Lost in the Twist

By Dean Femayi

Lost in the Twist is an intriguing book about a duo who faces the same fate as their late parents. They soon come to realise that the death of their parents was not accidental but rather caused by an insomniac, as the result of his belief in an existential threat that existed nowhere but in his mind.

In a desperate retreat from death itself, they are taken to train with a goddess as ones destined to go back and fend for their planet. The twist comes into being when one of the pair chooses to take vengeance against the world for its greed and selfishness. Three people, each with their own misconception of justice, whose definition shall triumph?

About the Author

Dean Femayi is a young upcoming author from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He was born on April 13th, 2006. Dean completed his primary education at Centenary School Bulawayo and then enrolled at Christian Brothers’ College, Bulawayo for his secondary education.

An avid child rights activist, Dean devotes a lot of his time to empowering children and mitigating child abuse issues. Despite his young age, the author seeks to join the fight in stopping human rights violations.

Dean is also a talented tennis player who has proved his worth by qualifying for the Matabeleland Tennis team. During his free time, he enjoys writing, reading, debating and playing tennis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dean Femayi
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005033361

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

She fought furiously until sunset fell with her. An evil cackle followed her fall as darkness came to rest over the sky. The trees seemed to mourn her as she laid her head on the dust and debris to rest forever. Ruiker ran as fast as he could and fell on his knees near her. It was all too much to process. It was Ruiker’s mother’s final breath on earth.

All he could do was tear up bitterly as the wind tossed and turned her hair. Bolts of lightning struck down on earth sending fear stroking down his spine. Sadness crept into his heart and brought along anger. Ruiker couldn’t seem to bring himself to peace, and as such, an evil oath swelled inside his heart. He swore to do whatever it took to avenge his one and only mother.

Ruiker groaned as he tried to lug her onto his back to no avail. He was only thirteen, he couldn’t possibly carry his mother. He then resorted to the only thing a thirteen-year-old could do, dragging his mother across the dusty sidewalk. Creepy eyes met his gaze, perplexed about the issue at hand. The confused faces they wore only made Ruiker turn quite scarlet with rage. All the creeps and crooks of the night watched as Ruiker struggled to pull his mother along but they didn’t bother to help.

Immediately stopping Ruiker’s anger from bubbling over, through the corner of his eye he glimpsed a black figure, human shaped, dashing towards him through the night’s wispy fog that constantly got rippled by the figure’s wild hands. As its image cleared, Ruiker started to realise bit by bit what it was. Judging from the brown shade of its pleated slacks and the goofy necktie it could only be one person. Dad.

He ran and fell on his knees near her, ignoring both Ruiker and the deathly pain of his shattered knee. A tear rolled down his father’s cheek, seeming to dodge the horrifying pimples which protruded from his polka dotted face. Struggling to take out the words, he lugged his wife onto his shoulder and walked back home.

Ruiker followed behind, feeling hurt not only for himself but for his father too. It seemed to weigh much heavier on him than it did on his old man. Reaching the doorstep of his house, Ruiker’s father slowly pushed the door to open it. There was Roman, Ruiker’s twin brother, having a nice cup of hot chocolate, enjoying every sip of his chocolate drink and gurgling it inside his mouth for at least five seconds as usual. Finally swallowing his hot cocoa, he swiftly turned his face to Ruiker and Dad. His broad smile collapsed in fear and shock. Shattering his blue and green coffee mug on the cold white floor, he bolted towards the two in tears which seemed to struggle to hold onto his chin. This was it for the Parsons family.

Mom was … dead.

The funeral was held three sorrow-filled days after the funeral proceedings. Part of the crowd remained stunned by her unexpected death. Moans were constantly tossed around the room, clashing with the noise makers who apparently called themselves ‘talented musicians’. The people were dressed all in black, using their pain-filled voices to compete with the priest who seemed to try to get the service started.

The clashing of cymbals brought the cathedral to silence. The priest opened up the requiem mass with a hymn. This made Ruiker turn his eyes away from the choir.

CHAPTER TWO

In the midst of all the mourners, he witnessed something he wouldn’t have ever imagined even if his mother had chosen to come back from the dead. It was a mere girl from his school, her name? Well, it was Ciara. To little Ruiker her beauty was unexplainable. She had warm chestnut coloured hair and toffee brown skin which made her pink lips stand out. Her teeth always lit up Ruiker’s world. When she smiled it was like the stars themselves had decided to rest beneath the soft cushion of her pink lips. The tears in her eyes responded to the evening sun which began to sink below the horizon, creating a golden sparkle from her beautiful eyes. Having no ties with the family whatsoever, why her?

Ruiker glanced at her again, she was looking quite differently troubled, almost like she had heard what he was thinking. Ruiker thought for a split second whether she actually could hear him telepathically. No, hogwash, that thought was doubtful. He thought he would be insane to ever believe such even for the slightest second. But later he found himself being pushed over the edge by temptation. He couldn’t pull himself together. He just had to try it. Before he could logically reason with his mind, curiosity pulled him in.

Ruiker said, Ciara, can you hear me?

Her face was unreadable. Ruiker couldn’t predict whether she had heard him or whether he had just done the silliest thing ever. He took another glance and this time she was looking at him with eyes of sorrow. Ruiker’s heart seemed to rip out of his chest in response to his shock. Did she hear me? Yes? No? Their eyes met and locked into each other’s gaze, he was urged once again to call her.

Ruiker said, "Ciara can you hear