Fiction and Articles

Dear Child, I see you, And even though I don’t know your struggles, I heard of it all. How mummy abandoned you at a mosque, How daddy made you sit on hot coals after he got drunk, How uncle P defiled you even though you were only 4. I see your bravery, I see your courage, I see your laughter, I see your pain, I see you when you feel like you’ve finally got family, I see you when you feel all alone in the world. We may never understand, we don’t know it all, but I want you to know that you’re beautiful and you’re great, You’re unique in each and every way, And if you’ve made it this far, you’re going to make it to the end, With your dreams, goals and a smile on your face. #Youknowyourself

By the time he regained consciousness, he was still in the same room with Bosco. This time around, he noticed an awkward silence. He moved out of the room shaking and in shock towards the living room and discovered that the whole place was empty. He thought of running away but he didn’t know where he was or where he could go. He went back to the room and tried to propel Bosco’s body forward. After all Bosco was his friend. Maybe he wasn’t really dead. Maybe he had just fainted he thought. “oya turn round” were the next words Joseph heard as he held on to Bosco’s body. He turned about to see two uniformed policemen and another man in brown native attire. Joseph was very excited to see that people had come to the house to help. He ran towards the uniformed men in excitement only to receive a huge blow on his face. He was hit so hard that he fell to the floor and hit his head against the wall. At that point Joseph began to wander if all along, he had been in a dream. He closed his eye

He didn’t want to stay any longer but Bosco had forced him to. He felt uneasy by the presence of Bosco’s friends and he missed the bunk he slept on at the workshop more than anything. It was fine when the friends started trooping in and the music getting loud. It was fine when they started to smoke cigarettes and sniff white substance but it wasn’t fine when they tortured their dogs for the sake of it. Something about the act felt distasteful and sinister to joseph. It reminded him of the day his mother was disgraced in the market when her skirt tore and people began to mock her because she had no underwear on. Joseph approached Bosco and politely asked to be taken back to the mechanic shop but Bosco only laughed and walked away. He was obviously intoxicated and high on narcotic drugs. At about 12am in the middle of the night, many ladies were in the apartment dancing, drinking and smoking away. Joseph was initially interested in seeing the ladies move their tiny waist and big but