Unhinged Love

Chapter Six

On a freezing Monday morning, the kids were at school. Oliver's group was doing their last paper and would soon attend college. Mijini School contained it all. It was a one-stop school. One would begin from pre-primary, high school to university. The school occupied an ample space in the middle of Karen. Only fences separated the different levels of learning.

Oliver aspired to be a journalist. He did not desire to leave the village. He would join Mijini and complete his journalism course. Besides, several media outlets could employ him within the village. Freelance opportunities were also possible in his sight.

He dreamt of getting a job and raising the status of his family. Sometimes, he was split between buying land in Karen and moving with his family. Or stay in Karani but change the situation. It was always a discussion in his mind. Soon, he would know the answer.

On weekdays, he did not have time to visit the ridges in the morning. Sometimes, he would try in the evenings. But that took a lot of effort to achieve. On weekends, he would not miss.

His friend John did not have to care much. He came from a wealthy family. John's parents owned land far and beyond. Additionally, they had a fish processing factory. The plant would process fish, can them, and sell them to the rest of the country.

That was not all. The family had another factory manufacturing sulfuric acid. Many people did not know about it. It was the most kept secret. The facility was located away from the substantial scrutiny of the village. It was built on the east of Karen, far off, at the base of some mountains where the river Dédié starts.

Oliver chose a controversial topic about the preservation of the river Dédié. While he was going through past projects, he noticed something peculiar. There was not a single paper written on the water body that meant a lot to the village. How was nobody interested in it? He examined physical papers and digital libraries. For sure, there was none.

He got interested in the topic when news reports showed that dead fish were found near a meander. The report failed to detail the cause of the tragedy but reported the dead fish amounted to hundreds of baskets.

Oliver expected the government to disclose the cause, which did not happen. Their statement warned the public against consuming the fish, but that was all. They failed to promise next-course action.

Not long ago, although before Oliver was born, there was an outbreak of a disease that killed hundreds of people in the village, especially Karani. The disease was incurable, leading to the demise of many. The patients exhibited breathing problems and irritation in the eye.

Coughing was the last stage before death. Once one started coughing, they would lose hope in him. The police advised quarantining the patients. However, they did not provide evidence that the disease was contagious.

"This is perfect." Oliver retorted, stretching the word perfect with joy. Per the lecturers, papers that were not overly done earned more marks. He knew this was his moment to get the most marks.

From a distance, Hellen was peeping at him from time to time. She sat in a corner and could hardly see Oliver's entire body but his face. Unknown to her, Charity was also keeping an eye on them. Hellen saw the delight on the young man's face and could not resist.

She took small steps, one at a time, like a lion, carefully avoiding blasting the prey. She gently rested her hand on Oliver's back near his right shoulder with her right hand on the desk. She greeted:

"Hey"

"Hey," Oliver replied, raising his head to see where the voice came from. He was shy. He could not stop thinking about yesterday throughout the night. Notably, he did not understand the meaning of her behavior. It could be because she missed him, or perhaps love developed after he left their home. Who knows? Only she could tell.

She lowered her left arm to Oliver's biceps and asked.

"Have you found a topic?" Oliver gulped a mouthful of saliva. Lowering her from his biceps, he quickly answered,

"Yes. I want to study the effect of water pollution on the river Dédié on fish and the economy of the villages around it."

"Isn't that controversial?"

"Of course it is, but that's what makes it invaluable."

"See, I -" Oliver quickly turned to his computer to show him some of his findings, prompting the preference. Meanwhile, Charity, staring from a distance, was interested in joining. She scrambled to the desk and stood on the left. Without uttering a word, she watched as Oliver got an opportunity to boast of his exemplary research on his topic.

For the first time, Charity was jealous. Indeed, Oliver was a man worthy of love. Despite being eloquent, he had an intelligent grasp of learning, superior to all his classmates. But Oliver was still a brother to her, although she was happy about her sister's choice.

Oliver illustrated how people have fallen ill over the years. Their symptoms have been similar: irritating eyes, breathing difficulty, and coughing with slight variations. Most deaths go unnoticed. Perhaps his mother died of the issue. His mother was cursed because she died of an unknown disease. He seemed to have just realized that. Remrse struck his heart as if he knew just knew. But he quickly shrugged it off.