The dogs were barking filled with rage. Their loyalty to their master would
not allow them to cower back and watch. The herculean like chains were holding
them back. Their terrifying barks did not deter the intruders. They were eager
to sink their teeth into their flesh. They were mad with anger constantly
testing the limits of their chains.
The ambience was chaotic. The mob was rowdy and chants filled the air. Anger was the mood looming around. Not a single person in the crowd felt any remorse. Stones, clubs and all sorts of crude weapons were carried around. Some even had machetes!! Sweat, alcohol and bhang could be smelt all around but no one was bothered. Everyone had only one thing in mind, meting out vigilante justice.
The huge gates refused to give in to their pushing. They tried pushing harder and banging but their relentless efforts were useless. Hacksaws mysteriously appeared and made their way to the front and some young men started sawing off the hinges.
He was petrified when he saw them sawing off the hinges. He had full confidence in his fortified gates but his trust betrayed him now. He sadly looked at them determined to get him. He knew nothing he said or did would appease them. His wife’s and son’s sobs brought him back to reality. He was overwhelmed with guilt for putting them in this situation. His little son was curled in his wife’s arms. He was ashamed he could not protect them. He went over to console them. He placed his arms on her wife’s shoulders only for her to push them away. She was angry with him. He decided to let her cool down first.
He went back to the window to see what they were up to. He checked his phone again. No one bothered calling him despite his predicament. The police hotlines were unusually busy that day. When it did go through it went unanswered. He shook his head in anguish. They usually picked his call, why not today?
He heard the wailing of sirens. Behind them were two Lorries full of anti-riot police. He was relieved like a thirsty desert traveler that found an oasis. He sighed out loud and looked to the sky thankful for their intervention.
The anti-riot cops came out in full gear and formed a line of defense. Their presence spread an aura of fear all over. The crowd seemed to freeze for a moment. He was glad it was all over and his family was safe. The anti-riot police took their guns and fired in the air. Their guns jammed. They tried firing tear gas canisters but they also jammed. They convincingly seemed to fumble around checking their weapons. Those with the batons moved around pretending to round up the crowds. The crowd picked on their mishaps and went back to bringing down the gates. He was mortified. He realized what was happening.
Some vans assembled around. He saw they were journalists. He was glad. He thought they was no way all media houses could be bribed. The cameramen were busy assembling their cameras. He noticed the journalists talking on their cell phones. They seemed annoyed and disappointed. After their calls, they got into their vans and left halfheartedly.
It was at that moment that it dawned on him his fate that day was already sealed. He felt helpless like a gazelle whose neck was in a lionesses jaw. He looked at his wife and son and he was unable to control himself. Tears started streaming down, he clenched his fists in anguish and he started sobbing.
How could they turn against him like that? How quick were they to forget? Were his trials and tribulations for fighting for their rights all in vain? His sweat, energy, relentless efforts and his blood that he bled for them, was it all for nothing? The cruel life he chose because of them against the comforts of his home, was it all for nothing? He would have stepped on a landmine for them and lose a limb for their sake. He was willing to sacrifice his life for their welfare but they turned against him in the most cruel of ways.
He looked over to his son. He realized his own son saw him as a stranger. He was always out fighting for people's rights that he neglected his family. The anniversaries he missed and his son's birthday he missed were haunting him now. The days his son wanted to play with him but all he wanted was to sleep. His wife whose only complaint was quality time between him and his family but he regarded as nagging. The same who he only hugged when she bailed him out countless times. He was not a husband and father to them but a stranger who only courted death for them. He regretted choosing the people over his family.
He suddenly heard a loud thud and wild cheering. He knew they had succeeded bringing down his gates. They cheered loudly over their achievement. They raided his compound. The dogs barked with more vigor then went completely silent. He was saddened by their deaths.
They banged his doors but saw they could not bring them down. He was usually paranoid so he invested heavily in security around his home. He had armed guards who disappeared into the night into oblivion. Luckily he knew something was amiss thus locked everything and locked himself and his family upstairs in their bedroom. They became obsessed with trying to break down the doors and his heavily barred windows. They were only able to break the little ventilation windows but they were small fro anyone to pass through. They gave in to despair, it was hopeless. No one knew how petrol bombs made their way there but every hand was eager to grab one. They felt the thrill off holding a bottle that will flame up the house.
He knew they couldn’t get in. He was hoping they would give up and leave. He went to the window to see what they were up to. He saw he was under siege as the Arabs did the Portuguese in Fort Jesus. He thought to himself when they got tired they would just leave. He looked past the gate. He saw a solitary police officer hold up a petrol bomb. The policeman was taunting him. He waved around the bottle grinning. He did a mock throw. He then lit a lighter and waved it around the cloth hanging from the bottle. He got the message, they were going to burn him up inside.
He went and knelt before his wife. He reached out to his son and beckoned him over. His son obediently came. He hugged him and tried to remember the last time they embraced, his memory failed him. He stared into his teary eyes and smiled. His son could only return a faint smile.
"I love you",he told him. "Sorry i have never been around, sorry i wasn’t around. Please forgive Daddee" He was unable to control himself and tears came out reenergized.
His son wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks. He hugged his father and stared into his eyes and smiled.
"I love you daddee. Don’t worry, it will all be okay", he said and smiled. Sadness betrayed his father's composure and he was in fits sobbing.
He looked at his wife.
"Am sorry."
He couldn’t muster the strength to console his wife. She slid her arms around him. She lifted his chin up. She stared deep into his eyes, kissed him and hugged him.
"Its okay. We will always be a family", she whispered into his ears.
Just then they heard a loud explosion downstairs. They all embraced each other tightly. She was sad her son will never experience the life she wanted for him. The dreams she had of gracefully aging with her husband will never be. She hugged them tightly, her two boys. They heard several more explosions. Some were thrown on their balcony, they were surrounded by flames.
Hot air was filling their lungs. The smoke was scouting around playfully dancing around their noses. The mob kept pelting them with more determined to burn down the entire house. They fled out of the compound when it became too hot. They heard a loud explosion before the entire house was completely engulfed in flames.
When the loud explosion occurred, he knew there was no escape. He could feel the angel of death holding a scythe on his neck. He prayed the next time they were reunited it would be before the pearly gates of heaven.
They started coughing from the immense smoke creeping in the room. He rushed to open the bedroom door but the very hot door knob prevented him. He felt the fire burning up from the other side. The available oxygen vanished and they passed out.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. Everything is here?"
"All of it, but you did not get this from me. Video evidence of him accepting the bribe plus the details of the deal."
"Good. Leave the rest to me"
"You remember you were expelled from three universities all in tha name of figting for students rights?"
"What has that got to do with anything?"
"This is by far the worst. You are going beyond your limits. This man is no ordinary politician. He is the reincarnation of D'Annunzio. He plays upon the emotion of the crowd. He's like a puppeteer and his words are strings."
"I will tackle him head on"
"Good luck", she said and left him.
He was amused. he crossed paths with the high and mighty and made the crumble. He mentioned any bigwig's name and they would be on their knees. How would a mere low shot politician scare him? A politician taking bribes from foreign investors so that they could forcefully evict slum dwellers to build multinational corporations.
He submitted the evidence to media houses but they were reluctant. He was relentless; he posted it all online and across websites and blackmailed other stations to play it. He was proud of what he had done. What he didn’t expect, what he never saw coming, was the low shot politician addressing the nation for only ten minutes. A mere ten minutes that had an entire country baying for his blood. They were irked he had tarnished their favorite politician's name by spreading propaganda. Barely twenty four hours after the press conference and here he was. He was unable to move. He saw his unconscious wife holding the hands of his unconscious son. He tried to move but he couldn’t. He looked at his son, his breathing slowing down. Just then the flaming door fell on him. The entire house burnt in flames.
The solitary police officer threw the bottle in the fire, wiped his hands and made a call.
"Its done. He's burnt in the house with his family."
He ended the call and signaled his fellow officers. They shot up in the air and threw as canisters in the crowd. In a matter of seconds, no civilian was in the vicinity. The fire brigade arrived half an hour later.
As the country tuned in to the midday’s news, news of his demise made headlines. The head of the police service made an announcement.
"Am sad to announce the death of the country’s greatest activist. The man spent and dedicated his life to fight for peoples rights. He died from a gas explosion in his house. We suspect the the gas was leaking and someone must have lit up a match, probably his wife trying to cook. More details will be given when the investigations are conclusive."
After he received the call informing him it was done, he smiled knowing his woes were over. He looked at the man in the black Versace suit at the end of the table and nodded. The man smiled back. He looked at the foreigners in the room and said, "We have lost the country's greatest activist. May his soul rest in peace"
They smiled and replied, “Rest in peace".
That evening, people eagerly awaited the president to address the nation. They were glued on their screens and radios. A man in a black Versace suit appeared.
"The country has lost a great man. A legend at best..........."
It was a year after his burial. People had forgotten about him.
As dawn broke on a cold and chilly morning, slum dwellers were still in the comforts of their beds sleeping. Completely unaware of the bulldozers assembled on the outskirts awaiting orders to bring down the entire slum.
The ambience was chaotic. The mob was rowdy and chants filled the air. Anger was the mood looming around. Not a single person in the crowd felt any remorse. Stones, clubs and all sorts of crude weapons were carried around. Some even had machetes!! Sweat, alcohol and bhang could be smelt all around but no one was bothered. Everyone had only one thing in mind, meting out vigilante justice.
The huge gates refused to give in to their pushing. They tried pushing harder and banging but their relentless efforts were useless. Hacksaws mysteriously appeared and made their way to the front and some young men started sawing off the hinges.
He was petrified when he saw them sawing off the hinges. He had full confidence in his fortified gates but his trust betrayed him now. He sadly looked at them determined to get him. He knew nothing he said or did would appease them. His wife’s and son’s sobs brought him back to reality. He was overwhelmed with guilt for putting them in this situation. His little son was curled in his wife’s arms. He was ashamed he could not protect them. He went over to console them. He placed his arms on her wife’s shoulders only for her to push them away. She was angry with him. He decided to let her cool down first.
He went back to the window to see what they were up to. He checked his phone again. No one bothered calling him despite his predicament. The police hotlines were unusually busy that day. When it did go through it went unanswered. He shook his head in anguish. They usually picked his call, why not today?
He heard the wailing of sirens. Behind them were two Lorries full of anti-riot police. He was relieved like a thirsty desert traveler that found an oasis. He sighed out loud and looked to the sky thankful for their intervention.
The anti-riot cops came out in full gear and formed a line of defense. Their presence spread an aura of fear all over. The crowd seemed to freeze for a moment. He was glad it was all over and his family was safe. The anti-riot police took their guns and fired in the air. Their guns jammed. They tried firing tear gas canisters but they also jammed. They convincingly seemed to fumble around checking their weapons. Those with the batons moved around pretending to round up the crowds. The crowd picked on their mishaps and went back to bringing down the gates. He was mortified. He realized what was happening.
Some vans assembled around. He saw they were journalists. He was glad. He thought they was no way all media houses could be bribed. The cameramen were busy assembling their cameras. He noticed the journalists talking on their cell phones. They seemed annoyed and disappointed. After their calls, they got into their vans and left halfheartedly.
It was at that moment that it dawned on him his fate that day was already sealed. He felt helpless like a gazelle whose neck was in a lionesses jaw. He looked at his wife and son and he was unable to control himself. Tears started streaming down, he clenched his fists in anguish and he started sobbing.
How could they turn against him like that? How quick were they to forget? Were his trials and tribulations for fighting for their rights all in vain? His sweat, energy, relentless efforts and his blood that he bled for them, was it all for nothing? The cruel life he chose because of them against the comforts of his home, was it all for nothing? He would have stepped on a landmine for them and lose a limb for their sake. He was willing to sacrifice his life for their welfare but they turned against him in the most cruel of ways.
He looked over to his son. He realized his own son saw him as a stranger. He was always out fighting for people's rights that he neglected his family. The anniversaries he missed and his son's birthday he missed were haunting him now. The days his son wanted to play with him but all he wanted was to sleep. His wife whose only complaint was quality time between him and his family but he regarded as nagging. The same who he only hugged when she bailed him out countless times. He was not a husband and father to them but a stranger who only courted death for them. He regretted choosing the people over his family.
He suddenly heard a loud thud and wild cheering. He knew they had succeeded bringing down his gates. They cheered loudly over their achievement. They raided his compound. The dogs barked with more vigor then went completely silent. He was saddened by their deaths.
They banged his doors but saw they could not bring them down. He was usually paranoid so he invested heavily in security around his home. He had armed guards who disappeared into the night into oblivion. Luckily he knew something was amiss thus locked everything and locked himself and his family upstairs in their bedroom. They became obsessed with trying to break down the doors and his heavily barred windows. They were only able to break the little ventilation windows but they were small fro anyone to pass through. They gave in to despair, it was hopeless. No one knew how petrol bombs made their way there but every hand was eager to grab one. They felt the thrill off holding a bottle that will flame up the house.
He knew they couldn’t get in. He was hoping they would give up and leave. He went to the window to see what they were up to. He saw he was under siege as the Arabs did the Portuguese in Fort Jesus. He thought to himself when they got tired they would just leave. He looked past the gate. He saw a solitary police officer hold up a petrol bomb. The policeman was taunting him. He waved around the bottle grinning. He did a mock throw. He then lit a lighter and waved it around the cloth hanging from the bottle. He got the message, they were going to burn him up inside.
He went and knelt before his wife. He reached out to his son and beckoned him over. His son obediently came. He hugged him and tried to remember the last time they embraced, his memory failed him. He stared into his teary eyes and smiled. His son could only return a faint smile.
"I love you",he told him. "Sorry i have never been around, sorry i wasn’t around. Please forgive Daddee" He was unable to control himself and tears came out reenergized.
His son wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks. He hugged his father and stared into his eyes and smiled.
"I love you daddee. Don’t worry, it will all be okay", he said and smiled. Sadness betrayed his father's composure and he was in fits sobbing.
He looked at his wife.
"Am sorry."
He couldn’t muster the strength to console his wife. She slid her arms around him. She lifted his chin up. She stared deep into his eyes, kissed him and hugged him.
"Its okay. We will always be a family", she whispered into his ears.
Just then they heard a loud explosion downstairs. They all embraced each other tightly. She was sad her son will never experience the life she wanted for him. The dreams she had of gracefully aging with her husband will never be. She hugged them tightly, her two boys. They heard several more explosions. Some were thrown on their balcony, they were surrounded by flames.
Hot air was filling their lungs. The smoke was scouting around playfully dancing around their noses. The mob kept pelting them with more determined to burn down the entire house. They fled out of the compound when it became too hot. They heard a loud explosion before the entire house was completely engulfed in flames.
When the loud explosion occurred, he knew there was no escape. He could feel the angel of death holding a scythe on his neck. He prayed the next time they were reunited it would be before the pearly gates of heaven.
They started coughing from the immense smoke creeping in the room. He rushed to open the bedroom door but the very hot door knob prevented him. He felt the fire burning up from the other side. The available oxygen vanished and they passed out.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes. Everything is here?"
"All of it, but you did not get this from me. Video evidence of him accepting the bribe plus the details of the deal."
"Good. Leave the rest to me"
"You remember you were expelled from three universities all in tha name of figting for students rights?"
"What has that got to do with anything?"
"This is by far the worst. You are going beyond your limits. This man is no ordinary politician. He is the reincarnation of D'Annunzio. He plays upon the emotion of the crowd. He's like a puppeteer and his words are strings."
"I will tackle him head on"
"Good luck", she said and left him.
He was amused. he crossed paths with the high and mighty and made the crumble. He mentioned any bigwig's name and they would be on their knees. How would a mere low shot politician scare him? A politician taking bribes from foreign investors so that they could forcefully evict slum dwellers to build multinational corporations.
He submitted the evidence to media houses but they were reluctant. He was relentless; he posted it all online and across websites and blackmailed other stations to play it. He was proud of what he had done. What he didn’t expect, what he never saw coming, was the low shot politician addressing the nation for only ten minutes. A mere ten minutes that had an entire country baying for his blood. They were irked he had tarnished their favorite politician's name by spreading propaganda. Barely twenty four hours after the press conference and here he was. He was unable to move. He saw his unconscious wife holding the hands of his unconscious son. He tried to move but he couldn’t. He looked at his son, his breathing slowing down. Just then the flaming door fell on him. The entire house burnt in flames.
The solitary police officer threw the bottle in the fire, wiped his hands and made a call.
"Its done. He's burnt in the house with his family."
He ended the call and signaled his fellow officers. They shot up in the air and threw as canisters in the crowd. In a matter of seconds, no civilian was in the vicinity. The fire brigade arrived half an hour later.
As the country tuned in to the midday’s news, news of his demise made headlines. The head of the police service made an announcement.
"Am sad to announce the death of the country’s greatest activist. The man spent and dedicated his life to fight for peoples rights. He died from a gas explosion in his house. We suspect the the gas was leaking and someone must have lit up a match, probably his wife trying to cook. More details will be given when the investigations are conclusive."
After he received the call informing him it was done, he smiled knowing his woes were over. He looked at the man in the black Versace suit at the end of the table and nodded. The man smiled back. He looked at the foreigners in the room and said, "We have lost the country's greatest activist. May his soul rest in peace"
They smiled and replied, “Rest in peace".
That evening, people eagerly awaited the president to address the nation. They were glued on their screens and radios. A man in a black Versace suit appeared.
"The country has lost a great man. A legend at best..........."
It was a year after his burial. People had forgotten about him.
As dawn broke on a cold and chilly morning, slum dwellers were still in the comforts of their beds sleeping. Completely unaware of the bulldozers assembled on the outskirts awaiting orders to bring down the entire slum.
