept an eye on the rogue, Julius, waiting eagerly for an opportunity to revenge. Going by the look of things then such opportunity might not come and therefore Ted might need to wait for long in vain. But Ted’s hope came alive suddenly when the dean, Professor Wilson, had him initiated into magic, having made the man his friend when he got to know that he was a genius.

When Julius was graduating, he was preparing to receive an award for the hip-hop music he’d entertained the audience with (having sang in the graduation ceremony). He mounted the podium to receive his award from Professor Wilson’s hands, but something unbelievable happened. As he opened his mouth for a smile, his teeth, all of them, were discovered missing. Despite the disgusting sight, many still held up their cameras to take a view of the toothless bully. Ted’s doing!

CHAPTER FIVE
THE PROFESSOR’S RETRIBUTION

Henry rose from bed. The first place he headed was the bathroom. Turning on the knob, he had his bath under the shower. The ablution was done perfunctorily, something unusual with him. Henry had always taken painstaking care of his body in the past, spending over half an hour in the bathroom each time. But those bathing periods were never without deliberate complaints from Kate, who would always want to have her bath same time he was having his, neglecting the fact that there were several other bathrooms she could have made use of. She would bang the door forcefully, hollering on the top of her voice that Henry had lingered too long in there. Many at times Henry would come out, half-dressed, with lather all over his body, to deal brutally with her. Indeed Kate was the pugnacious type.

Back to the thought of the impending punishment, Henry’s heart lurched. Though not intending to fast, Henry decided to skip breakfast. The first familiar face he saw that foggy morning was Susie’s own. Surprisingly her eyes were misty, almost like the prototype of the nimbostratus cloud covering the sky that morning. Henry was still trying to deduce something when tears began to flow down Susie’s face. Coincidentally, perhaps incidentally, the sky began to shed tears too. It was raining.

Henry, never wanting to be cozened by her supposed slyness, made a U-turn away from Susie’s direction.

“A second look could mean another trouble,” Henry thought, “Sphinx!”

Henry had only trekked few distances when Ted and himself ran into one another. His countenance fell because he felt that he was soon going to be ridiculed for losing the argument.

“Henry, how’s the mirror?” said Ted in a humorous manner. “I hope it’s not in pieces yet.”
“Nope,” replied Henry, wanting to deliberately exhibit an amazingly humongous terseness. As expected, Ted said, “I won the argument, you lost.”

“Agreed,” said Henry dissatisfied. “How did you make me use the mirror?”

Ted smiled and said, “Oh, simple. Any member ready to speak with another need not do anything other than to pick the mirror, call the name of the one he would like to speak with. I bet you, the urge will come on such to pick up the mirror instantly. Communication begins from there.”

“Wow!” Henry exclaimed. “I’ve been so foolish to have said I’m not using it.”

“Maybe,” said Ted hilariously, giggling, but discovered that Henry was not in a good mood. He asked Henry what was wrong and the latter explained—the ‘Susie-Dean’ issue.

Ted felt sorry for Henry and assured him that the Professor’s punishment was not going to be unbearable.

Henry entered the dean’s office.

Henry came out perplexed. It was his turn to have the kind of eyes Susie was carrying earlier—misty eyes. But this time there was no drizzle from the sky, even after a drop of tear had torn itself apart from the whole mass of the salty fluid being secreted from the lachrymal gland of Henry’s left eye. The tear ran down his cheek, into his mouth and subconsciously Henry licked it.

Henry now had with him a pile of books, numbering up to twelve, each having some copious amounts of pages. He had entered with none, but had come out with twelve. Silently Henry recalled in his mind the event that had led to that:

“Welcome Henry,” said the dean. “Here’s your punishment…”

“Sir, I can explain.”

“No explanation dudes. Nothing’s going to lift your punishment off you.”

“I never tell anybody.”

“Got no time for folktales. Yesterday’s gone, can never be mended—we’d better face the present, and—the future. Listen carefully now…to your punishment…”

“You’re not going to punish an innocent soul, are you?”

“Not at all,” said the man. “But I’ll punish the guilty you.”

“Sir,” said Henry. He was going to try this last time, perhaps he could be lucky to escape the looming retribution that was soon to be meted out on him. “I didn’t tell anybody…but I told…”

“Who?”

“Nobody.”

“Ssh!” said the man. “You’ve said this before, and it’s a lie for God’s sake. You told Susie, didn’t you?”

“I’ll explain. You said I shouldn’t tell anybody, to me Susie was a ‘nobody’ and I told her. I didn’t tell anybody,” deduced Henry, not sure if his foxy skill would suffice to win the dean over. The man replied immediately, “To me Susie can just be anybody, I said don’t tell anybody but you told Susie—anybody.” Henry succumbed. The dean won.

“Listen—I’m delivering a seminar on Nuclear Physics in eleven days time. Henry, competent Professors worldwide are presenting same topic, but Henry—I want to win the prize. I’ve spent less time preparing, because I’ve also got two more seminars to deliver on other disciplines.”

“Wow!” screamed Henry.

“See, winning may bring me much fame and—I need it. I guess it’s the reason I’m alive today—get whatever I can get and fade away.” He budged to the shelf, took out a huge textbook and handed it to Henry. As if that was not enough, the man lingered on before the shelf, taking more and more of such kind of book out of the same shelf and saying, “Take this… and this… and this” as he handed them to Henry one after the other. He stopped at the twelfth, when Henry was strained already, more than his ‘elastic limit’.

“Henry, trust me, I’m not going to ask you to memorize everything inside there at once. Trust me.”

Hearing such allayed Henry’s fear. He was already nursing the feeling that the dean was going to ask him to read all at once and tell him everything inside them verbatim before the dean had said otherwise.

“Don’t panic. Just go through ’em all, prepare for me an award-winning synopsis for the seminar. Seven days to do this Henry, else…” The man paused deliberately.

“Seven days?”

“Yeah,” re-affirmed the dean.

“I can’t,” Henry rebuffed acutely. “It’s Impossible!”

“You can do it Henry. You’re a genius…” The dean saw him shuddering. “Listen boy, it’s a must for you to do it, else…”

“Else what?” asked Henry, petrified with fear.

“Else…” repeated the man, “something’ll happen to you”.

“I won’t,” Henry said obdurately.

“You’ve got no choice boy. Remember it’s a punishment—for your trespass. So go on, do it.”

Henry had plodded out of the dean’s office, engrossed in the seemingly onerous task ahead of him. He blamed everything on his joining the occult world.

“If I hadn’t joined, I wouldn’t have been asked not to tell anybody and…that sphinx wouldn’t have had anything to divulge to the dean concerning me.”

Looking ahead instantly, he saw the so-called ‘sphinx’ distances away, coming towards his direction. The urge descended on him immediately to demo his yet unproved magical power by using it on her, but his attention was diverted instantly, having been snapped by some unknown persons, with some sophisticated cameras they had adventitiously carried with them.

“poo!” Henry screamed when he saw the snappers scurry away, chortling hilariously. They were bevy of ladies, whose intention was unknown; perhaps they had been intrigued by the sight of Henry bearing twelve humongous textbooks and they had felt like having the scene preserved in a permanent format for easy reference.

Henry made a surreptitious move, but Susie, being eagle-eyed, had seen him already with her bulgy frog-like eyes. Behind her was Ted Manuel, both walking toward him. Well at eyeshot, Henry could see them vividly. Susie’s face was gloomy and wet with tears as it had been earlier that morning. Henry was baffled.

“I’m very sorry,” she said penitently, sobbing silently. Henry’s heart melted instantly, observing her display.

“Sorry for what, Susie?” asked Henry, raising some speculative eyebrows.

“I caused it all,” she said, pointing to the books Henry’s hands were laden with. “All you went through,” she added.

“I’ve not told you I went through anything,” said Henry.

“I’m sure this is the Professor’s retribution for my action. He told me that he was going to give you the most impossible task on earth. What are these for?” she said, touching the books being piled up on top of Henry’s adjoined palms.

“Never mind,” Henry replied imperviously. “Just let me be.”

At that juncture Ted barged in, having been mute all the while. Ted said, “Henry, Susie’s regretting her action now. She told me that she was wrong; that the dean had confessed to her that you both really had appointment yesterday—”

“But it was suspended eventually,” said Susie, interrupting Ted to speak for herself. “I’m sorry for everything,” she said once more.

Still speaking some other people came around again, releasing flashes of light on Henry from their capturing gadgets. They were males this time. Henry’s annoyance was excited. He made swift movements to leave the scene, but Susie hurried to catch up with him. She stood right in front of him to halt his walk.

“I’m very sorry Henry. It’s my fault. I’ll sure deal with those girls.”

“Which girls?” responded Henry rudely. He was incredibly stunned that Susie had seen his first set of snappers, whom he had felt that she never saw, since she was not around yet when they did snapped him.

Susie replied, “Those ladies that gave you the first round of snapshots a while ago.” It then occurred to Henry that Susie wasn’t the type to cast aside as far as optical genius is concerned. Her tears flowed down again in torrents and the raindrops began to descend again, this time in torrents. Henry handed the books to Ted, who had already placed his umbrella over his own head. Henry was going to hug her.

During the moment of embrace there was snapshot again; this time Ted’s handiwork, having placed down the textbooks and spread the umbrella over them, being wary of the intense consequences that could accompany the destruction of the dean’s books if they got soaked with the raindrops. Ted bore them up again later and said, “Henry, these books are heavy” as he handed them over to Henry again…

CHAPTER FIVE

Yemi was left to vaccilate in silence. He had a choice to make within minutes--a choice to commit a criminal act and get into trouble or to reject and face just one thing, death. How would he get out of this catastrophe? He couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, no one needed to tell him that it wasn't always the truth that indicted criminals were guilty all the time.

Who knows if Mr. Aluko was forced this way to take up the political post in the first place? he thought. There's more to public display than just what a layman sees. A masquerade will not dance if there wasn't a song to propel him.

Yemi now believed that a moral man can never keep his moral lifestyle for too long in a corrupt nation such as Nigeria. What would become of an innocent fellow who was sent to prison unjustly? Won't he come out there to turn into what he was not initially? Such person would seek revenge with all his strength, killing the innocent the more.

The innocent suffer the crime of the guilty Deinde would be set free while he would be imprisoned forever.

Yemi's thought soon went the other way round:

Perhaps Mr. Aluko sent this people to get Deinde away so that the case would have no head. But why is it me they wanted for this? There are over a hundred million of people out there who would have helped better, Yemi thought and wept.

Verses curled from Aluko Peter's book titled UPENDED:

The world has gone insane. Life has turned crazy--everything in it is running amuck. The innocent suffer guilt and the guilty enjoy the reward of innocence. The moral suffer loss, the immoral get the gain. The decent pay dearly for the indecency of the indecent. A good person gets bad reward and a bad person gets good reward. You sow nice seed, you get weed--a bad wage for a good work. You work round the clock but get bound and locked.

Animal rules, criminals choose--no nose to breathe in peace. Death draws nearer than life; sweat pores gets enlarged for sweat to pour--more tears on faces, on the worn faces of a race that is black, a race which lacks the quality of love, the love which brings cordiality into lives-- lives that are precious to its owner--owner of life who shall require his blood from the hands of his murderer, murderers who walks about to wreck more havoc--havoc which turns many precious lives into dirt...

Yemi was lost in the meditation of the texts he had memorized. When he got out of it and raised his head, the butt of a heavy gun sank down on his temple. Mouth blushed! Heart lurched! Tears rushed! Blood gushed! Blackout!

When Yemi opened his eyes back to live again, he found himself in a car, the car that was taking him to do the dirty job; the dirty job that would put his life in danger; his life that was rosy few moments back, those moments he was spending his last fun with his family; his family which was ever ready to love.

"What will happen to me?" his heart beat fast as he asked.

"We will keep you safe," Momoh assured as he drew in smoke. "Just get him out first."

Actually, Momoh wasn't going to spare Yemi after setting Deinde free. They would kill both of them.

"What's the plan you have on ground to keep me safe?" Yemi asked calmly. He had accepted his fate.

"We are all leaving this country this night to Benin Republic," Momoh assured him. "All the necessary arrangements have been made."

"Are we leaving with Deinde?"

"Yes of course!" Momoh said as if he was saying the truth. "Just do as we shall instruct and you will be safe with us--you and your family."

Yemi held his nose tight. The pain at the edge of his nostril was affecting him seriously. Each second they spend on the road made him panic.

"What about my family?" Yemi asked again.

"I told you they'll be safe!" Momoh yelled. He was losing patience.

Yemi felt like hitting him hard on the head. But even if he was lucky to get rid of Momoh, he would have other gang members to face, those ones staying right inside his home. They would wipe out his family at once--his innocent daughter, his namesake and life partner and probably his half-brother too.

Yemi began to think of informing the Prison Warden of the Alagbon Prison Service. He knew Yemi so much, perhaps he would be of help.

"And don't you try anything silly," Momoh said as if his eyes were x-ray of the mind.

How did he know what I'm thinking about? Yemi thought.

Yemi found everything offensive, the sound of the sound engine of the car Momoh was driving now, the bellows from the horn, the clanging sound of the silencer. A bead of perspiration stood over his forehead like the morning dew on the windscreen of an abandoned vehicle. Yemi licked off the sweat with a finger.

He was shutting his eyes intermittently, such that at every shutting, he imagined a horrendous sight. At a time, he saw himself hanging and at another time he saw his wife killed. When he shut them the last time, he saw Bimbo Molested. He had to try all means not to shut those eyes in thought anymore, else he would see more heartrending sights.

An idea had suddenly occured; he would struggle the steering with Momoh and they would both die in a fatal accident. He had to stifle the idea when he remembered the guns were presently on two foreheads back home.

A long distance away from the Alagbon prison, the car pulled up.

"Go down now Mr. Yemi," Momoh commanded.

"I should go down?" Yemi said in a confused manner. His brain was addled to the point that he didn't even know what he was doing anymore.

"You heard me!" Momoh hollered. "Now you must return here with Deinde, right? Don't come here alone, okay?"

"O-kay," Yemi said and then kept mute. He stepped down from the car and made to go, but then, Momoh tapped his shoulder and said, "Remember, if you f*ck up, your family shall be wiped off."

Momoh opened an enclosure in the car and brought out a bag. He quickly took a pistol out of its bolster and handed it over to Yemi.

"For what?"

"Give that to Deinde," he said. "He knows what to do with it."

Yemi felt like releasing a shot at his forehead. Each time he tried to pull the trigger, he remembered his family.

What threat could be more? What is life's worth without a family member--a nuclear family for that matter, Yemi thought. If his family was wiped out, he would have to go sixteen years back in life; that is if himself come out alive. And who shall Yemi tell the 'a thing' of tragedy?

Yemi hadn't been this late for work. Perhaps his lateness would arouse suspicion if eventually he got Deindd out of the cell successfully.

Yemi changed to duty cloth. Unlike the other times, he had no cheers on his cheeks. Now there would be no sitting around with the police to discuss. Fear was italicized on his face. He had gnawed all his fingernails away to ease off his tension. He sank a finger into his temple to feel the strains on the veins in there. His eyes secreted eye gums, a sticky one.

Now, Yemi had to let Deinde lose at 10pm. Deinde was the only inmate left alone in a cell of all the thousands of inmates there. In other cells, eight to ten inmates had to be crammed together. Deinde was only enjoying the privilege because his case was the most special one now--a case of a high-classed murder--the murder of Senator Smith, a very rich man who was the Governor-elect.

As a matter of fact, it was obvious that the Governor would do anything to make sure justice was done on whoever was found guilty of the crime. He would pay with his last blood to see that Deinde was punished, as well as all his sponsors.

Now Yemi's fear heightened when he remembered how the Governor had addressed the public on that issue:

"It is so disheartening that a candidate under the auspices of the Friendship Party, my own party, was massacred this way. How so sad that in a civillised community such as we have here, some opposers still employ the axe of cruelty to hack down their rivals. What a pity?! But I, the incumbent Governor shall not relent. I can't stomach this barbaric slap on my face by some coward political party who believes that getting power from us is best achieved by killing our candidates. We say no way to undemocratic political party!"

The governor ended the speech that day almost weeping. He had to rely on his white handkerchief to keep his face dry.

Yemi felt he should have asked Momoh a question. Now it was too late to go out there to ask, else he would be suspected after the deed had been done.

Yemi wasn't even relying on Momoh's plan to get them away to Benin Republic after the act had been done. He was looking for a way of doing it without being suspected at all by anyone, such that he could retain his job and his family.

Yemi was walking aimlessly around the compound, biting his lips as if those lips had a hand in his predicament.

"Oh God, see me through," Yemi called on his creator at last and heaved.

classiclee:

If you go dull yourself this time around na you sabi am oo

[color=#990000][/color]Trust me, this time it's not gonna happen!!

Re: AS E DEY HAPPEN (PIDGIN TORY WEY SWEET WELLA)
« #46 : 11 November 2014, 06:02:38 »
January 1, 2014
7am-9pm

The food way I cook for new year nor even sweet for my mouth at all. If I know I for allow that girl help me cook the food; that girl way wan make sure say she get me by all means. If to say I invite her to cook for me, she nor go think twice before she go gree but Titi go dey do yanga if to say na her.

I receive some text message way dey wish me happy new year. Now na another year we dey so, yet the person way I wan marry I never sabi am. Maybe make I begin do sharp guy joor. Emeka don invite me say make I follow am go club many times but I go dey tell am say I no like that kine thing. Maybe I fit see one babe for club, who know. E be like say this night na me and Emeka go gather go that club house.

Emeka hold me kon shake me like Tecno phone way dey vibrate.

"Yes! Now you sef don dey think like big man! I like your decision, Emeka. No P, I go carry you go tonight. I go spend on you so tey..."

"Eh, eh, eh...I no send you message o Nneemeka. Wetin I dey find go there na housewife, nothing else."

"Wife?" Emeka laugh. "Wife for club?"

"Yes na!" I tok kon give Emeka one close look. "You think say good girls no go dey there abi?"

"Well. Me no tok say dem no fit dey o. But wait o, you no dey run that Titi rons again?"

"Forgot that one joor, she don get owner jare."

"How you take sabi?" Emeka ask me with strong face.

"She share testimony for church today. She tok say na Olagoke Adeyemo be her Mister Right. Me don give up jare."

"Olagoke? That 419?"

"Yes o, na him."

"Come, Wetin you kon dey yarn here? Make we treat that guy fvck up nah!"

"How we go do am?" I ask Emeka. Emeka whisper inside my ears. I laugh. E go good like that jare.

Me and Emeka meet for junction around that kine 8pm. Me don Behind wella. I go make sure say I see person woo tonight wella.

The DJ just dey start when we reach the club. The music just dey rock like wetin happen. People begin step to dance floor. Me sef join them like say I don tey for clubbing too. Na second time way I go taste bear be that.

That DJ sabi mic songs abeg. I just dey feel am well. One babe roll come my side. We begin dance together. She tall kon dey pretty. She discover say I no fit dance so she begin help me. Me just count myself lucky say I don see fresh fish. Suddenly, she begin roll comot for my side just the way wey she take roll come before. I roll follow am. She don face another guy sha.

I look myself. Wetin wrong nah. I no bad for handsomeness and appearance na. I raise my face make I see who be that guy way wan hijack Sandra, the girl wey dey dance with me. Our two faces meet each other. Na Olagoke Adeyemo!!!

Now I kon sabi wetin den dey call interlude for film. I just shock so tey I no fit do anything. Hin too halt Hin dance kon dey stare for my face. The space of time wey both of us no talk go fit do three advertisements come back.

"Titilayo Adelanwa," I tok point finger for hin face. "You are under arrest!"

I rub my eyes like say stone don enter ram. The thing nor fit see clearly again o. Abi no be Titi dey front so? How manage? How Titi go dey share that kind testimony for new year day? Over my dead body! I tok kon snap my fingers.

My body just dey shake like person wey just stop dey sniff cocaine. Abi na Parkinson disease I develop suddenly? Person wey I love wan kon go marry person wey I hate. Kasala go burst today.

Pastor begin do new year prayer:

"Yes, we are in the new year 2014. Can someone give a loud shout to the lord!!?"

Titi begin scatter ground with her loud shout kon dey raise her hands like say she wan touch ceiling. Me just open one eyes down like Nokia torchlight phone wey no fit off again.

Bomb scatter church suddenly. Guy, the thing too too sound joor. Nobody fit even think say Boko Haram don enter Lagos. Kon see race. Titi don evaporate sharperly.

"Come back! Come back we have not collected our offering!" Pastor begin shout loud, but church Don scatter already. "It is just mere banger! Banger! please come back to pay your offerings. Offering time..."

Na only pastor dey for that one o. This one wey we don dey here tay tay say Boko Haram wan bomb places for January 1. Na that banger sound remind people of that thing wey kon put fear for everybody mind. The roof of church don even catch fire sef. Na some ushers run go fetch fire extinguisher take off am. Nobody show face say Na him throw the banger enter church.

Stampede don happen for entrance as people dey rush comot for church. Yet, Titi no even dey where I fit see am. Chai! Yoloba girls too dey fear mheen!!!

Who kon throw those heavy banger enter church nah? This one wey be say no other church for that street open church crossover programme, person kon still get the gut dey frighten people wey risk their life come out for midnight for the crossover service.

If no be Titi way I find come church, me for dey my house dey rest sef. Now na bad news I kon use my ears hear. Anyway, things never spoil at all at all. That wedding no go hold Na Hin be the thing. Na me must marry Titi, no matter what.

One mind tell me say mey I go meet pastor for front tell am wetin happen, but the second mind tell me say make I get patient small.

I begin waka go my house fold my hands together like person wey don bedwet. I see where den dey roast suya Na so I branch. Na #100 dey hand, but e go fit reach me chop small suya Na. I join the suya queue like 'oya'.

The mallam sharp die, just like Hin knife. I remember those years wey mallam dey deal with the Lagosians home and away. Den go kill yourba for north kon kill dem for their backyard(Agege)again. Na OPC bring abrupt end to that kine thing o.

Sharply, the 'Northerner' don run butcher the meat roll am inside newspaper for me kon sama pepper and onion on top for me. Na garri me dey like use suya chop o, but this time around me go just eat am like that because me no wan use garri start new year, else, person no go get money take eat real food throughout the year. Na dat kine believe grandma slice my head put.

As one chunk of suya enter my mouth like this, my heart vibrate like say my Tecno phone dey right inside my ribs dey vibrate. Na my conscience grip me so.

"Wetin happen?" I ask myself. Na my brain function like mouth reply me say, "You just chop your offering money."

"Chi mo! For new year? Kai! I don enter ram."

Pukka36:
Hahaha!


Chai....e pain/shock am

lol

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I pulled at the gate and got into my aunty's compound. That verandah was waterlogged as usual. Since my aunty's husband's death, she hadn't had enough money to put it right.

I looked around, all the clothes on the line had been drained. All the undies had been blown off the line. I began to pick them up to hang them back one after the other. I had to stand on tiptoes to put them across the wire.

I traipsed to the door. It was locked.

Does that mean my aunty hadn't arrived yet? I pondered. I checked the time on my little digital wristwatch. It displayed 88:88. It was strange to me.

"What do you mean?" I whispered to the watch. No response. If it had replied me, how would I have heard its voice. I checked the watch, water resistant.

I sprawled beside the entrance door. The tiled floor was unusually cold. I shivered uncontrollably. My teeth shook like bomb blast. It was as if I would freeze up in the next minute.

The memory of the event came up in my head--why did I leave the venue that way? Anyway, I still didn't feel any guilt that I spoke against God. I would even do more if situation warranted it, I hissed.

I remembered Moses. He was the boy who helped me to the Egbeda bus park while I was in Ejigbo--first time a male would assist me; Bode and John weren't so kind. He even paid for my transport fare without my knowledge. Were it not for the bus conductor who refused to collect my transport fare when I was alighting, I wouldn't have known that he had paid for me.

I read out the name he wrote on a sheet of paper he handed to me before leaving me alone. It contained his name and home address:

Immaculate Moses; Plot 5, Estate Road, Lekki.

My attention was shifted to that moment I was in the Egbeda bus waiting for it to be filled up. A boy peeped into the bus from the window. He was dressed in an outfit lacking taste and glory. His hair was curled up like popcorns. He wore a long chain on his neck carrying a laminated write-up: I Am Deaf And Dumb, Pls Help Me

The boy saw my face lit up, then he knew I had interest. He quickly gave me a piece of paper and then an envelope. I read what was in the paper:

He is a Deaf and Dumb Student of the Ejigbo Deaf and Dumb School. He needs some money to pay his school fees. Please Help him with any amount. Deaf And Dumb Association of Nigeria

I smiled. It would take a thief to catch a thief, so I got into action, pushing the sliding window aside and putting my hands out of it.

"What is your name?" I asked him in sign language. No response. I had just used the British sign, perhaps he didn't understand that, so I made use of the American sign, still there wasn't any response.

"Don't you have a name?" I kept saying. He was a novice, yet he had claimed to be in a deaf and dumb school. He knew I had already discovered his secret, so he moved on after protruding his lips as if he wanted to have a kiss with somebody, definitely not with me. I knew what he just did; he had just hissed at me.

I am surely a bad market to him, I thought.

I began to freeze in the cold. My spirit and soul had departed my body. I would have to continue the next episode in the land of the non-living.

My eyes flashed open suddenly. I was on a bed, my bed. A candle was lit few inches away from me on a table. My arms could reach the candle.

I gazed at the ceiling. It was my room. How did I get in? I set my eyes at the watch and it was a shock to me when I found it to be 2am.

If I could talk I would have yelled 'What!"

I threw my hand away aimlessly and inadvertently, it brought down the candle upon the rug. The house was on fire but I wasn't aware. I didn't even know that the candle had fallen

I turned at the wall and squeezed my eyes together. I needed to sleep. I would ask my aunt in the morning how it all went--the graduation ceremony.

I turned around on the bed and I saw hell beneath my bed.

Am I dead? Am I in hell right now? God why? Why did you bring me to hell just because I spoke against you once, yet I have spoken well of you a thousand times before and you didn't take me to heaven?

I woke up from my dream. No, I wasn't dreaming--it is real; the house is on fire!

I couldn't quench it. I ran out with a scream and two souls came in a rush; my aunty and my classteacher.

We fought the fire like the firefighters--water, sand, Omo and anything we could think about all to no avail. Few street dwellers even assisted. They called the fire service but the response they heard were snores from the other end of the line--they were drunk with sleep. I don't blame them, since it was midnight.

When my aunt's husband's house was completely brought down with the raging conflagration, I 'heard' the devil's voice: it was time for me to flee to the nearest lagoon.

I ran like lightning, heading to nowhere in particular, but my teacher raised an alarm and I was caught.

My aunty didn't speak a word all through as she watched her only hope go up in flames like Cain's unacceptable sacrifice.

Destinozil:
Love your story bro. Please I would love more of your WE ARE ABLE updates.
#sammyo4real

okay thanks... I'll update that too

rockhillz:
register my presence just like BVN

lol

CHAPTER FOUR

THE SEVENTH QUESTION

“Welcome back,” said the dean.

“Thanks,” replied Henry. Silence followed.

“Now I think you’ve known what you didn’t know—eh.”

“What?” he asked.

“The answers to the seven great questions.” The dean laid more emphasis on the word ‘Great’.

“Yeah,” said Henry.

“What kind of power do great inventors have?”

“Magical power,” said Henry, having based his thoughts on the French inventor and some others he had seen in Gyrus.

“What’s faster than the rocket?”

“Movement in Gyrus,” Henry replied again promptly.

“I wouldn’t need ask on,” said the dean. “I believe you’ve got the answers to all—in Gyrus.”

“Not all.” Henry said, “I got one right back on earth before we left, but you said I was wrong.”

“Which one?” asked the dean, raising up three fingers and smiling.

“Yeah, question number three,” said Henry. “You asked where I would be in forty-five minutes, then I said, in the meeting. But—” Henry paused.

“Keep talking,” said the man.

“You said I was wrong.”

The man guffawed suddenly, making Henry feel embarrassed. The man said, “Ignoramus. Here’s ten minutes past six. We left for Gyrus exactly six p.m, so we’ve only spent ten minutes.”

Henry could hardly wait for the completion of his speech before protesting, “Untrue. I checked my wristwatch in the hall; discovered we’ve spent twelve hours. So, the time should be ten minutes past six a.m now—not six p.m as you’ve said. It’s next day already”

“You’re wrong Henry—still in today. We spent just ten minutes in the meeting.”

Henry said, “About four hundred people spoke over there. How on earth can that happen in ten minutes?” Henry believed he had justified his claim with the simple illustration he had just made, but the dean gainsaid it once more.

“You’re right by saying ‘how on earth’. It’s not possible on earth—remember Gyrus is another planet, where twelve hours equal to ten minutes on earth,” explained the dean.

His explanation appeared not good enough to convince Henry, who was always in his elements as far as argument was concerned.

The dean led him towards the window, opened it, pushed its blinds aside and they peeped.

Through the window, Henry saw his colleagues walking about to their various hostels. They could not have been out there by 6 a.m. He also noticed that the arena was not quite different from how it was when he had entered the dean’s office earlier. Seeing same people at same places Henry began to believe the dean’s words.

He knew they could not have remained in a spot for twelve hours.

“You’re right sir.”

“Always right,” boasted the man. “So, Henry where you’re going to be forty-five minutes from the time I asked the question depends on you.”

To keep his ego inflated, Henry quickly said, “Sir, the sixth question—what’s the answer to it?”

“About a friend, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Henry. “I said I will strangle him.”

“It’s not true. You won’t strangle such.”

“You don’t know my mind, do you?” said Henry.

“I’ll strangle him.”

“You didn’t.” The man looked on him and said,

“You met Ted, I’m pretty sure—your best friend—in Gyrus. He’s been into something good—magic—for the past two years, but he kept silent until you found it out yourself in Gyrus today.”

Henry became cold.

“You didn’t strangle him. I sensed that you felt at home instead, seeing him in there.”

“Yeah, I was,” concurred Henry. “It’s amazing. Sir, how did you know I won’t do that?”

“Seems like you forgot something.”

“What?” demanded Henry instantly.

“That I told you, prior to your initiation, that you can see someone else’s future.”

Henry’s eyeballs rolled to and fro inside their sockets. A sensation of enthusiasm descended on him and he said, a bit louder than how his voice used to be under normal situation, “Sir, the last question, what’s the answer?”

“What’s it about?” said the man, feigning ignorance.

“Can’t remember, but it was the most striking to me then when you were asking me about TEN MINUTES AGO.” Henry had intentionally stressed his last three words. “Can you remind me?”

“I’m not going to. You can walk up to me when you want—but make sure you’ve remembered it, cos I’m not going to answer a question that’s not asked me, cos I’m no simpleton.”

“Sir. I implore you to tell—”

“Forget it!” he yelled.

Henry looked at himself and discovered that the dark mirror was with him. He came with it from Gyrus.

“What’s it for?” said Henry. “Am I supposed to come with it?”

“Yeah, It’s for you. Do anything with it—look into the future, communicate with any member, do anything you want, to whoever you want to see in it.”

Sadly, Henry rose up, preparing to leave, since the dean did not remind him of the seventh question. Coming out of the room, the Professor called his name and said, “It’s forty-five minutes! I was right by saying you are going to decide where you’ll be.”

Henry stooped, glancing at his watch. He saw that it was exactly forty-five minutes. The dean was right, because Henry’s ‘nick-of-time’ decision to leave had seen him out of the office at that time. Therefore, Henry had decided it, fulfilling the dean’s prediction.

Walking away dejectedly, Henry spent time thinking. Leafing through the ‘magazine of thoughts’ in his heart, Henry halted on the thought of his parents; what their reactions would be, should they know about his newly-found approach to life. Arriving at the conclusion that he would be disowned if they should know about it, Henry said, “I don’t give a damn.”

The following day Henry discussed at length with Ted. He asked Ted about the Seventh Question.

“Forgotten. I can’t even remember what it was, let alone supply the answer?” said Ted, transforming his visage to a wrinkled one instantly. Henry noticed it.

Ted said, “Henry, don’t ask me about it anymore.” To Henry’s amazement Ted was fidgeting visibly. Henry was dumbfounded by his friend’s attitude. Henry was about to ask him what was going on when Ted said, “At least for now don’t ask me that question anymore.”

Henry had known Ted for putting someone in suspense, so he felt he should not bother asking him that moment. Henry changed the topic:

“Let’s talk about your Uncle, shall we?”

“Go on, ask about him,” said Ted, wearing a happy face again.

“Ted, does your uncle know about your power?”

“He dare not. He’ll kill me.”

It baffled Henry.

“But—how have you been able to hide the mirror from him these two years?”

“It’s simple. I’ve got a private bathroom where I keep my mirror.”

“Uhm,” Henry said. “Our own bathrooms are free for all. We’ve got none personal.”

“Then try look for alternative.” Ted grinned and added, “How ’bout your parents?”

“They’re doing fine.”

“No—I mean do they know you’re now a magician?”

“They’ll disown me if they do.”

“It’s terrible,’ whispered Ted. “Your mirror—where’s it?”

“In my wardrobe, in the hostel.” Henry faced Ted. “I don’t think I’ll need it.”

“You’ll sure need it. You can’t do without it.”

“Hey man, I’m never concerned with people’s future, ’cos it’s no business of mine. Achievement is all I care for.”

“Was that why you became a citizen—in Gyrus?”
“Nothing else could have pushed me into it.”
“Stop kidding me Henry,” said Ted, disbelieving him. You have the potential already in you—to achieve things, You’ve won eight prominent laurels already, the Spelling Bee twice, International quiz and debate competitions, yet you said you became a magician just because you— ”

“That’s it Ted. I have to.” He brought his face closer to Ted’s and said, “A boy is contending with me result-wise. We’ve got same CGPA. He’s in the Petroleum Engineering. Professor said I’ll edge him if I join the magic.” Ted took it as a laughing matter.”

“Will you stop the joke?” said Ted, giggling. “No one’s as brilliant as you, as far as this campus is concerned.”

“I’m serious,” Henry said, face contorted in a grave manner, with wrinkled nose, typical of a Halloween wizard. Ted had to believe him.

“So… someone’s as good as you here? That fellow must be a first-class recluse—for him not to have been known by all—like you,” concluded Ted. “Petroleum Engineering—uh! What’s the guy’s name?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll sure find out,” Ted resolved.

Henry was bored already. He began to show some blasé attitude to what his friend was saying. He started with yawning, which culminated into sneezing, then coughing. Ted had known him for such displays whenever being bored.

“Hmm—seems you want the topic changed,” said Ted fondly. He had perceived Henry’s thought.

“Got it!” Henry replied. “Have you seen her lately?”

“Who?”

“None other than Cynthia.”

“Oh Henry!” screamed Ted suddenly. “She’s yours already.” He rose up excitedly, spanking and tickling Henry lovingly. “Her destiny’s on your palm.” Henry was discombobulated, being unable to comprehend his words.

“Stop the titillation and tell me what you mean.”
“I mean if you want to have her you can. Take your mirror, call her name, talk to her and she’ll listen.”

“You mean I should woo her magically—through the mirror?”

“Exactly dude,” Ted said. “She’ll listen to you.”

“You want me to spellbind a little innocent girl?” said Henry with no smile on his face. Ted shook his head vertically in agreement, not able to read what was going on in Henry’s mind, since his heart was no limpid object.

“Are you crazy?” said Henry, outraged. “Listen, I’m not going to have her love through a spell, but naturally. I’ll get her someday… but not with the goddamn mirror.”

Ted lowered his head, abjectly abashed. He managed to say, “Do as it pleases you Henry, I’m no longer interested. But I bet it with you, you’ll never get her by any other means. Why not go for Susie instead? Give her a chance to prove that she cares for you better than any other lady on earth.”

It angered Henry, who gave a repulsive prompt response:
“A chance in my life? Not that sloe-eyed thing. Never!” Henry yelled at him. “Besides, I can’t befriend a female magician.”

“What d’you mean?”

“Ain’t you aware she’s a witch?” said Henry in a critical manner.

“Serious!” Ted said, expressing great shock as he repeatedly muttered the word ‘witch’ silently to himself as if enamored with it.

“Yeah,” said Henry. He was going to prove his point. Then he continued, “Prof. said meet me six pm, you said the same and… she said exactly the same too. Dean wizard, you wizard, so she’s a witch also.”

Ted laughed.

“Coincidence!” said Ted. “She’s not into power. If she is, I bet you she would have been through with you long ago. By now you two would have exchanged the rings.” Ted made fun of him in a silly manner, getting Henry gutted.

“God forbid,” he yelled. The white of his eyes had suddenly turned red. He turned heel to leave, but Ted said, “Let’s see in the mirror tonight—goodbye.

“I’ve told you I’ll never use it,” said Henry, turning again to Ted. “You’d better reach me through my mail if at all you’ve got any important message to pass.”

Ted guffawed again.

“You’ll surely use it. I’ll force you into it,” said Ted in an authoritative manner, but in a seemingly unserious mannerism.

“I won’t! Heaven knows I won’t!” vociferated Henry, whose parabolic forehead was almost touching Ted’s hyperbolic own, thus creating a kind of ‘face and vase’ illusion, typical of a scene common to Hollywood blockbuster movies, where two lovers were going to have a buss, or where the Hero and the Villain were going to see eye to eye, especially towards the end of a movie immediately after the strongest servant of the ‘Boss’ was dead.

“We shall see,” Ted said, using a rather harsh voice. Henry replied, “We ain’t see nothing”, and left immediately.

As Henry was walking toward the school library, he saw Susie coming out from there. With lugubrious countenance, she trudged along, having left the library for lack of concentration. She changed her direction swiftly at the sight of Henry, having vowed not to have anything doing with him. Seemed like Susie had discovered something annoying about Henry.
Henry waved at her.

“Hi, Susie,” but she gave a yell. “Don’t you talk to me in your life! I loathe you, bloody liar!”

“Myself, liar!” wondered Henry as he looked on in horror.

“That’s what you are!” she affirmed, almost poking her index finger into his face. “You said you’re going out with Professor Wilson by six, I monitored you, saw you entering his office—only to come out few minutes later all alone. You never went anywhere with him. What d’you take me for, a fool?”

“Susie, you can’t understand…”

“I saw you, right. Deny it, you big liar!” said the sad-looking girl. “You used his office to cover up for it.”

“Not at all Susie—”

She was not patient enough.

“Okay, okay, okay, don’t you worry,” she said. She was almost weeping. “I’ll go ask him myself. If I found you a liar, bet me, every one will know about it in the campus. They’ll call you a white-lie monger. No one’s going to listen to your ‘I-hate-liar’ talks anymore.”

“Please, don’t do that.” Fear gripped him suddenly—the fear that the dean was soon going to know that he had told someone about the meeting. To deter her, Henry said, “Please for God’s sake don’t ask him. I’ll go with…”

Henry had to pause, having seen that the girl had adamantly poked her fingers into her ears to block them as she doubled her pace, leaving him in jeopardy under the blistering sun. Henry had wanted to cajole her with his unfinished statement, but she wasn’t in the possession of sufficient patience to listen. He was going to promise a date with her immediately.
Henry had never wanted to insinuate the aftermath if Susie told the dean.

“Professor said tell nobody. He’ll have me roasted alive.”

Henry’s heart thumped at every thought of it. He had to skip the rest of the day lecture, retiring to his room for fear. That night he wasn’t able to sleep. He had known Susie for being incredibly daring. She could walk up to anyone to tell the person whatever she had got to say, regardless of whether such a receptor was going to be sad or angry about it. It seemed people were scared of her, perhaps as a result of her strange face and unusual physical structure. She was more like Kate in character.

While Susie was in her first year in the campus, she was incessantly disturbed by a male lecturer, who had asked to have an intimate intimate relationship with her, but Susie never liked him. The lecturer had often declared to Susie his ambition of getting married to her, calling her his fiancée publicly, whenever he was to address her. When she couldn’t stand the open insult anymore, she got upset. Right in front of every one in class that day she promised to slap the man’s protruded cheek, but he never took her serious, persisting in his wooing words.

Whoosh! landed the slap on his face. The lecturer fell flat to the floor.

Seeing the scene was one major reason Henry had felt that he must try by all means to avoid her, though Susie had not begun to hanker after him then, since she’d not yet known the level of intelligence of Henry, because they were still new students then. Henry felt she was going to prove insurmountable for him; Kate she couldn’t subdue, let alone Susie, who never cared who you are, regardless of your gender.

At the middle of the night, the urge came; the urge to look into the mirror.

“Why should I?” Henry questioned himself, not having sensed the need for it. He tried very hard to restrain the strange urge, but he seemed not strong enough to do that. Rising up, he moaned. “Ted said I’ll make use of it—rubbish. I’ve got to prove him wrong because he mustn’t win me again this time.”

Henry wouldn’t want to be at the losing end of any argument. He was always on the winning side and would do anything to see his ego inflated.”

“I’ll get Cynthia without the magic,” he thought, pacing to and fro. He stopped pacing as he moved toward his wardrobe. He turned the knob and took out the mirror. Glancing at it rapidly, he saw Ted.

“Hey little clairvoyant,” said Ted’s image in the mirror, in an amusing manner. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” Ted guffawed.

Henry blushed with shame. In a swoop he had lifted the mirror above his head, about to smash it on the floor. He heard Ted shout, “Don’t smash me!” and off he went. The Professor’s image came up in it immediately, as though it had displaced Ted’s, but in the actual sense it was a coincidence. The fatherly voice Henry did hear made him look up into the mirror he was lifting above his head.

“Henry G, I said don’t tell anybody, you told Susie. You got amnesia?” the dean yelled out from the mirror immediately. Henry’s lips failed to give the answer, his tongue having not received suitable message from the brain.

“Come for your punishment—” said the dean,

“tomorrow, in my office, 10 a.m. Be sure your retribution’s going to be terrible—for committing such large trespass. Bye-bye.” He vamoosed.

Henry’s condition was far more exacerbated, having thought that he had heard the word “bad-bye”. No sleep until morning!

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It had been decided between them. We would visit the court of appeal, but there wasn't enough money to do that.

My class teacher promised to run around to see how much she could raise; my aunt would do the same.

"Hannah cannot go to jail, God forbid!" my classteacher said.

To bring up the case in the court of appeal we had to pay a certain amount. To also hasten up the case we paid another huge sum. Then the case was heard in the court of appeal first week of August. It was adjourned till the month of September after they had rendered my aunt and my teacher penniless.

My class teacher bought the clothing material I would need on my graduation day. I loved it so much. She said she couldn't wait for that day to come.

The elites had been invited to the graduation ceremony. Even the incumbent governor of the state would be there. It would just be great.

To say that I was sad would be an understatement. What should I be happy about? My mother would be absent, yet she was the one always reminding me of the great event before me.

For the first time in my life, I did some attachments. My hair(or perhaps someone else's hair) settled on my shoulders. One would think I was a goddess. I had also dabbed my lips in a pink ink. My eyelashes were made purplish. My class teacher had smeared the inner part of my dimples with red rouge. The earrings on my ears, they were like the size of the bangles worn on my wrists. She said I looked like a river goddess.

I appeared like a bride. I paraded myself before my aunt.

"Aunty, am I not beatiful?" I asked her. She gave a cold response. I knew why- she doesn't support excessive make-up. She'd have preferred I appear natural.

I smacked my smooth lips as the event unfolded. I was going to present my poem. My face was no longer a smiling type.

Someone was at the high table--Honourable Daniel as I later got to know. His eyes weren't looking in the direction of the graduands. His mind had wandered far. He stood up eventually and made for that spot where my aunt was sitting. He pulled at a seat before her and I could see them speak.

My class teacher was the MC of the day. She announced over the microphone that I had a poem to recite. I was welcomed upstage with claps. I wouldn't know if the sound was thunderous or not, since all I knew was lightning and never thunder, except for the fact that I've seen it in books that thunder comes after lightning.

I began my poem in sign language. First, I pulled off my graduation gown, scattered my hair and scrubbed off the paint on my lips. Then tears came in drops. All heads shook. They must have thought that I was going to present an elegy.

The DJ offered me a microphone. Everybody laughed. It took a little while before the ridiculous DJ could realise his folly.

With my hands in the air, I began:

Beside me sat a gaze
Her hands tied with rope
Then tears down my face
There seemed not a hope.
What could she rather say?
How would I hear her speak?

Darkness around us,
Light takes long to come
No offence, no defense,
Darkness prevailed for long.
The only sound to hear
Was gnashing of teeth.

For nothing we did
We suffered indeed
And in the end,
In prison she ended.
Better I had been dead
Than be at dead end.

Who have we offended?
None, yet we're not defended
My mother remanded
Myself left upended
My father's bad deed
Was what his wife demanded.

Nobody cared, nobody cared
Not even my God.
Judges in the court
Saw not beyond their noses
Convicting the just
Vindicating the guilty.

Is God for real?
Where was he when
The innocent suffer
And the guilty laugh?
There is never God
Or maybe God is an idol

He created me deaf
And dumbness with me
In the smoke of the earth
I stood to face terror
If there is God,
He is a partial one

I had broken into tears as I threw the sheet of paper away, dashing out of the stage. I was running out of the place. The whole place was in pandemonium.

My class teachers' lips had gone inches apart. She never knew my poem would end in a note of blasphemy. She must be feeling guilty now that she had used her voice to support blasphemy since she was the one interpreting my poem in voice language.

My aunt's face had folded up in disappointment where she was seated. She didn't come after me, knowing quite well that the security men wouldn't let me leave.

I was at the gate asking for allowance.

"You can't leave this premises, Rose," the boys scout at the gate told me. He was one of our school boys scout. I knew his medicine--give Jackson a hundred naira note and he would pave way.

"Jackson, what do you want from me?" I asked.

"The usual," he replied. He tilted his head to one side of his lopsided neck. He was fond of that posture. Jackson is just about six feet tall, with a nose I would call oblong. He is slender and handsome.

I didn't hesitate. I handed Jackson a hundred naira note. He gave me way.

It was the first time to be on the road all by myself. I couldn't hear any sound. How would I know if a car was coming behind me when I wouldn't hear them horning. Someone pushed me out of the road. I had just escaped being grinded to slurry by a gallivanting 'Molue'. The conductor was enraged, shouting. Who knew what he was saying?

Everyone just minded his or her business on the busy road of Ejigbo market. The only thing I had to cope with was their jostlings. Someone would just push you aside from behind.

Egbeda was my destination, but how would I get there? I couldn't even hear the conductors speak. How would I hear them? How on earth would I get to my destination right now?

Everyone I approached to ask them to show me the way didn't afford themselves a little time of patience. I scribbled what I wanted in a sheet of paper. I would give it to whoever cared.

The sun was hot on my head. It also drizzled alongside it. A tiger must be hiding somewhere in a labour room, I thought superstitiously.

A young boy of around eighteen came close to me. He was putting his mouth to use. I did what my mouth could do--sounding out my gibberish!

The boy was astounded, going by the look on his face. He was having a blue bag strapped to his back. He unzipped it and gave me a paper. He pointed to the paper and handed me the pen.

I wouldn't need it, I gesticulated and gave him the one I had scribbled earlier. He read and nodded.

He took me by the wrist and began to walk me to the Egbeda park. I didn't like the way he held me like a baby. I am twelve for Christ sake!

I turned my face down and saw that the boy was in a big white pair of canvases. To me then, everyone in canvas was rich. It was Kitto people like me wore to school. Not that my father couldn't afford something better, but only that I had no father, or did I have any?

Rain began to come down in torrent. The young teenager held tighter to my wrist and fled with me. He wouldn't even care if I fell and got injured. We couldn't get to our destination--we just had to pull up under a shade to allow the rain stop.

Somebody's image flashed through my eyes. It looked like Toyosi's. She had just passed off like a shadow. It must be my imagination because I didn't see any Toyosi around. All I saw was a bike fleeing past me with a passenger sitting at the back.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I began to live in my aunt's place. She took me along with her after the court case. My hobby became crying. I couldn't do without it.

Rachael asked me to stop thinking about my mother. She told me that my mother would just be fine.

"I can't live without her!" I said. "Let me go and live with her in the prison."

"You can't go there, Rose. You can't!" Rachael told me. "God will see us through."

When my aunt mentioned 'God' I frowned. What was God looking at when my mother was incarcerated? Was he sleeping or what? I need not ask my aunt those questions thumping hard at my heart, else an endless sermon would begin, taking me through Genesis to Revelation.

My aunty loved to take advantage of any little situation to share her gospel message. I don't know if Jesus was paying her salary for that. There wasn't anyone I haven't challenged with questions that seemed bigger than my age. Everyone I directed my questions to, except her, hadn't been able to supply any tangible answers. But I dare not ask her any question, else she would do Job's life story into my eyes again.

I wiped my tears and sat up to 'hear' my aunty speak.

"Rose, I was in your class teacher's home yesterday."

"How's she?"

"She was fine."

"Did you tell her about mother?"

"Yes I did," I said. "She was mad at Toyosi."

"Was she there with you?"

"No, Rose, but Mrs Oyin was asking for her home address. She said she was going to fight her in her home. She asked me to give her Toyosi's home address."

"And you gave her, didn't you?"

"I didn't!" my aunty said. "She was going to go to Toyosi's house to fight her."

"You should have given it to her!" I said in annoyance. "Why didn't you...?"

"Do I know Toyosi's home to start with? And even if I knew, I wouldn't allow somebody to go and foment trouble in another person's matrimonial home."

"But...but Toyosi did that in our own home!" I began to sob. The event of that gloomy night had set over my face--that night mum and I were in that dark room. I had even composed a poem of sorrow concerning that. I 'sang' it whenever my aunt was not with me.

Beside me sat a gaze
Her hands tied with rope
Then tears down my face
There seemed not a hope.
What could she rather say?
How would I hear her speak?

I knew I could write poems but I haven't put my pen to paper at any time to give it a try. Now I just had to do it because it seemed to be the only thing that was cooling off my tension.

I spent time standing in front of the mirror, demonstrating it.

My aunt tapped me suddenly.

"Rose, Mrs Oyin would be here tomorrow morning," said my aunt.

"To see me?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "And to also come and get you ready for your graduation ceremony next month, August."

I fumed. I didn't want to here anything concerning that graduation. How would I be having a graduation ceremony without my mother's presence?

"I don't want to be there?" I replied her.

"Why, Rose?" my aunt said and came close to me. "Rose, you have to be there. Okay why don't you want to attend your own graduation ceremony?"

"Because my mom isn't going to be there," I replied.

She scrubbed my hair as if I was a baby. She began to scratch something out of the centre of my head with her index finger.

"What's that?" I asked her. She stopped scratching and said, "A white substance, Rose. What's that?"

"I don't know," I replied. Immediately my aunt had begun to bind and loose again. She wasn't expressing it with sign language anyway. When she was done with her exercise, I asked, "What was that? Why were you dancing like that?"

"You called that dance?" she said. "Anyway, it is not dance. I was praying for you. You know, that white thing, who knows how it got on your head? Toyosi your stepmother could have done something terrible."

"It's not any Toyosi," I said. I have just remembered something; I was playing with chalk earlier. "I was playing with chalk."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" she began to laugh. I joined her in it. It was the first time I would laugh since my mother was imprisoned.

Mrs Oyin came to my aunt's place as promised. She assured me that my mother wouldn't suffer long in the prison.

"We are going to appeal it," she said.

"Appeal?" my aunt said. "Will it work?" she was just skeptical about it.

"It should," she said.

"I just believe that there is nothing prayer cannot do," she said. "Let's just commit everything into the hand of God through fasting and prayer. He will do it."

My teacher put out an angry face. The next ten minutes was a silent moment for me but a rowdy one for them. They had thrown the sign language behind them and now it seemed they were shouting at each other. I watched them opening their mouths in rage. I knew what was going on; my aunt wanted everything settled divinely but my class teacher was not supporting such idea.

After they had argued it out between themselves, they turned to me again with a smile. I had shut my eyes so I wouldn't 'hear' them.

As next day reach, me and Emeka don enter motor go Ajegunle where Olagoke bank branch dey. We first go one cafe way no far from the bank so we go fimt send the email and bulk sms. Emeka say mey we no use phone send the email.

That Emeka clever die. Hin send the bulk SMS enter Gone phone the same time as hin send the email too. Emeka kon use one sense:

Dear Olagoke, a credit transaction occured on your account at 10am, December 20, 2013....
Pls note, due to network problem, you can only withdraw your cash in your bank branch either through your ATM Card or over the counter for the next 24-hours. Thank you for banking with us.

Emeka tap me say mey we dey hurry go the bank one time. Quick quick we don dey rush go there.

Every young guy wey we dey see dey enter bank na hin we dey suspect. When we reach bank, Emeka tok say mey I enter bank say hin go dey the ATM machine area dey watch. Na both of us kuku get phone for hand. Hin tok say mey I call am if I don enter bank. Hin too go dey call am for that side. If hin phone ring like this, work don do be that.

"Mey I stay outside nah, Emeka. You go inside," I first tok, but Emeka no agree, so I begin get ready mey I go inside.

Emeka dey ATM place dey wait am. One small queue kon go dey for front of that glass door sha. Why nah? Make this thing no spoil our show nah?

E soon reach my turn. As I enter the door so wey the door close round me, I turn my neck look the door wey be exit door kon see one guy inside. I call Titi Facebook inside the door wey I dey kon see say the guy wey dey next door dey look inside hin phone.

"What?!" I shock. "So that guy na Olagoke Adeyemo. I turn sharply inside the door wey don open for me mey I enter bank. Chai! the door no fit open mey I go out again. Na only inside I fit enter. I run enter inside sharply kon go stay for exit door.

E be like say that Olagoke turn hin face see me as I dey enter that time. I run call Emeka say the guy just comot bank now now.
"Emeka, I see Olagoke nah. The guy wear one yellow shirt with jeans. Hin just comot inside bank now."

"Sho o!" Emeka shock. "E no fit escape. Mey I call am first."

E no reach one minute when I comot go outside. I see Emeka wey dey look about like say hin dey find 50kobo coins wey roll comot hin leaking pocket.

"Emeka! How far nah? I see the guy now now nah!"

"I no see am o!" Emeka tok. "I call am hin number no go."

Quick, we don distribute ourself go right and left. We must not allow this guy escape. To me, e be like say na escape hin escape so. Abi which kine jax hin use sef?

My facebook alert me. Na my FB Titi:

Chibuzor, you think you're smart, abi? Sometimes Yoruba guys are smarter, fool!

I find Emeka show am the message.

"Chineke!" Emeka shout hold hin head.

Another message enter:

I have gone too far. You can't catch me, you and your friend. I saw you when you were both coming together. By then I was queuing inside the bank exit door. Thanks to your pix on facebook which makes me recognise you on time.

"Chai! Odere bird don escape be that," I tok.

"E no possible," Emeka tok.

"This one don por!" I tok. How we wan take do am now? The guy don go nah.

Emeka begin bite hin lip dey calculate.

"Mey we enter streets first," Emeka tok at last. "You pass their, me go pass here."

Emeka enter one dirty street, me sef enter another dirty one. Roforofo and stubborn water just full everywhere because of rain wey fall overnight.

One motor even splash dirty water for the white cloth wey I wear. I call Emeka after ten minutes. Hin tok say hin never see Olagoke.

As I dey waka up and down for under the hot sun, Goke message enter. Hin dey make jest of me:

Ten of una no fit catch me, Emeka. I don tey for this business, no be today."

Chai! E pain me enter bone.

I dey ontop my bed dey sleep now, sure you guys dey inside hot sun dey find me up and down, mumu dem."

As I hear that thing, my moral go down. I don use sweat stain my cloth sef. Na going home things be the issue now.

I begin call Emeka buh hin number no wan go again. The #500 wey remain that time for my hand I remember say I give Emeka say mey hin use am buy cafe ticket to take browse. Hin never give me the #350 balance and na hin we wan take enter motor back. How we go do am now?

I call Emeka so tey my battery begin low. The guy phone no just dey go again. My common sense tell me say mey I dey waka go bank whether hin go fit come back there mey hin kon find me.

Emeka dey complain say hin battery dey low when we dey browse for cafe that time, so hin battery fit don flat. I trek twenty minutes go the bank again, but me no see Emeka when I reach there.

I begin dey wait am whether hin fit come back. I no get choice since when be say I no get chichi with me and I no fit trek nah! No be trekkable thing at all.

Now I don spend like 1hour 30minutes from the time wey I see Olagoke that time.

Kai! I don suffer. Na mey I kon dey beg molue conductors up and down now whether den fit carry me free. I go dey hang for door mouth dey do like thug so den go fit think say I be one of them.

I remember that year wey I be kondo. If Agbero boys pull you comot bus, your driver leave you go, you go kon dey hang for any other bus wey you see dey tell dem you be kondo like dem so den go fit carry you go front small till you go hook up with your bus again.

Omo iko sha. That guy eeh, hin don leave me run many times. I remember when LASTMA wan hayaj our bus. Me go dey call people for wrong place say mey den kon enter na so LASTMA sight us begin dey pursue us come. Omo iko just put fire for bus dey speed go. I run mey I fit catch the bus but my hand no reach am till LASTMA catch me. They beat me like drum.

As I say mey I dey waka comot the bank dey go bus stop na hin message enter again:

Chibulolo the smart maga, now I am jejelistically leaving the bank premise. I am at the gate now. How? Sure I no comot bank that time. I enter back sharply as I sight your guy wey dey wait me for outside--saw you leaving the bank and I was like--oh, lucky me."

As Olagoke dey look down still dey press hin phone for gate wey me sef dey, na inside my hands hin enter straight.

Immediately na hin one ogbonge upper cut hit me for jaw. I shout leave the guy. Immediately, hin don begin run.

I follow am dey shout thief! thief! thief!

The guy no even waste time at all. Hin don enter inside one compound before anybody go fit do anything. E don miss kpatakpata.

"Wey am?" people just they ask up and down, but Olagoke don disappear already. Na that time Emeka kon dey waka come.

Emeka don mess up big time joor. Where hin dey when I need am pass? Hin just dey waka come like person wey den don starve for many days.

Emeka eye red wen I see am.

"Wetin do you, Emeka?" I ask am. Hin left eye don red well well. My own jaw sef don swell up like boil.

"I go catch wrong guy," Emeka whisper like person wey wan faint. "The guy sef wear Yellow
top kon wear blue jeans as you describe am nah!"

"Ah! hin kon sama you slap for face abi?"

"This one pass slap, Chiboy. E pass slap abeg."

"Wetin he do you nah?"

"I no even know sef," Emeka dey yawn. "Na backhand the guy take sampaper my face; the ring wey hin wear just land for inside my eyes straight. Hin beat me silly, carry me throway ground wella before I get opportunity take escape."

"You mean am?" I tok, then Emeka see my jaw.

"Chiboy! Wetin be this?" he begin point my face.

"Na Goke o," I confessed.

"You see am?"

"I catch am sef."

"Wetin kon happen?" Emeka dey look me with one kine funny eyes.

"The guy give me hooking for jaw na so hin take escape o!" I tok.

Emeka vex as I tok that thing.

"Chibuzor, why you let the guy escape nah?"

"You wan blame me abi? Why you no dey here that time mey you help me? Na immediately wey I grab am hin give me that upper cut. I never even prepare for ram."

"You be loser joor!" Emeka shout ontop my head.

"You nko? Wetin you be? Winner?" I give am straight. Me wey I don dey provoke since.

"Give me my money wey dey with you mey I dey go, Emeka," I stretch my hand for hin front.

"You deaf?" Emeka hala dey shine face. "You no hear say person beat me? He don collect all the money nah!"

"E no concern me!" I begin row for hin head. "Na trek you wan mey I trek reach home?"

Emeka look me shock.

"En-hen, you sure say you no get any money for hand again?"

"Chingbain wey small pass I no get. Emeka, no they yarn that kine yarn for here at all. Give me my money mey I dey go."

That day, we nearly blame ourselves. As we reach bus-stop say mey we even enter any bus wey we see dey beg kondo, na hin one kine heavy rain begin pour again.

Chai! I no fit forget that kine day for my life. If no be Omo Iko bus wey pass road luckily for us, we for just tanda gidigba there.

Olagoke Adeyemo don even send me many messages wey I never look. I no say e no fit pass make hin dey make jest of person.

The thing pain us enter bone so tey we no fit tell anybody wetin do us for jaw and eye.

Na so my attention shift comot from FB Titi back to the Titi wey I know for real life.

Now I see say I don tey for that seat dey think about wetin don happen pass. Na one usher even kon tap me come back to real life when hin see say e don tey when I don shake my body last.

Now I check my wristwatch see say I don spend like 2 hours dey think of wetin don happen for the past.

As I look front ontop pulpit mey I hear wetin den still dey yarn, na Titi I see wey dey waka go upstage.

She first sing one praise and worship song. E be like say she wan kon share testimony of wetin God don do for ram since beginning of year.

I say mey I listen hear whether she go mention how she take maga me give am 3k that time. Abi who provide that money give am sef?

As she begin dey share her testimony, I begin listen wella. I nor even know whether she sabi say I come her church that day sef. She for see me if to say I stand up that time wey den say make newcomers stand up. Na surprise attack I wan give the girl. I don make up my mind say I go approach am again propose new year marriage give am immediately we enter 2014.

Titi sing finish enter her testimony. Na the last aspect of hin testimony shock me pass wheb she say:

"And lastly but not the least. I have found him. The bone of my bone. The flesh of my flesh. The sugar in my tea. The one I can lean on..."

Omo, kon see as clap wan tear person ear comot, yet she no stop those kine yarn. Me sef get hope whether she fit just mention my name sef.

"...my future partner...my heart...my love...His name is...OLAGOKE ADEYEMO!"

E just be like say person dey use stick drum my eardrum. I open mouth gasp for breeze.

"Chineke!!" I shout hold my head.

Me no sabi how I carry enter Nairaland again sef, something wey I don tok bye bye for before before. I run enter that LAST MAN STANDING thread wey dey literature section. E shock me when I see say the thing don get one page pass where I dey before.

I jejely look wetin dey. Many of them still dey ontop my matter sef. One person tok say Magawealthy no get sense na...like hin name na so hin be Another person tok say Where is that Maga?

Then another person kon quote am say Maga is paying me tomorrow! Hurray!

The thing catch my interest so tey I run check who post am. I shock when I see say na one name, GokeYemco419. Quick quick I don run correlate am. Abi na that my Titi Facebook be this, Olagoke Adeyemo.

"Okay, me wan dey sure. I run quote am kon tok say, "Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! How much hin wan pay you?"

GokeYemco419: You want to share the money with me?"

Magawealthy14: Me wan help you flex the money na

GokeYemco419: Na you help me do the job?

I dey try make I just know whether na me be the maga wey this guy dey tok about but hin no wan come straight. I go continue dey ask am question whether e fit do mistake fall enter my hands.

Magawealthy14: Job na hin you wan kon job person here abi? How much your maga wan pay you tomorrow?

GokeYemco419: Tomorrow na #50,000 go rush enter my account o. *But na ear you take hear am o...one kobo no go reach you, guy*

Magawealthy14: O my God! That your maga na real maga o; you mean say hin go vomit that kine plenty money give you.

GokeYemco419: You no sabi how much I pretend na hin cause am. I use power of woman for ram--Titilayo Adelanwa, hian...LWKMD.

So na Facebook Titi I just finish chat with now for Nairaland. I smile. So true true na boy be this Titi. Na 'm' den even write for front of GokeYemco419 name, meaning say him br boy. Okay nah, no problem. Small small hin don dey fall be that nah. I go tell Emeka.

Emeka soon waka enter my shop dey sweat like goat wey dey inside son since morning. Den say goat dey sweat na hin hair no let us see am.

"Emeka, how far the parole nah?" I ask am sharpaly.

"Guy, I don get the bulk sms o. I add money ontop buy am sef."

I know say na lie Emeka dey lie. Me wey I don go do research about bulk sms. Den say that #1,500 go even fit buy 1000 units of bulk sms sef, na hin this guy wan kon dey use my brain for here.

"Shut up Emeka! Do mey you send that message give Titi Facebook tomorrow kon allow me flex the remaining Nine hundred and ninety something SMS wey go remain jare!"

Emeka open mouth dey look me. He wonder say how I take know say na like that he dey be.

"For your mind," hin tok kon use style change topic sharp sharp. "Em...Chiboy, na one problem go kon show face for all our plans o."

"Wetin again? No tok money again o, because I no go give you shishi."

"Shut up!" Emeka shun me. "The thing be say if Olagoke no see the Wema Bank alert for hin e-mail follow the one wey we wan send enter hin phone, our trap fit no catch am o. Hin go suspect say na trick we wan trick am. You know say na sharp guy hin be nah."

"So wetin you need now?"

"If to say I fit get hin e-mail address, e for make brain die. I for just open one email address call am WemabankNigeria@ gmail.com. I pray make hin no even reason go the gmail wey I wan use sef. If not hin no go believe the scam o."

I don dey confuse. E just be like say na grammar Emeka dey tok for my ears sef. Na yahoo me sabi, and na the one wey Segun don open for me since 2011 na hin I still dey use. Me just dey hear gmail for the first time sef.

"Wetin you need gan gan?" I ask sharply. Me no dey for slow motion again joor.

"I need Goke email address," hin tell me. Where I wan get that one? I no even get idea. And if we ask am for Facebook, the girl, abi na guy sef, fit begin kana small small.

My mind flash back GokeYemco419. I run yarn the tory give Emeka. When hin hear am, hin jump wan use mistake put hin neck for fan wey dey number five for my ceiling. E remain small, Emeka head for dey roll for ground like ball, American football.

"Wetin make you jump like that nah?" I shout. "I pity your life, Emeka." I run remember one guy wey jump like that for one advertisement wey dey inside my phone. Hin rob bank successfully, escape enter house. Na so hin unzip the bag see million for inside, jump enter fan mouth. The remaining story na hell hin go go tok am. Hin head scatter for ground like egg wey break!

Emeka tell me reason why hin jump like that. He tok say person fit get another person email address from nairaland. I shock, because me no know say Emeka know abkut Nairaland at all at all.

I just dey observe. Sharply, Emeka don log in to nairaland with hin own account kon go search for GokeYemco419. He click hin name and hin profile come out sharply. Emeka click 'Send E-mail Message to This Member'.

Emeka clap once and tok say Titi e-mail go soon show face.

"How you take know?" I ask am. "You be winch?"

"You mugun nah! You no sabi say you fit get person email from nairaland?"

Me dey wonder how Emeka take sabi dat kine thing, wen be say na JJC e be for nairaland. I ask am wen hin join nairaland.

"Since 2005," Emeka tok. I shock.

"Na lie," I no believe. "Why you no kon tok say u dey Nairaland that time wey I dey tok to you about the site?"

"Den don ban me for life na hin cause am, because I dupe people. Buh sha, I no wan open another account, na why. If not, I go don open am dey dupe them go, but me don change sha."

"Hmm!" I just release breeze comot my nose.

"Kon teach me how you dey do am nah?" I tok. Emeka laff roll comot seat. I just dey there dey look am.

"Chiboy, na talent o. If you no get am come from birth, you no go fit sabi am o."

"I no fit learn am?"

"E no go fit be like am o," Emeka tok. "If e no be panadol, e no fit be panadol."

"Emeka, just dey teach me nah. I go dey pay you salary."

"You no fit pay my money, Chiboy."

"Tok your price first nah."

"You fit pay 50k per month?" Emeka tok. Hin eyes show say hin dey serious. "I get plenty people wey I don teach this kine business wey den don even do freedom from my hand sef."

"Emeka! How nah? You nor even dey sabi you real real abi? I be your guy from day one, you don forget?"

"I know, but na real matter I don clear you so. Pay my money. I go change you comot for mugun but you for mogul."

I just dey look Emeka with one kine eyes. Abi na lie hin dey tok? How hin go dey teach people 419 tutorial dey collect money? Okay, why hin shop never big pass as e dey? Why be say na beke business hin dey do, ordinary rice and beans business? Yet this Emeka of a thing dey owe me close to 20k for some bags of rice and beans wey hin never still pay sef.

"Emeka, if true true you dey teach person 419 dey collect money, how e kon be say you never still get motor? U no get house wey you build, na 'face me I woze you' house you still dey live.

Emeka laff.

"You no sabi nathing," he tok. "Wait until next year mey I carry you go my hometown show you the kine structure wey I don lay down there. Na roofing level I dey already. You siddon there, you hear?"

"Why you nor fit build the house for Lagos nah? I no believe you."

"Kai! True, true Chiboy, you be bastard Ndigbo. How you dey yarn that kine rubbish nah? Mey I build my house for Lagos, tufiakwa? You no remember biafra war? E go shock you wen den go tell everyone mey e dey go back hin papa land. Me go just jejelly waka go inside my mansion for my town while you go kon beg me mey I accomodate you. True true, you don ever see igbo guys dey build house for Lagos when den get their hometown for East?"

bumsiee:
Wow so so so nice. Rhymes and a whole lot of vocabulary. Sammy04real u are a talent has any 1 ever told you that. Pls y are people not here 2 read, comment and support this awesome writer? Let me stop here for now. Please kip it up m following. Lemme call small people I know safarigirl , TiffanyJ , Oyinprince , Abosi31 , Divepen1.

Thanks a bunch bumsie...but I am still a learner o.