Slave
It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more. On the same illustration, the ground is looked upon by the living, wondering how a shallow grave made on it swallows the dead. But in some situations, the living wishes that the ground opens and swallow them. The maid found herself in that position, she wished to go down six fit under the ground after she was asked to serve Richard his father's poisoned food. Dramatically, out of Mrs. Vivian's alerming voice, Kalu came out from his room, observed everybody on the dining table, so he didn't need a magician to comprehend what was happening. Therefore he stood with his arms folded beside his boss.
"Neye," Murphy called on the maid once again. "Why are you scared? Why do you quiver like cold lips? Nobody will harm you. Just do as you were told. Serve my son the food you served me." he repeated.
The poor maid carried the plate of food as her hands kept shaking, watched by everybody in the room thereby introducing a deadly silence as an indicator that death wasn't far from the vicinity. The sound of a television in the living room seemed to be the only thing alive. Nevertheless, she placed the food on Richard's position. The young man stared at it for a while then angrily stood up, surging towards the door. Before he clutched the knob, Murphy's voice stopped him.
"Son, i still love you. I, your father is neither an anchor to hold you back, nor a sail to take you there but a guiding light whose love shows you the way. It's unknown the place and uncertain the time where death awaits you; thus you must expect death to find you, every time and at every place. Know this and live long." he had said, then stood up and began to walk upstairs while Richard banged the door.
"Heeeyy!" Kalu exclaimed. "This is the Solomon of our time. The wise Don, the clever teacher Murphy himself. You shall live long." he ran after him.
Mrs. Vivian glared at the maid. "You're lucky my husband is a good man." she hissed and walked away.
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He sped on the road in a black Lexus like he was pursued by death. He rotated the steering wheel like the wheel Potter then matched brake in front of a hospital. He came out well dressed like a school teacher. He was quite tall, handsome and a bit fair in complexion. Not regarding his young age, he always had a skin-cut. His head sparkles like the reflection of light on a mirror. That was David, the third adopted son of teacher Murphy. He could be seen entering the hospital. His next position was in the office of his father's doctor where he tapped his finger on his table while the doctor gazed at him thoughtfully.
"David" he sat up. "Are you saying your father made such declaration that any of you who kills him will become the next don? And you want me to help you kill him."
"A slow cold death." David replied. "It will only take you a syringe and a needle. I will reward you handsomely when that is done." he added.
The doctor smiled. He thought for a while. "What will I lose? The man is already dying." he thought again then said aloud, "I've heard you. You will hear from me"
"No, I want to hear the time of his death."
"Deal!"
They shook hands.
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Back to the unknown location, Jimmy's water tube bursted thereby triggering an alarm in the medical building. Doctors began to run hecter skelter. They brought the boy out of the tube, removed the wires and laid him naked on a table. The poor five year old boy seemed reborn as all the doctors stared at him silently, looking very worried. Suddenly, Jimmy coughed awake. That brought joy in the heart of them all.
"Get his cloth." One of them commanded. He pulled the boy up in a way he sat on the edge of the table. "Jimmy, can you hear me?"
The boy said nothing but stared.
"Do you understand any language? Can you speak?"
No response.
The doctor gave up with a heavy exhalation. He signalled one of them to hit a metal behind. The female doctor did as he said. The sound passed through Jimmy's outer ear, the middle ear and hit his ear drum. Quickly, he responded to the sound by looking back to know the source. The doctors smiled happily while the boy began to cry. Murphy arrived few hours later, carried the boy to his room where he took his wife too. When Jimmy saw the image on the table, he gradually began to touch it.
"Where did you see this, Jimmy?" Murphy observed him from a corner.
The boy said nothing. Rather began to remember where he saw such a thing then fell in love with the image..
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FLASH BACK
At a mall, one could see Kate taking Jimmy to the rest room to wash off a splashed drink. Inside the rest room, as Kate wanted to do the washing, her phone rang. "Jimmy, wash off yourself, let me answer a call." She went out. Immediately, a man entered, his hands quivered when he brought out a small container filled with drugs. Jimmy watched him. In the process of taking the drugs one fell off. The small boy picked it up, looked at it critically to see the image. He actually fell in love with it, but he handed the drug to the man.
"Thanks, boy." The man said. Jimmy smiled. Just then, Kate arrived.
A few minutes later, still inside the mall Jimmy carved the image on a paper and began to fly it like a kite without knowing that, Murphy's' enemies, men of the underworld were monitoring him....
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CONTINUITY
Jimmy looked up at Murphy. "Mama" he called.
Murphy smiled. "Your mama is no more. You, little lad will avenge her. I will train you to fight my enemies that's those who killed your mama. Most of all, Evan will be happy to see you when you're ready." he concluded.
The child stared at him. Of course he heard him but didn't understand a single thing.
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Evan carried his boss' wife to his house where the woman presented gifts to his new born baby. One could see Alice and Mrs. Vivian in the one room apartment and the gifts on a center table. In Vivian's arms was the baby who she looked at happily, wishing it was hers. Alice observed from a corner.
"Have you named her?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. My husband and I named her Adaugo." Alice replied with a smile.
"Beautiful name." Mrs. Vivian concluded.
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TEN DAYS LATER
The tip of his pen wiggled on a large book, his writings sluggishly occupied several lines of the book like a footprint of a snail on a sandy soil. One of his feet tapped cleverly on the floor as though, the source of inspiration was hoozing from there through the foot to his brain where it was courteously scrutinized before going out through the pen as a by-product. Suddenly, Mrs. Vivian barged in with a paper thereby interrupting him. Murphy turned.
"What is it, woman?" he asked.
"My Lord, My God has answered my prayers. I'm more than a week pregnant!" the wife announced and hugged the husband who reciprocated happily.
"In deed, there is God!" Murphy walked to the door, locked it and said, "Nobody must know about this especially my sons." he went back to his book and wrote, "On that day my driver, Evan, swore that his child, Adaugo, will serve my generation forever. She is our property, our slave" He closed the book.