There lived an old couple who had been childless all their life. They decided to visit a famous fortune teller, a middle-aged woman. She could read and predict people’s future just by looking at the palm of their hands. But all she could see was blood.

The old couple who goes by the name of Jane and James Tuju are of the Luo tribe, one of the vast tribes in Kenya. They had been to the hospital countless times, until it became their second home.

They even visited a certain witch doctor who, as usual, told them lies. But their hopes dwindled the moment the couple realized that they were past child-bearing stage. They were both in their late fifties.

“It’s has been forty years since our last visit at the hospital in the USA, but nothing to show for it!” Lamented James.

“God will one day hear our prayers and we will have a child,” said Jane.

“That’s impossible, we’re past our fertility stage, all hope is lost,” said James.

“Do you believe in miracles?” Asked Jane.

“What is the meaning of this?” Scoffed James.

“I believe that one day, God will answer our prayers and he will give us a child,” said Jane.

“If you say so,” said James.

James being skeptical and all, doesn’t believe in miracles. But a “miracle” happened which changed their lives, for the worst. On a sunny morning, James decided to go jogging around the neighborhood.

It’s a common belief, almost a myth, that jogging is a thing commonly practiced by rich people who are at the verge of high blood pressure, heart attack, obesity and other lifestyle diseases.

At a nearby shrubs, a sharp ear deafening cry of a baby is heard coming from the bushes. This startled James who stood rooted to the ground. He took off his earphones; he was listening to his favorite Congolese lingala music.

His eyes gazing at the bushes, he decided to go and find out. He slowly but carefully treaded in to the overgrown shrubs following the direction of the baby’s cry. After a while, he found a baby, naked, lying on the ground with nothing but a piece of cloth for a diaper.

He (the baby) seemed to have been abandoned by whomever left him there. The baby immediately stopped crying when James carried him, he almost cried when the baby held his big thumb with his tiny hands. He decided to take the baby with him, but he hesitated for a moment.

“What if his parents come for him? What if they file a report on a missing child?” He asked himself.

But he came to an abrupt decision to take the baby with him and wait for the dreaded day to come. On the way home, people looked at him strangely, as if he was carrying a bomb or something. Even his neighbours questioned him about the baby.

“Who is she?” Asked the neighbors.

“No, he’s my… my grandson,” said James.

“Your grandson? But you never mentioned anything about having a grandchild?” Asked the neighbors.

“Oh yeah? Well he’s my grandson whether you like it or not. If you idiots have nothing to say, I suggest you mind your own lousy business!” Retorted James.

“Whoa whoa, slow down on the insults, grandpa! We meant no harm, man!” Said one the neighbors.

James rushed inside his house and greeted his wife who was astonished to see a baby.

“Who is she?” Asked Jane.

“Christ, not you too! It’s a he! For crying out loud, are you gonna just stand there and watch? Help me out here!” Said James.

“Where did you get the baby?” Asked Jane.

“Well, I found him at the bushes, I was out jogging and I found him that’s it,” said James.

“That’s it?! You don’t care, do you? What if his parents filed a police report looking for him?” Asked Jane.

“Oh come on, honey pie, you’re starting to sound like the lousy neighbors. His parents are probably crackheads. If they want the child, it’s my word against theirs. They’ll have to explain to the police why they left him at the bushes in the middle of nowhere. What if he was attacked by wild animals? God knows what this poor fella have been through,” said James.

“Well, I don’t know what will happen to us, but…”

“But what, honey pie? Let’s keep him, you know how much I wanted to have children, don’t get me wrong,” said James.

“He’s not our flesh and blood,” said Jane.

“I know, but at least he’s a child from God, I can’t just hand him to the authorities and later end up in some wretched orphanage. Please help me on this, Jane,” said James.

“Okay,” said Jane.

“So, you mean we can keep him?” Asked James.

“Alright if you insist,” said Jane.

“Thanks honey pie, I knew I could count on you,” said James.

“What shall we call him?” Asked Jane.

“Salazar,” said James.

Days, months and years passed, nobody claimed or even reported a missing baby. The baby grew into a fine young man on his final year in university. Salazar is studying ophiology, a branch of herpetology in zoology that deals with the study of snakes and other reptiles. But strangely, he prefers snakes.

Salazar, the popular guy on campus, has been a darling of many, especially the ladies. But he being a natural player, has dumped and broken many ladies’ hearts. His philandering ways with women and dumping them later on earned him a nickname, “Heart Break Kid”. A similar nickname to the legendary Shawn Michaels.

One girl who was madly in love with Salazar happened to see beyond what many fear. She loved Salazar despite his cheating ways, but he doesn’t seem to care, he’s a heart break kid after all.

“Hey, Sandy! How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t like you. You’re not my type, so buzz off! Shoo!” Said Salazar.

“No matter what you do, I’ll always be right beside you, HBK,” said Sandy.

Sandy leaves.

“Damn I hate that girl!” Said Salazar.

“Hey man, what’s up, is she giving you sleepless nights?” Asked Geoffrey, Salazar’s friend.

“Sleepless nights? She’s not even my type,” said Salazar.

“Bro, if I were in your place, I would have dated her a long time ago,” said Gregory.

“Then what are you waiting for? She’s all yours man,” Said Salazar.

“She only have eyes for you bro,” said Gregory.

“I’ll do anything just to get rid of that girl!” Said Salazar.

“Well, leave that to me, HBK. I’ll get rid of her for you,” said Geoffrey.

“You better get rid of her for good,” said Salazar.

“By the time I’m done with her, she will never bother you again,” said Geoffrey.

“You don’t get it do you? What I meant was for you to kill her!” Said Salazar.

“Whoa, wait a minute, you mean I should kill her?” Asked Geoffrey.

“Yes, and I don’t like repeating myself,” said Salazar.

“One thing for sure, I’m not a murderer. Whatever plans you have in that head of yours, bro? Count me out,” said Geoffrey.

Before leaving, Salazar hypnotizes Geoffrey. His eyes turned from brown to green while beaming like two car headlights. Geoffrey snaps out of it and headed over to the zoology department, where Sandy was studying too. He found her taking a selfie with the rest of her gang. He took out his penknife and stabbed Sandy at the chest twenty times without stopping.

All three of the girls who were with Sandy ran away while shouting and wailing loudly. Sandy laid there on the floor in a pool of blood. Geoffrey came back to his senses and realized what he had done. He tried to run away but he was caught by the marauding gang of angry comrades.

Being Kenya, the police arrived late as usual. They found a badly mutilated body of Geoffrey lying on the school pavement. They were about to burn him alive but the school head of department condemned the act.

“Thou shall not kill within the school premises!” He said.

Geoffrey was already dead by the time the police arrived. So, the only suitable place for him was the morgue. Strangely, he died looking at Salazar, his eyes locked on Salazar’s as if trying to say, “help me”. To add salt to injury, Salazar joined the angry mob in killing his best friend, Geoffrey.

The university staff were laid off as well as the students pending investigation on the recent lynching and murder of both Geoffrey and Sandra (Sandy). Being Kenya, with it’s questionable slow wheels of justice, the investigation lasted for over a year. The perpetrators were never arrested and the final years hardwork wasted as they were forced to repeat the semester for another year.

Salazar decided to drop out of the university and started hanging out with the riff raffs of the society: the drug addicts, thieves and cons, you name them. Despite his parents’ pleas and warnings, Salazar couldn’t hear any of it. He showed them his true colors by turning into a snake. Yes, he shapeshifted into a huge black mamba right in front of his bewildered parents.

Despite his old age, James couldn’t forget about the things he saw. Everything now makes sense, the day he found baby Salazar in the bushes, he noticed a dried snake skin on the ground. It was right beside baby Salazar. But he shrugged the thoughts away, maybe a snake tried to bit him but it died after molting? God helped the poor child’s soul… He didn’t even bother to look for the snake, he didn’t even tell his wife about the snake story.

But it was too late, the old couple died a horrible death. A killer strike of venom from the snake boy whom they raised as one of their own. He killed them cold-bloodedly, without mercy. Later on, Salazar continued to roam the city, in his snake form while terrorizing the whole community. The residents were helpless, there was nothing they could do.

The end.