Chapter 13: The Shadow Of The Iron Pipes
999 Words
POV: Mma Clara
The morning air felt heavy and thick. It didn't smell like fresh rain; it smelled like the smoke of a fire that was about to start. I stood behind my small table, my hands shaking as I stacked my red peppers. My heart was thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird. All around the Oyingbo market, the whispers were getting louder. We knew the "Iron Boys" were coming. We knew the Chief wanted us gone.
I looked over at the big almond tree. Elias, the Teacher, was already there. He looked small against the giant tree, but he held his green notebook like it was a shield. His daughter, Bella, sat at his feet drawing circles in the dust. She didn't know that forty men with iron pipes were marching toward us. I wanted to run to them and tell them to hide, but my legs felt like they were made of stone.
"Clara, look!" whispered Monday, the man who sold radios. He pointed toward the front gate.
A long line of men walked into the market. They weren't carrying baskets of food or bags of salt. They were carrying heavy wooden sticks and long, cold pieces of iron. At the front was the Chairman’s brother. He had a mean smile on his face. Behind them, a big black car followed slowly. It looked like a shark moving through the mud. I knew that car. It belonged to the Chief.
"Everybody out!" the Chairman’s brother roared. His voice was so loud that the birds flew away from the almond tree. "The Chief says this land is being cleared! If you stay, you will be crushed like dirt!"
I saw Mama Joy scream and drop her basin of food. She turned and ran. Other traders began to scramble, throwing their things into sacks and fleeing. For a moment, I wanted to run, too. I thought about my children at home. But then I looked at Elias. He didn't move. He stood up slowly and picked up Bella. He looked at those of us who were still standing.
"Don't run!" Elias called out. His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady. "If you run today, you will run for the rest of your lives! This is your market!"
I don't know where my courage came from. Maybe it was the way the sun hit the green leaves. I stepped out from behind my table and walked toward Elias. Monday stepped up beside me. Then Tunde, the little water boy, joined us. We stood in a line in front of the tree. We were just people in torn shirts, facing forty men with weapons.
"You think you are brave, Teacher?" the bully mocked. He spat on the ground. "I have forty soldiers. I can break that tree and your head in one minute."
The back window of the black car rolled down. I saw the Chief sitting in his clean white suit. He looked at us like we were tiny insects he wanted to squash. He didn't say a word. He just nodded his head.
"Clear them!" the bully shouted.
The forty men moved forward. They raised their pipes. Clang. Clang. Clang. The sound of the iron hitting the ground was terrifying. I closed my eyes and gripped Monday’s hand. I waited for the pain to start.
But then, a car door slammed open.
A man jumped out of the driver’s seat. He was wearing the Chief’s white driver’s uniform, but he wasn't acting like a servant. He ran in front of us, standing between the traders and the bullies. He held a heavy metal flashlight like a club. It was Sam.
"Stop!" Sam shouted.
The Chairman’s brother stopped, looking confused. "Sam? What are you doing? Get back in the car!"
"I am done taking orders from a man who steals from children," Sam said. He turned to look at us. "Stay strong, Clara. Stay strong, Elias. I am not driving for him anymore. I am standing with you!"
The Chief leaned out of the car window, his face red with anger. "Sam! You traitor! I will destroy you!"
"You already destroyed enough, Chief!" Sam shouted back.
The Chairman’s brother growled. He raised his iron pipe and aimed it straight at Elias’s head. "Break the Teacher! Break the book!"
He lunged forward. I screamed. Elias didn't move. But before the pipe could hit him, Sam swung his heavy flashlight. c***k! The metal hit the pipe with a loud bang. The bully stumbled back, his hands stinging.
"No more!" Sam roared.
The forty men hesitated. They saw the driver defending the people. They saw the traders forming a human wall. For the first time, the bullies looked unsure.
"What are you waiting for?" the Chief yelled from the car. "Attack them!"
I felt a surge of hope. We were still in danger, but we were not alone. I grabbed a handful of my peppers. I didn't have a pipe, but I had my hands and my heart.
"You will have to go through all of us!" I shouted.
The forty men took another step. The Chairman’s brother gripped his pipe tighter. He was ready to fight.
"Kill them all!" the Chief screamed.
The men raised their sticks again and charged. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of shouting and the clashing of wood and iron. I felt a stick hit my shoulder, and I cried out in pain, but I did not move. I stayed in the circle. I stayed with the Teacher.
Dust filled the air. I saw Sam fighting two men at once. I saw Monday throwing stones. I saw Elias holding Bella tight against the tree. We were losing the fight, but we were not running. And that was the most important thing of all.
- Writer
