PART 46"ONCE UPON A TIME "
PART 46
"ONCE UPON A TIME "
©️Opeyemi Akintunde.
Silas got to the T - junction thirty minutes later than usual. He wondered what he was going to preach about...
" For God so love the world that he gave His only son, Jesus Christ ... Can you imagine the kind of love God has for you. If he could give up his only son for Him to have you, what do you think will be too big for Him to give you. I don't know what you desire of the Lord, be it Sound health, Joy, marital peace, financial prosperity, protection from evil powers... Listen! God can give you all that you desire, if you can only draw near to him!"
Redemption heard a different voice from the T- junction.
" Is there a new preacher?". Redemption asked herself
She paused at a corner and observed Silas from the distance.
Silas on the other hand could feel the piercing eyes of someone staring at him. It wasn't unusual for people to stare at him since he was preaching at the T-Junction but the feeling of been stared at was strong.
As he continued preaching, he turned in circles searching for the piercing eyes. He found it all of a sudden as he saw Redemption standing at a corner. He could not see her eyes as a scarf was covering half of her face...
He was moved to speak to her. He rounded up the morning cry and immediately walked towards where Redemption was standing.
******
Redemption wanted to back out at that point, but it seem like her legs had been pegged down on the floor.
Silas got to her and without knowing how the words poured out of his mouth, he said...
" He loves you and He is ready to make Gold out of your fire!"
The Word "Fire" hit Redemption deeply. She had developed hatred and phobia for fire. She couldn't light a match, she hated candles or anything that had fire to it.
"What Gold can come out of a destroyed me. Fire didn't beautify me, it destroyed me" Redemption said raising her head up and showing Silas her burnt face.
Contrary to what anyone would have expected, Silas wasn't irritated, instead he felt grieved in his soul... His heart melted...
" I am sorry!" He said
" Don't be! I am a witch...or let me say it this way, I became a witch to punish the person who did this to me, but now, I want out. I want to follow Jesus! Can you show me the way!" Redemption said as tears dropped down her face...
Silas became emotional and as words failed him, he stretched out his left hand to Redemption. Redemption looked at the hand calling for her...
The hand meant a lot to her... She was about to step out of the life of obscurity she had put herself. She could see that if she placed her hand in his palm, she was stepping into the light where her imperfections would be seen.
Without giving it too much thought that could lead to discouragement,
Silas could tell that he was being pushed by a force higher than him. He kept wondering why he was taking the stranger back to the house.
******
Kamal stood with so much contentment on his face as he watched the way Rogers was being beaten by the forest men. The more Rogers cried in pain, the more Kamal found satisfaction.
Abena, His wife walked up to him and whispered to him...
" Inside!"
Kamal knew he had to answer her. Her people still feared her more than him and if there was ever a reason for allegiance to be tested, all the villagers will follow his wife...
He followed her into their room...
" What are you doing?" She asked. Her father had taught her and few others English, the others spoke a form of pidgin english peculiar to them.
" Punishing the enemy!" Kamal replied
" I thought you were going to be the one to liberate us all from this life and that was why I saved your life and married you! Are you not tired of this life?"
Kamal felt like he didn't hear properly. In their long years of marriage, his wife had never appeared to him as one who wanted to leave the life they were living.
" What are you saying?" Kamal asked
" You want out of here?" He asked again
" I thought you would someday initiate it after Father died but No! it seems like you are daily becoming like my father. The day I saw you, I saw you as a ticket out of here, and I waited for father to die. After his death, I thought you would start a revolution but no! You have settled in to becoming a beast!"
Kamal was speechless!
He thought of how blind he had been to the cry of his wife. He thought of the possibility of how he would have been the hero of this people, if he had picked up his wife's desire..
" I never knew....I mean I didn't know you didn't like it here...but the truth is, this place is my home, I can't leave here or else my family will be killed!"
" Your family? Who am I to you?"
" You are my family, but I am referring to my mother and sisters. If I come out of here, they will kill everyone I have including you! I am sorry, I am not the saviour you were expecting to have."
" You are the miracle I prayed for!" Abena said crying.
Kamal watched as Abena ran out of the room into the bush.
Abena was his saviour, she was the one who gave him the ticket to live, he therefore couldn't afford to see her sad, but what she was asking for was beyond him. He never would have guessed that Abena wanted out of the village.
" Abena! Abena! " He shouted but she was far gone...
To be continued
DEEP THOTS NOVELS
INSPIRED BY THE HOLY ONE
Received &Written by Opeyemi Akintunde
+234-8151103646
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