In the year 4112. Deserted Planet Earth
One could see one large island, or say continent. It was all in ruins. One might have thought that an apocalypse had befell Earth. 99.9% of the Earth's surface was covered with trees and vegetation.
At the foot of one mountain, there was a settlement. Houses built with wood and grass thatched. The settlement spanned an area of one kilometer squared.
This was where the remaining humans on Earth lived. The population rose slowly. Everyone here was religious and they beleived that one should only marry one wife.
This explained the slow population growth. Also among the five hundred, women were more than men. There were about a hundred men at first and most of them were old.
It took five hundred years for the population to rise to three thousand. The settlement was a village. They were headed by an Elder who everyone called chief. His son's name was Jephthah.
Also, due to how respected he was, no one called him by his true name. That meant that few knew his name. Jairus. Jephthah's wife Magdalene had given birth to a baby boy earlier that morning.
Everyone was happy for them. Due to the scarcity of men, every newborn male was a treasure. Out of ten births, two were male sadly. Everyone was outside the chief's place.
Every lady wanted to hold him. He was the most different person in the whole village. He took after no one in his family. His ocean blue eyes were enough evidence. His hair was black and fluffy.
The ladies rubbed his cheeks and pinched his nose. It took the entire day before everyone was satisfied with seeing him.
Also, his name was Marx. It was an odd name from a religious family. Every newborn got their name from the Bible. Everyone had brought gifts. Many brought Magdalene fruits.
Others had made cotton clothes for the baby. They were accepted and at sunset, everyone headed back.
***
After Marx was born, years appeared to be flying and soon he was five years old. At this age, he knew almost every corner of the village. That night, the dinner table was all tensed up. Marx had asked a question specifically for his father.
"What is grandfather's name?" He asked. Jephthah was at loss. He carried too much respect for the chief and would never call his father by his name. Around the table were five. The chief and his wife, then Jephthah and Magdalene. There was then the five year old Marx.
"It is very important as one of the family you learn etiquette. You are never to call your grandpa by his name. That is disrespectful," his father said. His lips twithced when he saw the displeased look on Marx. Could it be that that brat was looking down on him?
"Adults nowadays. Just a simple question and you end up giving an excuse rather than an answer. A shame, shame," Marx said shaking his head making a clicking sound.
Jephthah did not know how to feel. Wasn't he just trying to pass some values to him? How could he be wrong? The silence was broken by Jairus. He was laughing like he had heard the joke of his life. He was scratching his beard like a master.
"Marx, your father is so cowardly and would never tell you my name. What about I give you the mission to find out what my name is?" Jairus proposed
" What will be my reward?" Marx asked instantly.
Everyone could not help but wonder. Was he not the one who wanted to know the name? Why was he supposed to be rewarded then.
" I bet no one in the village will tell him. No one dares and few know your name," Jephthah said.
The two men laughed but were silenced.
" Why don't we make a bet!" Marx said. The two paused. But then, the broke into another fit of laughter.
" If I find out your name by tommorrow noon, I am going to call you however I want," Marx said but his words just caused their laugh to increase.
" Okay we agree." Both said in unison.
" Grandma you are the witness of this bet," Marx said. She could not help but wonder how she had been dragged into the bet. She just nodded. She knew he would probably lose.
Early the next morning, Marx woke up and went to every old man in the village but it was like word had leaked that no one was supposed to tell him what the name was.
"Trying to act smart, huh?" He returned home after thirty minutes.
He knew there was only one person he could turn to. One who loved him so much and pampered him a lot. He waited after breakfast and everyone finished. They were about to leave but his words were like a command.
"Grandma, stay behind," he said. She obliged and they were left together. "Follow me." He stood from his seat and headed outside to the woods. His grandma was following behind him.
He had his hands on his back. His face was serious like he was the village chief. He stopped then looked at his grandmother.
"If I was named after grandpa, what would my name be?" He asked. He made sure his question was long fetched so that she would not get him.
His grandmother was about to answer instinctively but she paused and laughed.
"Cunning brat! Did you think that you would get me with such a stupid question?" She asked after almost falling for the trick.
Marx realizing that he had been caught went for Plan B. His serious face turned childish and his eyes appeared to shine with stars. His pleading eyes made him appear so cute and irresistible especially to his grandmother who loves him so much.
He then hugged her and looked up at her. Now, tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. No comfy words were required here.
"Okay fine my dear. If you were named after your grandpa, then your name should be Jairus," she replied.
That was what it meant by being strategic. Pulling the heart strings usually worked perfectly. His face turned devious as he put a devious smile. His grandmother regretted falling for the trick.
" Thank you grandma. I will never forget your kindness," he said and started heading home. His grandmother could only shake her head. She realized that she was no longer useful to him and had been discarded.
Marx stood at the wooden gate. He had his hands on his back. He matched into his grandfather's house with small steps. One could think an old man had been reincarnated in his small body.
He stood outside the compound and started going in circles. His devious smile had returned back to its place. He cleared his throat.
"Old man Jairus, get out!" he called out loudly.
Inside the house, Jairus had been waiting for noon so that that snotty brat could fail and put him in his place. He was reading the Bible and on his side was a half full cup of coffee.
He had just taken a sip when he heard from the outside his name.
"Old man Jairus, get out!" All the coffee sprayed over the Bible. He was about to put the cup back on the table but he dropped it. It was like he had had a heart attack.
His glasses had fallen off on their own. He stood up with a burning chest. His left thigh was wet for that was where he had dropped the cup. He stormed outside the door but he stumbled backwards when he saw Marx.
He had a serious look on his face and hands on his back.
"Old man Jairus, what took you so long? Don't you think that you should give me a surprise?" Marx asked.
His face was sure bet that he was using all he had to not laugh. The chief was having a running nose. It had been years since he heard someone call him by his name other than his wife.
"I will kill you!" Jairus was boiling in his inside.
"Old man Jairus, I hope you are going to honour our bet like a real man should. It would be a shame if a man as old as you are going back on his word," Marx said mid laughter.
Jairus clenched his fists. How had he lost? Who was it that had snitched on him? He went back to the house and blew a horn. He was calling for an emergency meeting of the elders.
He had told them not to snitch on him but someone certainly had. In ten minutes, ten old men arrived in the chiefs house. Behind the house was usually a shelter with fifteen chairs around a table.
Everyone who arrived went to the shelter. This was an emergency meeting and time wastage was not tolerable. No one knew what had happened that the chief could call them early morning.