MEMENTO ROCK

Killing humanity

The strong sweet feeling of firm bond of family ties made memorable day as we went through shrubs on our way home. Mum was teaching us the traditional songs of Agikuyu with her golden voice. Her rhythms were some of the things that Annitah imitated and sang exactly like her. We went through a blue metallic gate with a modern design. It was like wow! As seen a distance. 

Francis removed the keys and unlocked the door, pushed it in and removed his shoes. We all did the same and wore house slippers. Two minutes later we were enjoying our father’s stories of his young age obnoxious behaviors. They reinvigorated our hope for successful lives.

Soon, Julia, our mother went to cook. Annitah, who was seven years old liked a lot cooking as her hobby. She was nicknamed as assistant chef by beloved dad. She joined mum to fry the fish that we had fished during the day. I and dad were left busy watching ‘buy me a rose’ an afro movie from Nigeria. 

Few minutes later dinner was ready and already on the beautiful glass table in big hot dishes. Plates were placed beside. A vacuum flask stood next to the plate decorating the table with a bright red colour.

As we used to do, I run to my bedroom and picked an acoustic guitar. I came holding it as my libs level. I used to decorate the dinner with romantic melodious hymns. Annitah served the meals. I prayed for diner as my pastor used to teach;

Our father I thank you for giving us food. May it be blessing, so that it can build our bodies, mostly that of dad and mum. 

Amen

We started eating right away. It was sweet than honey. I wished that it could not end but finally came to an end.

By then my dad used to be a business men and mum a great farmer who grew wheat and chili and when matured, sold them in the nearest town, Nyahururu. This made a great difference from the rest of the villagers who search for vibaruas.

 In our village Melwa we used to be the richest compared to other houses made of plain mud and grass roofed. Ours was a bungalow, built of stones, tiled and with Iron sheets. It cleared beautiful scenery in the village. It was the only home with electricity and a tall security light behind it.

 At that time I was nine years old. I was well known as a ‘boss boy’ from my behaviors. I used to follow my father’s words, ‘one should do things differently to make a change in the world.

We used to have three fierce dogs; brown one called Chui, black spiny one with white on called marara and a bony black dog called police. They used to guide the whole village with the other small local dogs.

After the dinner, I collected the fish bones and left overs, mixed them with dog meal and fed the dogs. I came back to the house switching on the fence. This was to enable the electric current to be in the fence wires. I locked all the doors outside to ensure maximum security. Then, I went back to the living room. 

This was time for storytelling; my father was the storyteller that delightful night. 

He sat on a director’s chair and switched off the television. I sat on his right hand side on a three seater sofa, my sister Annitah Wambui, was on opposite side and my mum was son the opposite side with dad.

Dad was in front of a double decker cupboard. He removed his phone from his pocket and placed it in the television shelf. 

“Many years back, in my youthful age, our family was the poorest ever in our village. My mother Wairimu was not only caring but also loving. She used to cook plain githeri and dry it then cover in a clay pot. As it used to be, in our localities, no one could hide or refuse to offer food to a visitor.

One day, I was sitting on a rock outside our round hut. A boy younger than me came running while in blues. He came shouting “she is gone?” I wondered who? 

He roughly entered the hut and found my mother sitting on a bed, which was mad half a meter rose from the ground. She asked him what was going on.

He explained, “My sister went to fetch water in river Chania and directly met his love and she got married, who will be on my side? Will I live anymore surely? I think I will follow my beloved parent who went a journey that they will never come back…. I am left with my ruthless ‘Tata ‘who treats me like a dog…” he cried painfully.  

Some years later the boy was found dead after committing suicide. My children! He lost his life just because of family ties. Always live in peace, let no one separate you. Be bonded by strong love, people will pass but your brother will never pass, so have great love in you and sacrifice everything because of one another.

Finally, trust no one, be it your grandmother, cousin or even me, let you two be like one child. He paused after feeling cold. He stood and picked a jacket from the chair he sat and wore. 

“My dear brother, John,” Annitah called.

‘‘Yes,’’ I answered her lifting my head. 

“Take me out for a short call,” She requested dropping her legs to wear slippers. 

“Use the internal toilet children, it is late, imagine its eleven O’clock,” mum argued looking at her phone to check on time. “Mummy let us go out, we will be fast please,” she pleaded. 

My mother didn’t bother to oppose, she allowed us to get out. I jumped on my weight and assisted her to stand. We went opening door by door on our way out. Just before we open the last door I heard some steps outside moving away, as I switched off the lights around where we were. This was to create equality on the darkness out and in the house. I carefully and silently opened the door scrutinizing everything outside. 

We matched out, slowly walked towards the toilets. For no reason I felt an inexplicable fear burning across my body. This made me to hold my sister’s hand tightly not to be swallowed by the darkness. That is when I discovered that our security light had been switched off. How did it happen? I asked myself intimately. 

I was not a prophet of doom or a witch doctor but something was wrong. Annitah came closer to me breathing heavily. I hadn’t asked her what she had seen, when I heard a loud bang on the roofs. It was followed by footsteps running all over the compound. Without wasting time, I dragged my beloved sister to the fence wall and forced her to sit.

 A strong torch was lit just at the gate where a strong man who looked like devil’s brother was standing. It flooded all over as sun flooded its rays of knowledge on the planets. 

That was the time I realized that it was a well-planned raid. Our dogs were nowhere to be seen or heard. On seeing that the door was open, a firm well-muscled man ran inside with a death shining sword in his hands.

“Where are your children?” they were the questions that followed. “I ask you where your children are?” He roared again, pronouncing word by word. 

“They are outside, don’t kill him please…” my mother shouted as her voice went on fainting in the midst of the gigantic raiders. “Uuuuiii…!” Wails were released, stretching all over the village of Melwa. “My children run away! I am dying!” My dad cried.

“It’s God, who gave us parents and he is the one to do his will,” They were the words that passed through my mind. 

Suddenly darkness covered the territory again with wind of sorrow blowing and dead visions scattered all over. The thugs left with some bags of maize and packed items, which I guessed they were foodstuffs.

Shaking like the residents of Nairobi during the Westgate Mall attack, I stood up jumped out of the hiding. “Annitah!” I called with a low soft tune.

 “Yes, dear,” she answered.

She came to where I was standing and got hold of my left hand. We both went to the house trembling. We wanted to confirm if the world was a liar or a basket of truth.  

We switched on the light at the main switch where thugs had switched off the security lamp. Light flooded all over again. We went in passing the first, second and finally the living room door. We were welcomed by flowing blood and a smell of death. The room was so silent to frighten even water in a tank. With a lot of confidence, I passed the first sofa set. Only to slide and fall on the flowing blood!

“They killed them” I yelled walking on fours towards the bodies on the tiled floor. My dad died when holding my mother’s hand tightly. Surely they lived a life full of great love and died together as ones. I could not imagine that, my mother’s beauty wasn’t recognized by the unkind raiders, they spilled it in a messy way.

We both sat next to the bodies crying, bitter feeling of regrets growing in our hearts. Why do this to us? Why didn’t they leave one alive? Who said that death was a permanent journey? Why… I kept asking myself thousand answerless questions.

 I desired to die also and leave this world of misfortunes. Although death is a must and inevitable, it was too early to be left as orphans. I wished life could be a dream, because I could have woken them up, but alas! It wasn’t. 

This was the day of days that my life was registered in a neglected generation and crooked universe of ruthless people. I held my sister’s hand and went to the kitchen and waited for morning to knock in. No one said anything except looking each other at an angle.

The morning wasn’t far, so it was now in. Sun started sending its rays from the unique horizons of the world. This is when a group of people by the name Nyumba kumi came in led by a man called Gatheru. 

They called the police and the other members of our family from Tetu Nyeri County and others from Rumuruti town who were to witness. They were to confirm that, there are people and animal-like people. Few minutes later our homestead was swamped with all kind of people; ladies, gentlemen, children and even old people.

 The bodies were covered with blankets and placed in a police land cruiser as soon as the police arrived. Members of the family accompanied the police to the station. The cries of bitterness were left in the broken hearts of the villagers. 

That was the last day to see our parents. The nasty feeling made our day a memory. We stoically wiped our faces and walked away to visit our grandmother, our father’s mum, commonly known as cucu.