Forgotten Soul

chapter 1

She wanted to pretend that it was a normal day, but the clouds sang a different song as the gigantic yellow eyed monster  sluggishly emerged from Lorion hills.

  This small town used to be a paradise of its own. Normally, only crickets were audible anytime past 10pm...

But it's all different now, it has been different for the past three or so days, the screams at night, robbery and murder are on the rise.

    She remembers the first day a scream was heard, a gunshot and the next day, her closest neighbor, the only person she could call a friend, was pronounced dead... It was more than a dream, perhaps a nightmare... Yvonne, the lady she had spent one of the best moments in her life with, was dead... No tears rolled, she has been with Yvonne merely twelve hours ago, it was impossible to believe her heart no longer pumps ...

     She had to confirm...but in the mortuary, she couldn't stand the site of Yvonne's decapitated body, if it weren't for the rose flower tattoo on her left wrist, it would have been impossible convincing anyone, who knew this beautiful round faced well mannered lady, is the same person laying there,breathless... Everyone loved her, or so we thought,...

     Today, she walks down the street to the milk shop, and as always, a small queue is vivid, she makes the eighth person as the line snails along. The morning is unusually silent, even birds seemed to be afraid of the unknown... Only one birds sang, 'Tindi nkole'... N unlike always, it sang a sad song, which sank deep into the inhabitants' soul... "It's a sign" she thought... as she 'lyrically' listened to the little bird's penetrating sound yards away... 

Mzee Nzomo would sit outside his hut on a small three legged stool, puff a cloud of tobacco smoke towards the sky, shake his head and slowly state 'it's a sign of a bad omen' as he keenly tries to filter words from the 'nkole's' whispers... That was ages ago, when the eldest of elders was still suckling...

     'It's too much, we should do something about security' it was the milkman, a small murmur erupts, trying to find the best remedy... Unknown to them, their voices were gaining heights, the anger in their eyes could easily boil water...

     Mama mboga seemed reluctant to leave the conversation, not only her but the whole gathering, which is building up with each passing second... The familiar warmth in air  can be felt once again, but strangely, this time, it has neither comfort nor smiles in it... 

     'Is this the life we want for our kids? living in fears with social injustice covering the streets? According to me this is no life, its surviving' Cynthia, the wife of Mr Anderson, the principal expressed herself as she wiped her tears.

      Soon, the crowd saw it wise to select a mob, a gang of vigilantes to make things right... everyone knows the thorn, but no one is strong enough to pull it out...

'We are tired of politician's empty promises... For how long will we wait for that police force of theirs to be deployed?'

A thunderous voice broke through the tiny air

'Mr Makali is right, the government is being bribed to ensure that insecurity becomes the song of the town...'

  Like a plague, silence coloured the opening and fear emitted from sweat glands clouded the environment as a stranger passed on a path near the gathering, even after he had long gone, the loud silence and that chilling sensation was still fresh...  Mama mboga followed suit and just like the rest, she hurried to her house as if escaping from her own shadow...

  The young lady was kind of reluctant, she solely stayed rooted at the clearing as she stared at the stranger going up Lorion hills and was later swallowed by the thick forest... Her eyes full of vengeance, remained glued at the spot for a while, as her mind pictured the beautiful smile of her deceased dear friend... She knows the killer, the entire town, including the mayor, knows the thorn.