Blood in the Water

By Dr Kumdong Bindul Nostra

The book is about good leadership, for leaders to lead by actions and not by words of lies from their mouths. Leaders should be doggedly determined to give the people fair leadership. Nakinostran was struck and devastated by the mercilessly cruelest earthquake disaster. In the aftermath of the earthquake, there were spontaneous nuclear plant meltdowns across the country. The survivors watched helplessly all the nuclear plants melting down like candle waxes. Nakinostran was a well developed nation with greatest leaders seen by the people as only second to God because of their excellent leadership of oneness, love, peace and development and equality, not this fake equality we only let out of our mouths. The people, like any other, seeing the level of devastations, had different personal views, doubts and fears. They saw these devastations as their greatest obstacle to returning to a normal life again. Most of them had lost all hopes in life because of the malignant complications of the wickedest earthquake. Many people said thats it; Nakinostran is finished. But the doggedly determined young president, Henry Rupchang was only angered and bitterly touched at heart by the deaths. He had the courage and determination that the country will rise again. He was undaunted. He mustered what supports he could for the reconstructions of the country. He continuously told his people that nothing is impossible under this cone-shape heaven that umbrellaed our earth. His commitment was undiminished and despite the devastations, he unflinchingly told them the nation will rise again. All the leaders in the country bust the gut to reconstruct the country and with unity they worked as a people, though not without some distractions from some protesters. The leaders didnt lost a second in their sleepdid the president succeedas in the end, it was a heartwarming people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jan 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491888667

Dr Kumdong Bindul Nostra

DR KUMDONG BINDUL NOSTRA was born in Naki in Bwarat district in Langtang north council of Plateau state, Nigeria to KURA NJIL and KATDAK. His quest for knowledge started at LEA primary school Dadur, then to Government Junior Secondary School Kwanpe, then Bwarat Community College Dadur, now Useni Memorial College Dadur. He’s a medical doctor and a Master’s Degree holder in public health at the University of Jos and University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom respectively. He’s a prolific writer who suddenly took to writing like a duck to water. Whenever he starts writing his story, words pour out of his mouth like torrential rainfall. His quest for writing stories is taking him further and further into the world of writing. His dream is to write stories that will lower reader’s temperatures and blood pressures and put smiles and laughter on their faces and glued them to their seats. His main aim is to add knowledge and understanding to the fast changing world where knowledge is king. He hopes to establish himself globally and to create absolute confidence in his readers. He dreamt of writing even in his grave. He wants to write his name in the writers’ book of fame.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

I t all happened suddenly with a loud bang and there were tensions among the people. But it wasn’t the unfriendly tension towards each other. It wasn’t that tension that may result to attacking each other. There was no racial, tribal, political, national or international tension in the country. There were no rumours of wars or attacks by an enemy. No crushed rocks industries that were currently working on a road construction in the country. There was no military testing of weapons or the exchange of fire between the military and the terrorists or the drug kingpins. It wasn’t the launching of a rocket into space. There wasn’t any ceremonial celebration in the country that involved fireworks. It was a huge bang as if a gigantic rocket had exploded in the country. Everywhere and everything was shaking violently. The country was feeling just like the battlefield where only loud bangs from heavy machine guns and highly sophisticated weapons of mass destructions reigned. Where there’s never-stop of firing, even for the tinniest fraction of a second. The loud bangs were everywhere, pushing ardently against the thick cold morning wind. The loud bangs must have suddenly overcome the force of the wind, that I was able to hear it. It was staccato bursts of loud bangs.

I didn’t move at first and I didn’t ignore it either, as the sounds continued to grow in volume and intensity. Even though it was impossible to make out any distinct cries in the highly concentrated sounds, there was no mistaking people were crying. The bitter memory of wars flooded my mind and I was very sick. My heart fluttered as the sympathetic nerves to it were stimulated. My blood pressure crushed down suddenly as if I had taken an overdose of an antihypertensive agent. My brain was working endlessly to find out what it was as the non-stop sounds intensified. I already have my heart in my mouth. There was enormous fear all over my body and it was so overwhelming that it was weighing me down to the ground. My olfactory nerve sniffed around, but there was nothing to smell except the nasty household odours. My optic nerve was tirelessly rolling my eyeballs around trying to see what was happening, but there was nothing to see through my dirty glass window. My vestibulocohlear nerve was trying to help my ears hear the sounds very well. It was a pretty shaky atmosphere that most probably, only the non-living things might not do anything about it. It was loud bangs and a shaky atmosphere that would wake up even the sleeping lunatic under the deepest anaesthesia and can wake up the dead in their graves. The ground was shaking violently. There were massive cracks on the ground already. The brief violent shaking had mutilated several areas of the country.

Suddenly, a premonition of a disaster flooded into my mind. At that time everyone thought it was the end of the world. It was an apocalyptic scene. At first, nobody had an idea of what was happening. The situation suddenly became unbearable as you could see people running helter skelter and everyone was saying one thing or the other, aside from the crying and loud screams that rent the air. Help! Help!! Help!!! Somebody please help me, help me was the only second thing that pierced through the thick cold morning air and passed ceaselessly through my ears in spite of the loud sounds and pandemonium. I had never seen such hurtling before in my life. The call for help continued ceaselessly. The loud bangs and the violent shaking had panic everybody into scampering for safety. As the loud bangs and violent shaking continued, the country scattered. I became so terrified with intense heat tingling in my blood vessels, and I felt as if I was in a crematorium. I went to the window and pushed the curtains aside with all the energy flowing in my veins. I peered out. My eyes rolled within their sockets more than three hundred and sixty degrees thirty six times in just three minutes. I looked all round me more than one million times in just less than one second according to the record I later found in my brain. A pervading fear was all over me like small ants on a tree. I was all in a fog. Since fear was a persona non grata, I had to think very urgently with every part of my body. My body implored me to leave the room immediately. I wanted to fight him, but my mind made a quick reversed and an inhibitory hormone was quickly released from the brain and let down to suppress the action. The increasing violent shaking of the room gave me intense palpitations that require a pacemaker urgently. My only fear, and, as I prayed was that I shouldn’t have an acute heart attack. My adrenaline level had surged to a record high. I pulled myself together with energy that was always present in the veins of people at my age. At this very moment, the atmosphere was crackled with tensions. A tall middle aged man among the escaped runners was crying and screaming, much loudest than anyone else and saying murderer! Murderer!! Murderer!!! Help! Help!! We are in danger?! We are in danger! He was saying this without even breathing for zero second. Nobody is safe! Nobody is safe! Who will help us?! We are dying?! Is it the end of our sinful world?! Then where is the Noah with the ark?!! Please help us! Please God help us!! The man kept changing his words like a politician. His voice gradually deepened to a husky growl. He was panic-stricken. At that time, I was more confused than ever. I prayed I could have just developed wings and fly away like a bird.

There was absolutely nothing anyone can do rather than to scamper for safety. It was as good as the disaster could catch up with me. There were over a million deaths and the ground was already full of dead people by then and I was certain that thousands more people will die. It seemed an entire generation had fallen. A necrophobia would suddenly collapse and die. That reminded me of the world wars and the Adolf Hitler’s massacres of Jews and innocent people of this world in the nineteen thirties and forties and, to the unceasing killings of innocent people in the so-called political revolutions in some dirty despondent countries around the world by gung-ho. It also took me back to the time when God, whenever He woke up with a terrible dream and throbbing headache from lack of sleep, due to the thinking on what to do on the problems of this sinful world, and instead of Him to look for a pharmacological remedy for His headache, would rather ordered the Israelites to go and wipe out a generation of people in another country, without sparing even the most ravishingly, strikingly beautiful women for our lustful men of today. There were still incessant loud bangs, violent shaking, cracking of the ground and deaths. It was now widespread across the country. It was a terrible tragedy, but no one was ready to help their neighbours at that particular moment. In fact, it was a tragedy that no one can help the other immediately without helping themselves. Quickly, I came out to see what was happening. I could only see people hurtling in different directions like buffaloes charging away from ravenous wolves and lions. They ran like clappers. It was a matter of life and death. That was the simplest implication. I surmounted the courage to standstill to see properly what was happening that made people to run like this, though I could see some telltale clues on the ground. I need to understand properly and to enable me make the right decision and take the right direction. Failure is bound to occur when you make a rush decision. With the palpitations showing no sign of abating and the adrenaline oozing ceaselessly from the adrenal gland, I, very quickly looked right, left, back and front, then up into the sky and down, but there was no any enemy or attacker insight. I can’t remember the number of times I had looked at all those directions because the brain was so confused and frightened right inside my hippocampus gyrus that it can’t keep the record. Far in front of me were dead bodies, crumpled buildings, squashed vehicles and the ground was cracked. I made a guess that this maybe an earthquake, for I had never seen one occurred before, but I had read it in books. There was subsidence which had left some storey buildings to chest-deep with many others lying on their bellies with multiple fractures and torrential haemorrhages. A terrible pang of fear flows through me like current of electricity. The sudden shock from it that ran through my spines nearly crippled me. The continuous loud bangs then, only delayed the inevitable.

Since I had the gumption, I had got to act urgently. The next thing I knew was, I saw myself go like a bat out of hell away from my house, but still couldn’t imagine why and what was chasing me that made me to run that faster and towards the mountains. But if I have had to stay to find out, then it means I had prepared to die. The best thing for me was to make haste. Act, and find out later. Procrastination, they say is the theft of time and there would be greatest regrets for your action after you had die, for there’s no more remedy. For no matter how excellent justice went in your favour, it can never bring back the dead to life. It’s a waste of tears crying over spilt milk. I took to my heel. I was involved in a scuffle with the wind, trying to retard my acceleration. I had to push hard with my hands to keep the wind pushing me back. The wind plucked at my jacket. It was hard to run in the early morning misty and white air, with the cold wind pouring against my eyes and trying to takeaway the whole air out of my lungs. The man was still running in front of me, asking with a very thick voice, who will help me? Who will help us? Who will help us from this murderer? People scrabbled about as everyone scram. The country had scattered. Everybody was running away squeaking with fear. It was a time of, everyone for himself and God for us all. It seemed as if I was riding on a fastest horse galloping a racecourse.

There was still violent shaking of the ground and some buildings were convulsing like an epileptic patient, with many still crumpling down and more large fractures and cracks appeared on the ground. Buildings that were too strong enough to withstand the effect of the violent shaking had chinks on them. The shaking was just too strong enough to crush any structure down. It even uprooted mightiest oldest trees that were fifty times older than my great grandfather that if their taproots were made to stand upright on level ground, could pass heaven and reach the Pluto. It was a real moment of tribulation and the people were in a state of intense panic. For the first time in my life I understood why people scram without physically seeing any enemy or dangerous wild animals chasing them. You can tell from their speeds and screeching that it was desperate and not madness. All the people were running at the same time like a country marathon race to raise money for charity. It was the divergence in running that settled the assumption. Buildings were still falling down like improperly fertilised fruits from an oldest mango tree, but you can do nothing about it. It was down to you to either run for dear life and safety or stay and be consumed by what the danger was. The destructions were covering more and more grounds as it spreads away like wildfire. As my eyes became clear I saw myself somewhere different, scrambling up the high mountains like a climber some hundreds of kilometres away from my town, surrounded by many other people, and many were already on top. It was a hard climb, though, as the air was very thin and gave very, very little nourishment to the blood. The thinnest of the air kept increasing as it was also very cold and blowing fiercely, obeying Ferrell’s law of deflection and the commonest law in geography that, the higher you go, the cooler it becomes and the deeper you penetrate into the earth, the hotter it becomes. But we weren’t penetrating into the earth to get its hotness. The wind whistled and hissed in our ears as it mingled with the humming sounds of people scrambling for the mountaintops. Water run from our eyes like rivers as I rubbed my eyes continuously. It was agonizingly difficult situation for all of us that morning.

As we were scrambling up, I saw the tall middle aged man swaying and I quickly knew that his heart was labouring badly in the thin air. A chill deeper than the coldness of the Pluto winds struck my own heart, but it wasn’t a vicious assault at all. The thin cold air is the villain of the piece. I vilified it as cruel in my mind. I was at the rear. Despite the running and the cruelty of the thin cold air on me, I remained a vigorous young man. The man was still swaying. Many people saw him swaying, but nobody offered to help. None of the people say or do anything to the man. When I came nearer to him, I could see fear gnawing his heart. The wind was very unkind as all had their heads down and had drawn closely their clothes round their noses and faces like they were preventing the vile smells and sights of rotten bodies in a war torn country, so perhaps nobody, a good Samaritan like me might have not even noticed him as he swayed like a midnight drunkard returning home. People were covering their heads and ears against the harsh whistling and hissing wind with their clothes even though they aren’t wearing anoraks. In certain circumstances one had to improvise. He was feeling panicky. I hastened my steps as I shouldered my way through the crowd to enable me reach him quickly and help him.

When I came beside him, I reached out and grasped his hand and clasped my arm around his waist. I was strong enough to steady him, so he couldn’t fall. I was sure-footed. He tirelessly, under the burden of breathlessness raised his flaxen eyes to look at me. I asked anxiously if he was alright and he muffled through stiff lips, but I took it to mean he was, as he had stabilized from my hold. I could see through his entire respiratory system that he was not an asthmatic patient. His lungs began to expand rapidly as some fresh and healthy airs were rushing into them. He quickly took a long deep breath gulping in the healthy airs and expelling out the bad airs. His state of breathlessness improved dramatically. My heart was gladdened. That instantly gave me a soothing relief that he will soon be alright. I was sure-fire he will return to his normal self. Not so long, I saw him as strong as iron and I realised that I had magnetised him with my healthy condition. He pulled himself with an effort and stared straight into my retinae, probably wanting to know what signals they had sent to my brain about him. I stared back at him but his eyes refused to retire. I made a valiant attempt not to laugh, but the man quickly convulsed with laughter. The man lowered his bushy eyebrows and turned his eyes to one side. He seemed overwhelmed by my generosity as he began to stutter; oh,—o-than . . . than . . . thank you . . . you . . . very . . . very so much. Then his voice stabilized. I am alright, the man said, pitching his voice just loud enough to carry above the humming of the crowd and the hissing of the thin wind. I can’t thank you enough for I had no right words to use, the man said as his eyes glistened with smiles and happiness. I understood his compliment for the little help I had rendered to him. No one could be hurt with someone like you around them. You are very accommodating. The man said with a soft sweet voice smiling. When he hesitated, I said urgently, this mountain wind contained witches and wizards, which could attack people anyhow and at their will, and we all knew that there were over one billion demons of earth and air, fire and water, and these evil spirits could cause billions of diseases, as well as causing instant violent death to their victims in different ways. They are bloodlust and hardly go to sleep bloodless. They always hunt for their victims in situations like this. I added very quickly. He forced out a smile, but couldn’t resist a laugh. In a way he knew I was right but in another way he couldn’t quite agree there were demons of such magnitude in the world. But it wasn’t difficult for him to understand as there at that very moment, we were running away from one. I was sure the other people may understand, although I didn’t have time to look at their faces or to read their minds to confirm that. It’s a nightmarish ghost story, that’s what the nihilists would say. The mountains’ demons, I knew were more dangerous and even worse than any other demons known to man. Their malignant gods, whose aims and objectives are to see human beings in miseries and their main sports [works], are to ruin human happiness on earth. It certainly occurred to me, and I had no doubt that one of the mountain demons had got into his bloodstream, causing disseminated septicaemia and was plaguing his heart and lungs causing acute obstruction to his respiration. Some of these demons have more effects than others, and there may, in some situations, be conflicting interests about whom to attack who, how, where, when and to what extent. Many people may not believe this. But we don’t need to go to school to know that nature had different forms of evils which can be expressed in different forms, some of which are the earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, typhoons, tornadoes, hurricanes, accidents and wars and diseases which we swim in them like swimming in the ocean. Other forms that nature can express its evils are famine and fires. My quick intervention had prevented him from having multiple organ involvement which could have resulted to multiple organ failure. He was now very strong and brighter. I patted him on the shoulder and said you are ok. You are not going to have any trouble, anymore for my heart had just told me. I can feel it in my bones. He nodded approval and said thank you, thank you, so very much, I hope I haven’t been wasteful of your time. He said with a deep voice, his eyes remained fixed and flat on me but were unreadable beneath his bushy eyebrows that were knit together in what seemed to be a perpetual frown. I am getting older and older by the day. The man said, jokingly, laughing. You sounded more like my grandfather. I said, as we hooted into laughter. The sharp creases on his forehead softened a bit, but his stared still probed at me with intensity that made me very comfortable and confident that he was alright. That’s right, good, very good, indeed, I murmured. My words had lightened his conditions and it was no longer in doubt as he strode energetically up the mountain. The frown on his forehead hadn’t been entirely relinquished. He was in a very happy mood and was smiling with his lips wide open and moving continuously like a healthy leaf on a tree, which I guessed he must be thanking his god for providing me to help him. I was hugely happy to have achieved such an astonishing feat. People were moving in groups like wild animals looking for water to drink in the desert. The people finally reached the top of the mountain. They were all there for the same reason. This is a crucial breakthrough achievement. I said to myself as I was still gripped by intense fear. On my way up the mountain, I sure-footed, but I rose up very quickly. Nobody even knew the trouble I had been. I didn’t even care to check my body if I had sustained any injury. But if I had, I would be bleeding somewhere on my body or have severe pain. And if I had suffered a fracture of my tibia or one of the tarsal bones, I wouldn’t have risen up to walk again.

There were people scattered all over into the highlands and mountain ranges, looking at each other in bewilderment, all panting heavily like escaped antelopes from the threats of cruel hunters. It was now a camp for some Nakinostran, fleeing the disaster. Space was at a premium as people continued to climb up to the mountaintop. There was a young lady that was panting for breath at the other end, which appeared serious than the ordinary running she had made up here, though a strong contributory factor. I was quite sure she must be suffering from an asthmatic attack. She was coughing and wheezing. There was a discreet cough and real hunger for air characteristic of asthma, which could have necessitated an immediate intravenous aminophylline to stabilize her. I wasn’t close enough to hear the whizzing sound like a bullet passing closed to the ear of a terrorist, and the crepitations in her chest. Asthma is a dangerous medical condition that caused constriction and narrowing of the airways. Some people around her were panicky. I had thought she would die here without remedy. As if I were a doctor my brain started to think of a palliative measure that could help her overcome her predicament. I was very keen to help her although I wasn’t closed to her. Couple with the thin air in the mountains, which one usually felt as if they were suffocating, my heart was thumping hard in my chest. Her problem was triggered by the simple fact that, the higher you go, the cooler it becomes and asthma is often precipitated by hypoventilation. A generalized fear run down my spine, not because I was going out of my head, but because of the breathless moment she was experiencing at a very odd place and in an uncertain circumstance. I really felt for her. I could see her face looked distinctly pale. Two young men were trying to help her. They were really very keen to help. That was kind of them. I thought as I watched from afar. Nature had presented the better side of their services to her. It’s true that nature had two parts—the good and the bad. One of the men handed her something he had brought out from his trouser’s pocket. I guessed it was ventolin inhaler. She took it to her mouth and inhaled it, then held her nose and snorted it. Giving them a curious look, after sometime, she became much better. Her breathing improved and the breathing pattern changed. She continued with the inhaler. Suddenly her eyes glittered with relief and the two men breathed a sigh of relief. Their help had rekindled her back to normal and they were very happy as they smiled to each other. Then they all guffawed.

Apparently, she was relieved of her condition. I saw her shook her head, her eyes were now brighter and the difficulty in breathing had disappeared. The treatment she had received from whatever remedy that was given to her by the man must, in fact, had performed wonders and had hastened her recovery. I was hugely happy for her and in my mind, helped her in thanking those two young men. It seemed like providence that the man happened to have just the remedy she needed at the time of her problem. I said within me that if she had not been relieved of her problem, she will definitely need a tracheotomy. But who and where would she have it. With her incident, been the second unpleasant situations I had witnessed so far, I ended up praying for all of us that were on the mountains. That let God guard and protect us all from any worldly demons. Many people were so nervous that they were bathed in sweats and drenched to the skin. The thinnest of the air and its poorest nourishment to the blood hadn’t improved yet, but people were making remarkable effort and progress. People were trying to acclimatize themselves to the mountain airs. Many people were breathing deeply with mouth opened and tongues hung out, perspiring like dogs. Many people arrived breathless at the top of the mountain. But so far so good, the greatest difficulty had been the time when people were running away from the disaster. In accordance with nature I knew that very soon our physiology will soon adapt to the environment and it was a feat that will definitely be achieved as time goes on. Our body is very good at accomplishing such task. One man was standing in front of me with a paltry gesture. He is roughly in his forties. He was breathing in a healthy gulp of mountain airs. I looked at him with smiles on my face and then waved at him. He gulped nervously before trying to wave back at me. He looked like he was at a gun point with his eyes slightly red from the harsh weather. He was busy gulping air to make up for his deficient aerobic respiration. I could hear air gurgling through his constricted and narrow bronchi. His crew cut black hair looked as if it had been frazzled by the sun and his ox-blood shirt had definitely seen better days. He had a freckle which confirmed my assumption. He took a daintily step towards a stone in front of him. I watched him as he leaned against the stone, squeezing his face in agony. He had a pensive expression on his face. There was an appealing look in his eyes. My heart expressed great pity and sympathy for him. There was nothing special about him, but his beaming smile that hovered on his face was generous and trusting. He had conducted himself agreeably as a gentleman.

I was sweating profusely too. I used the back of my left hand to wipe it off. It was freaky. It was a pity that I didn’t have a handkerchief. The action brought back the memory of my childhood when we used to plaster our running noses on our cheeks up to the ears. During those years our mothers don’t care to clean our running noses for us. Anyway, I still groped in my trouser’s pockets if I could find a forgotten handkerchief as I saw one man was also fumbling in his pocket for a handkerchief as well. But who had either among us there as everyone was using the back of their hands to wipe out the sweats. It would be stupid for anyone to go back into the room for a handkerchief or any valuable, considering that kind of pandemonium in the town.

Doubtless anybody’s life if they made such attempt. In this circumstance, it’s very imperative to give death a miss. People were drenched with sweat but we were all beginning to settle. Some were drenched down to the chest, greater than the rain that might wet someone running in a heavy rain from the North Pole to the South Pole. Some used their cloth to wipe it. The torrential sweats oozing out from our bodies like a squeezed sponge could quickly tilt us into acute dehydration, I thought as fear gripped my heart. The troubles in our towns had brought people of different ages and heights here. We are of different shapes, colours and sizes, and don’t forget about the beauty of every individual and our characters and behaviours, too. Some of the women were exquisitely beautiful while some were plain and yet, some were awkward. As I was preparing to find a clean, smooth surface and comfortable enough stone to sit down and rest my burning lower back pain, been mindful of gunges, I suddenly saw a chunk of water rolling into our towns. It was the kind of water that really meant business. Tumbling and rumbling down, turbulence and dancing as it goes. Floodwaters are corollary to earthquakes, and a cinch. I put my ears very closely together to hear the music it was singing but I couldn’t hear anything. It was coupled with the humming noises of people around me like bees which had just relocated to a new site. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was out for war, real war and destructions. I said to myself, oooohhh peace be it my Lord, have pity on my country. I did not immediately understand its motive as I tried to conceptualize. Please God, I thought, let it not cause the worst destruction in our generation. May You cuff its hands so it doesn’t extend its full arm’s length and not be able to use its weapon to the fullest? A voice from nowhere whispered, danger, and was suddenly drowned out by the screaming of a young woman. I luckily found a mullion-like stone and sat down. Flights of thoughts flipped through my mind. I was extremely angry.

From somewhere in the crowd, different from the young woman’s, there was an ejaculation and sustained screaming. See the water rushing down! See! See!! See!!! The agonizing voice continued. People were now looking in different directions to see the turbulent waters. She couldn’t help shouting. She was a sort of hysterical as she screamed and pointing towards the direction of the turbulent waters. She screamed without even thinking and her breathing was highly compromised in the process. She had no patience with her state of frights as her eyes were widened with shock. It was only when she realized that the ejaculation and shrieking she could hear wasn’t just from herself, but from the people near and faraway on the other side of the mountains as well did she become fully aware that this was real and not a kind of nightmarish illusion. Why is the come-uppance for our country?!! She screamed.

Everyone else had found a place and sat. My heart began to pound like Africans pounding pounded yam in a mortar. Over five hundred different thoughts flooded to my heart at once. My heart skipped multiple beats, as I took in a long deep breath. With difficulty I managed to control my emotions. Don’t worry, was the thought that top the pile of thoughts. Carefully and according to what my mind had suggested from the result of those thoughts, I composed myself and settled down, prayerfully from where I sat. A few minutes passed, then I heard a faint soothing voice deep inside my heart saying; I am in control. Be not afraid, calm down and relax your mind.

There was the continuous humming of voices then suddenly the young lady screamed out again. See! see everyone, our problems had not ended. She continued screaming like she was possessed. She was struggling to catch her breath like she had run a competitive race. Her voice wobbled with emotions. Fear had already filled her troubled heart and like the circulatory blood, was flowing towards the lungs. But fear needs no oxygenation, does it? I thought. She continued to shout like she was mad. She was still hysterical of what was happening in our town. This may be the beginning! The beginning, the beginning!! The young woman shrilled as she jumped up and down like a horse which didn’t want to participate in a horserace. She wasn’t ready to give up shouting so easily. She was shouting and jumping in desperation the way a young woman cried and do when her beloved husband had die prematurely. The situation was critical as you could see how a young woman like this could not control her emotions. That clearly shows the generation gap.

CHAPTER TWO

E verybody turned to see where the water was as the young woman had pushed the panic button. A current of fears passed through everyone. It made my knees buckled and I was shivering as if I had just been brought out of a snow of fifty centimetres deep. We only watched and prayed as the water made its way downtown crushing everything that was on its path. All I continued to hear piercing through my eardrums was the roaring of water.

Both young and old, among them was this old man, about one hundred and something years, purely white-haired, already curved like an arch over the entrance of a king’s palace, and clutching tenaciously in his right hand was a walking stick, and beside him was an equally old, White-haired woman, maybe slightly above his age, with wrinkled face, nose and depressed mouth, telling you that you can’t use her as a specimen for practical demonstration if you are teaching dental formula and dentition to your biology students. The wrinkles had almost covered her eyes. Both of them had dew-lap. Indeed, two heavily-jowled people. Unless they are your relations, you will hardly recognise their physiognomy if you meet them somewhere again. They are both devout Catholics. Each one of them had the rosary snugly fitted to the wrinkled neck. They had some precious gold necklaces too. The old woman looked so worried. Two very old leeches, I thought. They might have been dead before the people of this country have a new lease of life. I mumbled. It’s great to live to a great age. I do not believe they had run like the way we the young able bodies had done to reach this place, as the two wobbled and trundled. My mind flashed back to the way I had followed to reach here, so I could deduce from it. There were only narrow footpaths created by either wild animals or hunters or people of a sort coming to the mountains for reasons based known to them, including those idiots that climbed up mountains tops to plan their evil deeds. But there was no road for any vehicle to reach up to this mountain side, or any area close to the mountains. The well trodden was the one I followed to reach here. Unless, they were brought by helicopter, or dropped from heaven by God to stand-in for Him, as He’s very busy and not everywhere these days, so, He usually delegated these old people with wisdom to take care of young ones. But none of those thoughts hold any water. If they were rescued, then, they wouldn’t have been brought here. It was a devilishly hardwork climbing the mountain so… , and with their movement. I continued to wonder and was like… , oh, what was it really? I asked myself, were they ghosts among us or the visible witch and wizard I was telling the man about earlier or was it miracle that had brought them up here. I am sure they might have had instant energies at the time of the disaster to run for their lives. My reasoning and inner thinking is based on the premise that all people are equally capable of escaping from danger if they were not taken unaware. Even a dead person can get up and run away for safety before they fall down dead again. In times of danger you can do the extraordinary. God helped those who helped themselves. I was stumped for words I don’t know how they got here. I had wanted to ask one of them, but my lips refused to open, so I pushed away the idea. My heart expressed a heartfelt sympathy for them. I looked at them with compassionate eyes. It was heart-rending for their age to be suffering like this. Anybody that might have helped them is surely going to heaven to spend eternity with God. The blessings from these oldest people are like blessings from God. Well, as sure as hell, these were the oldest people that were still remaining in this our generation. That was great of them to be alive, anyway. But to undergo this terrible experience at this their age wasn’t good enough. God didn’t do well. I blamed God for that shortcoming. It may probably due to the overwhelming problems in His head that result to this painful mistake.

You could see why we blamed nature for not having respect for anyone. If nature had respect, at least, he would have leave this old people in the town, or take them straight to heaven without bodily harm. It’s heartening to see the determination of these old people. They always had the mind to continue with life but the energies are lacking. Their spirit is willing but their soul is weak. I was heartily glad they were here with us. I hope with all my heart that things remain well for them until rescue arrives for us, sooner or later. My heart leaps that these two old wisdom’s packed people were here, as God is not always everywhere, and most probably had sent them to guard us. God had been very, very, very busy these days trying to solve problems that are far, far and well beyond His capabilities. The sinful world is giving God more sleepless nights upon His natural sleeplessness. But because He had made it very, very clear to us that He would never forsake us, so He had sent these two old people, and He was very mindful of equality we only talked about without action, to be with us. Presently, Jesus and all the angels were been overused to try to overcome the ever increasing problems in this world. God is greatly worried about their nervous breakdown any moment. Therefore, these two old people were here to hold the fort for us, and I was pretty sure it would be like this everywhere where other people had escaped to.

Now over the mountains were panoplies of people who had managed to escape from the yet-to-be known danger. Indeed it had really thrown out a whole generation to this place after killing half, more than half or thereabout. We had a grisly situation.

When I looked back to the town and saw the way structures were destroyed and crumpled to unimaginable shapes by fast running waters, I couldn’t see why these old people should not run for the remaining lives that were still living in them. I could hear several voices speaking different languages at the same time, but all meaning the same message I guessed, saying that, ‘please help!, please help us, please help me, please, please help us, we are dying here. Oh Almighty God, help us, help us. They were sounds made by people in real agonies and imminent danger that needed help urgently if there could be one, anywhere. It was the same kind of agonizing sounds and cries made by drowning sinners during the time of Noah when God was demolishing the corrupted and most violent world. God could have abandon whatever He was doing now to help our people. Hear the way people were crying for help. God should be Godly. He has to… to, to… I stumbled over my words as I was nervous and trying not to sound blasphemous.

The people that were with me were terrified by the sounds and crying of people far into our towns. One middle aged man of sturdy built stared straight into my face, looking very frightened and displeased. Jesus, couldn’t you come to our rescue since your father, God is very busy. He sounded like one of the disciples of Jesus Christ who called onto Him when he was about to be swallowed alive by the sea and their ship was tormented by a heavy storm. We are all dead. Hear the people crying for help. Look out down there, he was pointing down towards the town as if he was standing together with the Jesus. I, myself could not said anything for my mouth seemed to have been sealed by glue. I was just staring at him in return, like a cinema that was usually cast for us at the village square when l was young. All the people had mean looks on their faces, but I was thinking about what to do next. From the top of the mountain, I could see as far as possible into the town. I saw almost all the high rise structures had been brought down to their knees and bellies. The disaster had done its work which nobody can stymie. I could still see mass of water sweeping across the country, plundering and looting as it went. It seemed like it wasn’t going to be over soon as I can still hear some loud sounds coming from our towns. It may take some days, and I can’t picture how we were going to survive here without any of us holding any food. Besides, all of us had nothing but the shirts on our backs; I can imagine what we could do if we were going to remain here for a little longer until everything was okay from the town. It meant we wouldn’t eat or bath for the number of days we may spend here. But bathing wasn’t my main concern and problem, and for all these people either. Food must be the main concern of everyone here, yes definitely. We all eat to live. I knew that if help didn’t arrive soonest we would surely suffer if not some of us may die. Someone can die of severe acute dehydration by developing difficulties in breathing and collapse and that ends the story. My greatest fear was that severe dehydration, but I was also very grateful to God that the weather dull and the sun was either buried deep into the harmless clouds that gathered in the sky to provide us with shade, or was unavoidably absent. The weather generally was smiling on us. I had a feeling that because of what was happening in our country, God didn’t allow the sun to travel that day. He doesn’t want him to be killed or injured like those that were killed in the disaster. So if there would be dehydration, it would only be mild dehydration and can only lead to thirst. I was happy that with no sun, we would only perspire, which is normal physiological way of maintaining normal body temperature. Throughout, on the mountain as I was praying for the arrival of any rescue for us, I was constantly looking at everyone for the signs of severe dehydration, especially from the older ones in our midst. I always looked at the mouths for dryness and skin for loss of elasticity, as well as their hearts for fast heartbeat. I was also looking at their blood as they circulate inside the arteries and veins to see if any of them could develop low blood pressure. Several hours had passed without any of us taking anything and I was sure many of us here might have not taken breakfast this morning before managing to escape up here. For us young people, we could managed to spend the whole day without eating or drinking anything, for we still have the energy to fast for a couple of days, if not more than forty nine days, nine days above that of Jesus Christ, but the most compelling and particularly worrying situation was the older people among us. I felt for them.

I wish our stomachs could be filled with food and once the digested food was in our bloodstreams, there could be a miracle formula for us to adhere to so the food never leaves the bloodstream, and could continue to act like a slowly sustained release medicine that can supply us with energy for as long as we remain here. I can of my own accord do nothing. If I can miraculously do just a little of what could make everybody’s throat wet like cloth soaked in water I could have been very happy. Looking at the old people now, they were beginning to show that same characteristic of a flower which had not been watered for weeks. I felt guilty as if I was the one responsible for them been here. One mind told me, you needn’t feel guilty. I wasn’t happy, but I partially and gratefully accepted that. I said to myself there were, however, moments when one had to believe on the faith. So a thought came to me finally. I remembered in John chapter six verses thirty five, Jesus said to them [people]; ‘I am the bread of life, he that comes to Me shall never be hungry, and he that believes on Me shall never be thirsty. I wish our stomachs shall be flowing rivers that never reduce in volumes, if not the government, like the British government, shall banned the use of hosepipes and can even banned us from urinating, because they would say we are wasting water. This faith in me was waxing stronger, as I could remembered, it was when Jesus went up into the mountain, as we had just done that he sat with His disciples and a multitude had come to Him. I said within me, we are the multitude. But what still bothered my heart was, where’s the Jesus in our midst? I said shallow faith, depart from me, and don’t come near me to worry me again, Jesus is always with His people all the time. He had assured us that, where one and a half, and not even two or three people again, were gathered, He is always in their midst. I said I have to believe, for He said, if you believe not My writings, how you shall believe My words. He is going to feed us with five barley loaves and two small fishes. And already, the people were seated as everyone else had found a comfortable place to rest their aching backs. We were not up to five thousand as was the multitude that comes to Him on the mountain. Therefore, the loaves and the fishes will go round and round and round, and round and round and round, and round and round and round and round until it will go round many more times until the people will say no, son of God, we are not suffering from bulimia. And besides, not only twelve baskets full of fragments that would remain as was the case that time, but I predicted at least forty eight or more, if not ninety six baskets will be gathered up. His emphasis that, He is the bread of life, and that our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and were all dead, but that, He is the bread which comes down from heaven, that any man who eat thereof, will never die… . he shall live forever. A fervent belief was blowing continuously over me, like wind. I therefore said, I claimed this faith for all of us here on the mountains in Jesus name. It delighted my heart, as it really meant great for me. All of us therefore are going to live even without any rescue for many, many, many, many years. At this time, my mind had become the product of a fertile imagination.

As clear as the sky, I could see many of the buildings in the town had been brought down to the ground and the place looked strange. I peered harder into the far distance to see if I could get any detail of what was happening. I could only see giant structures lying flat on the ground. I said inside me that thank God to be among those that were alive here despite without the three necessities of life—food, shelter and clothing. And besides, it was said by Jesus Christ to the devil at the time of His temptation some million years ago that man does not live by food [bread] alone. Remembering that strengthen me some more and made me to become stronger and stronger by the minute. Well you should always be on alert and be danger conscious, for you don’t know what may happen the next second, or what was waiting for you around the next corner.

Many of the people now were fretful, especially the older ones among us. People started moving down, so slowly with cautions. With appalled fascination, the people were still hearing the crying and screaming down into the towns of those still been tormented by the condition. It was exactly the same way people cried in hellfire. By the time we had reached half way down, one middle aged man, with long curling hair, partly grey in some areas and delicately arched brows, small pointed nose and light complexion, beckoned in a hoarsely loud voice, ‘well, come along country folks’. ‘Why don’t you get yourself into one of the queues and be orderly’. I was completely confused, for I don’t know which queue he meant. He rather stunned than annoyed everybody that had heard him. I raised my head and gave him a fierce stare which I don’t use quite often. He turned and walked away. As fate could do its work, his foot caught in a rock and he pitched forwards. It was pitiable, but I believed by the same fate and common standards, it paid him right. He quickly stood up and puffed. But no body said anything to him, for everyone was struggling to get a good balance as we went down the mountain. Obviously, the fault lies with him. Why should he come to talk to me like that? Did he want to tell me he is a he-man or what? The buzz of the crowd moved away from the high mountain but I could still heard sounds and cries of agonies, now snuffling, like all the people in town now were having a chill. I said within me that, that was Satan; the Devil that had come down to the world, instead of God that we were told, will come to destroy the world with fire. Because of the heartstrings, the thoughts of those unable to escape and were left in the towns refused to leave me. I concluded it can’t be God, because He said the world will be destroyed by fire this time, and not by water. I said definitely, this must be Satan [the Devil]’s work. He might want to follow the same method used by God in destroying the world, because, it kills faster than fire or any other method. Because water kills so easily, once it’s above your head. Yet, I was still a bit perplexed, because I did not hear who he has asked to make the ark. Or is he not going to use an ark like God in his own destruction of the world? Is he not going to spare a man and woman and some animals?—males and females. Surely, because of the devilish nature of his activities, they were never known until the terror had been unleashed on the people.

I tried to sit down for a while as my legs were tired and shaking like grasses tormented by wicked blowing winds of the Sahara Desert. I was beginning to feel real sick and really scared now. Will it be my own turn? I was experiencing diplopia and fear that let me not tip into hypoglycaemic coma. I thought of what I can do if I do not come out of this condition before everyone had left the top of the mountains. What would I do as there were no emergency ambulance for me to call, and besides I had no telephone or anyone either to try out such services out here. I am not a town-crier to shout above my normal voice for someone of a Good Samaritan origin to come to my rescue.

As I was thinking and pondering this in my head, a grizzled, grotesque big face appeared, red eyes from tears, most probably, coming closer and over me from where I was sitting and with a hoarse voice, yet again, like the other first man, said, ‘it wasn’t your fault!’ ‘Everything that goes wrong in our country and all over the world wasn’t your fault’. They knew them very well and they knew what they are doing. So don’t worry, get up from there and stop worrying yourself. ‘I wish you would never suffer anything bad here and when you return to the town’. Then he turned and went away, far into the crowd. I seethed silently in my mind. I took all my self-control not to shout at the man. A pensive mood rushed to my mind. I cannot tell from the accent that he was this or that person, as I was unable to raise my head to see him as he was standing over my head at the time and I was feeling pretty grotty. Was this prophesied? I was jittering with what I might see when we return. I was really surprised for someone to come to me like that that was grieved to really sympathize with me. For God’s sake, was it really sympathy or the man was titillated or displaying some form of mental illness. What did he really mean by saying; they knew them and knew what they were doing. Trying to figure it out made me tired and I drifted off again. I did not bothered to find out who the man was and I was not disturbed by that. The man I thought wasn’t in his right mind. It suddenly occurred to me that I could have raised my head up for the man to see that I am not a minion. I would have rained down curses on him and tell him to go to the devil. There was pregnant silence for a while as people were making their ways down to the ground. Care must be exercised to avoid any injuries for falls and trips. I was managing slowly behind them and wish an ambulance could have just appeared to take me to the town.

A thrill of anticipation blew through my heart and into my head, telling me that something good was going to happen. I tried to figure out what could really be but my mind was obscured with something I couldn’t understand. It was a real cliff-hanger for me. Then as if by magic, I heard a rumbling noise among the mountain ranges. At first I was afraid; thinking that it might be what we have all escaped from; from the towns that was still following us up to here. I said to myself, could it be another moment of struggling for escape or what was it then. I needed some quick thinking to suggest a viable alternative for me before I could make any effort in finding what the noise was. From the position I was standing and over the top of my head was a hanging rock carefully positioned by the metamorphosing process of rock transformations. It obscured my view of the skies so I was unable to see if it was an aeroplane or something else that its sounds were reverberating through the mountains. In a sudden flash a helicopter appeared flying low over the mountains. At first I was still afraid, so frightened that I thought, oh at last, we have been found by the enemy. The terrorists are everywhere on the surface of this world and many of them lives in the mountains as we saw it with the Al Qaeda cases in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places, including the El-shabab and Boko Haram in Tunisia and Nigeria, respectively. They had spread their devilish seeds all over the world and they are now trying to take them to heaven and other planets, including the newly discovered ones as well. But the Americans didn’t want that to happen and will never allow that to happen, even over their dead bodies. They want to be in those planets without the headaches of any terrorist networks. I said, oh my God, the Bin Ladens are here with us. What can we do, because there’s great likelihood of that happening, for no place is immune to them now.

CHAPTER THREE

S hrugging off the feeling, as best as I could, allowed curiosity to get the better of fear, and I was quickly appreciative of the idea, a strong urge to be courageous crept inside me. With a flash of insight I realized what was about to happen. On the belly of the helicopter was the bold writing ‘RESCUE OPERATIONS’. Upon seeing that, my mood gradually lightened. A quantum of happiness entered my heart. The next thing was, all the people, including the ones on the other side of the mountains, were all shouting; ‘ Thank God for sending us a saviour. ‘We are here!’, ‘hey’, ‘see us’, ‘see us’. They were shouting at the top of their voices and waving their hands at the same time. The crowd howled in unison such that it scared the mountain dwellers, including the witches and wizards and spirits of the dead. I was sure they can’t do the same thing to us like they did when we arrived here in that cold morning wind. In fact, there were wild gesticulations as people were ejaculating with happiness. It was a moment of joy for every one of us. Most probably, it must have come to many people at the right time. Surely, our prayers answered. It was a heaven-sent rescue operation team. But this time, the saviour wasn’t Jesus Christ. People might have given up hope of rescue, maybe, but only to suddenly saw the helicopter. One man breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the helicopter above us, saying, oh good God, we thank you for coming to our sufferings as he pressed his hands together. In fact, just like reviving a young dying seedling from the scorching sun by pouring plenty water onto it continuously, in which it quickly started dancing to any little wild wind blown over it that was the way people were revived by the rescue team. They expressed their happiness wholeheartedly. There were scenes of jubilation among the people which seemed never to end. Many were jumping, squealing and yelling with excitement and happiness. Surely, it showed that the people do not believe such a rescue could come so soon to them as that. Some of us were thinking of how we could cope with wild animals in the night.

We were relieved when we saw a rescue helicopter flying over the mountainous area, rescuing people. We were on our way down when it came. We hurtled down the mountains like rocks hurtling down the cliffs. All the people were eventually rescued by the helicopter. A handful of those rescued earlier were seen sitting quietly, many of them with their heads in their palms, with others already sleeping, and possibly resting after the tedious run. People’s faces were now alight. A man and a