THE DEMISE OF JOHN PAUL
It was a radiant Saturday morning in the Lovely town of Ayepe, the loud shouts of boys and whistling were heard from the field. The girls feet ploughed to and fro the stream and smoke from the women's kitchen rose kindly with delightful aroma of African delicacies into the air. I had woke late and I crept silently past the kitchen where mother was busy cooking. I entered into the bathroom which was merely four walls of rusted aluminum sheets. I made my hand in likeliness to a cobra ready to bite, I bent it sideways to draw water from an old pail and washed my face. I let out the early morning urine and thought on plans to escape Mum's confining claws. Little did I know that I'm not at the liberty to think of the devil. "Tundeeeee" mum called my name In an elongated manner typical of African mothers. "Ma" I replied in a short disappointed voice, just then the idea came. I stormed out of the bathroom and walked hurriedly past her. She asked "where are you and going?" I replied visibly showed my reluctance to stay "I am coming ". She then added "make sure you eat well wherever you're headed". This has been Mum's unfair discipline, you miss the chores you miss the meals but I couldn't think about consequences I needed to be on the field.
The match was on, I watched on by the sidelines and soon a set was defeated and I came in with some other boys. The match was full of possession, skills and dribbles but chances were not often created, then John Paul (Known as JP) spotted my run and played a dinking pass over the defenders, I was Gareth Bale in speed and Marcelo in control, my run along the wing was a perfect one but as I saw a chance to shoot I was indecisive and was thought about dribbling but then I lost possession lazily managing a shot against the pole, the opponent recovered the ball and a counter was in play, John Paul my able defender was able to rescue the ball out and was obliged by the rules of the game to fetch it in the bush surrounding the cleared field. While he was away we argued on the lapses in our team that we couldn't notice he took longer than expected. About 15 minutes later JP limped out of the bush without the ball, why we shouted at him for the ball, he just fell helplessly and it was clear that something was wrong. I ran to him and asked what happened, he explained in his breaking voice that he stepped on the tail of a snake in the bush and as he tried to run he fell by a branch in the bush which made the snake caught up with him and smote him many times, the boys ran helter skelter although I screamed for someone to get me water to pour on my dying friend. It wasn't long that I lifted up my eyes and saw that the field was empty. I was left alone with my dying friend and I watched helplessly as he breathed the last. Night fell before my eyes, gloomy darkness hung above the skies that had been initially bright, my tears were the heavy downpour of the dark clouds when I witnessed John Paul's demise.
©Ganiyu Taofeek
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