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Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / Harvest Of Tears (1742 Views)
When Tears Brings Yes ( A Short Story) / Tears Of A Soldier............ A Military War Story / Harvest Of Corruption (2) (3) (4)
Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 1:14pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
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Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 4:34pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
All rights reserved Copyright © 2016 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any actual resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental EPISODE 1 Grandma was restless. She called out to the twins but there was no response from the living room. She pulled back the curtain to see if they were playing outside but they weren’t there either. Eventually, she pulled herself out of her bed, reached for her walking stick and made for the door. Grandma wasn’t as energetic as she was before the arthritis. She found it very difficult to move herself, standing for long periods was a mammoth task. Age stole her youth and left her wrinkled and grey. Before Age robbed her, Grandma was a big time first-grade used-clothes seller. She sold ‘Okirika’ in bales and it was from the profit she ensured that all her children went to the university. Her pride had always been the fact that she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. On that day, her grandchildren, Lucinda and Kingsley, who had come to spend the holiday with her, were nowhere to be found and that made her restless. Grandma approached their room with bridled curiosity, partly hoping they were asleep. Something haunted her maternal instinct and she hoped that the twins were alright. She carried herself through the corridor, each time making a deliberate attempt not to make a noise with her walking stick as it hit against the marble floor. As she came closer, she expected the twins to run out from wherever they were. They had always run towards the “tap-tap” sound of her walking stick. She feared that the twins were in trouble. Although there was nothing to suggest such, her instincts suggested the contrary. She silently prayed that they would be inside their room. She gently opened the door and was held in the tight embrace of fear. The twins weren’t there, she had called out their names and they didn’t respond. It was at that point that she recalled that some labourers were digging a well in the compound the day before. She began to sweat all over, various thoughts struggled to rest on her mind but one got her really scared, “Most likely, Kingsley was playing around the well and fell inside, then Lucinda was trying to help him out and also fell inside” She struggled to move quickly through the living room and into the compound. She called out to the twins again. “Kingsley! Lucinda!” There was a chorused answer from the living room, “Yes Grandma!” She struggled to move herself towards the living room. As she came closer, she could sense that something was wrong. Their step had lost its usual bounce and their faces were without smiles. “What is the matter?” She inquired Kingsley was the first to respond, “Aunty Chioma is crying, I think it is about my Daddy and Mummy” Grandma immediately added a spring to her step and called out, “Chioma! Chioma ! What is the matter?” Chioma was still struggling to conceal her tears inside a handkerchief but it was too late, grandma had already seen them. Her instinct had informed her that something was wrong. She had thought it was the twins but seeing the tears on Chioma’s face, she knew something was wrong with the parent of the twins. Eventually Chioma found the words she had been looking for, “Daddy twins and Mummy twins were involved in a car accident, they are dead” 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 4:44pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
Wow, loving this piece already.. *rushes inside the vvip section nd grabs 3bottles of origin nd pop corn*.. Cherrybrown Ritababe : abeg make una show, food don ready oo |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by cherrybrown(f): 6:51pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
Evakinqz:Thank you |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 7:49pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
cherrybrown:yu welcome bae.. |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 7:18am On Sep 21, 2016 |
"There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there". Paulo Coelho EPISODE 2 a fresh start There was a sea of guests coming into grandma’s home. The children hid from the sympathetic glance and unsolicited prayers that the guest showered on them. They knew their parents were no longer going to give them the play station 4 that they had promised and they would never hear their parents’ voice again. They understood that their parent would never read them a bed time story or drive them to school, they had gone to be with the lord. The burial ceremony went on with the twins trying very hard to support each other. After the solemn procession at the church, two coffins were lowered into the earth side by side. It was at that point that Lucinda became inconsolable Two weeks later, there was a meeting in grandma’s house. Almost all the relatives had come to discuss the future of the twin’s dynasty, or most importantly the division of the wealth that their parents had left behind. There was no will and so the sharing of the property became the responsibility of Christopher, Grandma’s first child. The twins peeped through the curtains and listened to their uncles and aunties discuss the sharing of their parent’s wealth. Grandma just sat down quietly listening to the arrangement being proffered by Christopher. There were rumblings here and there but when Christopher announced that the house of his late brother would be taken by himself the other siblings protested. There was a huge upheaval from the siblings who had become dissatisfied with the way Christopher was sharing the property. It was at that point Grandma weighed in on the matter. “What is the arrangement for the twins?” She queried. Christopher explained that because of the difficult times, it would be best to have two of the brothers take one of the twins each. He was trying to explain the rationale behind his suggestion when Lucinda ran in from her hiding place and into grandma’s arms. “No ! Grandma please don’t let them separate us” There was a quick rebuke from some of the relatives. Under their breath, you could hear them describe Lucinda as a spoilt brat for coming into a meeting of elders uninvited. Christopher was the first to direct his rebuke to the little girl. “Lucinda, will you go out! Can’t you see that elders are talking?” To that Grandma became furious. “These children are staying together and they are staying with me. Their parents’ belongings would be kept for them till they become of age. I don’t know how you people became so selfish and greedy. Your brother worked very hard to get the properties that you are now trying to share amongst yourself. He was good to all of you and he deserves more” She stood to her feet and left with Lucinda by her side. It was now weeks since the sad event that turned the kids into orphans, and they were trying hard to live a normal life. Both kids had just been admitted into the secondary school. With the turn of events, it seemed like a boarding school would have been a better option, however it was too late to make that change. Grandma concluded that it might be a lot of fun to have the kids in the house with her but she would need help taking care of them. She spoke with Christopher about getting a domestic help and he promised to look into it as quickly as possible. A few days later there was a knock on the door. It was too soon for the twins to have returned from school and grandma would have recognise their excitement-filled knock. She reached for the door and saw a smallish man with a bag. “Good afternoon Ma, my name is Henry. Mr Christopher said I should come work with you as the help, he said you are expecting me ma” Grandma took one glance at him and came to the conclusion that she didn’t like him nor did she want her grandchildren around the young man. There was something about him that just made her feel so uneasy and she was sure that it wasn’t because of his desperate attempt at being coy. She allowed him in just so she could be polite then she picked up her phone to call Christopher. “Hello Chris, how are you doing?” She listened half-heartedly to his response then continued, “I am not sure I like this Henry guy you introduced as the help” There was a comment from the other side of the phone then Grandma continued “Okay we would have him around for a few weeks, but if I still feel uncomfortable with him, I will show him the door. Is that okay?” There was a response from the other side, grandma ended with pleasantries and then dropped the call. She turned to the help and announced. “My grandchildren are eleven years old, do you think you can handle them?” He nodded in affirmation but grandma didn’t seem convinced. There was something about him that set her on edge. 1 Like |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 7:20am On Sep 21, 2016 |
cherrybrown Evakinqz Ritababe Rukkydelta |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by ritababe(f): 8:14am On Sep 21, 2016 |
PRESTIGERYHME:I full here. continue abeg 1 Like |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by cherrybrown(f): 10:02am On Sep 21, 2016 |
PRESTIGERYHME:Am here continue |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 5:49pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
continued |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 5:50pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
Evakinqz:thank u sir |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 6:10pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
PRESTIGERYHME:yu welcome dear |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 6:13pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
PRESTIGERYHME:Let's do it ![]() |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 6:22pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
The twins returned from school and Grandma introduced the help to them. They greeted him with detached affection, they were more interested in grandma. Henry didn’t take it personally, he understood kids and knew that it would take some time for them to accept him into their home. The house was quiet, it wasn’t unlike grandma to observe her siesta after the Sunday service. Lucinda had gone to the salon to have her hair done. Kingsley indulged himself in a movie and Henry was in the backyard. Kingsley had observed that Henry had made it a habit to slip into the backyard at the slightest opportunity. On this day, he decided to pry on him through the window. He found Henry in the solitude and shade provided by the mango tree. He was puffing smoke. He held what looked like a cigarette in his hand and he looked so at peace. Kingsley was intrigued by the discovery and the image dawdled in his mind. Kingsley kept the finding to himself. He wanted to tell Lucinda but he was sure that she would tell Grandma and that would be the end of Henry’s stay in the house. He felt too young to keep a secret but he was willing to try. Before long, Grandma sensed something was wrong. She noticed Kingsley’s frequent sudden glances at Henry, it was as though a burden was weighing him down. She didn’t want to frighten the little boy with many questions. She touched him on the shoulder and queried, “Kay, is there something you want to tell me?” “No, Nothing at all” Kingsley answered and slipped out of her sight. She wasn’t satisfied with his answer. His words seemed laced with lies but she had to give him time to come forward with a more acceptable truth. On one of those days, Henry was in the backyard kissing the fire stick. Kingsley was peeping from between the sheets of the curtain. He turned without warning and saw the little boy take cover. Henry knew he had been caught and so he devised a plan. He was going to make Kingsley his accomplice, that way the little boy was bound to keep their secret. He signalled to him to come from behind the curtains. There was no use hiding. Kingsley walked sheepishly towards Henry and before long he was standing in the same position he had been looking at through the window. “Would you like to try some?” Henry asked cunningly “What is it?” Kingsley asked innocently “It’s weed, would you like to try it?” Kingsley said no knowing that what he's about to get himself engaged in isn't a good thing to do but Henry assured him that it will only make him feel good not to harm him in anyway. Kingsley nodded in affirmation after being convinced. then Henry gave the condition “You must promise not to tell anybody about this” “Okay, I promise” He showed Kingsley how to take a puff then explained that he shouldn’t suck too much in at a time. Then he passed the stick to him. Kingsley received it with shaky hands. He was too inquisitive to turn down the offer, he wanted to know how it felt to have weed inside one’s head. He took the stick to his mouth and took one puff. His eyes were closed as he puffed, he reopened them as he exhaled but the trees were now in the sky and he was standing on his head. His surrounding gradually became a blur and sounds faded until eventually, he fainted. |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 6:24pm On Sep 22, 2016 |
sorry for the typin errors, please correct me when u c one. |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 4:44am On Sep 23, 2016 |
Permit me laugh biko.. Lmao |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by PRESTIGERYHME(f): 7:43am On Sep 23, 2016 |
Re: Harvest Of Tears by Evakinqz: 6:50pm On Sep 23, 2016 |
PRESTIGERYHME:how r yu |
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