CHAPTER 16


    The four children squealed yfully, all struggling to spread their own portion of therge outdoor mat


    as the evening darkness settled upon the earth. Gentle humid breeze blew, just like it did every


    evening. yfulughters rang out as the siblings tugged at the fluffy dark brown mat. Little Solomon,


    however, abandoned the quest and ran about amongst his three elderly ones, basking in the evening


    glow. IK gave the mat a final tug and smiled to himself, knowing what wasing next.


    “I am lying in the middle” Selena yelled.


    “No” Amanda countered. “You were at the middle yesterday; I wouldy in the middle today.”


    “No! The first person to get here always stays at the middle and that’s me” she pointed her slim second


    finger at her chest with her left brow raised in a saucy manner. IK noticed the stubborn jutting out of her


    chin and almostughed. Being the first born, IK had the loveliest siblings. Selena, his impossibly


    stubborn immediate sister was just four years younger than his twelve years old self, followed by


    Amanda, the partially quiet, yet partially talkative one, then the ever bouncingst born – Solomon.


    They were the loveliest siblings, closer than most and forging an unbreakable bond that went beyond


    blood ties, despite their asional fights - one of which always came up during nights like these.


    “I want to stay at the middle?” Amanda whined, pulling her face up to a pout.


    “Me too” Solomon cooed.


    Selena put her small hands on her hips, a tell-tale sign that they were in for a serious round of


    argument if IK didn’t intervene. Selena for one, has never been used to losing.


    “C’mon now, Love” he called, using the pet name he knew always got her doing his bidding. “Can’t you


    just allow Amanda for tonight? You know only kids like cuddling between two people. You are not a kid,


    are you?” he raised his brow.


    Selena nced at him and seemed to be battling with herself. Of course, IK knew that she would


    always give in using that argument, because Selena would never admit to being a ‘kid’. Her face broke


    into a stic smile. “Well then, she can have the middle. I don’t really like it anyways, I can’t roll around


    when I am stuck between two bodies” she shrugged. Amanda’s face pulled to a frown like she hadn’t


    thought of that.


    IK shook his head and smiled. Trust Selena to turn the tables anytime she isn’t pleased.


    “Are you children done arguing already?” Florence called from behind, as she and bimbo watched the


    exchange between their children with a wry smile on their faces. They always had this session every


    night.


    Amanda and Solomon pranced about on the mat happily as their parents came to take their positions


    on the mat. They always looked forward to this time every day. It was always the family’s favourite time


    of the day – lying outside after dinner, talking andughing happily as they together watched the


    changing clouds and sparkling stars.


    Finally settled, the four childreny knitted together, loving thepany of one another above all else.


    They cuddled closer as darkness nketed around them – Amanda obviously winning her spot in the


    middle along with Solomon, with their heads closely ced on the mat, looking up at the dark sky


    above inpanionable silence. “I should have brought a wrapper” Selena said as she shivered from


    the cool evening breeze. Maybe she shouldn’t have let her middle spot go so easily, she mused.


    Amanda frowned at the sky. “IK” she called and IK turned his head towards her in response. “Why is


    there no star in the sky today?” she asked innocently.


    IK stared at the lone half-moon ahead, trying to rationalize his answer. “They are there Tess, you just


    can’t see them.” He said.


    Selena frowned. “Then where are they, IK?” she also looked at the sky, hating the vacant state of it.


    “They are very far away, hiding behind the clouds”


    “Stars y hide and seek too?” Amanda asked, amused.


    IK smiled and yfully poked Amanda. “Maybe”


    “Or maybe they are all dead” Selena suddenly dered. Ik and Amanda turned stunned eyes at her.


    “My teacher told me that when a child is born, a star is born, just like the Jesus story” she exined. “It


    means that if a person dies, a star also dies, right?”


    IK stared at his eight years old sister carefully. Selena might be stubborn and daring but one thing was


    certain – her small head had the capacity to think far and wild, way beyond the normal imaginations of


    a child. “You are right, of course. But if all the stars are dead, it means everyone on earth is dead, and


    that is not possible because we are still alive, aren’t we?”


    Selena grinned mischievously. “Maybe we don’t exist; maybe we are ghosts.”


    Amanda’s eyes widened with fright. “We are not ghosts, right?” she asked IK in fright.


    “Of course not” Ik shot Selena a warning nce. “Stop scaring Amanda and Solomon, they won’t be


    able to sleep”


    Selena smiled and raised her eyes to the sky but her smile soon vanished when there was no star up


    there to wink back at her. She rubbed her arms gently, driving away the chill that brought goosepimples


    to her skin. “I hate it when there are no stars” she said drily.


    “Me too” Amanda seconded.


    Florence sat on the mat, not far from her children, with bimbo’s head on herps as he sprawled freely


    on the mat. She smiled at the sight of her children, discussing gently. Something was different about


    tonight, she could feel it. Even the restless Solomon seemed to be lying quietly tonight, for the first


    time. It was like everyone wanted to be calm enough to take in the peaceful contentment of the


    moment. Despite the fact that they had to struggle day in day out to make ends meet, it was still worth


    it. They were still one closely united happy family, contented with the little they had.


    “They look happy” shemented softly, ying with the hair on her husband’s head, the way he liked


    it.


    “They are happy” bimbo answered.


    She shook her head in amazement as her thoughts and gaze strayed slightly from her children. “You


    think we would have been this happy and content if we were rich?” she asked.


    bimbo shrugged. “I don’t know. We might get too caught up in our wealth that we forget about one


    another” he smiled up at her. “God doesn’t make mistakes”


    “Of course not” she answered. Over the years, she had gotten over the extreme handsomeness of her


    husband, but as she gazed down at his smiling face, she was struck once again with womanly pride. At


    thirty six, her husband was even more handsome than she remembered, it was no wonder that her


    children were so beautiful, all taking on the beauty of their father. Florence ran her fingers through her


    husband’s hair as her eyes strayed to the dark starless sky above. Thoughts of the immediate needs in


    the house invaded her thoughts. She sighed. “I don’t have enough money with me for the children’s


    feeding tomorrow” she muttered, thinking about the empty food supplies.


    IK needed to get his textbooks, especially now that he was about to seat for his Junior WAEC. The


    foodstuff was already exhausted, not to mention the new uniforms she needed to get for the two girls.


    There was always one thing or the other needing money; she was already used to having wants and


    needs. Her eyes scanned the sky seeking the nightly stars, knowing that the sight of blinking stars


    would bring hope of a brighter tomorrow. There was none. No star tonight! Why did that unsettle her so


    much? The usual hope she always got from the tiny beautiful stars was nowhere to be found, leaving


    her with a tiny level of fear eating at her insides.


    bimbo sighed into the air. “All would be well” he breathed.


    Florence nodded and opened her mouth to respond when all of a sudden, a loud shrill hit her ears.


    “Yeeeeee!!!” IK’s voice rang out.


    And then it began!


    “IK?” Florence jumped out of her sitting position in a sh, rushing to her first son. bimbo was right at


    her heels, reaching IK in a sh. IK held his chest as pain engulfed his face.


    “What is it, IK?” Florence rushed as she removed his hand to stare in confusion at his chest. “What is


    wrong?”


    IK gripped his chest, groaning in excruciating pain. “My… chest” he managed.


    “Are you okay, IK?” Selena asked in agitation as bimbo sat on the floor and moved IK gently to lean


    against him.


    “Your chest? What… what’s wrong IK? IK?” Florence querried, shaking fearfully, looking at the pain


    stricken face of her son, as his siblings gathered around him.


    “IK” bimbo called albeit calmly. “Is your chest hurting?” IK nodded grimly.


    “Go and get balm, Selena” Florence yelled. “Hurry”


    Selena sprung into action, fleeing into the house without a backwards nce. Amanda and Solomon


    stood around, their faces askew with fear and worry. “Sorry IK” Amanda murmured.


    bimbo rubbed IK’s chest gently, looking at his face constantly while Florence talked on, trying to sooth


    IK. Selena rushed out of the house with the balm and Florence snatched it instantly, opening it for


    bimbo.


    “Sorry IK” Selena muttered, hopping anxiously from one foot to the other as her father massaged the


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    balm into her brother’s chest, applying moderate pressure. Little by little, IK returned to normal, the


    pain gently oozing from his face.


    “How is it now, IK?” Florence asked hurriedly. “Do you feel better?”


    IK tried to sit up but bimbo held him still. “What do you feel now?” he asked.


    IK blinked, frowning. “The pain is gone”


    “Gone?” Florence murmured, frowning deeply.


    "I... I only feel little difort but I don''t feel the pain again"


    bimbo paused for some seconds, then released IK to sit on his own as Florence examined her son


    carefully. "Are you sure?" bimbo asked.


    "Yes dad" he muttered, then smiled. "I think the balm is very good"


    Florence sighed in relief. "Thank God! You really scared me"


    "And me" Selena chipped, looking almost angry.


    bimbo released a breath he had unknowingly been holding. "You should start sleeping on your back


    instead of your chest"


    "Let''s just go in, I''ll give you some drugs, then you go straight to sleep" Florence dered. They rolled


    up the mat and walked inside, but Florence couldn''t shake off the nagging feeling that something was


    wrong.