Never Never

Youpele

Youpele

/

22 October, 2024

4 min read

Never Never

Lights Off!

There was a sudden dashing thud

Racing towards the living crowd 

This happened as fast 

and as sudden as   lightning 

“Turn on your flash!”

Echoed and resounded through out the living crowd 

The thud stopped, and a smoke spoke loudly

Softly blinding every particle or wave of light. 

Or whatever they’ve chosen to identify as. 

Then came the first school of bangs. 

Thunderously cracking, hastily deafening the living crowd 

As well as knocking us off our balance. 

This started a race to 

nowhere, somewhere, everywhere. 

Anywhere far away from the source of the bangs.

“Turn on your flash!”

Another resound ran through the crowd

“Video and snap!”

A gentle drizzle of rain flashed.

Unannounced

Splashed sideways 

A raucous scream sequeled it  

Prequel to the scream was a masculine grasp.

Clutching my hand like therein resides the breath of life. 

I turned back and I saw myself, battling for one more breath 

“Perhaps that was her last breath”

My thoughts roared

“Run motherfucker run!”

An antithetical thought bellowed.

Bellowed orders to my legs,

As they carried the rest of my life in their hands,

galloping to 

nowhere, somewhere, everywhere. 

Anywhere far away from the source of the bangs.

My legs made a U-turn,

vroomed towards the lady on the ground.

My hands did give her life.

Even if it was for a second, a minute, 

a lifetime. Absolutely felt like a lifetime 

Her tongue was drowning in her blood

Her lips smiled

Bewilderment erupted from her eyes

Terror effused from her once pampered skin

Her countenance was of one that was terrified that they were terrified.

She was embalmed in perplexity

and she smelled like uncertainty.

Her nose grappled for more breath of life 

from my hands, 

till her head laid heavily still on my palm

till her nose drew her last breath.

The ambiance was raw and unaltered  

Not single word was uttered 

Until I felt a sting, 

More than a sting, a sharp pain

that multiplied exponentially and intensely 

In a split of second, I was howling,

crying for help. For myself, for her, for who. calling

no-one, someone, everyone.

Anyone running away from the source of the bangs.

I was crowd crushed

Until I could neither feel, hear, say, nor see a thing. 


Got dreadlocks. You are a suspect.

Plaited hair. Suspect.

Got a tattoo. Suspect. 

Looking fresh. Suspect.

Using an iPhone. Suspect.

Any expensive phone makes you a suspect.

Young and riding a machine. 98% sure he’s a suspect.

“Park Park!”

License? Check.

Papers? Check.

Insurance? Check.

Roadworthy? Check.

Road tax? Check.

“Engine number nkor?

“E sure say that phone na you own, wey the receipt?”

“The receipt dey house”

“I talk am this boy na yahoo boy. 

See him head, 

see the kind motor him dey drive self.”

‘’Oga officer……”

Two slaps registered like a George Foreman’s punch

and a buttstroke to snatch his voice off his mouth.

Leaving a loud tinnitus and silent obedience on their trail.

With a gun to his head, needless to say

self-advocacy & defiance drove into

Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome.

“Save your saliva, na for our station you go explain yourself.

I sure say you no even get receipt for this laptop.”

One thing led to another

Familiar dissimilar events unfolded in a chaotic order 

My brother from another mother 

was found in a hospital 

brutalised beyond what our family eyes could recognise 

And robbed as clean as a tear rubber ₦100 note. 

Brought in by Good Samaritans

Some of which cinema-ed the events till the end credits. 

Here’s post credits scene in one sentence. 

Doctors refused to treat him because of lack of police report 

and he died due to internal haemorrhage, traumatic pneumothorax, and visible fatal injuries.  

It was my second day here

I’ve never felt so much alive. 

Alive with a living; 

breathing, 

breeding, 

eating, 

moving and growing purpose. 

Every part of my body and soul was electrified 

Goosebumps were frequent and rather

erratically unpredictable 

Unlike the goosebumps plus teary eyes that 

were frequent and un-erratically predictable. 

Especially, when one of us lauded the growing living crowd.

Or informed us about food, shelter, drinks, medication and legal services

that were being provided by other youths and supporters, home and abroad. 

Or alerted us about the increasing danger as we soldier on to another day. 

Another day, same cry, same purpose. 

Purpose that neither needs to be explained nor explain itself 

Highly contagious and infectious like SARS

There existed no more favourable breeding ground 

than here, in this, …the living crowd. 

It felt right. 

It feels right. 

It is right. 

It must be right. 

I have never felt this right before in my entire life 

Right in my heart 

Right in my soul 

Right in my being 

Right in my rights. 

Since he died I lost will to live 

Suicidal thoughts felt right 

and were rightfully given increased airtime in my headspace. 

In this living crowd, looking up to his face

felt warm and hopeful 

Devoid of my victimhood, 

paralytic helplessness and entrenched self-pity.