Heavenwood

By Ernest Yungsi

...but Jack vehemently claims the gift of free will, which can never be denied, in order to return home.
However, natural laws forbid replications, so the lot falls on a life that is not Jack’s; a life of an albino in rural Tanzania, a place where albinos are hunted and killed for their body parts in order to create magic concoctions that make people rich. Failure to return home means Jack has to face the reason why he’s been brought to the movie theater.
What follows are revelations of lies, secrets, and betrayals between husbands, wives, and friends, some unsuccessfully covered by murder.
Only complete repentance can be called forgiveness, so who will qualify?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ernest Yungsi
• Release date: Jun 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310676604

Ernest Yungsi

Ernest Yungsi has a degree in Journalism and has taught ESL in China for eleven years. But these and the fact that he won two prizes at the BBC short story competition, are not his victories because God's the one that leads him to success each time, just as He puts ideas in his heart and guides them into great stories.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Jack Mann couldn’t remember where he had come from. He had no idea where he was going as well. So he stopped at the gigantic white castle.

First, he noticed the strange clothes the doorman was wearing; a plaid skirt into which a white shirt, buttoned to the neck, was tucked and a pair of black shoes with white socks.

And then Jack realized that the man was two times taller than the door.

For a brief moment, Jack was embarrassed to be so short next to this giant; at five foot one, doctors had told him that three hundred pounds was too heavy for his heart.

What do you want this time? cried the giant.

The question was not aimed at Jack.

A man in army uniform had just come out of the building; he was scratching his upper lip with his right hand.

My mustache is itchy, the man said to the giant. And I’m lonely.

Didn’t I tell you to read that sign? asked the giant, pointing.

Yes, said the man. The sign says S.F.H. How does that help a lonely man?

It helps when you remain at your post, the giant cried. Why are you not watching the sad dam?

The man in uniform said, Easy for you to say. Have you seen the blood in the water? Have you seen how scary Mr. Reltih can be?

Mr. Reltih cannot do you any harm in this building.

But what about the keeper of the bin? I hate his beard.

Quit making excuses and just go! cried the giant.

The man turned and headed for a huge door, still scratching his mustache.

Chapter 2

While the two men were arguing, Jack Mann had been staring at colorful signs on the building, especially one that said FREE.

Now he stepped forward, but a voice stopped him.

WHEN WILL THE BUSH GROW? the uniformed man yelled suddenly, standing at the door, ready to enter, but still scratching his mustache.

Stay alert, replied the giant. No one knows the exact time.

And then he turned to look down at Jack.

Welcome, how was your trip?

Anything to eat inside? Jack blurted.

Why do you want to eat? replied the doorman.

I’m starving! cried Jack. How much is the entrance ticket?

Entrance is free.

Quit joking, sir, said Jack. I don’t believe in free things. I like to pay. I don’t want people asking me for free stuff in return.

That’s you, replied the doorman. Here, entrance is free but you need the recipes now.

Why must I have recipes to enter and eat free food?

I didn’t say the recipes are compulsory, I said you need them.

The man reached inside his pocket and took out a scroll of parchment.

This…this is ancient Egyptian papyrus, he explained.

Feeling too hungry to laugh, Jack stared at the parchment.

I need food, not recipes!

Unrolling the document, the doorman said, Most people don’t know what they need and…

I don’t need recipes!

Everyone needs them.

That’s because they like free stuff…do I look like everyone?

You’re wearing a suit like most people that come here.

I don’t need this…I don’t need your recipes! cried Jack

As he marched into the building, he snapped, Let me know how much I owe and I’ll have my secretary write a check.

The doorman chuckled because it was funny to him that people don’t understand simple signs.

Everyone’s in a hurry, he mused.

Hurrying to enter the building was Jack Mann’s first mistake.

He had failed to notice that the sign saying FREE was an abbreviation. The full meaning was printed at the bottom in italics.

It said, Forgiveness Requires Endless Emancipation.

Of course, every failure comes with consequences.

Chapter 3

Jack Mann stood inside a quiet lobby, the size of two stadiums. A tender breeze caressed his face and he heard leaves rustling and twigs snapping.

Seeing no trees or branches, Jack wondered if his mind was working in slow motion. Was nature tricking him? As a kid when Jack told his mother about the strange noises he heard while playing by himself, his Mom would smile and say, You are hearing the footsteps of your guardian angel, which is like your personal body guard.

Now, he saw a white dove flying across the room. But when he looked again he saw nothing except huge desks standing next to chairs behind smaller desks carrying computers.

He touched a screen and ran his hand over the surface of a desk.

Cinemas should have workers and customers, he thought. What’s going on?

Then he had an idea.

If he stopped walking, stopped breathing and listened; perhaps he would hear human voices? The desolation of isolation sharpens the senses, so that the slightest sign of life is sniffed up, identified and craved like an addiction.

But the more he listened the deeper his ears plunged into the void of silence.

It was so quiet that Jack heard the noiselessness.

He began to suspect his sanity. If people go mad because they see and hear non-existent things then this was his season to lose his reason.

Whoever heard of a breeze, rustling leaves and snapping twigs in a theater?

And the stillness in the air…like scenery in a photograph.

Had he really seen a white dove?

As far as he could see, movement came from a sign flashing the words; PLAYING NOW.

Struggling with the distortion, Jack let go his breath… and then…he heard.

Scrub! Scrub! Scrub!

The shelves near the wall were producing sounds. Silence, hanging between intervals had a rhythm, as if a stopwatch was allowing two seconds of peace between each scrub.

An inner voice suddenly yelled: Run!

But Jack froze.

With great effort, he stopped his shaky legs from running.

He was starving. Nothing mattered now. Not even his life. He had to eat; otherwise he would die of hunger.

He took a step towards the noise and the ball of fear in his stomach grew bigger. His heart pounded, but he kept tip-toeing, holding his breath, overwhelmed by curiosity and dread.

Curiosity was saying, go on, but dread warned him to flee.

His stomach rumbled again and courage rushed at him.

Jack stepped behind the shelf and came face-to-face with the cause of the noise.

Chapter 4

A gray-haired man on his knees looked up. The light in his big green eyes gave Jack an uncanny feeling.

Without warning, the man sprang to his feet. Swinging a wet rag in the air, he growled like a disturbed animal.

Jack saw nothing after the cloth hit his face.

Hey! he cried, wiping his face.

I shudda killed ye in the bathroom! the old man yelled.

He flung the bucket.

Whoosh!

It was sound of air as the bucket flew by Jack’s head.

His blurred vision cleared up and Jack picked up the bucket but a light burst forth before his eyes. The bucket bounced against the floor, and Jack’s body shuddered as if shocked by electricity.

He screamed, wondering what was wrong with his voice. And then he realized the old man was screaming too.

A fog suddenly enclosed them, and an overpowering love exploded in Jack’s heart.

Was this grandpa?

One thing made sense. A powerful urge to wrap his arms around the man. To tell him how much he loved him.

It felt so right! Like saying a prayer!

Jack opened his eyes in shock.

He was hugging the old man! The old man was hugging him too!

What are you doing? Jack cried, pushing the man away.

The old man blinked in confusion.

Who are you? cried Jack.

The man gave a dry laugh.

Who am I? he quipped. I’m the Janitor! Now, come on!

Jack saw the laughing man, standing like a boxer, with raised fists.

Did he really want to fight?

Considering his age, it would be wrong to hit him.

Wait a minute!

This was confusing.

The man was ready to fight. Why was Jack thinking only about hugging him?

An overpowering feeling.

What was this sudden love?

Why was it growing?

He should be angry.

No! No! No!

In panic, Jack forgot that his doctor had warned him against unexpected attempts to run, and hobbled towards a brightly lit corridor, breathing like an old car.

The Janitor burst out laughing anew.

Run! Coward! Ye’re good at that!

After a while Jack stopped and listened, but the old man’s voice had faded.

Jack walked on, slowly, catching his breath, and asking himself why the strange old man had attacked him. He rubbed his protruding stomach, wondering if he had really run away from the old man so fast.

I should have tried to lose weight when I had the chance, he mused.

The passageway twisted and turned before coming to an end.

Jack Mann pressed his face against a padded door and smelled leather.

The sign said, Movie Theater.

Chapter 5

In the semi-dark theater sat thousands of people in thousands of red seats.

Dissimilar skin colors and hair, giving the impression that everyone was from diverse countries.

Staring like zombies.

But why?

There was no screen.

In its place, Jack saw a rectangular glass swimming pool. It was turned on its side and suspended on four iron poles. It looked like someone had closed the top of a swimming pool with a glass screen and then placed it sideways on a platform with iron legs. Now, it resembled an aquarium without fish.

Without warning, the lights around the pool went off, throwing the place into pitch darkness. Jack couldn’t see anything until green and yellow lights began flashing inside the water. Then vapor rose. The water seemed to bubble. It became a luminous mass that looked like a movie screen.

People began to move, putting on 3-D glasses.

Jack selected the only empty seat in the back but a pair of glasses on the chair pricked his skin and he jumped with a shout.

He put on the glasses and his face broke into a thin smile as music and mechanical feedback flowed from hidden loudspeakers.

Because he hated celebrities, Jack smiled when images appeared on the screen and opening credits didn’t carry famous names.

Letters somersaulted on the screen forming a neat phrase, A HEAVENWOOD PRODUCTION, which lingered and dissolved into, THE LIFE OF JACK MANN!

The disturbing familiarity was impossible to ignore. But many people are called Jack Mann. There is always someone somewhere sharing your name.

Chapter 6

The tiny, black dot on the screen was smaller than a coin. It started to grow and Jack frowned with concentration. It expanded to the size of a dinner plate and Jack spotted a human outline.

The image stretched out, revealing features.

A head: shaped like a large pear. Something dark and flat. A pair of narrow shoulders. A round mid-section. Two short legs.

Jack Mann grabbed his seat, breathing quickly as the silhouette became a man. As the picture filled up the screen, he knew that something was wrong.

This was reality!

Chapter 7

What happens when people meet reality? Do they accept it as a fact?

No.

They find fault. They reject, they taunt, they twist and disfigure until it looks unreal.

But the large face on the screen was unchangeable. It had many features to make fun of. The eyes, positioned so far from each other that the forehead appeared much larger, the lips, so thin they looked like they didn’t exist and the jaws, set at angles that gave the most unimposing impression.

Jack sat with rock-like stiffness, staring at his own image on the large screen until he realized what was wrong with the photo.

The error looked odd, giving him an intense sensation.

This could not be happening.

Jack had looked at the picture from the wrong angle.

Nothing was wrong with the poster.

But someone was missing.

On the screen, Nikka was supposed to be standing next to him; the picture had been taken on their wedding day. But she wasn’t in the shot.

Where was she?

What was Jack doing here alone?

With a hammering heart, Jack Mann jumped to his feet.

MY GOD! he cried. NIKKA! NIKKA!

Chapter 8

Jack Mann stumbled and fell. When he tried to run, a sharp pain in his stomach stopped him.

He took a deep breath and remembered the doctor’s words.

At three hundred pounds, running can kill you instead.

But he didn’t stop.

He was almost out the door when a light flashed in his head. Something gave way and he came to an abrupt halt, breathing heavily.

What can happen in the presence of so many witnesses?

Ripping off the glasses, he blinked to make sure his eyes were not lying.

Good Lord!

He dropped the spectacles in shock.

All the red seats, which had been packed a few seconds ago, were empty.

I shouldn’t be here, Jack thought.

When his knees stopped shaking, he wondered why he wasn’t trying to run away.

Was it because of the voices?

Who was playing the piano?

Who was controlling his movements?

How did he come back to the seat?

And then he raised his head and froze .

Where was the swimming pool?

Rubbing his eyes didn’t change anything.

In the pool’s place, a real cinema screen swung overheard and the movie was about to start.

And then it was back.

No…two of them!

Two white doves circled the screen seven times. An illuminated question mark appeared on the screen and the birds flew away.

A question flashed:

Seven times?

It blinked approximately seven times and then dissolved into the beginning of a video.

Jack Mann was curious now, so he took a deep breath to steady himself and then picked up a pair of 3-D glasses to watch the video.

Chapter 9

In the video, Jack Mann’s big belly fought to escape the tight grip of a tailored suit as he stood in a huge living room near a red sofa resting on a white carpet. Chandeliers suspended from a high ceiling.

He was facing a white wall with mammoth glass windows that touched the floor, holding a black telephone receiver close to his ear.

In the movie theater, Jack watched himself on the screen wondering if he was living a sleepy life, a half-existence which had given someone the opportunity to steal his identity.

He thought of Dolly the sheep and wondered if they had cloned him too.

I’m not an actor, he whispered. Why am I in a movie?

The response rendered his throat dry.

Payback for all the poking into space by scientists!

Alien abduction!

Jack Mann leaned forward, chubby fists clenched.

On the screen, Jack Mann began speaking into the phone.

Chapter 10

Still wondering who made this video about his life, Jack saw Nikka strolling into the room. She wrapped a pair of slender, long arms around Jack.

He raised his head to see her face far above his head, and then stood on the tip of his toes. Nikka lowered her face and Jack kissed her neck. She giggled and touched his face.

Dickson, hon, Jack explained, replacing the receiver.

I can tell, Nikka said. I hate when you have to travel.

And I love when you’re in this pink night dress, he said, standing on tiptoe again, to kiss her.

Don’t change the subject.

I’m not. Dickson will be around in case you need anything.

I know. Jack, do we have time to… you know… she rolled her eyes, …we need to keep trying, and that’s the doctor’s advice.

Nikka giggled.

Jack laughed and glanced at his Rolex.

My flight’s at ten, plus Dickson hasn’t brought back the car.

She punched his chest playfully.

You’re such a freak, honey.

Are you calling me short? Jack asked, winking.

Still laughing, he carried the giggling Nikka across the room, her long black hair flowing; long legs almost touching the chandeliers.

Chapter 11

Still watching the video, Jack saw Nikka again, this time in a black dress and a veil, standing next to Dickson. Dickson was tall and handsome in a black tuxedo. A chubby man in a black robe with a white collar was whispering to him. It was Father Albert, the priest who had married Jack and Nikka.

Nikka sat down.

Dickson sat next to her.

Father Albert finished whispering and returned behind the altar.

Illuminated by sunlight reflecting against the rainbow-colored windows, was the statue of Jesus Christ on the cross, statues of the Virgin Mary with the baby in her arms and Joseph, with a goatee, carrying a hammer.

Whenever Nikka made him go to church, Jack used to sit on the hard bench and struggle with drowsiness by focusing on the rage on the priest’s face as he lashed out at politicians who were doing nothing to stop animal testing. Father Albert’s eyes used to flash angrily as he urged his congregation to take action and stop the cruelty.

One day it will be your pet on that operating table in pain as researchers cut it to pieces.

When Jack’s eyelids became heavy in church, he would jerk himself back to consciousness and try to stay awake by gazing at the holy figures.

But in the movie theater, Jack became alert as more people came into focus on the screen.

Nikka’s parents were a couple of medium sized heads covered with gray hair, dressed in black. Their pale wrinkled arms were wrapped around each other.

They were seated next to Jack’s parents, a long-faced man and a round-faced woman. Jack was always proud to tell people that because his parents were madly in love, they looked more like they were in their teens than late-sixties.

A river of emotions filled him