the little guy

Fourteen-year-old Josh had just returned from school when he found all his family members lying in a pool of blood. Shocked, he took two steps backward, trying to process the horrifying scene before him. Even after several moments, Josh remained in denial. He paced back and forth, unable to control himself. A few moments later, he threw his school bag to the floor. With tears in his eyes, Josh couldn’t scream—he could only cry. He held his mother’s hand, but there was no sign of life. He moved closer to his father, but he too was lifeless. His younger sister, still in her school uniform, lay motionless next to their mother. Josh knelt in the middle of them, crying and begging them to wake up, but sadly, they were all gone. “What happened? Who did this?” Josh asked himself, desperate for answers, but only silence filled the house. Unable to bear it any longer, Josh began shouting, calling out his mother’s and father’s names over and over again. A few hours later, Josh’s uncle arrived. Josh was still crying in the middle of his dead family when Uncle Gideon approached him and gently pulled him up. Josh resisted. “No, Uncle, I’m not going! Tell them to stand up! Tell them I’m back from school! Tell them I’m here! Uncle, please help me talk to them. They’re not listening to me. Maybe they’ll hear you. You know Mummy respects you so much. You have to wake them up now. Why are they sleeping at this time? Uncle, please wake them up for me,” Josh pleaded. Uncle Gideon could no longer control his tears. He cried out loudly while holding his young nephew’s hand. He was at a loss for words. It had been a strange number that called him to report the incident. The whole street was quiet, with no movement. The tragedy had occurred only in his brother’s house, yet no neighbors had come to help. “Why?” he wondered. “Is this place safe for Josh, or should I run away with him? What about the bodies on the floor? How am I going to handle this? Who do I leave them with? What should I do? God, please show Your mercy,” Uncle Gideon thought. After some time, Uncle Gideon found a way to send Josh out of the neighborhood. He then called the police to the crime scene. When the police arrived, they began asking questions. “What happened?” He shook his head. “I don’t know.” “Who did you meet here?” the policeman asked. “Nobody,” Uncle Gideon answered. “How did you know this happened?” “A strange number called me and told me to come save my brother and his family. But before I could get here, this was what I found,” Uncle Gideon explained. “Are you sure you didn’t meet anybody here? Did you touch anything? Was the number from a relative or friend? Do you have any suspects?” the officer pressed. Uncle Gideon thought to himself, “I can’t possibly tell them Josh was here before me. The boy is innocent.” Then he said aloud, “Yes, I didn’t meet anybody here. The number was strange, and I have no clue who called. My brother was a very quiet and easygoing man. I never expected this to happen to him.” “Mr. Gideon, please come with us,” the policeman said as they drove off to the police station. “Mr. Gideon, you will have to stay with us for the moment while we investigate this case. It is also for your own safety,” the officer said. “Officer, are you suspecting me, or are you arresting me?” Uncle Gideon asked. “In a case like this, everyone is a suspect. You cannot teach us how to do our job. Please be quiet,” the policeman replied angrily. And with that, they locked Uncle Gideon up.