NILE and Vickie turned to Maqwela, listening to hear him all out. So the king went on to the case in point.
‘I told you the other day that I live with paranoia. That I always run to stone my sick brother at my time of crises.
‘Zadeque is the name of that brother of mine. I’m the only reason why he’s paranoid today. Why he hides from the world!
‘But, you see, I cannot let him roam because people will talk. I care for my throne that much!
‘Still, I want to atone for my sins. But then I keep on hurting this man!’
Nile and Vickie looked on and said nothing.
‘You see, I am selfish and self-centred! But you may be so generous that you’ll excuse these under frenzy… how about this incident?
‘It was a year ago when I was most desperate for a cure. I got some people who claimed to be experts of some alternative therapy.
‘They were carrying out experiments on acute cases like mine. They were also in the last stages of study, so I offered to be their study.
‘I brought in my brother as second guinea pig… even though he didn’t know anything about the test.
‘I found out afterwards that those therapists were illegal practitioners.’
He shook his head in pity.
‘But still, I yielded my brother without consent so they’d use him to cure me!
‘They said I have tensions bottled up for so long. A stream of guilt for my deeds and the fear of the unknown.
‘They said that whenever I stone my brother and release built-up tension, it piles up again because of guilt for what I can’t control.
‘That my mind interprets the response as a bad deed.
‘So they said I’d be fully cured if they stimulated crisis by a controlled dose of injection.
‘That, I’d know enough that it was a cure process and not feel guilty. Yet I’d be paranoid enough to stone Zadeque till my mind healed itself.’
He sunk in his seat.
‘You know something? I went through it and stoned my brother Zadeque!
‘He lay down blocking the stones with hand. Then when I didn’t stop, he just lay still so I thought he was dead.
‘It was at this point that I came to my senses!
‘I didn’t know he faked death to save himself. I cried so much before I knew! Then after I knew, I cried so much that I lost it!’
Maqwela bowed down now and sunk his head in his hands.
He cried and sobbed and whimpered.
He broke down under a heavy guilt.
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