Magnifico

will he live?

The finance minister hurriedly carried the prime minister on his back with all the blood running down from his belly, but he didn’t mind. He rushed to the closest physician's place from the palace, not too far from the courthouse, he hastily brought him inside and went straight to the table and laid him. The physician heard a sudden sound on his door as it was opened and it appeared as if the person that opened it was being pursued by something.

The first room which the finance minister had carried his friend into, wasn’t the main room where the physician was even though it is the main entrance to the building. The physician was in the second room so he had to come out to the first room to see who it was that rushed into his office.

When he came out, he saw Tom standing while the prime minister was laid on a table. “what happened to him?” he asked anxiously. All Tom could see was an old man, short, with grey-white beards, long enough to reach his chest. He has never seen the physician before but it didn't matter at that moment.

“I will explain later, please help him,” Tom begged.

Looking confused, the physician asked him to carry him; the prime minister to the second room. Tom hurriedly carried him on his two arms to avoid pressing further on the wound. He lifted him and took him to the second room. The room had almost nine windows with three windows on each side of the wall. It was well ventilated, well arranged, neater than the first one which looked like where equipment and physician tools were kept. The well-kept room gave Tom the hope that his friend would survive.

He dropped the prime minister on the second bed inside the room as instructed by the physician. The prime minister groaned as he was being laid on the table. The physician rushed to bring a pillow which he would use to raise the prime minister’s head a little to give him comfort. He had also thought of bringing a towel and a bowl of water to clean up his blood and clay, turpentine, and honey to treat his wound.

“will he live?” Minister Tom asked with a facial expression that looked so eager for a positive reply. The physician looked at him but, didn’t reply to him, he just left. Tom looked back and saw the prime minister struggling with lifting his hand, trying to signal him to come closer.

He went closer and the prime minister said “ I think it was Jonas.. I..” he was still trying to finish up what he wanted to say when the physician came back with his materials for treatment. Tom gave him a little space to treat him but stood close watching as the prime minister was struggling to breathe, gradually becoming unaware of what is happening around him. They heard a sound as if someone entered the house from the main entrance, the physician and Tom noticed it but Tom decided to leave to confirm who that was. Before he could get to the second room's door, he saw the room door was being pushed by someone in the first room.

When the door was opened, it was his deputy, minister Bonni Uswan. Tom was surprised to see him, he closed the door and said “Bonni, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know. How is he?”

“He's not looking promising,” Tom replied. Bonni got closer and saw the prime minister in a sorry state. His two eyes were already closed and he was barely breathing. Bonni's face could spell danger, his heart throbbed faster and he couldn’t feel his feet. A sudden shock wave was sent from his brain to every receptor in his body, for a moment, he couldn’t utter a word.

“This is not looking good at all Tom.” He unknowingly said. The physician was busy treating his wound and didn't participate in the conversation.

“will he survive?” Bonni asked the same question Tom had asked.

The physician wanted to avoid answering the question because he was not sure of what would happen but he knew they would probably give up asking. He said with his soothing, calming, and old slow cracked voice “He has lost a lot of blood. We can only hope he survives but for now, I can’t say for sure what may happen. I hope you do understand?”

None of the two ministers replied to the physician because that was not what they wanted to hear. They thought the physician would tell them that he will survive but he did not. They stood watching until Tom asked his deputy minister to talk to him privately.

They both went to the first room, Tom didn’t want the doctor to hear what he would say to Bonni.

“Deputy, I thought you said you won’t have anything to do with the prime minister ever again. How come you are here?” Tom asked impatiently with a very low voice.

Minister Bonni shrugged as if he would not answer the question Tom had asked him.

“I know I felt indifferent towards the prime minister. I absolutely felt sorry for him when I saw the level of cruelty melted down on him by Magnifico. It could have happened to anyone so I felt sympathetic to him. I am sorry I have not really cared or listened lately” Bonni said.

“He told me to tell you that he wanted you to allow bygones to be bygone. He said he was sorry for whatever he might have caused you” Tom glared at Bonni. “He also wanted to tell me something. When I was carrying him, he mentioned king Jonas's name. I didn’t understand what that means. Do you?” Tom asked, his face worried.

“You said he mentioned Jonas?” Bonnie asked with an obvious anxious expression...

“Yes, he did. I could barely hear him but the name Jonas was well spelled out” Tom replied.

“If he could mention Jonas' name while in pains, then it is quite obvious it was Jonas that took the box.”

“Jonas?” Tom exclaimed, forgetting the physician was in the room by the next door.

“Of course. Okay, let us look at it this way. Who could have taken the box apart from him? I guess the prime minister was smarter than us, I never thought of it.”

“I guess. We are not sure yet. How could Jonas possibly have entered Alaphas without anyone’s knowledge? To me, it doesn’t add up.” Tom said his face sweating.

“That is what I still don’t understand too. It’s a mystery we need to solve. The letter the prime minister sent may have reached him.” Bonni said.

“Well, we will ask him if he wakes up. We need some clearifica…..” Tom was still trying to make a statement when the door to the room the prime minister and the physician were opened, it was the old man. “Come,” he said, “both of you.” The physician's countenance speaks everything wrong. They both went in immediately with him inside the room because they weren’t comfortable with the news.

“What is it, sir? Why is he not breathing?” Tom asked hurriedly as he raised the prime minister's hand, but there was a freefall of the hand to the table.

“He is dead.” The physician said abruptly. Tom and his deputy couldn’t believe what their ears have heard. Their long-time friend, political adviser, considering that he was older than both of them; is dead. Nobody could utter a word, the ventilated room was no longer ventilated, started heating up and both ministers, Tom and minister Bonni could feel it. They both started sweating and trickles of tears dropped from Tom's eyes. Inside him, was filled with anger, rage. He just realized he had lost a friend, a very close friend that his death, made him realize how close the prime minister was to him. Bonni was also utterly and sincerely sorry for the death of the prime minister, he didn’t see that coming. He didn’t know he would be so upset if the prime minister dies, but to him; the reverse is the case. They both vowed to work together and make sure that Magnifico was defeated for good.