“Grace don’t leave me, what have I done?” there was no turning back, she wasn’t going to wake up. Through money; the case was ruled as a suicide and it was done by my father. It took me years to forgive my father for the reckless thing he did but I moved on. Anyway until that one night. I was asleep and I had a terrible dream and because my mom wasn’t there I told my father about the dream.

“It time my son,” my father said.

“Time for what father?” tangled I was.

“For you to became the man. Let us not waste any time, get the car, we must drive somewhere.”

“As confused as I was. I took the car out of the garage and called for my father. On the way I wondered but I never said a word because he looked muddled too. We drove for an hour without any chat till we reached our destiny, an enormous lake.

“Son we are about to meet our divinity, don’t do or make any sound, he is coming.”

“What are you talking about father?” I was freaking out.

“I said be quie…” and there it was, the gigantic boa I have ever seen sliding towards my way. I wanted to scream and run away but I recalled what I was taught: to never run away from a snake, just pretend as if you are dead, so I stood still.

“Son, this is the reason why we are never poor, the main reason why you went to private schools, why my businesses make a lot of money. It was my inheritance from my father too. I had to take good care of it in order for the sake of my businesses to grow but the main reason why girls are forbidden in our family. We only feed it twice a year because it’s a female snake, we have to sacrifice with fresh women hearts.” I heard it crystal clear ‘women’s hearts’.

“The snake crept my way and it looked at me straight in my eyeballs, I thought it was going to swallow me but it never did. It licked my face and went back in the water. Loathing for my father grew each and every day. I’ve been feeding the snake since then. I wanted to end all of this but a sacrifice has to be made and I am to continue with it.” He finished his story.

“I am sorry Lue but I have to feed the snake,” he said with a flood of tears running down his cheeks. I tried to speak but the tape was too tight. “Shhh, I am going to remove the tape, but if you dare make any noise, trust me, you are a walking dead woman as we speak.”

So he did.

“Please! You don’t have to kill me. I swear on my mother’s grave I won’t tell anyone.”

I cried for my life.

“You think I want all of this? Well I don’t! But if I don’t feed the snake, I am a dead man myself.”

“But you can overcome this. Let us pray together, my living God can turn things around,” crying, I begged.

“Shut up! I don’t need your prayer, only your heart,” he screamed at me with anger.

Unexpectedly his phone rang. He sealed my mouth again with a tape and answered his phone.

“Jeremy, hello,”

Yes, he changed his identity too and walked up stairs while talking on the phone. I knew I had to make an action at that very same moment so I reached for my phone at the back pocket. I recalled that Zack was the person I last called. He came back still on the phone while I was dialling Zack’s contact. So I blinked, trying to show him that I wanted to say something so he hung up.

“What is it?”

“Can I go to the restroom please before I die?” I raised my voice so Zack could hear that I was in danger.

“You still think I am a fool huh?” he yelled at me.

“No, no, how could I think a person living on 6th Street, Down Avenue at Woodhaven that is approximately 5km from the CBD could be a fool.” I shouted, that time praying that Zack copied, I never prayed of what happened next. My phone rang.

“You son of a bit…”

Well, that’s all I could reminisce. The next thing – I was in a very bright place and I tried to move my legs but my body was in excruciating pain. I called out.

“Hel..p any…one.” I was terrified.

“Thank goodness you are awake,” Zack’s voice I heard first.

“Tell me wha…t happe…ned.”

“Shhhh don’t make any sound, you need to rest to recuperate,” he held my hand and told me everything about how badly I was stabbed. They assumed I was dead when they arrived at the crime scene with the cops. He also told me how “Banzi” was caught on his way to the United Kingdom and he was arrested but I never wanted to hear that. I was unconsciousness for six weeks.

I still hope for true love somewhere, somehow. But I’ve learnt to live my life to the fullest and most essentially, never look for love, if it exists it will find you.

***

Tell us what you think: What did you think of the story?