2 views
Citizens Never Die (Part 4: New Dawn)
When his eyes opened up, he met fresh sunlight hitting his face. He turned and looked around him – the leopard and the thicket were nowhere to be seen, and neither was the road. Then he heard low moans in the background. He thrust away the blanket covering him up to his neck, sat up and gazed around properly. Oh! He was on a bed, inside a lonely room. Was he dreaming or something?
He felt his head ache and a strong numbness hit his skin. So he laid himself back in the bed and covered himself tight with the blanket. Just then, a man showed up and sat beside his bed.
“Son, how’re you feeling?” the man greeted.
“My head – oh, it aches,” Odongo complained.
“You’ll be fine. You'll just be fine,” reassured the man.
“Who are you and where am I?”
Before the man could answer him, a woman dressed in a lab-coat and carrying a stethoscope entered the room and walked up to them.
“Mr. Okech.”
“Yes, Doctor. Did you find anything?”
“Sure. The boy has pneumonia and ulcers.”
Shocked by the revelation, Odongo sat up and took a good look at the woman. “Damn! Am I in a hospital?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Mr. Okech and then to the doctor he asked, “Have you made some prescription?”
“Sure. Here.” She handed him a bottle and a packet of medicine.
“Okay. Thanks. Give us a moment then, please.”
The woman nodded and left. Mr. Okech sighed and returned to Odongo.
“Um... I know you have lots of questions, as I am too, and I'd be glad if we could fill each other in. My name’s Joseph Okech. I was driving down the road early this morning when I spotted you beside the road,” he explained. “I would not proceed with my journey and leave you dangling out there in the cold, half-dead. So I stopped and brought you in here.”
“Oooh, oh, I've remembered.Thank you, sir,” said Odongo, smiling thinly.
“Not at all. Would you, please? It's your turn. Just tell me who you are and what happened?”
“I'm Joseph Odongo. I ran away from home... from my cruel aunt. She lives on the other side of the forest. It was late night when I escaped. I remember being accompanied by a leopard and then..."
"What! A leopard?"
"Yes. Guess it was already gone by the time you found me then. It wasn't warry at all. We walked for hours and when we were out of the forest, we sat down and I helped it remove a wisp of bone stack between its teeth. Then... then I felt a cloud of darkness covering us and... and... that's all I can remember.”
“Oh,...
He felt his head ache and a strong numbness hit his skin. So he laid himself back in the bed and covered himself tight with the blanket. Just then, a man showed up and sat beside his bed.
“Son, how’re you feeling?” the man greeted.
“My head – oh, it aches,” Odongo complained.
“You’ll be fine. You'll just be fine,” reassured the man.
“Who are you and where am I?”
Before the man could answer him, a woman dressed in a lab-coat and carrying a stethoscope entered the room and walked up to them.
“Mr. Okech.”
“Yes, Doctor. Did you find anything?”
“Sure. The boy has pneumonia and ulcers.”
Shocked by the revelation, Odongo sat up and took a good look at the woman. “Damn! Am I in a hospital?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Mr. Okech and then to the doctor he asked, “Have you made some prescription?”
“Sure. Here.” She handed him a bottle and a packet of medicine.
“Okay. Thanks. Give us a moment then, please.”
The woman nodded and left. Mr. Okech sighed and returned to Odongo.
“Um... I know you have lots of questions, as I am too, and I'd be glad if we could fill each other in. My name’s Joseph Okech. I was driving down the road early this morning when I spotted you beside the road,” he explained. “I would not proceed with my journey and leave you dangling out there in the cold, half-dead. So I stopped and brought you in here.”
“Oooh, oh, I've remembered.Thank you, sir,” said Odongo, smiling thinly.
“Not at all. Would you, please? It's your turn. Just tell me who you are and what happened?”
“I'm Joseph Odongo. I ran away from home... from my cruel aunt. She lives on the other side of the forest. It was late night when I escaped. I remember being accompanied by a leopard and then..."
"What! A leopard?"
"Yes. Guess it was already gone by the time you found me then. It wasn't warry at all. We walked for hours and when we were out of the forest, we sat down and I helped it remove a wisp of bone stack between its teeth. Then... then I felt a cloud of darkness covering us and... and... that's all I can remember.”
“Oh,...
