Whispers In The Bush Episode 13

As if she knew what was about to befall her, Emeka's mother opened her eyes all of a sudden to find Emeka standing before her holding a knife up above his head. She screamed, and Emeka quickly flung the knife aside and ran into his room. He packed a small bag in a hurry from his room and left the house. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and he didn’t look back.

For days, no one saw him. At first, his mother thought he had gone to a friend’s house and would return soon. But as the days turned into weeks, it became clear that Emeka wasn’t coming back anytime soon.

“Where could he have gone?” Mama Emeka wondered aloud, pacing back and forth in her compound. But no one had answers. Some villagers whispered that he had left for the city to start a new life. Others said he was hiding in the village. Wherever he was, Emeka had disappeared.

After a while, Emeka began returning home, but only on his own terms. He would sneak back into the house late at night, eat whatever food he could find, and leave before sunrise. His mother would sometimes catch glimpses of him in the dark, but he refused to speak to her.

“Emeka, where have you been?” she asked one night, her voice trembling with both anger and concern. “You can’t keep living like this. Come back home and stay.”

But Emeka ignored her. He grabbed a yam from the kitchen and walked out of the house without a word. His mother was left standing in the doorway, helpless and frustrated.

It soon became clear to everyone that Emeka was no longer the same boy they knew. He had grown hardened, and his once friendly demeanor had been replaced with coldness and anger. Whenever he was in the village, he avoided everyone during the day but roamed freely at night. People began to fear him, whispering about his strange behavior.

“He’s joined a bad gang,” one man said during a meeting at the village square.
“I see him with those troublemakers near the bush path,” another added. “They’re up to no good.”

The gang Emeka had joined was made up of a group of young men in the village who were known for causing trouble. They drank, gambled, and got into fights. They were feared by many, and no one dared to confront them. Emeka found solace in their company, as they didn’t judge him or remind him of his failures. Instead, they encouraged his anger and fed his bitterness.

The gang spent most of their time in the forest at the edge of the village, where they held their meetings and planned their mischief. They stole from unsuspecting villagers, vandalized properties, and caused disturbances during festivals. Emeka, who had once been a promising student, was now fully involved in their activities.

His mother, Mama Emeka, grew more and more worried. She tried to talk to him whenever he came home, but he refused to listen. “Emeka, you need to change your ways,” she pleaded one evening. “This path you’re on will only lead to destruction.”

“Leave me alone, Mama,” Emeka snapped, his voice cold. “You don’t understand me. You never have.”

“Look at what you’ve become,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “You’re not the son I raised. Please, Emeka, come back to your senses before it’s too late.”

But Emeka didn’t care. He grabbed a bottle of palm oil from the kitchen and walked out into the night, leaving his mother sobbing in the dark.

The villagers, too, had given up on Emeka. They avoided him whenever they saw him and warned their children to stay far away. “Don’t go near that boy,” parents told their children. “He’s dangerous.”

Even the elders, who were usually quick to step in and guide troubled youths, avoided Emeka. They had heard stories of his temper and the gang he had joined, and they didn’t want to risk their safety by confronting him.

“He’s beyond saving,” one elder said during a meeting. “Let him face the consequences of his actions.”

Despite his tough exterior, Emeka’s new life wasn’t as glamorous as he had imagined. He spent his nights wandering the village with the gang, drinking and causing trouble. But when the fun was over, he was left with an emptiness that no amount of palm wine could fill. Deep down, he knew he was running away from the shame and pain he had caused, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

One night, after a particularly rowdy evening with the gang, Emeka returned home and found his mother waiting for him. She was sitting on a wooden stool in the dark, her face illuminated by the dim light of a lantern.

“Emeka,” she said softly as he entered the compound. “Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you throwing your life away?”

He didn’t answer. He walked past her and headed for the kitchen, but she stood up and blocked his path.

“Look at me, Emeka,” she said, her voice firm. “This is not who you are. You’re my son, and I know you’re better than this.”

Emeka finally looked at her, his eyes filled with anger and pain. “Better?” he said bitterly. “Better than what, Mama? Everyone in this village hates me. They laugh at me, they mock me. I have nothing left.”

“You still have a future,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “You can start over. You can make things right.”

“It’s too late for me,” Emeka said, pulling away from her. “Leave me alone.”

He stormed out of the house, leaving his mother standing in the dark once again. She watched him go, her heart breaking for the son she no longer recognized.

The villagers continued to gossip about Emeka, but no one dared to approach him. The once proud boy who had walked the streets with confidence was now a shadow of his former self, lost in a world of anger and regret.

As the days turned into weeks, Emeka became a ghost in the village, always seen at night, never during the day, and always surrounded by the gang that had become his new family. His life spiraled further out of control, and those who cared about him could only watch from a distance, powerless to help.

To Be Continued...

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Enjoy
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Nice
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Great
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