SECRET DIARY.
FLASH BACK
Same night at the love garden, nearby trees danced along with the movement of the wind like choir choristers, squirming their waists to the beat of a highly spirited worship song. Murphy, whom Nwachukwu had left all alone inside the room felt the capacity of the wind when it slammed a window. He startled, yet never made a move to leave the room. Was he gonna stay there while his teacher flies home with the chopper as agreed? No, but he must put to test his teacher's teachings about the blind sense. Therefore, he walked back to the table, standing behind it like a soldier. He watchfully observed the rabbit's body movement, monitoring it's eyes at the same time then slowly became blind by closing his eyes. Just then, the sound of the wind minimized, while the whining of the rodent became louder to his ears as he pictured that same character in his mind. He released the rabbit.
When the young boy opened his eyes, the wind slammed the window again, but he never startled anymore as he walked to one of the holes, deepened his hand in number one. He happily found the rabbit there!!
"Yes!!" he exclaimed. Like a vehicle, he sped out of the room, but unknowingly dropped the pedant on the floor. "Teacher, I've gotten it!! I did it!!" he continued shouting as he ran down the staircase of the house. Thunder strock at that moment but Murphy never stopped until he met teacher Nwachukwu at the exit, staring at the sky with two hands behind him. Obviously, he saw the wind turning into a great storm as regard to the thunder signal.
"Teacher, I did it!" Murphy stood beside him.
"I know you would, lad. You can fly home with me now." he assured him without looking down at him.
The wind began to blow his caftan backward likewise Murphy's cloth who wondered what his teacher was staring at in the sky again because the stars had vanished due to the presence of the coming rain. The quietness generated got Murphy worried, so he asked calmly, "Aren't we going home again, teacher?"
The man kept quiet, feeling the wind on his body. Suddenly, his voice drew Murphy's attention, so the young boy looked up at him as he began to say, "I heard of an invading, vanquishing army, sweeping across the land liquid-quick; conquering everything, quelling resistance. With it came darkness, dimming the light. Humans hid in their houses, while outside spears pierced, shattering stone walls. Uncountable soldiers smashed into the ground, but each elicited life as he died. When the army had vanished, advancing northward, the land was green and growing, refresh." Immediately teacher ended, a heavy rainstorm escalated.
"Wow!" Murphy exclaimed amazingly. "Nice poem, teacher."
The old man looked down at him. "It's not a poem, lad. It's a riddle. Monica taught me. Where is the pendant?" Teacher Nwachukwu asked him.
Murphy tapped his pockets but couldn't find it. "Oh, my God!" he rushed back upstairs.
Teacher used that opportunity to sit on the living room in order to wait for the rain. After some moments, he saw Murphy coming down with eyes fixed on the pendant, looking at Monica's image
"Teacher, Monica is more than beautiful. I hope she comes back to you and, of course, with your child." he sat down beside his teacher.
"Why do you so much believe that she has a child for me? If she does, why wouldn't she strive to let me know?" Teacher asked him.
"I don't know. I just wish to have your blood in my lineage. Like marrying your daughter. She will also remind me of you everyday."
Teacher busted out, laughing hardly which resulted to a serious cough. As he coughed out blood, he gradually slid off the chair.
"Teacher!!" Murphy held his head up from the floor like a mother carrying a baby. "Teacher, what's wrong with you?!"
The man kept coughing. His beards and caftan were stained with blood. Murphy could feel his breathing rate with his hand while his eyes dimmed with tears. Suddenly, the man stopped coughing.
"Murphy, I have bronchiectasis; a heart disease." Nwachukwu raised a hand up to the boy's cheek with a smile on his bloody lips. "Take care of others my son, and love them equally." he coughed again. "Rainstorm is the answer to the riddle. Now you have the answer to everything that will guide you on the presidential seat. I taught you criminal love but show the citizens practical love. Good luck, lad" he concluded and gave up the ghost. His hand on the boy's cheek gradually flopped.
"No, no, Daddy.." Murphy raised his mouth up with flowing tears. "Teacher!!!" he shouted in a loud voice that was louder than the sound of the rainstorm...
:
:
CONTINUITY
Erika, the daughter of Monica, sat on a mat in a shop with legs folded like an Muslim, reciting a Quran in a mosque. Her 'bobmaley' hair covered her innocent face, and a red polo shirt covered her small breast. In her two palms were black hand-gloves.
The local shop looks weird, nothing was in it except gas cylinders. Beside the bizarre girl was a plastic chair too.
However, Murphy and Vivian had approached with caution, standing before Erika who pretended not to notice their presence as she faced down with eyes closed like a meditating monk.
Murphy cleared his throat. "Hello, girl" he said, yet Erika never raised her head up.
Vivian and her teacher glanced at each other as if to say: IS SHE ALRIGHT? Notwithstanding, Murphy spanked a cylinder beside him loudly which startled Erika, so she raised her head and slid away the hair from her face. Vivian saw a very innocent girl with ebony complexion. Eyes fierce like a witch and pointed nose like that of her father, Nwachukwu.
"Wow!" Erika stood up happily. "This must be my luckiest day, teacher Murphy at my doorsteps!"
Murphy critically observed her then closed his eyes within two seconds to know the girl's next action which was to shake him with the glove in her hand. So the young boy expected her to stretch forth the hand, but she never did. He became surprise.
Erika stretched the hand at the seat beside her saying, "Please, have a seat, teacher"
"Thank you."
Vivian watched as Murphy sat down on the chair with hands on its arm-rest. Only then did Erika stretched forth her hand for a shake when Murphy never expected it. Therefore teacher grabbed it after which he realized himself then wondered what was happening.
"What's your name?" he asked her.
"Erika Solomon." The girl replied. "I sell used-gas-cylinders like this one" she wanted to touch one but purposely pulled it down. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Is okay." Once again, Murphy bent down, used his hand to pull the cylinder up.
"So which one do you want to buy?" Erika asked him.
"I didn't come to buy, I came to know you in person because something attracted me to you." he replied. His statement made the girl shy naturally while it also made Vivian jealous emotionally.
"I do not know what to say, teacher." Erika smiled. "It's an honour to have you."
"Thank you. I'll like to see your parents."
"And I will like to see you live in your next national speech."
Hearing that, both stared at each other. As Murphy tried to understand where she was heading to, so as Erika observed him too. Murphy solely believed that the young girl before him knows what he knows but didn't know how. "She wants to see me live on my next national speech because she has a plan" he thought.
"He wants to see my parents because he has suspected that I know what he knows." Erika also thought as both eyes never averted from each other.
Meanwhile, Vivian folded her hands, watching them like a movie.
Notwithstanding, Murphy said, "So when do I see..."
"I'm sorry, teacher, my parents are late." Erika interrupted him. "You can always see me here." she added.
"Of course." Murphy stood up.
"Thank you" she smiled.
Seeing that it was time to go, Vivian first used the exit. Murphy stood there for a while because he wasn't satisfied with Erika's identity. So he turned his head to see her already staring at him. "She knows my secret." he thought again.
"Yes, I know the secret" Erika also thought as if she read his mind to know what he was thinking. "Teacher Murphy, I'm happy to have you. It means I've shared from your bright star." she said aloud.
Murphy smiled then finally left the shop.
:
:
Out of curiosity, Murphy went back to the white house with Vivian. They could be found in his private room once again, looking confused especially Murphy.
"We came back without searching further for a good girl. Why?" Vivian broke the silence.
"Erika is the one, Vivian." Murphy sat at the edge of his bed.
Already, Vivian had begun to lose hope. "Do you mean she's the one you want to marry? The girl is weird!" she stated.
"That's the point!!" Murphy rushed up. "She knows what i know. It was as if she was in my mind, reading all my thought! Fuck!!" He shrieked. "For the first time, somebody was always one step ahead of me."
"And that makes you think both of you are compatible for marriage?"
"No," Murphy widened his eyes walking closer to her with pressure. "That makes me think she's the one Nwachukwu referred as 'brighter star'. My fear now is that I don't know her plans."
They became quiet. Vivian stepped aside a bit, using her initiative too. "Did you notice one thing about the girl?" she looked up at Murphy who expected her to continue. "She has teacher's nose. Like she resembles him." she completed.
The statement reminded Murphy the day teacher died on his arms. It also reminded him about how he wished Monica had a child for Nwachukwu. As he reasoned all that, he found himself walking towards the window like one being remoted. He stopped at the window, staring into the sky.
"Murphy?" Vivian became worried. As she wanted to go meet him, a pen fell off from a distant cupboard like the presence of a ghost in the room. Wondering what fell the pen, Vivian walked to it, picked it up and dropped it back on the cupboard, but her eyes caught a diary. She glanced at Murphy whose attention was still in the empty sky before opening the diary. She couldn't believe the first thing she saw: "..I wished Monica bears a child for my teacher. I wished to have his blood in my lineage by marrying his daughter. He laughed but gave up the ghost in my arms. I'll always love you, teacher Nwachukwu."
Vivian closed the diary with a pounding heart. In fact, as she was walking back to Murphy, her legs couldn't carry her anymore. She fully understood why Murphy suddenly lost in a deep thought after substantiating Erika's resemblance with Nwachukwu. It was clear to her too that Murphy had a deep discussion with teacher Nwachukwu before he died and part of it was getting married to his daughter which they have accidentally found. Hence, there was no hope for her anymore for where Murphy is.
"Murphy?" she called again after finding her voice. Yet, the boy didn't look back from the window. Anyways, she continued. "I don't think I... I.. can continue.. um... I mean.. I'm.. I'm quiting from being your special adviser." she ran out from the room, controlling her tears.
By the sound of the closed door, Murphy turned with tears in his eyes too, but didn't know why....