Christian Fiction: Mhoonom - Mercy

Tom stared with deep pain in his eyes, sorrow clung to his lips and silence stung his voice. He had seen sorrow. Poverty sunk its claws into his family's backs and squeezed painfully. Tom's family could barely afford a meal. Sometimes, it was just few cobs of maize in a day. He became so lean his ribs counted themselves serially and shouted out their number to whoever cared to look. Every opportunity to eat was rather too exciting to him. He barely had clothes to put on his back too.

Tom stood in brown, torn and dust soaked shorts. He stared weakly and pressed into the tree for support. Tears fought against his eyelids but couldn't swim down his cheeks. He was no stranger to pain. Soon, a boy little above his age, came along. He said his name was Dan but many people called him Bigger because he looked and acted bigger than his age. He helped him to a little shelter to lie down and gave him a fruit. He sucked his teeth into the big apple that seemed rather like gold to him. After a while of frequent meetings, talking and playing, Bigger and Tom became a bond. They tucked themselves hand in hand and did almost everything together. Bigger was the elder brother Tom never had.

Bigger always had food, pastries or fruits to give Tom each time his stomach sang or itched for food. Tom wondered were Bigger got all these good stuff from. Tom had parents but they were just paupers but Bigger had no parents yet he always had what he needed and alot of good stuff.

Tom kept wondering where all of this goodness came from. He asked Bigger and he showed Tom a smooth way to his goodness. They went from pick pocketing to taking things from the market and people's compound. Tom learnt very fast. Nobody suspected or caught them. Tom and Bigger stayed a team and best friends and grew so big. When Tom was 16 and Bigger 18, they moved to town to search for greener pastures.

They settled in well. Started working in garages, in markets, loading and offloading heavy things for wholesale shops and customers that bought in bulk. Soon they started to pickpocket again. Life was getting tough and they needed to survive. They gradually abandoned their jobs and went into full time armed robbery.

It is night, probably 8pm or 9pm we cannot tell. Bigger and Tom are getting set to handle an operation by 12am. Cocking guns, counting bullets, arranging masks and spitting out drink mixed with the smell of tobacco in between.

"At Zero hour, we strike" announces Bigger.

At 12am they step out to get the target. They shoot at the man continually but nothing happens. He turns and chases, catches them and begins to shout. People gather immediately like they had set their alarms. 

The two boys now grown men with turgid arms and a face void of guilt but deep hardness, kneel faced down. Alot of comments fly the air and people spit on and slap them yet they remain unmoved. Soon two big tyres fly over their necks and squeeze their necks and squeeze their shoulders in. Little fuel, then enough fuel to consume a whole house, sprinked from head to toe like libation poured on food for the gods before presented as sacrifice.

A tear trickles down Tom's face. He remembers his mother and trembles. He watches a little boy just below his age before he met Bigger and his eyes looked into the boy and wished he could go back to being a boy. Yet another pair of eyes cautioned the boy against coming this rough road like him. He closes his eyes tight and waits for fire to consume him and suddenly, a man steps out of a white car with costly clothes.

The man runs towards the crowd and falls at their feet begging to take Tom's place. Tom refuses but the man insists. Tom gets up reluctantly not willing that an innocent man suffer unjustly and not leaving Bigger either. The rich man instructs his driver to drive Tom home and clean him up and receive further instructions. He promised he'll be back. Tom slumped limp against the car. He watched as flames and sooth consumed the rich, innocent man and his brother. He cried and shook continuously. The driver dragged him into the car and drove away.

Mercy spoke for Tom. His life never went back again. He transitioned into a level he never expected. Mercy, my mother likes to call it "mhoonom" from our native tongue, is an irreplaceable and invaluable thing from God.

 Rom.9.16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (KJV)

Seek for and stay in Mercy.