It was an early September morning in Dasoke, papa had gone to his cassava farm about two kilometers away. Mama had also left home with little Ali at her back for a distant market . Dulai was left at home with his elder sisters.
Unexpectedly, a heavy rain began to fall. Dulai ran out to bring in all their goats feeding in a nearby bush. Mama had told him to do that whenever it started raining . Dulai enjoyed this particular duty as it gives him an opportunity to run and play in the rain with the goats. He left his sisters who were busy packing their clothes that was spread outside.
He was busy playing in the rain when suddenly, two strong and hefty men came up to him and held him covering his nose and mouth. He tried to struggle and they beat him mercilessly. He tried to raise an alarm but was prevented by a strong hand on his throat. Even if he had shouted, no villager could have heard him because of the heavy downpour. He began to cry not believing what was happening to him. The men then took him away to a hut deep in the forest.
Dulai kept crying in disbelief. What was going on? He couldn't understand. Was he kidnapped or is this just a dream? But he had no one to answer him . What if he was kidnapped? How would papa know? Who would tell mama, Eli, Sarah and little Ali? What would Eli and Sarah tell papa that happened to him? He kept asking as hot tears ran down his cheeks. He couldn't control them as he was now faraway from home. He thought that this was really above him as a"man". He was not man enough to control the situation.
" tais- toi et tais- toi! ( shut up and keep quiet!)"one of the men shouted at him but he kept crying. This angered them.One of the men with a huge scar on his face,Just between his eyes and nose came and held his head roughly.
"J'ai dit de de taire ( I said keep quiet)",he said with his hoarse voice. Dulai was oblivious of his surroundings, he couldn't even understand what they were saying.
" II semble que vous ayez Besoin d'etre" "( seems he wants to be beaten)".the other man said as he grabbed him roughly and kicked him down. That was when Dulai understood what he said. You see Dulai had a little knowledge about French even though only their local language " Wolof " was spoken in their village.
"S'il vous plait! S'il vous plait!" He pleaded in French. "Je ne pleureral plus!"( I won't cry anymore!" He cried bitterly before they left him exhausted on the dirty muddy ground like a piece of trash. Dulai immediately curled back to the wall sobbing silently as the men left blocking the hut with a huge rock.
"Ma ngi jegge elu "(I'm sorry)"
Dulai jolted back on hearing the voice speaking in Wolof. He drew back more on the Wall. Then as his eyes adjusted in the darkness he realized he wasn't the only one in the hut. There were more than five other boys in there with him. The one that spoke to him came closer.
"Ndax degg nga Wolof?"( do you speak Wolof?" He asked as he sat beside him. Dulai was already numb from the beating, he couldn't open his mouth to speak he kept staring at the boy with an oval shaped face who seemed way older than him.
" hmm?" He asked again
"Waaw " (yes)dulai answered nodding.
"Maa ngi tudd babou. Nan ga tud?"( my name is babou.what's yours?)"
" Dulai "
That was the only thing he said before he lost consciousness.