hardeygbolar:
wow!quite a mind blowing story.

Thanks

Hamid7:
Good story.
The mystery of the owl made it worth reading.

Alright. Thanks

adeosuntunde:
Not too lengthy but well detailed and straight to the point.....do well to mention me when you want to start another...keep up the good work,one LOVE.

Okay, noted. Thank you a bunch.

germaphobe:
las las, thanks op and don't forget to mention me in ur next work

Okay

germaphobe, I see you.

mhizv, I see you.

Your thoughts on this story would be appreciated.




Thanks

Las las, sorry again for the delay.


Dedicated to germaphobe, kaycee9242, adeosuntunde, Hamid7, Doubra12, Wadewaltz

Dedicated to adeosuntunde, Hamid7, Ayanfe29, Doubra12, Kaycee9242, do4luv14, Wadewaltz, germaphobe


Sorry for the delay :-


My bad, I must acknowledge. Going to complete the story :-



Thank you all for understanding

Nice one bro.

SIX


Retreating home, I met an ongoing drama that was entertaining, but saddened me. It was Dekera and his uncle. The man was chasing him round the compound with a big cane that looked almost like my hand. Dekera was pleading helplessly, but the man was not listening, instead he was shouting at him, ‘let me get hold of you first, I will kill you or send you back to the village.’


I knew it was because of the wallet and I began to feel uneasy. As Dekera could no longer go far, he fell to the ground close the palm tree in our facade. His uncle came dragging him on the ground to their corridor. Dekera was crying and pleading like a baby. I wonder why he was refusing to say he lost the wallet.


“You have no idea what is in that wallet and all it meant to me, you don’t know.” He yelled at him, lashing him, again and again.


“Please uncle, please. Let me tell you the truth.”


“Go on.” The man beckoned him, as he was enraged.


“I took it, but unfortunately misplaced it. I have being searching for it since morning. Please let me go and search for it again, I am sure of finding it this time.” Dekera’s eyes were all tears as he continued to plead.


I felt sorry for Dekera. My conscience began to rear its head. For how could I know exactly the where about of the wallet and still keep quiet. What if the boy was killed by his uncle? So many questions entered my head, but the problem was that, my friend Senen had taken the wallet to his village, and I was afraid telling Dekera or his uncle about it may lead to something else. Dekera was never to be trusted.


I entered our flat and slumped back in the chair, thinking of what to do. Dekera was still sobbing outside. I could hear him clearly.


“You better find it or you are finished.” His uncle pronounced outside.


I was sure Dekera was seeing this side of his uncle for the first time.


“Did you hear that?” My own thought reminded me, then I stood up, not knowing what to do, and I slumped back into the chair feeling confused and tired. I felt like talking to Terfa about it, but he was yet to come back from the office. After sometime, I slept off.


* * *

By the time I was up again, it was after 6:00 PM. My parents had returned from the store and mothers’ voice waked me up. I was dreaming before waking up; a good dream at that. But everything that happened in it had completely gone off my mind, except the part that Dekera was pleading to someone to forgive him, and we were both together. I could not understand it.


“Why are you having a catapult?” Father asked, holding my new catapult in his hand. “This boy, you just want to disgrace us. Are you interested in hunting?”


“No Sir,” I answered.


“Daddy,” Mother intruded. “Remember you once said, if he wasn’t comfortable with the owl, he should kill it.”


When mother said that, I smiled. She had always gotten my back and I was thankful for that.


I quickly packed everything my parents had brought home to the kitchen. It was mainly soup ingredients.


“Our dear son is spending his whole holiday hunting for owls while others are busy studying.” Father said, turning to mother. “Woman, do not lay any blame on me when he fails in life or becomes a burden to the society. This is the right time to fix him.”


Father was at it again, hitting me hard with his understanding. Being in fathers’ presence sometimes was boring. He was always finding faults with me, and of course, many times he was right. I just needed to be patient, humble myself and learn from him.


Father asked me to hurry to the kitchen and bring the knife. I obeyed sharply. He collected the knife and cut the rubber attached to the y-shaped stick into pieces. He then broke the y-shaped stick and gave me everything to go and burn outside. I collected and advanced outside.


Apine and Terfa were already home from work. The 2 of them gathered around Dekera, enquiring from him why he was carrying a swollen and moody face, with brushes on his body. I wanted to laugh when his eyes met my gaze, but I held my self sharply as he looked away. More ever, it was not a good thing to mock him in that situation.


“I lost his wallet earlier, and it had valuable things in it.” Dekera told them.


That was when I remembered about the wallet again. I wished Senen was around so that I could just get the wallet from him, and drop in our compound.


“Where is your uncle now?” Apine asked.


“He has gone out. I am not sure of the exact place.”
“Ah Chairman,” Terfa began and paused, shaking his head. “This one pass me o.”


Apine chuckled.


Terfa’s phone then rang. He removed it, looking at the caller. Then, he moved away and received the call. Meanwhile, Apine asked Dekera to give him few minutes.


I was listening to every conversation that was going on from where I was burning my catapult. It took Terfa more than 5 minutes to finish talking on the phone. Whatever he was saying was surely money concerned, as often times, he would call a big amount of money and began to laugh. When he was done, he advanced straight to his flat. Dekera was looking at him from behind, as if he would say, ‘Uncle, please help me.’


After sometime, Apine brought out food in a plastic plate, with a sachet of water. When Dekera opened it, the imaginary aroma that escaped to my nostril sent me salivating instantly. Even from a far, I could see that it was beans, vegetables and 2 pieces of meat. I saw how Dekera was attacking the food like he had never eaten for a whole week. It poured on his red trouser but it not matter to him; instead, he was bold to make sure everything had finished in the plastic plate. He took the sachet of water and drank all of it.


Apine had indeed had compassion on Dekera, I wonder if my parents saw him when they entered. Perhaps, they would have shown him kindness too.


“Thank you Sir,” Dekera said and Apine nodded.


Apine handed an ointment to Dekera, and then he headed to his flat. Dekera gathered the plates and followed behind.


“Uncle Apine,” Dekera called out, and Apine turned. “Thank you again, again and again.” Dekera bent a little.


That was the first time I had seen Dekera humbled. Dekera turned to leave with the plates in his hands, and his eyes met my gaze. He waved at me slowly like a sick person. His face was heavy. I waved back at him, as we slowly looked away. Then, I rushed towards Apine’s house, I wanted to talk to him concerning the wallet, but I had not reached before he entered his flat. I decided not to go further, Dekera was watching me, and so I came back passing close to him.


“We have your wallet, meet me in flat number 9,” I whispered and passed, not wanting to come close to him, lest father sees me. When I reached our corridor, I turned and looked at him; his face had loosened a little. He was looking happy, and he gave me a thumb up.


“Bem,” Mother called out.
I was still looking at Dekera, and then I entered our parlour. Power had just been restored, and mother wanted me to put on a TV program for them.


When I was done, I rushed out. Dekera was already waiting in flat 9. I told him clearly that we had the wallet but if he tries to lie against any of us, he won’t get it again. He promised that he won’t do anything stupid. Then I told him that Senen had taken the wallet to the village, and until he comes back.


“What!” He exclaimed.


“Yes,” you heard me.


“That means my uncle would kill me before that time.”


“He won’t, just tell him that you will bring it in seven days time.”


“You know that is a joke right?” He said, his face looking scary.


“It’s not a joke.” I insisted.


“Look, if you don’t give me that wallet immediately, I am going to shout.”


“What!” It was now my turn to exclaim. “Shout that what exactly?”


“Are you asking? You heard me right.” He boldly announced.


I looked at him as he was carrying a swollen face. I was trying to help him, but he seemed rather ungrateful. I guess he thought I was having the wallet on me.


Immediately, I shoved him aside and disappeared to our backyard, thinking he was going to shout like he said, but he didn’t. When I looked where he was, he sat on the ground, dropping his head to the ground. Whatever he was thinking was best known to him.


Standing behind the palm tree in our backyard, I was all eyes watching to see if the owl might come. Though my catapult was destroyed and my tree sap had disappeared from the position I kept it, I was still interested in the owl. Who must have taken it was a question I could not answer myself. Father or perhaps Dekera were my suspects.


I garner 15 stones to make a simple practice with. I hung a leather bag which had a stone in it on one branch of the palm tree and stood in a little distance. Targeting the leather bag each time, I would throw the stone with the aim of hitting the lower part alone. It was an easy practice; I spent all the 15 stones without hitting my target.


Afterward, I rested and continued again, but this time, it was 5 stones. I successfully found my target with 3 stones, and gladness filled my heart. That was progress which could result to victory at last.


I stood there waiting for the owl to come, but it didn’t come. Time after time, I would get up and walk around to see maybe the owl was hanging somewhere. When I got tired, I retreated to our corridor. Dekera was sleeping in their corridor, on a mat, snoring heavily. Incidentally, of all the nights that Dekera was out, the owl always came, but the day that Dekera was sleeping in their corridor, the owl refused to come again. But then, it dawned on me that, last night, Senen and I had tried stoning the owl, and so it was a thoughtful thing to the owl to skip our backyard at least for a day. Nevertheless, I was faced with a situation struggling with what to believe.


* * *

12 midnight was like ages to me. Twice, mother had come out and asked me what exactly I was still doing outside in the corridor.


“I am receiving air and also waiting for the owl,” twice, I had answered her.


The fact that the weather was hot was even a bonus for me to receive air outside, while waiting for the owl.


Later on, father called me in, asking the same question.


“I am receiving air and also waiting for the owl,” I answered in a lowly voice, knowing fully the consequences.


“How did I come to have this boy as a child?” Father yelled.


“Daddy,” Mother called out.


“Woman, you don’t understand, let him put such efforts in something better, something like studies and he would have no match.” Father lamented. “I know exactly what to do with you. You are going to the store tomorrow.” He added.


It was always easy for father to mention studies when talking to me because I was little concerned about it. Mathematics contributed much to my failure.


At fathers command, I dashed to my room through the door in the parlour. In my room, my ears were still strained waiting to hear the landing sound of the owl, as I stood by the window. But later, I gave up. That was when Dekera’s uncle returned home. It was 25 minutes to 12:00 AM. The man began to shout at Dekera at that lonely hour concerning the wallet.


“I have not seen it uncle, please give me tomorrow.” He pleaded for an additional time.


“Tomorrow, like you said, tomorrow.” The man said angrily.


I slumped into my bed. Sleep was far from me like someone suffering from insomnia. I rolled from one side of the bed to another, and then I made up my mind to save the situation. I knew that some other persons may not have cared, but I did anyway. And the fact that Dekera was showing signs of ungratefulness was never a reason to let him suffer like that.

jo2222, I see you.