CYRON (Completed)

Chapter 3 -S.

Chiogo Nwafor was seated on the long sofa inside her grand living room. She was a beautiful woman. Dark, ebony beauty. She looked about twenty-eight, while she was actually thirty-seven. She aged slowly for more than a certain reason. Her big eyes, her pink lips, her curvy body. Everything about her was good.

She was leaning back in the chair with her legs crossed on a small stool. Her eyes were on the large TV mounted on the wall across from the sofa. A movie she'd been watching was just ending and they were showing the credits now.

"Hmm, these Indians still make nice movies," the woman spoke.

She picked up the remote and flicked from channel to channel. When she got to a news channel she stopped.

#This beautiful statue will be unveiled tomorrow.# Said a female voice on the TV, while a strange rock statue of a large cobra and cat entangled in conflict was being shown.

"Oh no," Chiogo said, sitting up now.

#The statue was dug up in eastern South Sudan early last month by Biafran and Japanese archeologists,# the female voice on the TV went on. #It's origins are yet to be known, but archeologists have linked it to ancient Egypt.#

The face of a tired-looking middle aged Japanese man appeared on the screen now. Under him appeared the name, Doctor Jagama Tabuto, vice president of Karun dig site.

#The cobra and cat are two animals related to Ancient Egypt,# the Japanese spoke. #And since many Ancient Egyptians actually migrated to what is today, South Sudan, it is possible they brought the statue here at one time. It is like nothing we have seen in the past. No Egyptian sculptures match this, but they have surprised us severally before.#

Chidum had stepped into the living room behind his mother while Doctor Tabuto had been talking. The woman hadn't heard him enter because he had on his fluffy slippers with his pajamas. He stared lazily at the TV, his long hair falling from and covering the sides of his face. The footage of the strange statue appeared on the TV once more.

Chidum's eyes widened.

"Slek Verum," He said.

His mother was shocked to hear a voice behind her, and quickly began changing the channel. She stood up and turned to face her son.

"You saw nothing, Chidum," she told him. "Ignore it."

"But I did see it, mother," the boy replied. "One of the Slek Verum. A portal, mom. Through this I may go to Cyron and perhaps find father. You have always said you wished to see him again, no?"

"I would rather I have my son alive," the woman said, going to the sofa and up to her son. "Your father told me too many scary things about that world. He went to help in their stupid war and he never came back. I won't let you go."

"Mother," Chidum said in a calm voice. "I am going, and you will do nothing to stop me. For this is perhaps my destiny. I strike eighteen and a portal appears in my country. Are these not signs, mom? Tis time I went to do something about my home. Biafra is at peace. She is a proud country. Cyron is a failed world. I can help, you know I can."

"Chidum," the woman said, balling her fistst in frustration.

She shut her eyes and let out a sigh.

"I have tried," she said. "I know you won't listen to me anyway. I can't stop you."

"Thank you for seeing reason with me, mother." the boy replied, hugging his mother.

She hugged him back.

"My Elieh," she said softly.

"Teya," the boy replied.

She loved when he called her that. "Teya," meaning "mother," in the language of her husband's people.

Chidum let go of his mother and walked towards the archway that entered the living room.

"I must go and ready myself," he said as he went. "I must be at that ceremony tomorrow. I shall draw energy from the crowd there to help me open the portal."

"You cannot get into the museum during the ceremony tomorrow," Chiogo told her son. "The ceremony is strictly by invitation. Leave it and go some days after."

"I know exactly how I shall get in mother," the boy replied as he vanished behind the wall of the archway.

"I know I shouldn't have married you, Turen," the woman murmured. She let out a sigh. "But I could have never withstood your beauty and character," she said with a small smile. "It's just the boy is so stubborn."

She backed up and sat on the back of the sofa. Her thoughts were elsewhere now.

*   *   *

      Gokan was inside his hotel room at the Noon Star Hotel. He was in his singlets and boxer shorts. He was having a drink of warm milk while staring out his window. He was looking down at the swimming pool below.

"Stupid girls," he said. "Look at them in their bikinis. I go down there now and say I wanna take pictures, they'll call me a pervert. I'm just a photographer. I take bloody pictures for a living." He sipped his milk. "Why wear a bikini if you don't wanna have your picture taken?" He spoke again. "You even try to take pictures of the guys and they also think you're a pervert. I'm a guy too, you idiots. I can't wait for that unveiling at the museum tomorrow. Who wants to take pictures of dumb people when I can get marvelous shots of that beautiful statue?" His cellphone rang on the bedside cupboard now. He turned around and walked towards it. "Who's calling me now?" He said as he went. "Dumb people don't know when someone's not in the mood. It had better not be one of those salesmen, or so help me..." He paused when he picked up the phone and saw the caller ID. A small smile split his face. "Chidum," he said, sitting down on his bed. "I guess all the cool guy attitude was just to hide the fact that he felt cool being around a hot-stuff photographer like me." He answered the call, put it on loudspeaker and placed the phone on the cupboard again. "Well hello, Mr. Smooth Talk?" He told Chidum.

#Please, I wish to ask that you let me come with you to the unveiling ceremony tomorrow,# said Chidum's voice over the phone.

A grin split across his face.

"So the cool man changed his mind?" Gokan asked in a teasing tone.

#Certain... Matters have come to light, and force me to make this journey with you,# said the Biafran on the phone. #I would be eternally grateful if you would accept me.#

"Tell me you'll take care of the snacks I'll eat along the way and you're in," Gokan spoke. "You had it on a golden platter before and you said no."

#I shall pay for snacks,# Chidum spoke. #Money is no problem. Do we have an agreement?#

"We do, buddy," Gokan said with a laugh. "We'll use your car."

#My apologies, but we shall go by transport,# Chidum told the other guy. #I have no plans of returning to Anambra tomorrow, or anytime soon.#

"Aww,"  Gokan complained. "Well okay, but as punishment, I'll eat more snacks than I initially planned."

#Thank you, friend,# Chidim spoke. #I shall be at your hotel by the seventh hour of the day.#

"You mean seven AM?" Gokan asked.

#Seven AM.# Chidum replied, then the call was disconnected.

Gokan smiled as he looked at the phone. "I knew he'd come crawling back."