Focus on important things.


Good morning ❤️

Today marks it a year I lost my only brother - Charles. I wouldn't have even remembered if not Facebook that had to share me the 1 year memory.

Charles my elder brother was attacked by some thugs, just a day before his matriculation, in school. It was heard that he stole a mobile phone that was charging peacefully at a corner, in the supermarket, at the school gate.

Right from childhood, I've known my elder brother - Charles as a Kleptomaniac ( one who steals compulsively ). He steals both things he need and ones that he doesn't need as well. It's so pathetic that he just have to steal.

He was expelled from many schools during his secondary school days. Even mum has taken him to different deliverance sections, yet he refused to be out of the wood.

But I think this day, a year ago was the day his cup got filled up and was let to stew in his own juice.

Our single mum had told me to go and stay with Charles after I made much pleas to her.

I had to pack my bag and travel to Charles's school, to stay with him, in preparation for his matriculation. I was an aspirant of the school then.
Charles even was delighted to see me stay with him in his lodge. He made me to be very much comfortable during my stay there.

On the day before his matriculation, Charles hurriedly prepared and left the lodge that morning. He told me that he is going to have his haircut and attend to somethings too. He gave me some money to buy bread and beverages to have as breakfast and also told me to cook noodles incase I get hungry in the afternoon.
I smiled and bade him farewell, curiously hoping for him to come back so that I would see the hairstyle he had been bragging about since, that he would have.

Just some minutes before noon. I was fast asleep then. I heard thunderous shouts, echoes, cries, coming from outside. An engrossed fear gripped me as I arose from my slumber. I had to check through the window to know what the scenario was like. But just before then, I've received several bangs at the door.

My little legs trembled in fear. On opening of the door, my eyes beheld the unexpected.

I saw my Charles lying lifelessly in a pool of his own blood. He was surrounded by too many people.

"Ole !" "Klepto !" "Thief !" were the major voices that was thrown at the air, that moment.
I managed my way through the few angry people surrounding Charles.

There I met him, with guilt and shame in his eyes. Welts of different sizes were kissing their way through the pale, dark skin of my brother, Charles.

I let out a silent fart as I fell on my knees towards Charles.

"Please brother, tell me it's not true". I managed saying, even scared of his response.

However, a heavy hiss came from one of the aggressive people that stood there, which I felt were not students.

"This is the hand behind all our missing properties in this vacinity all these while. Get the tyre and lighter let's burn this nigga off!" The voice came again.

Everyone began with their shouts again. Some continue with throwing stones at Charles of which few, fell on me.

"No!! No !! Please..." I begged the angry mob but all to no avail.

The tyre, lighter and fuel were here. They had to set Charles ablaze. All my divulges fell on deaf ears.

Pathetic. Aggressive. Haywire. Uncertainty. I tried all within my feeble power at the moment to dissolve the mob from lighting up Charles. My efforts however, was outrode as heftier men held me up to avoid me jumping into the burning Charles.

Swiftly, I saw Charles already wailing and struggling for his own life admist the blazes of fire that entangled him.

The guilt, the disappointment, the painful cries, the bitter regrets, all in his eyes. He'd known that he has wronged us - mum and i. And even apart from him, we didn't deserve the trauma he has put us through.

Now, this whole year now seemed as just a day of Charles demise. The memory has struck a new in my mind. Apart from the few moments of reflection I have over Charles's demise. And the few times Charles appear in my dream, crying and chanting sorrowful songs. I have lived this whole year as though I never had a brother. School activity alone makes me forget so much about him.

But I feel something even more weird is still in existence in our family. It's mum. I think she's yet to recover from the trauma which almost cost her life.

She wakes up every Tuesday morning, crying to my room, asking me for the whereabouts of his son - Charles. She believes nobody and nothing again. Her strange and weird behavior has probably raised a catalyst of concern.

Now, the question is, "Does it mean that Charles's demise has turned mum to a psycho???

Fiction story ⚠️

©️Oji Dickson

#fiction #writing #storytelling