"Eru! Eru!!" He tried to wake me, but I didn't. "Eru!!!" He shouted. This time accompanied by a slap on my thigh. "Uurghh!" I murmured as I opened my eyes. When they were fully opened I screamed and jumped off the bed. The man that just woke me up was looking so scary, like a character in a 'Chucky' movie. Or maybe, this is even 'Chucky' himself, a grown up 'Chucky'.
"Follow me" he commanded. And as he turned towards the door, I saw he was hanging my school bag, he flung it out, poured gasoline over my books and burnt them. "What is going on" I said - in my mind.
We went out of my room. But wait, the door of my room leads directly to the sitting room, how come we are... "Eru!" His thunderous shout cut my stream of thoughts short.
We were standing on Zuma rock.
I have seen Zuma rock before, yes it's big and tall and I believe standing on it can give you a clear view of most of Niger and the FCT. But standing on this rock with... With... Oh! I don't even know the name of the man that just dragged me out of my bed. But standing on the rock we could see the whole of Nigeria.
From the far North-East ends of Bornu to the borders of Cameroon-Adamawa and the hill towns of Benue. To the oil spilled states of the Delta, the coastal regions of Bayelsa and Rivers, the islands of Lagos, the ancient kingdoms of Benin and Kebbi on the east of the North.
I saw men, well dressed in academic gowns marching forth in anger towards Aso rock, they had a banner "ASUU".
I saw the Benue women, mourning their farmer-husbands who were slaughtered by herdsmen.
I saw seven Biafran brothers armed with arsenals of all sort who prowled through the towns seeking the ruin of lives.
I saw bandits. No, I didn't see their faces - they were masked. Bringing an end to hundred of lives.
I looked at the X-man, as I chose to call him. Tears filled my organs of sight, but I am a man. I tried to be a man. So I fought them back and asked: "what is our consolation"?
He said, "move round the top of this rock, if you find any green plant, then there is hope, if you don't, I am sorry Eru".
I sprinted out of his sight and searched through all the rock-top. Dry grasses. Dead trees. Withered flowers. All day, no green plant in sight. Night came again and I laid down to sleep. Just then, I felt a tickle on my left ear and wiped whatever it was off. It tickled me again and I turned and there it was. A sprouting flower. I plucked it off and ran to X-man. I found a green plant.
He was gone. X-man was gone.
But at least, I found a green plant.
So, I named the flower "HOPE" and planted it back into the ground.
#FICTION
A Confident PEN ✍️