Agony of the deaf episode 10
AGONY OF THE DEAF
(Faded Feelings)
Season 10
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Written by Author Nath
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The mind is so beautiful and always in search of beauty, in a moment it can run from joy to untold agony like the present state of Claude. Though he had an atom of peace in him for being with the love of his life but the agony never disappeared because peace is not the absence of agony, but the presence of joy of harmony.
The risk of love is loss and the price of loss is grief. But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love. Claude had to take the risk never to experience the grief. However he had no knowledge that what is greater than the cricket is yet to enter the cricket’s hole.
He felt the texture of the street on his feet because he had no shoes. The coldness of the sea, by convection saturated the environment, giving him goosebumps because he had no clothes. Where would he go from there? He narrowed his vision into the darkness of the street, manly holding back his tears as Eniola’s hand never departed from his w–st. She could read his mind to ascertain the level of his agony. Therefore she said, “Don’t worry, we can lodge. I have some money with me.”
Claude didn’t say anything neither did he look at her nor put in mind her statement. He was just moping at a s₱0t, wondering how his life hand changed within a twinkle of an eye.
“Claude?” she tried to fully have his attention, yet the boy showed no reaction. But at the presence of Gbenga who just approached from behind, he looked at Eniola and finally looked back to see Gbenga taking off his agbada. “Don’t worry, my son. Wear this for the mean time.” he handed it to him and watched him wear the over-size fabric. The hands of the agbada was like the endless dept of an ocean. It covered his feet like a funny wedding gown with the resemblance of a masquerade. However, Gbenga was left with just a singlet and the bogus trouser of the agbada. In his hand was his staff and on his head never departed his cap which he took off to hand over to Claude too but restrained himself immediately saying, “No, this cap has more problem than our current problem.” He placed it back on his head. He was totally out of fashion with his current appearance. He looked up to see Claude seeming frustrated. “Dry your tears, son. This is your call. Those who want rain must also accept the mud. If a tree does not know how to dance, the wind will teach it. All this will be over soon. Even if the cock does not crow, the sun will rise.” the proverbs were like Moses’ rod that broke the rock of Claude’s tears glands. They began to pour emotionally.
“Papa Gbenga, let’s lodge, it’s getting late. I have some money with me.” Eniola rephrased her statement.
“I have money with me too. If the one who stabbed forgets, the one who got stabbed never forgets. Let’s go down the street to get a cab.” He did not only point his staff forward but also led the way by moving forward. As they walked like refugees on the lonely street, a bus speedily pulled over beside them, men kidnapped them despite their resistance not to succumb to their forceful mannerisms. Eniola kept s¢ræming but her voice suddenly faded away. Only Gbenga’s voice trailed before the bus sped away. “You put your hand in between my legs and lifted me up like undertaker. Do you realize I’m an elder?! If a child lifts his father, his scrotum will blindfold him. Those with tattered skirts should avoid dancing too close to the fire. Be warned!” his own voice also faded away.
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Day had broken. in,side a local room was Claude seated on a small stool half naked. The downward of his head showed how tired and exhausted he was. Suddenly, two men entered into the room, pulled him up, guiding him to a bathroom where they naked him and began to bath him. One held him while another sponged him. One could see his d–k flexibly dangling to the vegorous movement of the sponge. His eyes were closed like one unconscious. Yes, he was, diabolically.
Notwithstanding, Claude was worn a native royal robe before one of the men came with a bowl of water. He deepened his hand into it and sprinkled the water on Claude’s face. Instantly, he gained consciousness. He looked at the two strange men who seemed unfamiliar to him.
“Who are you and where am i?” he asked. “Where is Eniola?!” he asked again.
They didn’t reply. They held him on both arms, dragging him outside as he struggled. When they opened the door, Claude gradually stopped struggling due to what he saw; a wide range of arid land with beautiful and handsome men living happily on the land. He didn’t see houses, all he saw were tents. He could also hear some of them speaking French. Many suspended what they were doing and began to look at him strangely. They were actually heading to an opposite tent where a woman and a young girl stood. Getting there, the two men let go of Claude who assessed the woman critically. He also looked at the young girl beside her to see her grinning amusingly. He turned to see the people lined up, staring at them and maintaining an absolute silence.
“Claude?” the woman drew his attention back to herself. “Ude?” she called him again in a different but familiar manner which Claude understood.
“Mother?” he called the woman.
“C’est moi mon fils.” she replied in French, meaning, “It’s me, my son.”
“I thought you died. Papa told me you… you…. les Kumas t’ont tué.”
“No, son. The Kumas didn’t kill me. They took me away where i strived and escaped.” Charlotte, the mother, replied.
“How did you find me?”
The mother didn’t reply rather embraced him. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” she said on his shoulder. Through her own shoulder, Claude saw the girl smiling at him attractively which reminded him of Eniola. So he quickly detached himself from his mother.
“Where is Eniola and…”
“There they are.” Charlotte pointed behind him. Claude swiftly turned to see Eniola running to meet him. He waited happily until she embraced him warmly. He even had to lift her up in a way her feet left the ground. At a distant was Gbenga with his agbada which was given back to him.
“I’m happy you’re okay,” Claude looked into Eniola’s eyes who started giving him a sign language. He turned to his mother. “What happened?” he asked her.
“There are several things you need to know and learn Claude.” the mother began. “First, look around you, the people you see are hugos, your brothers and sisters taking refuge here in an unknown land because of the kumas. Secondly, you have to understand that you’re royalty and these people will be looking up to you. You have a royal responsibility to play in their lives, and thirdly you have to have our culture at your finger tips which one of them is ‘a Hugo cannot fall in love with his or her victim whom he or she used his or her blood to heal a particular sickness.’ At night when you were going through cleansing we found out you’ve faulted the culture. After the cleansing, she had to be deaf and dumb again, and she will go back to her place never for you to set your eyes on her. Both of you cannot work.”
Eniola resumed reading people’s l-ips. She stared at the average woman, shedding tears because she had a clue of what she was saying. Sadly, she held Claude by the hand tightly never to let go.
“Mother, Eniola is my life! I rather die than never to be with her.” Claude raised his voice. “I do not want to be a Hugo! Hell to your royalty and kingly responsibility! I just want to be a normal human being and be with the one I love.” He brought down his voice. “Please, mother.”
The mother shook her head. Instantly, able men walked to Eniola and began to pull her away from the young man while others held Claude. Eniola cried helplessly without letting go of Claude’s hand until the men forcefully break them off.
“Eniola! Eniola!” Claude kept shouting her name as he watched them take the girl away. Some other men also dragged Gbenga along. “Let me go! Leave me alone!” Claude struggled in the hands of the men who held him tightly until Eniola and Gbenga vanished from his sight.
“I’m sorry, son. Welcome home” Charlotte injected him with a locally made sleeping syrup. Immediately, Claude calmed down and slept off. They carried him into the tent and laid him on a royal mat. The young girl who was standing beside the mother, knelt beside him and r-mantically began to car–s his cheek.
“Chloe, both of you will get along when he wakes up and you’ll teach him a lot.” Charlotte’s voice came from behind.
Chloe, the girl, turned to her with a smiling face. “Tu penses qu’il va m’aimer?” She asked in French.
“Of course he will like you.” Charlotte replied, smiling too.
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Before the sunset, Gbenga and Eniola traced their way back to Olupona. Ayomide seated in the living room when they entered. She stood up and Eniola hurriedly hugged her, weeping once again. Quickly, she talked to her with a sign language. Ayomide got surprised, so she looked at Gbenga.
“What’s happening?” she asked with a broken voice.
“Heeeey!” Gbenga exclaimed and dragged his cap down as he took a seat. “What my eyes have seen my mouth cannot explain! Aaaahhh!!” he exclaimed again, folding his arms bitterly.
Ayomide understood the charisma then bursted out in a thunderous cry and fell on the floor. “Chief has killed me oooh!!”
“No, I don’t think chief has anything to do with this one oh! Heeey!” Gbenga corrected thoughtfully and heartbroken. “Eni, Aah! God why would you allow this innocent girl suffer psychologically and emotionally? She’s just but a small girl. Why can’t she have what she wants or deserve? Why must she be tortured emotionally like this? Aaah!” he shouted again.
Meanwhile, Eniola had run into her room, locked the door to fully activate her tears glands. She laid on the floor crying pitifully. She had returned to her old life; deaf and dumb without Claude beside her again. She never knew when she will see him again or hear and speak again. Oh, what a tragedy? In a strange way, she fell in love with depression. She grew to love it because she thought it was all she had. She thought depression was the part of her character that made her worthwhile. She thought so little of herself, felt that she had such scant offerings to give to the world, that the one thing that justified her existence at all was her agony.
Hours later, she had not stood up from the floor. Beside her was a paper that contains a poem she wrote:
“The fountain of my heart dried up within me,
With nought that loved me, and with nought to love,
I stood upon the desert earth alone.
And in that deep and utter agony,
Though then, then even most unfit to die,
I fell upon my knees and prayed for death.”
Even on the floor, she tried to sing, but couldn’t, then she began to hum. The hum came from her like a sob, a hoarse sound like the death rattle of a dying man; it seemed indeed like the agony of death when the mother’s love was powerless to bring her to a good state of mind….
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TO BE CONTINUED
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