The search for God

Title: The search for God Episode 1 Death His cries woke me up "Maami wake up please, maami pls just wake up and talk to me, maami plee...ase" he cried. "what is all this drama James is performing this morning meant for" I thought. I stood up and walked towards my mother's room to check on her, James look towards me and said "mama isn't waking up Bunmi, maybe she would answer you" he pleaded. "Leave her, you know she hasn't been well this days, maybe she need more rest" " But she's not used to waking up this late" "Perhaps it's just not like that today" I said Hours passed by and Mama didn't really wake up, there James thought we should call a neighbor and I agreed with him. We called anty wunmi who was a nurse to help us check on her. she checked, didn't say a word and went out with a sullen face. Few minutes later, more people begun to troop into our house and they all begun to cry, I see no reason why anyone should cry cos I still strongly believe my mother is not dead she's only asleep. Hours after hours mama still never said a word, all I justed wanted her to do was stand up all of a sudden and tell everyone she was joking that she just needed more rest. We had no family, it has just been James, I and Mama since I was five and James one. I remember vividly then how my father use to beat my mother everyday for no reason, he was a drunkard I did know that also, he left us when I was five and since then mama has been doing all she can to make us happy. I once remembered promising her I was going to make her happy when I grow up and she kept on advising me to face my books and do my best, that i'd promise to do and I did do. Now am fifteen and in SS one and always on top of the class though I could remember once or twice I was in the third position. Now they say mama is dead, this guys are just so funny, someone is sleeping and you her referring to her as dead. I walked away into the street because those guys annoy me so much, why would they say my mother is dead. I kept walking and walking, I thought of my mother, what if she was really dead like they said, if it was the death I knew, that means am not going to see her anymore, I immediately discarded the thought of my mind. How on Earth is my ever caring, ever happy and agile mother just going to die like that without even telling me. I walked up and down the street, I thought about my father, he must have been a silly man for leaving my mother, leaving us to struggle all by ourselves. I decided to go back home maybe my sleeping mother would have woken up, I strode home dodging people who might know me. As I neared home, I hid in a corner where I knew no one would ever see me, they are still there, more people kept walking into our house and I saw some people gather around James, he was weeping profusely. That chicken hearted boy he believed their nonsense. The thought came to my heart again, maybe mother was really dead but as soon as it came I discarded it. It's must have been past five I guessed, how time flies. I resume to walking up and down the street as usual, maybe I'll just stay out of the house till tomorrow, this whole dream or whatsoever drama they think they are performing would have ended. I sat in an hidden spot on the Street where I could get a good view of everything that's happening, I kept thinking of my mother, I thought of all her words and promise. I remembered she once swore to me that she'll stay alive till I make it, she promised she's gonna be there for me always and now she's sleeping some kinda nonsense sleep, she'd better wake up and let's move on with our lives. Darkness was covering the Earth, it must have been seven I guessed. I saw some people walking together, I thought I knew someone from their midst, then it occurred to me that they must have been looking for me, I wish I could just jump out and ask them about my mother's condition but another part of me begun to realize that she might be dead truly and they would still tell me she's dead. So I stayed in my hidden corner, squeezing myself tightly so they wouldn't see me, I saw someone coming my direction but one of them discouraged him and told him I could not have gone hiding, I might have taken a walk. I was relieved. I sat and washed passerbys, I saw a boy and a girl in a corner on the street, they talked for a while, smooched and departed, "what a world!" I thought. The smell of the akara(bean cake) that was being fried nearby made me remember I hadn't eaten since morning. Maybe the worms in my stomach just realized that too, my stomach started rumbling, one of the things I never played with was food but at this moment I could toy with it all I can, when I remembered my present situation i forgot about food, my worms must have been so unlucky, they also must bear with me today. I stood up and walked up the street again I came back, this time I sat in an open space where everyone saw me, there were so many people sitting there insomuch that I was unnoticed, Mostly comprising of unmarried teenage couples, so I was alone, a boy came up to me and asked for my name, I never replied, he said a lot of thing I couldn't hear cos my mind wasn't with him, I didn't bulge, then he left. I only remembered he said his name was James and that I remembered because he was my brother's namesake and he said I was pretty, I couldn't figure out how he saw my face in the dark and every other thing is said was bla bla bla... I didn't hear a thing. I kept thinking till I discovered we were only four left, that James boy, I and a couple who would never leave each other alone though unmarried. Deep in thought I never knew when I was the only one left, I wouldn't dare go home for I couldn't face the fact that my mother was dead. Few people still passed, they looked at me and went their way, they must have gotten it from my face that I do not need their sympathy. A couple in a big fine car parked to ask me what I was doing there late in the night, it must have been around 22:30, I told them not to worry and walked away. Having walked up and down the street all day without anything in my stomach, I was tired. I looked up and down for a place to lie down, heaven bless that unused house with a linoleum, it had a corner one could lay down on, it was dirty but it was manageable. At first I sat down and then laid down, I couldn't sleep. Apart from the mosquitoes huzzling, nuzzling and biting around my ear, my thoughts too are keeping me awake, I thought of what death looks like, not having to see that person again. If mother was truly dead like they said, I don't mind dying too, without mother I don't think I would be able to move on. It was past midnight. I heard a bird chirping, it made me remember that superstition when we were Young that birds chirping in the night represented witches calling their fellows for a meeting, at first it made me scared and then I discarded the thought of it. Minutes later I heard a dog barking, it made me remember another superstition that when dogs bark in the midnight it represented ghosts or evil spirits passing by. At this point I was scared and I started qouting psalm 23. "The Lord Is my sheperd I shall not want.... Even tho I walk through the valley of..... I shall fear no evil..... For thou art with me...." This I qouted and qouted till the dog stop barking. Around 1am I was beginning to doze a little I thought I saw someone above my head, but I couldn't figure out if it was a dream or reality. Then it dawn on me, someone was actually above my head, it was a familiar face but I couldn't remember where I saw that face. I wanted to scream but he covered up my mouth so quick even before the sound could be produced....... To be continued Episode 2 loading..