THE YOUNG ADVENTURER

CHAPTER ONE

THE THOUGHT TO.LEAVE

. Princewill, after observing his parents for sometime, decided to ask his father a question. "Dad can I ask you something? he said'. "Go ahead" His father answered. " Why did you build a house or buy a car?" He asked His father replied with a deep breath "Hmm, You are the house I built and the car I bought. I did not build a house so that I can use the money to send you to school." He was satisfied with the answer since he knows the condition of his parents. From time to time, he thought.of how he can improve the condition of his family so that his parents can rest. It began on one cool day . As he thought and thought over his life and the humble family background which he was born into, many unanswered questions were raised in his mind and his eyes streamed with tears. Day after day, he quietly questioned why Providence brought to him part of the world called Africa and the family in which he found himself. Yet around him and within him, no one to give him a proper answer for his questions. He pondered over his family, then as a school graduate, no job. "Life must not continue this way" he said to himself "But what must I do to change the course of things?" he questioned silently. My destiny is in my own hands and I must take it , for if I don't do something about it, nothing will change.". he realized. No one in his family knows the battle that has been going on in his mind for months and years. Then he said to himself " I have stayed here for too long but things have neither change for me nor my family, no job, no business, no family inheritance. All I have inherited is shame, disgrace and poverty.". He decided to take the bull by the horns by leaving his hometown and country but again he asked, "How does he without money and to where?". No friend or relative anywhere to welcome him. It was a very difficult decision to take because it was tantamount to the decision of a judge in the life and death of a man or the decision of a politician in a grand point in politics. But he has no choice except he does not want to make the change he so desired in his life. He was at a crossroads so what needed to do I raise funds for a flight ticket and vice versa?". Since the money was not reasonable to handle the entire travelling expenses and logistics arrangements.

Since this thought or idea entered his mind, Princewill began to pray that his elder brother should never think of coming to request for all the money, because if this happens, his dream of traveling abroad will be rendered abortive or delayed. Each time he sees his brother coming around him, his heart beat will increase because he will be thinking that his brother will request for the money, which sometimes he request part and sometimes he brings more to deposit as savings. However luck smiled on him that his brother never requested for the money until he took off unexpectedly without announcing to anyone. But before making his final decision to leave their family house, many questions trickled his gentle soul. "How do I go from here?" he asked himself. "I have never travelled out if the country" he muttered. "What if anything happens to me?" he quietly asked himself again. He felt nervous and almost got discouraged. Then he thought of introducing the adventure to one of his close friends so that he can have a partner to travel with. But what if he doesn't have the money? another question rose. He called George and introduced the idea to him. George who seems to be a talkartive answered him this way "It is better for me to die here, where my dead body will be seen and buried honorably than to die where nobody will see me and fishes, flies and worms will feast on my corpse," So George gave him a capital NO.

The response from his friend, George

quietened him for a while and almost brought discouragement but he encouraged himself by saying"I have to go, no matter what. ". and like the biblical Esther "if I perish I perish.".

"After all,. opportunity belongs to those who take risks.". he said to himself "and a journey of a thousand kilometres always begin with the first step" he concluded.

After spending about two to three extra weeks, he set out for the journey. He left their family home very early in the morning and boarded a bus to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. While in the bus, he thought making friends or finding people going towards the same direction will be ideal. But at the same time he was very careful not to fall in the hands of fraudsters. He has always known that good and bad people are everywhere. But he prayed that God will always lead him and help him come across good people. Though he was looking for a companion for the journey, he was not just using his physical eyes but his spirit man as well. But he found it difficult to get one good friend his spirit could agree with so he kept mute in the bus.

Though he sees the great challenges ahead of the journey he has made up his mind that he would be the sacrificial lamb of the family. He must do something for the family to come out of this situation. He felt like even talking to someone but he found no one to share his story with.