Ladder of Cankerworm

LINEN

Current day
Earth
5:00pm
LINEN

School was over and it was time to go home, he breathed in and walked out of the gates. He then boarded a bus that did not take him a long distance because his money was not enough. He was forced to walk the rest of the way.

Instead of getting home by 6p.m., he ended up getting home by 8:30p.m. Linen knew he was well doomed when he saw his dad sitting in the living room, obviously waiting for him.

‘Where have you been!’ he questioned with a very thunderous voice.

‘I am not a child dad, I am in college now and besides it is all your fault,’ he began. ‘You have not paid my hostel fees and the money you gave me was not enough to bring me home so I ended up walking,’ he narrated.

‘That is not an excuse,’ his father replied.

‘Even if I went somewhere, do you think you deserve to know, huh? It is all your fault, you are so messed up! That is all I know, so much for being comfortable. Goodnight dad.’ He said and left he did not want the conversation to continue.

His father sat bewildered and remembered the fact that he had not paid the fees for his son’s accommodation. All he wanted was for his children to go to school and be comfortable no matter what. He had promised his wife ten years ago that he would be happy, give the children everything they want, the most comfortable life. The only promise he had not kept was that he had not gotten married again, which he promised he would. He knew that she would be mad at him for not getting married, but what could he do, he had not fallen in love again after his beloved wife, and it was not so easy. Well that one did not matter, what mattered was her first request and that was to make sure the children finish their education comfortably and become great people in the life.

‘I love you so much, Martha,’ he whispered to himself as he walked up the stairs to his room.

He picked his phone and called the Chancellor of Cambridge and made arrangements to pay for the accommodation. He laid and slept in peace knowing that his son would leave the next day. He felt so lucky that his father was rich and he had inherited his wealth and he was not struggling, plus, he was paying his and his children’s bills.

Linen woke up to great news; his father had finally paid his fees for accommodation. He got his stuff that he had already packed and left.
He got to the school and was directed to his hostel, he was so lucky, his first class was by 1p.m. and he had about five hours left.
He got into his hostel and found two boys there lying on their bed. What a magnificent hostel it was, he wondered how much it costs and why his dad would pay such an amount. And then he remembered, dad was willing to go to any extent just to make them comfortable.

He moved to the bed and placed his things there beside the wardrobe and laid on the bed with his phone. He was about to switch it on when he felt pressed. He got up and walked to the toilet. And then he received a psychic mail from his biological father on the other side of earth. He knew something was wrong but what could he do.

Linen listened as his father told him of how he was a failure, dying without seeing or feeling his son, but he knew it was now, he could not stay any longer. He clenched his fist as he saw the image of the murderer. He knew that the bastard murderer would confess to him one day, but as his father had taught him ‘‘revenge was never the answer’’, he knew the murderer would ask for forgiveness.

He felt like using one of what his father had taught him of drawing power from the sun and the moon, but what was that going to benefit him, nothing, his parents would just be in pain and that would give him more work, and more people to watch over in future. And besides, he did not know how to use his powers yet.