BEYOND HIS CALLING

CHAPTER 1

    Alabi was a priest ,a savior to many and held a sacred place in the hearts of his people.Yet despite his divine gifts,
he ad his wife harbored a profound sorrow; their inability to bear a child.
Alabi's remarkable abilities had first manifested at the age of Eight when he miraculously healed his grand mother,
   Fearing the consequences,Alabi's father, the village's sole pastor,struggled to keep his son's gift a secret,knowing that if word
spread,the village priest would seek to claim Alabi for his own purpose.
     As alabi approached his eight birthday,his ability surged.The slightest touch from his small hands could revive ailing birds in
his mother's poultry,restoring their energetic flapping. It didn't stop there,his father's farm flourished under Alabi's gentle care
as if the plants responded to his presence.
  But with each passing miracle,Alabi's father's unease grew.Fearful of the attention his son's healing touch would attract,he made the painful
decision to confine Alabi to their home,severing his ties to the outside world.
     Alabi had 4 siblings,who were the sole confidants in a world shrinking by the day,he found solace in them. However,they had to go
to school everyday,which at that time was a priviledge reserved for the select few,but this only heightened Alabi's sense of isolation
   His father,who was learned,would lock him in and assign Bible chapters to read,then at night,his mother,who was a teacher,would
take over,providing home schooling that rivaled the formal education his siblings received.
     Alabi's father had a soft spot for his first daughter,Ronke,yet he made conscious efforts to nurture each child equally.This
balance fostered a household where love thrived.
    

     PRESENT DAY

    A cold september evening enveloped the village,casting a somber mood over the household,Alabi,now 16,eagerly awaited his
father's return. As the he settled into his room, Alabi entered bowing respectfully
'Ekaabo daddy'
'good afternoon my son' His father's warm response increased the tension building within Alabi
  'is everything alright? you greeted me already' His father asked with curiosity sparking in his eyes
Alabi's words spilled out in a rush
  'papa,i have questions,i am suffocating here,i need to explore to understand these gifts. I can not keep hiding them'
His father's expression turned cautionary
'There is nothing to discuss' His father says as he turns around,but alabi continues
'please hear me out'
  'we have talked about this many times,you are safer here.Your abilities are from God,so wait for your purpose' He says as his
frustration boils over
'my purpose!?' Alabi chuckles bitterly under his breath then contines 'i have been waiting for 16 years ,16 years! Your God doesn't have
what i am looking for,it is clear by now.
     His father's face reddened,anger and fear warring for dominance
      'How dare you!' he thundered,his hand flashing out to slap Alabi.
   The clash of the skin on skin echoed through the room,leaving Alabi reeling.Tears of anger and hurt blurred his vision as he
stormed out of the room,leaving his stunned father behind.