The Carcasses in the Desert

8/2/2019 The Carcasses in the Desert

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Chapter 1

A black bird flew across the moon, then two helicopters whirled in the dark night sky.The whirred sound of the helicopters‟ blade woke the villagers, who came out of their huts frozen with fear. Suddenly the fire began - the helicopters shelled the people from

the sky. Men women and little children, their hearts gone out of their bodies - ran helterand skelter all over the village in a cacophony of chaos. The villagers becamedemoralized as hot lead tore into naked flesh, men fell and women followed suit, and noone came to their rescue as they wailed and died in their sorrow and everlasting pain.Nobody came to help them and their shrieks of terror disappeared with the cold nightwind.

The helicopters disappeared into the night like a streak of lightning and then camethe terror, like a great lion that crouched in the darkness. Some men appeared, coveredin ignominy‟s veil and wrath, an A.K 47 dangling on their chests. They rode on fat andwell fed horses and camels. They mauled down the faint, weak and helpless villagers

with their guns and swords, killing anyone they could find. The women were raped, thelittle children were killed and livestock and other animals were slaughtered in thethousands. All lay dead on the red, muddy earth. Ralia wailed for her children in the dimlight of the serrated moon. One hour later the men disappeared like thieves in the night,leaving a trail of sorrow, tears and blood.

The sun rose over the baobab tree in western Darfur and the smoke of desecrated,ravaged and abandoned huts billowed and formed an arch in the sky. Black skins andgrey dusty faces sat against half-baked and damaged huts. Villagers wept and gnashedtheir teeth in lamentation and agony, crying for nobody but their loved ones who weredead and scattered all over the village.

While the survivors wept and cried in agony, the naked children, their parents goneto the other world, were left in the world of skinny and malnourished children who ranaround the piles of hot burnt clay in witches‟ chants. Surviving men among them workedand pilled up the dead like a mould of clay. A small group of men stationed in the areato protect the village was overrun by the invaders known as the Janjaweed, a group ofArab militiamen who continued to attack black people living in Darfur even after the endof the two decade war between the north and the south.

As the people died, a few escaped. Among the surviving was Grandpa Yol, a sixtyyear-old man. Yol watched in misery as the young men piled up corpses of loved onesin the middle of the village. Suddenly like a bolt from the blue, he saw the corpse of hisonly daughter May, and he wailed in agony.

May was Yol‟s only daughter. She was eight months pregnant when the menattacked the village; she and her husband were killed by the rampaging Arab militiamen.Yol went to a corner and sat down. The agony on her face was fathoms deep. Then, ashe sat on the stool in front of the burnt hut, he cried and spoke incoherently with nobody



but himself. A man sat beside him and tried to pacify him but tears trickled down his wetand sad face.

“I lost everything; I lost my beloved daughter,” Yol wailed in agony and cried. Hegnashed his teeth in agony.

“Everybody is dead in the village; we gain nothing but pains and agony,” the ma nsaid, crying and watching the distant tree that danced in the melodrama of the earlymorning wind.

“It‟s so painful, Baba. Everyone perished like a dung,” Yol said. In the distance hewatched a group of men carry the body to the burial site and tears ran down his face.

“At least you didn‟t lose everything; thank God your wife and your grandchildrenescaped the pogrom,” Baba said he could see a ray of light on Yol‟s face.

Yol stood up and cleaned his anguished face with a dirty cloth from his pocket. Heleft Baba and went outside. He went to the entrance of the village and looked at thedistant hill like a lone man desperate to see his lover. He smiled when he rememberedthat his wife and grandchild were alive and were not with any of the corpses that theyoung men wanted to bury at the back of the village. Like Baba said, no one gainsanything. He shrugged his shoulder and wiped his face in breathlessness.

His wife Nyot was a clothes seller in the village. She traveled down south to buy theclothes. When she left the market, it was dark so she stayed with one of her relationswho lived nearby and that was the singular decision that saved her life. Not only herown, but also her grandson Goi had escaped the pogrom.

Nyot loved Goi ever since her mother gave birth to him. She hardly let May takecare of the baby; everyday she would take the child from the mother and play with himtill the break of dawn.

Yol cleaned his face, looking in the distance for his wife. Yol had lost his perky selflately; his happiness was gone with the wind. At least, now the assurance that he wouldsee his wife submerged his former pain.

Nyot‟s strength snapped like summer wind when she saw billowed of smoked over the village. She had a discontented look because she knew she would never see her

people again as she looked at the sky. The driver of the small car was shocked, too,when he saw the smoke. He stopped the car suddenly. In their hearts they knewsomething terrible had happened in the village. They hadn‟t expected it, even during thecivil war, as the village had not been attacked. As the car moved to the village and sentgusts of white sand to the sky, Nyot spoke to the bangles on her left wrist.

As the arid air drove the smoke away and the white sandy dust danced to the bluesky, Nyot wept uncontrollably when she was told about the calamity that had befallen



the village. She became inconsolable; it pained her so much that she lost her onlydaughter. Yol tried to give her confidence but she became weak in his embrace.

The men dug a large pit behind the village and buried their dead. Two days later,the villagers coordinated themselves and repaired and built the damaged hut that

looked like a moth cocoon. Inside the small hut, Nyot spoke to the bangles on her wrist.She worshipped the bangles religiously. She was from the Zagawa ethnic group. In herfamily line the bangles was said to possess mysterious power, so it was compulsorythat everyone wore it.

Goi looked at his granny‟s face when she slipped the bangles onto his tiny wristand rubbed them with a dark ointment. Nyot rubbed the ointment upon Goi‟s head. Shenodded to him and he ran out of the hut.

As Yol lay on a mat inside the small hut, he couldn‟t sleep. He knew the militiamenwould return to the village very soon. He stood up and went outside, where he saw

some groups of men keeping watched over the village. He greeted them and went to sitin front of his small hut.

As months went by, many of the African villages in Darfur were raided by themilitiamen. Many of the black and tribal people flew away like a dream and like strawbefore the wind.

In Kiba, western Darfur, the people‟s occupation was farming. They practiced a lotof traditional farming in the arid region. Goi had grown to be a big boy. At twelve he ranaround the neighbourhood with his friends. The local schools in Kiba were run by aninternational nongovernmental organization, but because of the spate of attacks, many

of them went back to their country. Goi was very intelligent; the teachers were fond ofhim.

Presently Goi was not happy. He was particularly flabbergasted when he saw a lotof people trooping into the village daily. Everyone ran from the militiamen. In the north,the people were bruised, weak and hungry. Some of them, the returned people, hadflashes of sadness and frowns on their faces. Many of the men had wounds in severalparts of their body.

Yol explained to Goi that the people were driven from their homes by theJanjaweed. The village was populated, the escapees were many and there were

flashed of skirmishes between the indigenous villagers and those that escaped the pangof war.

There were rapes, stealing and abuses at night. One day when Goi returned fromthe farm he sat down and wept. The extremes poverty of his people touched him. Allover the village, the desert had encroached on the farmlands and many crops witheredoff. Granny Nyot had no fertilizer to spread on her farm. Still she tilled the land all daylong under the scotching African sun, her dark face dripping with agonized sweat.



Sometimes Goi wandered around the surrounding farmland and looked for foliage forthe donkey. Sometimes he got lucky and found some but at other times he went homeempty-handed.

The village became boisterous with people trooping there on a daily basis, so the

elders in the village held a meeting and Grandpa Yol was made the paramount leader ofthe village .He was ordered to restore order and discipline and also to punish offenders.As the population grew, new huts were built. A young man called Amun was mandatedby the elders to assist pa Yol.

One day in the night, Yol stood in front of a large hut that the villagers built for him,when he looked at the sky, he saw a black bird flew across the moon, he shook hishead he knew the Janjaweed would attack another village. Goi came to his side andtouched him. When Goi looked at Yol on the face, he saw sadness and fear writtenacross the old man face.

“What happen to you Grandpa?” Goi asked when he saw the concern in the old manface.

“Nothing is wrong with me my son.” Yol said and his voice cracked.

“Okay grandpa.” Goi said.

“Look guy, take these tubers of yam, go and give it to Baba.” Yol said and gave the yamto him.

Ten minutes later, Goi rode a donkey to Baba‟ house, when he got there he gave

the tubers of yam to the old man. The man thanked him and he climbed the donkey andwent home. On his way he saw two men, they ran after a girl and soon caught up withthe her, later one of the men carried the girl on her feet and raised her upon hisshoulder, the man carried the little girl into an abandoned hut and his second followed.Goi got down from the donkey and ran after the two men, the two men were about todefile the girl when he saw them and he raised an alarm. He shouted with a loud voiceand many of the villagers heard him.

The two men left the girl in the abandoned hut and ran outside, they were caught bythe villagers as they made attempt to run away, when they were interrogated theydiscovered they were among the many people that came from the northern village, they

were taken away and kept in a make shift prison behind the village. After the men werecaught, Goi went to the little girl and helped her on her feet; the girl wept and thankedGoi. Goi held her in the hand and took her to the donkey and they both rode home.

As they went home, Goi looked at her face and asked her of her name.

“What is the name?” Goi asked and looked at the girl innocent face.



“My name is Moi.”

When they got closer to a hut, Goi saw her mother, she had wept all day long, andwhen she saw her on the donkey with Goi, the happiness on her face was divine. Sheran to the donkey.

“Moi, Moi, Moi, my beloved daughter.” the woman wept and shouted as she ran towardthe donkey. Goi came down from the donkey when she got to them, he helped Moi gotdown, Moi mother was too happy, she embraced her beloved daughter and kissed hermany times. She wondered where she was all this while.

The woman looked at Goi and smiled, she questions her daughter.

“Who is this boy?” her mother asked her.

“Goi, he is the one who rescue me.” Moi said gently.

She told her mother how two men accosted her and made attempt to rape her andhow Goi rescued her from the fang of the two evil men. The woman cried. She kneltdown and thanked Goi many times for rescuing her daughter from the two evil men.

“Thank you my son.” the woman said and coughed. The woman invited Goi into her small hut.

Later Goi and Moi developed fondness for each other, they were always seentogether. Two years later as the war raged in north Darfur, the unexpected happen; Moimother fell sick, a local doctor came to treat her; he gave her a lot of herbs and her

condition remained stable.

The news from the north disturbed a lot of people and Grandpa Yol especially, andnobody could sleep in the entire village. In the middle of the night, rockets of explosiontore into the village and disturbed the solitude. People left the village in droves, movingtoward the southern part of the country.

As things became difficult and people moved out of the village in droves, Moi andGoi grew fond of each other. Any time that Nyot saw them together she would smile andpray that their friendship last forever.

One day in June Goi was asleep when he was suddenly awakened. He stood upand peeped out of the window. Seeing some men behind the window, he talked withthem in hushed tones. The men came in large trucks. Later they worked and unloadedseveral cartons of steel boxes into the hut. Goi got to know the men later. They were theSPLA soldiers, with trucks painted with the colours of the Sudan People LiberationArmy. In the morning when it was still dark, Goi tiptoed to the back of the hut where thesoldiers kept all the boxes.



He fumbled with the lock of one of the boxes. Suddenly it opened. Goi was shockedto find the guns neatly arranged inside the box. Two weeks later the soldiers crossedtheir village into the north.

Amun watched as the soldiers left the village and he counted the remaining steel

boxes inside the hut. Amun was appointed by the villagers to assist Yol. He was ayoung man still in his early thirties. He was broad, tall and muscular. He lost his wife afew years ago. She had been in labour for thirty-six hours. The only maternity shelterwas built in the early fifties by the colonial master and was now dysfunctional andlocated in another village. Amun was taking his wife to the maternity centre about tenkilometers away on a motorcycle when he had an accident. The road was bad andinaccessible, and sadly the motorcycle fell down and went down on the road. While

Amun had a fracture in his left hand, his wife didn‟t make it and she died before anyhelp could reach her.

Amun‟s world fell apart when his wife died. He became a shadow of himself and

pined away. He was a sad man until he met a beautiful damsel, Mary. Amun and Marycame to love each other, and Mary that brought excitement into his life.

One day Mary came to visit Amun in the night. They sat on a mat inside the hut anddiscussed their future together. Goi was inside the hut too. Amun thought Goi wasasleep but, unknown to him, Goi cottoned onto all what they said. Goi saw Mary removeher brassiere in the dim light inside the hut, her fresh and beautiful mound of fleshdangling like coronets. Mary was ripe like a green tree in its native soil.

Mary was lascivious; Amun drew her close to himself and laid her on the mat.Minutes later he fell on her and sent passion down her veins and they slept tight as she

felt him, Mary moaned silently as she felt him inside of herself, Amun was strong asMary moaned and begged him for more. As they fought on the mat like wild jackals, Goiwoke up. He couldn‟t control his manliness again, so it peaked and was ready to burst.He held on to it and Mary saw his condition in the dim light inside the mud house. Marypointed at Goi and Amun saw it.

“Look at your brother; he is so strong.” Mary said in a whisper and stared at Goi ashis phallus rose.

“He is still sleeping; don‟t wake the little man.” Amun said and kissed Mary on thelips. Goi was behind him and he could not contain himself.

Goi heard their ecstasy as they made love and it pumped adrenaline into his heart.As their moans disappeared with the cold night wind, Goi could not sleep.

At daybreak Goi was still on the mat. Amun went to Grandpa Yol‟s house, as Goislept on the mat, dreaming Moi. He used his hand to hold his manhood. When Marysaw the way Goi acted on the mat, she went beside him and slept on the mat by hisside. Goi suddenly woke up, surprised to find Mary by his side, so he made attempt to



speak, Mary closed his mouth with a kiss. She unzipped his trousers, Goi was happywhen Mary touched him. Mary pushed him to the mat and fell on him; she guided himinto herself and twisted her hip toward him. She knew he was a novice, so she helpedhim, Goi felt her as they met, and Mary rode him and each thrust brought joy andhappiness into his heart.

Goi didn‟t believe his luck; he thought it was a dream. He hadn‟t expected it to cometrue too soon. Her body was hot, sweet and great. Goi felt the taste of heaven. It was sodeep and so true, and nothing could ever be compared to it. He felt no guilt as Maryturned him around and they kissed, as they held to each other. Suddenly, like a boltfrom the blue, Amun opened the door. Goi was startled when he saw Amun; Amun wasin shock when he saw Goi and Mary in nakedness on the mat .Amun ran toward Goiwith deep anger.

“You did this to me, you bastard,” Amun shouted. He took a cutlass behind the door andran toward Goi. Goi, alert like a ferret, jumped out through the window in fear and ran as

fast as his legs could carry him .Later Goi and Amun became bitter enemies. Thesituation turned piquant later when the two men became rivals in love, Mary alwaysvisited Goi whenever Yol wasn‟t around.

Chapter 2

As the SPLA soldiers fought with the Arab militiamen in northern Darfur and thewar became hotter, thousand of soldiers and civilians moved toward the south. Yolknew he would soon become a refugee. The stories he heard were just too unpalatable- the village was not too far from the United Nations Organization refugee camp. He toldhis wife to pack whatever they would need in the camp. Goi knew they would soon

leave the village, so he got intimated with Moi. Alone at home one day, his desires forher burnt like a hot fire. Goi held Moi‟s hand and Moi shriveled at the invasion of her privacy. Goi held her hand again and tried to draw her closer but Moi was reluctantalthough later he succeeded and kissed her on the lips. She suddenly stopped him. Goiwas surprised by her action; he didn‟t expect it and he looked into her eyes.

“What happened to you, Moi?” Goi said, surprised by her response. He looked drainedand dry like a severed plant.

“I can‟t do this please,” Moi said and shook her hand.

In his heart, when he looked at her face, he thought she was frigid; he drew hercloser to himself and his body was strong against her own. When he wanted to kiss her,she put her mouth away and looked into his eyes.

“Promise me, you won‟t leave me.” Moi said and pleaded, her voice was silent andcalm.



“I promise you Moi, I will never leave you.” Goi said and told her that he wouldn‟t leaveher alone. If he thought she had agreed, he had another think coming because Moi hadother things in her mind.

Moi stood up from the mat, picked up a blade on the window, and Goi flinched when

he saw the blade.

“Don‟t fear Goi, I won‟t hurt you.” Moi said and sat on the mat. She tried to dispel hisfear.

“What is this supposed to mean Moi?” Goi said and looked at the blade again. Moigrabbed his hand and looked at his face; he wanted to challenge her but it was too late,Moi had made an incision on his palm and she bent her neck and licked the blood thatflowed out of his palm.

“Is this a form of ritual?” Goi asked her.

“No, it is not a ritual; it is an oath that binds the two of us together.”

“You must be ridiculous; I don‟t believe all this.” Goi shouted.

“You better believe it, Goi.” Moi said.

Moi made an incision on her palm too and told Goi to lick the red crimson blood. Goiwas so consumed with love that he licked the blood. Afterwards Moi looked into hiseyes and heaved a sigh of relief. When she looked at him again, it was a look of love.He took her in his arm and they embraced. He planted several kisses on her lips and

she drew him to the small bed inside the hut, where they both sweated on the bed asthe moon went deeper into the dark night sky.

Grandpa Yol couldn‟t sleep; he sat in front of the hut and talked to nobody buthimself. When he looked at the sky, he saw a black bird fly across the moon. Twomilitary helicopters whirred in the early morning sky. The government helicopters flew allover the village. When the villagers saw the two helicopters that morning after they werewoken up by the sound, they ran helter-skelter .The Sudan People‟s Liberation Armysoldiers that guarded the village shot at the two helicopters. The helicopters didn‟t shotsback at the village. Instead they made several turns and disappeared into the sky.

Two days later, ultimatums were given to the people in Kiba to leave the village asthe war got closer to them. Goi and Moi were unhappy at this turn of events; in theirheart they believed that the war could not separate the love they had for each other.One day as they talked together inside the hut, Moi saw a bangle on Goi‟s hand andtouched it. She was fascinated by the design on the bangle. She liked the bangle somuch that she wanted to remove it from his hands but Goi didn‟t let her yank the banglefrom his wrist. His granny had warned him that he would die if he removed the bangleon his wrist.



“Where did you get this, bangle Goi?” Moi asked him and fiddled with the bangles on hiswrist.

“It was given to me by my granny.”

“It is so beautiful, I like it,” Moi said and touched the bangle again.

“I will tell granny to get one for your own,” Goi said and looked into her eyes.

“I will be so happy,” Moi said.

“Let us go outside,” Goi said and they both strolled around the villag e, their future heavyon their minds.

Two weeks later, Moi vomited and one of her Uncles that lived with them in thevillage took her to a native doctor.

People left the village in droves as the war got closer. The Blue Helmet soldierscame into the village and ferried the people into a camp one hundred and twentykilometres away. Goi arranged his clothes neatly into a box when he suddenly heard thevoice of Moi. She was wailing in agony outside Grandpa‟s Yol hut. When Goi heard her voice, he didn‟t come out of the hut. Instead he went out through the back of the hut,looking sullen like a broken pottery piece and his strength became sapped like asummer heat as he walked very far away from the hut. Goi‟s granny, Nyot, cried whenMoi narrated what had happened to her. She and her husband left for Moi‟s mother‟shut, wailing in agony on the way. Many people joined them in procession to the smallhut.

Moi stood in a corner, afraid of life. She wept, looking like a solitary bird by the riverside as she wept and went inside the hut. Goi was nowhere to rub balm to the pain thatravaged her soul.

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Goi cried in pain when the doctor administered drugs to his wound. As the doctorbandaged the leg, he was racked by pain. He tried to choke back his tears but he failedas the pain penetrated deeply into the fabric of his heart and he cried. Doctor Georgelooked at his face; he pitied the young boy for the agony that he was going through. Thedriver of the ambulance had mistakenly put the truck in reverse. Unknown to him, Goiwas behind the vehicle and the man didn‟t see him, so the truck mangled his leg andfractured it.



“Oi boy, where are your parents?” Doctor George asked and Goi looked into his eyes.

“They are in the village,” Goi said and pointed to his village in the distance. As thedoctor finished with the leg he stood up and looked into Goi‟s eyes.

“I will tell the soldiers to take you down to the village,” Doctor George said and stood up. “No please I can‟t go back to the village.” Goi pleaded with the doctor and the doctor called two soldiers.

“Put him on the ambulance.” Doctor George said.

Thirty minutes later, the ambulance turned back and left the place and other vehiclefollowed suit.

Moi‟s mother was buried. Heavy war raged in the north, the militiamen and thesouthern Sudan People‟s Liberation Army fought themselves at the edge of the village.

Goi‟s granny and grandpa were the last set of people that left the village. They lookedfor Goi all over the village but they couldn‟t find him; his whereabouts became a mysterythat no one could unravel .When she couldn‟t see Goi, Nyot wailed all day long andcouldn‟t be placated. Yol helped his wife climb the truck as they entered the last vehiclethat departed from the village.

As the night draw nigh, the Janjaweed overran the village but the SPLA soldiersfought back and pushed them back. There were no civilian casualties as the two forcesfought together. Nyot heard the enemy guns boomed in the distance, sounding kakokako like the sound of the kookaburra. A look of boredom was heavy upon her face.Inside the refugee camp in western Darfur, Nyot became very sad; the disappearance

of Goi was like a burden too heavy for her to bear. Sometimes when she was reallydepressed, she would sit in front of the tent and brood for hours. Her husband tried toconsole her but she was inconsolable because Goi was her prized jewel.

Goi stayed in Doctor George‟s tent inside the camp. His injured leg was swollen andpainful but the pain that affected the leg couldn‟t derail him from the thought of Moi. Hecried all night whenever he remembered what he did to her; in his heart he knew shewas pregnant and he was not ready to be a father yet. Nyot had warned him severaltimes never to sleep with Moi when she caught them in the room one day just after shecame back from the farm. Goi found himself in a dilemma inside the tent he didn‟t knowwhat to do.

As he adjusted himself on the stretcher, he remembered the oath that bound the twoof them together. This was heavy upon his heart. He knew he couldn‟t escape the wrathand he cried - he feared he may lose his life if he reneged on his promise.

Doctor George liked Goi and was fond of him so much that he put him inside his hutand told the nurses to take of him if he was not around. He especially liked Goi becausehe was very intelligent. As the wound healed, Doctor George gave Goi a stick to support



himself whenever he walked around. With the aid of the stick Goi could walk all over thecamp. The refugee camp was large and boisterous with people and their problems,naked little children playing about without a care in the world. The United Nations staffand soldiers had a hectic time; they found it hard to control the thousands of people thatsheltered there.

Goi walked around the refugee camp and looked out for his beloved granny andgrandpa. He asked a lot of people about them but nobody could tell who they were andwhere they were. As he walked around, he saw naked children and half clad women,their breasts dangling as they stared at him, their agony upon their mind. They smiled athim but Goi knew their smiles were bitter deep inside their heart. Inside the refugeecamp, Goi saw many strange faces. When he got tired he went to a tent and sat down.He saw many of the Blue Helmet soldiers. They moved all over the camp, their gunsdangling by their side.

As the arid air became hotter in March, many of the refugees stayed inside their

tent. As Goi stayed inside his tent, he cried. When Doctor George came inside the largetent, he looked at him and asked him about his people.

“Are your parent dead?” Doctor George asked and looked into Goi‟s face.

“Yes sir, my parents are dead,” Goi said with emotion laden voice.

Doctor George shook his head; he pitied him when he heard his reply.

“Are you living alone in the village?”

“No, I stayed with my grannies.”

“So where are they now?”

“I saw them last in the village.”

The doctor stood up. He went to his bag and brought out some wine, pouring it intoa small cup and gulping it down his throat.

“Look Goi, I can‟t tell you where your parents are at the moment because we havedivided the people into two groups.”

Goi hoped that he would find his grannies crashed down. The sudden realizationthat her grannies must have been taken to another camp miles away caught him in the

jugular and he looked very sad.

“Look Goi, I will try my best to look for them, I will ask many people in the other camp.”



“Thank you very much doctor,” Goi said. At least he believed that he still had a little bitof hope left to cling to. The doctor looked at him and spoke.

“What is their name?”

“Yol and Nyot Beluga is their name,” Goi said.

“I will try to remember,” Doctor George said and went outside.

When Doctor George left the tent, Goi cried. He was afraid the doctor might not seehis granny again. When he thought about Moi and his unborn child, the knowledge ofhis guilt tormented him. He blamed himself for the pain he had caused Moi and also theprospect that he had broken his vow lay heavily upon his mind.

Later he went out of the tent and walked all over the camp with the stick. When hegot to a tent and sat down, he saw some soldiers at the other tent, playing with two local

girls. He shrugged his shoulder and rested in front of the tent blithely unaware of thetrouble he had caused.

When he sat in front of the tent, a woman that backed a little baby came and madean attempt to enter the tent. When she saw him, she cursed him in her local language,shouting in the local dialect that he should go away. Goi was shocked by the woman‟sutterances. As he made an attempt to stand up with aid of the stick in his hand, thewoman threw stones at him.

Goi shook his head in pity. He knew it wasn‟t the woman's fault. It was the fault of the heartless people who perpetrated evil in the camp. The woman thought he was one

of them.

Granny Nyot was restive. If she had her way; she would have left the camp andwalked all the way to Kosa and Wawa where the other camps were located. Althoughthe camps where far away, over two hundred kilometers away, she was ready to walk tothe camp if only the United Nations soldiers allowed her.

As she walked all over the camp and looked for her grandchild, her skin becamedamp with perspiration. When she came back to her tent after she had perambulatedthe whole camp, she saw her neighbour throwing stones at a boy in the distance. Theboy walked with the aid of a stick. Nyot went to meet the woman.

“What happened to you, Kiiyo?‟ Nyot shouted.

“Look old granny, I saw a little thief. He wanted to steal from inside the tent,” Kiiyoshouted. She wanted to pick up another stone but Nyot stopped her.

“It is okay Kiiyo, leave him alone,” Nyot said.



Kiiyo dropped the stone in her hand and followed granny Nyot back to the tent. Theyboth sat down together.

“I have looked around the camp but I couldn‟t find him, not even a glimpse of him,” Nyotsaid as Kiiyo removed the baby from her back.

“Maybe he was taken to another camp,” Kiiyo said and fed her baby breast milk.

“That is what everyone has been telling me.”

As the two women talked together in front of the tent, Grandpa Yol came back fromhis to and fro around the camp. Nyot saw a heavy look of disappointment on his face.Yol blurted out the bad news before she could stop him.

Yol shook his head in pity. His hope that he would find Goi in the camp disappearedlike summer sun. He entered the tent; Nyot stood up and went to join her husband

inside. In the night Nyot couldn‟t sleep. It distressed her to think that she had lost hopeand could not find Goi again. She thought about him, wondering what must havehappened to him. She was confused and wondered why the little boy had suddenly leftthe house. Many questions cropped up in her mind as she lay on the mat inside thetent. As she thought about Goi and what caused his sudden disappearance from home,staccato gun fire reverberated all over the camp.

Doctor George ran out of the tent when he heard the sound of gunshots. Goi knewthe Arab militiamen were about to attack the camp. When he got out of the tent, he sawhundreds of United Nations peace keeping forces running all over the camp, ready forany confrontation.

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Moi sat inside the tent like a lonely bird by the sea shore. Her face was clouded withgloom. Her friend Pagan came into the tent, spending some minutes with her and left assoon as she came. Moi couldn‟t stop the tears that trickled down her face since she leftthe village. She couldn‟t understand why Goi had deserted her when she needed himmost in her life. Also, Goi couldn‟t sympathize with her when she lost her mother. Moicouldn‟t sleep, and there was carbuncle under her eyes. It was as if the end of the world

had reached her. Things were hard for her, and she couldn‟t patch her bad emotions.

Moi was really sad. Even when Goi didn‟t love her; she had already made up hermind to love him forever. She knew Goi was in the camp somewhere. When she sawMary inside the truck that brought them to the camp, she had asked her about Goi butshe was not forthcoming. She only said she saw him last at his granny‟s hut. It been ayear since she got to the camp at Kosa and she needed Goi to stay by her side. Moiwas lonely. If not for Pagan who kept her company and helped solved her loneliness to



some extent, she knew she would have been wreck emotionally. Moi didn‟t like Pagan;she only shared the tent with her. Pagan was a young and restless girl. When theJanjaweed attacked had her village, she was raped by the evil militiamen. Since thenshe became a wild and restless girl, without any care, and she moved all over the camp.

Pagan slept with many men and soldiers inside the camp. She was also a chainsmoker. Moi hated the odour of cigarette but Pagan would never sleep without a stick ofcigarette between her lips. At eighteen with a good shape and heavy breast, Pagan wasthe cynosure of eyes at the camp.

Moi couldn‟t sleep. Her face looked pale like that of a sick patient. She stood up andwent out of the tent .She walked all over the dark camp and looked for nobody but Goi,walking around the camp every day both in the day and in the night. Then it turned intoa ritual. One day as she walked about and she got tired, she sat down and wept. As shesat down she spoke to herself like a mentally deranged person. Some women saw hernear their tent and they followed her back to her tent.

In the middle of the night a terrible pain struck at her heart like a terrible bolt oflightning. Again she wept because of Goi‟s sudden disappearance from her life. Itpained her so much that it became her Calvary. As Moi cried inside the tent, Pagan wasbusy rocking the whole camp. She breezed through life and never worried aboutanything.

One night in the camp, Pagan went out and didn‟t return to the tent again. WhenMoi didn‟t see her in three days, she looked for her all over the camp. When she

couldn‟t find her again, Moi was as lonely as a tower on the sea shore. As she waitedfor Pagan‟s returned, unknown to her, Pagan had followed one of the United Nationssoldiers back to his country.

When the night became cold, Moi stood in front of the tent and waited for Pagan butshe knew in her mind that it was Goi that she wanted.

X X X X

A few years ago, in East Yorkshire, England, a young man named George wassleeping on the couch inside the living room. His mother, Mrs. Rebecca, came down thestaircase. When she saw George she went to meet him, touching him on the shoulder.George woke up with a start.

“George, wake up.” Mrs. Rebecca said.



“Good morning Mom,” George said and yawned and he stood up from the couch. Thetime struck nine on the wall.

Thirty minutes later, they both read a portion in the Bible. Mrs. Rebecca opened achapter; it was Isaiah chapter 58 verse 10:

“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday.”

Mrs. Rebecca looked into her son‟s eyes, removing her glasses and wiping thesweat from her brow and then wearing her glasses again.

“Let us go to chapters 11, 12, 13 and 14.” Mrs. Rebecca said and explained therelevance of the Bible chapter to her son.

Mrs. Rebecca was a deeply religious woman, a daughter of a Jewish immigrant who

lived in Hull. Mrs. Rebecca loved her local church so much that she devoted all hertime, energy and finance for her development. She was the women‟s leader of her localChurch.

Some years later, Mrs. Rebecca‟s health declined rapidly and later, as the sicknessate through her body, she couldn‟t leave the hospital until the day she died. She hadsuffered from ovarian cancer.

George became an orphan. He had lost his father earlier in car accident. The deathof his mother capsized him and he found that his life had become dull. So George lefthis parent house in Hull and traveled down to Manchester to live with his uncle. At

Manchester he had a spiritual encounter with God. George later became a medicaldoctor and drew closer to God.

Doctor George was in the living room, his eyes on television screen, one day whenhe saw the horror that took place in Darfur. On the screen he saw dark faces and theagony of the people of Darfur. As he watched the television screen inside his livingroom that night, the words of her mother came and rushed into his mind. He could seehis mother‟s face. When he went inside his room, on the bed he saw the Bible that hismother had given him. He sat on the bed and opened his mother‟s favourite chapter andhe began to read.

The following month he flew to Sudan with some other volunteer doctors. He wasposted to Darfur. He would have left the place when he got there but his mother‟s spiriturged him on, George was willing to face realities, twice he would have lost his life incrossfire between the locals and the militiamen men on camels and horses. George sawa lot, day in day out; he saw many men, women and little children wailing in agonyunder a hot scotched sun that was nearer the earth. Their shoes and slippers were tornand they walked like that in the white arid desert. George loved the people and he



shared in their pains and in their agony. He especially loved the children and tried tohelp them in many ways he could afford.

Long before he traveled to Darfur he had already made up his mind to adopt aDarfurian child. He was sad when he saw Goi reeling in pain .It pained him also that it

was his own ambulance that had fractured the innocent boy‟s leg. He was particularlymad at his driver for the havoc he had caused. He wrote to the head of the UnitedNations mission in Darfur to replace the driver and the following week a new driver wasassigned.

He was sad about the state of the north camp, the people and the fears they carriedabout with them both inside the camp and outside of it. A day before he flew to thecapital, he saw an old man with bruises all over his body. The old man had escaped theguns of the Janjaweed but in his heart, as he looked at the old man, he knew he wouldnever received good treatment at the camp.

The camp lacked basic supplies. Medical materials were scarce and many peoplesacked by the militiamen trooped into the camp in the thousands. As many peopletrooped into the camp, the crisis heightened, with the threat of invasion by theJanjaweed ever present on the people‟s faces. The Janjaweed would have attacked thecamp but for the heavy presence of the United Nations blue helmet soldiers whothwarted their efforts to attack.

George thought about his lover and fiancée, Elizabeth. They would have gottenmarried and had babies but for the cries, anguish and pains of people in Darfur whichhad driven him to the war ravaged country. George knew that Elizabeth loved him somuch, and she had pleaded with him not to go to Africa. George was adamant.

Unknown to her he had made up his mind to travel to Sudan. On the day of hisdeparture he didn‟t tell her that he would be traveling. As he stepped into the plane heknew she would never forgive him for what he had done. It was late when Elizabeth wastold that George had vanished to Africa like the beauty of the field. Elizabeth cried outher heart.

Despite all the pain, loneliness and sadness she faced in her effort to stop Georgeand prevent him from traveling to Africa, she still visited him when he got there. Shecame to the continent three times but her mind was not in the place. She was afraid;she could not stay with George in Africa. Later Elizabeth reduced her visits. Then, twomonth later, she sent him a letter explaining she had married a man who loved her andcherished her.

On reading the letter, George‟s happiness vanished like smoke. He had known shewould leave him; he had seen the handwriting on the wall a long time ago. At the age ofthirty five, Elizabeth had waited for him well enough.

George knew that his days in Darfur were numbered. Some years ago; he had beendiagnosed with cancer of the liver. George was terribly weak but he had hidden his



sickness from his friends. But one day a friend saw him when he coughed out blood. Hisfriend, Doctor Mark, knew he had cancer. He helped him to the hut and sat by his sideand admonished him to return home.

Dr. George was very fond of Goi; he knew at last he had found a child in him. He

was handsome, cool and intelligent. In his heart he already adopted him.

Chapter 3 It was a pitch black moonless night. Amun was shocked when the three men

attacked him and stole his food immediately he left the queue .The food in the campwas nutritious and Amun couldn‟t afford to miss the food.

The three men held him down. They were rough and they were brutes and theyprowled the camp after dark. Amun held onto his plate as the men twisted his wrist.There was cacophony of noises as the men pummeled him to the ground and dealt him

heavy blows across the face .The refugees in the camp gathered and watched thescenario but there was nothing they could do except wait for the United Nations peacekeepers.

The three men tore at him like a lion that feasted on its prey. Amun yelled in agonyas the rice scattered to the ground. The men were mad; they wouldn‟t leave him alone.When they saw that the rice had poured to the ground, the men continued to beat him.A terrible punch in the chest made him faint and he fell down, all but dead, on the whitesandy soil.

As the men wanted to carry him away, the Blue Helmet soldiers rescued him. They

shot several times to the sky and the men left him and ran into the darkness wherenobody could stop them.

Three of the soldiers took Amun away. He was taken to Doctor George‟s emergencytent inside the camp. Amun was badly bruised with disfigured face and weak heart. Hewailed in agony as the doctor treated him. Doctor George administered first aid. SoonGoi saw him. He wanted to run away but Amun saw him first. As Goi wanted to dodgeand went back to the hut, Amun called out to him.

“Goi, Goi, Goi.” Amun hollered and Doctor George looked at Goi, wondering how theinjured person knew his name.

“Did you know him?” Doctor George asked Goi. Goi couldn‟t utter a word; he could onlynod his head.

“He is my brother, sir,” Amun said before Goi could utter any word.

“Your blood brother, right?” said Doctor George.



“No, we lived in the same village,” Amun smiled and Doctor George looked into Goi‟sface.

“I can see,” Doctor George said as he stood up and left the place.

Amun looked at Goi‟s face. A smile played across his lips; his smile was like abreath of fresh air in the gloomy camp. Goi was afraid because of what he did to him inthe past. Amun had forgotten what Goi did to him. He was just too happy to see him. Helooked at Goi in the face and shouted, “Come over here Goi.” Amun opened his hand.Goi was afraid.

Goi walked over to him with fear written all over his face, his guilt tormenting him.Amun held his hand and smiled.

“Look Goi, I have forgiven you long time ago so you have no reason to be afraid of me.” Amun said and they embraced like lost friends .Goi couldn‟t utter a word when they

embraced.

Later, as they disengaged, Amun looked at Goi‟s left leg and saw the bandagewrapped around it.

“What happen to your leg?”

“A truck ran over it,” Goi said in a cool and calm voice.

“You must have gone through a terrible pain.”

“Yes. Thanked to the doctor, for I would have died.”

Goi looked at Amun in the face. He was still afraid of him. It been a long time theyhad seen each other. He didn‟t know what Amun had in mind, for in Darfur many goodmen had turned into demons, stealing, raping and committing many atrocities. Goilooked at the bruises all over his body.

“What happened to you?” Goi asked.

“Three men attacked me over food,” Amun said and touched his bruised nose.

There was a sound of sporadic gunshots and the two men kept silent. Later, as thesound subsided, they talked again.

“Did you see my grannies at the camp?”

“No I haven‟t seen them. The last time I saw them was in the village, and they wereterribly looking for you,” Amun said and touched his hurt neck.



When he heard the word that his grandparents were on the lookout for him, it struckGoi like a train that had crashed into an empty Chinese vase. He looked downcast andcried. Amun tried to pacify him but he wept uncontrollably.

“I will never see my grannies again,” Goi sobbed.

“Don‟t say that. I believe they will be in the next camp. You can never tell,” Amun saidand tried to reassure him that his two grannies were hale and hearty.

Goi cleaned his face. He looked at Amun‟s face and knelt down in front of him. As ifhe had read his mind, Amun touched him on the shoulder and spoke.

“Look I have forgiven you. Mary has gone forever. I don‟t remember her now,” Amunsaid.

“No, it is not about Mary. It is Moi.”

“What happened to Moi?”

“Nothing really; did you see her?” Goi said and Amun breathed deeply.

“I saw her in the village; I haven‟t seen her in the camp here,” Amun said and drank thewater that the doctor kept by his side. Goi sat down; the knowledge of his guilttormenting him.

“I have been looking for her. I believe she is carrying my baby,” Goi said and Amunbegan to laugh.

“She is carrying your baby! You must be joking, right?”

“It is no joke. Long before I left the village she was already pregnant.”

“Are you sure she was really pregnant?”

“I am damned sure. One day she came to grandpa‟s hut and began to cry. I knew shewas pregnant.”

“How sure are you that she was pregnant?”

“I heard her cry and I ran away.”

“Just her cry. You are such a lily-livered little boy.”

“I was afraid, really afraid Amun.”



“Coward, coward little boy, that‟s what you are. Well, I didn‟t know anything about thepregnancy but I knew she lost her mother,” Amun said and watched Goi stiffen.

“Oh my God, oh my God, the good woman has died,” Goi shouted in lamentation.

“She goes the way of every flesh.”

“It very painful. She was such a kind gentle woman,” Goi said and sobbed.

As they talked in front of the tent, Doctor George came back and Goi escortedAmun back to his tent .In the night, as Goi went to bed, a black bird flew across themoon and several gunshots vibrated across the camp. The sound of the gunshots wokehim. When he couldn‟t sleep again, he thought about Moi. Goi was really confusedbecause he didn‟t know whether Moi was pregnant or not. The next day was bright andfair with good weather. Amun stood on the queue as the refugees in the camp lined upto collect their breakfast. Unknown to him; he was standing in front of Grandpa Yol.

Chapter 4

The entire camp was pervaded by fear, fear of the Janjaweed and fears of their future.Terror had overtaken the whole camp like a flood. Doctor George pondered about howhe would pass the message to Goi. He had difficulty for he could not follow hisperverted logic. He knew the young boy would be happy if they both traveled together to

Hull.

Many questions popped up across his mind. He knew that a negative response fromGoi would make him sad .When he called Goi, surprise flickered on Goi‟s face. Goi satcloser to him as they sat on the small bed inside the tent.

“Look Goi, there is something I want to tell you,” Doctor George said emotionally. Goi

looked at his face and saw a catalogue of tears.

“What did you want to tell me sir?” Goi asked.



“Look I will be going back to my country,” Doctor George said, like he could read hismind.

Goi cried and put his head on Doctor George's lap .A day before, Goi saw him when hevomited blood and he knew something was wrong with him.

“I am so sorry sir,” Goi sobbed.

“It okay, I will be fine,” Doctor George said, rubbing his head.

Capsized by emotion, Doctor George stood up and was almost out of the tent when heglanced back at Goi.

“Wipe your tears Goi, you will be following me back to Hull,” Doctor George said andsuddenly Goi's face shone like a new dawn.

Goi cleaned his face, ran to the doctor and embraced him. He threw the stick in hishand away and the deep pain on his face vanished like a cloud. Goi ran out of the tentwhen Doctor George left the tent, running after him and jumping on his neck. Thesoldiers and other doctors in the camp looked at them with curiosity.

The camp was boisterous with sad and starved faces early in the morning. Amun wascollecting his food and waling back to his tent when suddenly, like a bolt from the blue,Grandpa Yol saw him. At first the old man couldn‟t believe he was the one but when he

looked at him again, he became convinced that he was the one. He smiled because itwas Amun, his personal adviser.

“Amun, Amun, Amun,” Yol shouted. Amun looked behind him and saw him and his wifeon the long queue. Amun ran to them, so excited to see the two old people.



“Amun, so you are here,” Grandpa Yol shouted and embraced Yol.

“I am so excited to see you,” Amun shouted, greeting Nyot. She was particularly happywhen she saw Amun; in her heart she believed she was seeing one of her family.

Amun waited patiently for them when they collected their rations and they walkedtogether to Yol‟s tent, which was just a few metres from the kitchen. Yol, Nyot andAmun talking for a long time, reminiscing about their people and how the attack from thenorth had scattered them in the village. Amun could hear bitterness in Yol„s voice.

Amun looked at Grandpa Yol and asked him. “Sir when last did you see Goi?‟ Amunsaid he knew they would have looked for Goi for a long time. In his heart he couldpicture Goi on the bed inside the doctor‟s tent.

“It been a year since we knew his whereabouts.” Yol said when he looked at Nyot'sface. The old woman cried, and used her wrapper to wipe away her tears.

Amun looked at Nyot's face, going to her side and sitting beside her. He held her hand,and looked at her face and spoke.

“Dry your tears old woman; I have good news for you.” Amun said and Nyot opened her watery eyes, her wet eyes holding a look of silent appeal.

“What so you mean, Amun?” Nyot asked . She stood up and tied her loose wrapper.

“Look, Goi is in this camp,” Amun said finally and confusion appeared on Yol's andNyot's faces. Surely, they thought, Amun was mad .Grandma Yol tied her wrapper andurged Amun to stand up and take her to where he had seen Goi.



“You really have to calm down your nerve old woman.” Yol said and looked at Amun'sface.

“Goi is in this camp, sir; I saw him,” Amun swore earnestly.

“Where did you see him?” Yol asked him.

“He is staying with a doctor,” Amun said as if was dropping a fire on Nyot's lap because

she stood up and went out of the hut.

When Yol came out of the tent, he watched as she walked away toward the UnitedNations section of the camp. He called her name but she won‟t bulge. Instead shewalked faster toward the tent. When all the refugees inside the camp saw her they wereshocked by her actions, so they went to Yol and asked him several questions. ButGrandpa Yol saw that the people were about to become a crowd, so he smiled andwent into the tent.

At the doctor‟s tent inside the camp, two soldiers stopped Nyot. Her old face becamecrimson as she stood in front of the two soldiers. She looked impatient and agitated.The soldiers told her to go back but she remained adamant and stood her ground.

“Look I want to see the head doctor,” Nyot insisted, sweat dripping from her brow. Shewas restive., having the strength of a lion. Her wrapper was loose and she tied itrepeatedly.

“You can‟t go in there madam,” one of the soldiers said politely.

“No I must see the doctor today,” Nyot shouted and shed tears.



“Look Madam, Doctor George is very busy with some of the patients,” the soldiers said.

“It is important, I have to see him,” Nyot wailed as the arid breeze swept through thecamp and sent dust to the sky.

Nyot spoke in her local dialect, curing the soldiers when they didn‟t allow her to enter the place. The soldiers stood their ground, not able to understand what she said. Lateran old man that walked with a stick came to meet her; all the local people in the campstood and watched from the distance.

The old man held her by the hand and spoke to her but Nyot loosened her hand fromhis grip.

“Leave me alone; I must see my grandchild today, I swear I must!” Nyot wailed inagony.

As the altercation continued between Nyot and the soldiers, Doctor George came outfrom one of the ambulances. He cleaned his greased face and then one of the soldiershe went to meet him. He explained the situation to the doctor and they talked for someminutes before the soldier pointed to Nyot in the distance. When Doctor George sawher, he wondered whether the old woman was sick.

Nyot saw him. As if she had known him, she called his name. Among the doctors in thecamp, he was the most popular. Doctor George was perplexed when Nyot mentioned

his name, for few of the refugees knew his name. They just called him doctor.

As he walked toward Nyot many thoughts jostled for space in his mind. Doctor Georgecould sense her irritation as he got closer. He told the soldiers to leave her alone.



When Nyot saw Doctor George her fear was dispelled .She greeted Doctor George withher nostrils flamed with anger. As she confronted the doctor, she talked in a highpitched voice. She told the doctor about Goi and how his father and mother had diedand how she took care of him ever since she was a baby. When she told the doctor herstory, Doctor George looked at her with pity.

“Please calm down madam, Goi is fine” Doctor George said, and Nyot smiled to hearthat Goi was fine.

“So I will see Goi again?”

“Your grandson is fine and okay.,” Doctor George assured her.

Doctor George smiled and embraced Nyot. Her heart fluctuated between excitementand fear. Doctor George was so happy to see her. When he told her to calm down Nyotsmiled and sang in her local dialect with tears of joy streaming down her old gray face.

“Follow me Madam,” Doctor George said and Nyot was too glad and excited to tail himinto his tent.

As they both walked toward the tent, the doctor smiled because he knew Goi would beexcited to see her. In his heart Doctor George knew that the process of adopting Goiwould be smooth as ever.

Goi was lying on a stretcher inside the tent. As he slept there, he heard voices but hecouldn‟t understand what they said, so he stood up with alacrity because one of thevoices was so familiar. Suddenly he was restless and the rhythms of his heart beatpounded like a drum. Then he went outside.



There he saw his granny and Doctor George in front of the hut. He ran to her. Whenthey met they embraced and cried. Tears of joy flooded Nyot's face and she wouldn‟tleave him alone, Doctor George watched them with joy across his heart.

“Granny, I missed you,” Goi sobbed. Nyot bound him to herself like the neck of agarment, afraid she might lose him again.

“My beloved child, I missed you too,” she wailed. She cried and her face shone likedawn. Doctor George watched them with fascination and he smiled.

Nyot was so happy. The calm on her face seemed almost divine. Tears of joy cascadeddown her face. Doctor George watched them with love and sympathy. They held on toeach other for a long time. When they disengaged, a rueful smile cut across Goi‟s faceand he fell down to his knees and apologized to his granny for all that he had causedher. Nyot lifted him up his feet and they embraced once again. This time she resolved tonever let him disappear from her side, forever.

Doctor George was dizzy with excitement; Nyot thanked him a million times. She kneltdown in front of him and thanked him all over again. But when she knelt down, she saw

that Goi injured leg.

“What happen to your leg, son?” Nyot said and stood up.

“It is a long story granny.”

Goi's face was grave when he told his granny about the incident. Nyot drew him veryclose to herself and rubbed his head with her fingers. The emergence of Goi brought aray of sunshine to her grave face and sadness vanished from her heart. Finally shestood up and danced in excitement, singing melodious songs in her local dialect.



Doctor George allowed Goi to follow his grandmother to her tent. He watched at themwith a smile across his face as they left his side.

Back at the tent, Grandpa Yol was too excited when he saw his grandson. Nyotembraced him. She was still so excited to see him. She called on her neighbours tocome and see what God had done for her. She didn‟t bother to ask him many questions,for her happiness at seeing him passed everything that she could ever have dreampt ofin her life.

Later, as they sat down inside the tent, Goi told them all about Doctor George and hiskindness. Amun came to join them later. He was excited to see Goi reunited with hisgrandparents. Later, as they sat outside the tent because of the heat, Doctor George

sent assorted fruits to them.

After they finished their conversation, Goi looked at Nyot„s face and he cried. Nyotfeared that he wanted to go back to the doctor's tent.

“What happened to you, my son?” Nyot said and Yol sat down.

“Granny, I am very sad” Goi said and was almost at the point of tears.

“What happened to you, my son?” Nyot asked and Yol looked at Goi's face.

“My son, I won‟t prevent you from going to the white man. You are free to go and meet

him,” Nyot said. She stood up and wanted to drag Goi back to Doctor George's tentbecause she didn‟t want to see him in pain again.

“No \Granny, leave me alone. I am not talking about the white man; leave him out ofthis, right?” Goi said.



“What happened then?” Yol chipped in, as if he read his mind, Amun was the only onewho knew why Goi was sad.

Amun shook his head and urged him to say what he kept in his mind.

“Look granny has been a long time since I last saw Moi. I can‟t find her in the camp,”Goi said emotionally.

Nyot breathed deeply, looking at Goi's face. She stood up. Goi held on to her hand likea drowned man clutching the last straw. Yol looked on in silence.

“What happen to her Grandma, please?” Goi pleaded and Nyot sat down.

“Look, the little girl lost her mother and ever since I have not lay my eyes on her again.”

Yol could only manage to shake his head. Amun couldn‟t utter any word from his mouth.Goi looked at Nyot's face and expected to hear that Moi too had died like her mother.

“Granny where is she? I told you I haven‟t laid my eyes on her since her mother wasburied in the village.”

“Look Goi, there was commotion in the village. Had I seen her I would have told her tocome and leave with us, but I didn‟t see her,” Yol said.

Goi held Nyot's hand. He looked sad like a condemned criminal. When Nyot looked athis face, agonies were written all over it.



“What happened Goi. Why is your face so sad?” Nyot asked.

“Look Granny, there are many things that you people don‟t know,” Goi said.

“What are those things?” Nyot asked.

“Moi is carrying my baby.,” Goi said. These words dropped like a bomb.

“You can‟t be serious,” Yol shouted and looked at his face.

“How did you know this, Goi?” Nyot asked and looked into his face.

Goi breathed deeply and cleaned his face. Then he spoke. “I ran away from the house

when I heard her cries,” Goi said in a tortured voice. Yol and Amun laughed and Nyotsmiled.

Goi watched as they laughed at him. They were so dizzy with laughter that he gotangry. Later Yol drew him close to himself.

“Look Amun has told us everything. Moi wasn‟t pregnant. She was crying because she

lost her mother,” Yol said and Nyot laughed.

“I don‟t believe you Granny; I don‟t believe any of you.”



“It is true, Moi wasn‟t pregnant, and she came crying to the hut that day because shehad lost her mother,” Yol said as Goi went back to sit on a log.

“I can‟t believe it. This must be a dream,” Goi shouted.

“You are a free man,” Amun chipped in and hit him on the shoulder.

“Look, tomorrow we have to find her; we are going to look for her all over the camp.”

“I have to find her,” Goi said.

The next day, they went all over the camp and looked for Moi but unfortunately theycouldn‟t find her. The camp was lively and calm and there was no fear of attack. Thesounds of gunshots were on sabbatical. In the night Yol couldn‟t sleep, so he stood upand went out of the tent. When he got outside, the whole camp was silent like agraveyard. He saw the United Nations soldiers keeping watched and he moved aboutall over the camp. Yol sat down on the log in front of the tent.

Yol looked to the sky and saw a black bird flying across the moon. He shook his headand went back into the tent. Throughout the night, till the break of dawn, he couldn‟tsleep. Two weeks later, Doctor George had difficulty persuading Nyot to allow him toadopt Goi. Nyot found it difficult to understand his logic. It took the intervention of Yoland Amun to convince her, but at last reason prevail. She surrendered Goi to DoctorGeorge.

On the day of Goi's departure from the camp, Nyot couldn‟t sleep. She lay awake allnight long with tears of pain cascading down her old face. She knew she would missGoi. She wanted to change her own mind but later she found herself unable to do so.She knew that she had her own life and Goi had his own life to live. She couldn‟tchange what destiny had in stock for him. She prayed for him and wished him tons ofgood luck.



She looked at the pictures that Doctor George had taken of them, seeing herself in thepicture with Yol, Goi, and Amun. She especially loved the one with Goi and DoctorGeorge; she kept it under her pillow inside the tent. Nyot wept bitterly when Goi entered

the Range Rover that would take him and Doctor George‟s to Khartoum. She stayedinside the tent and wept. When Goi looked at her he couldn‟t stop the tears that wereflowing freely from his eyes.

When the driver turned the ignition key, Nyot came outside from inside the tent andprayed for Goi. She wept and prayed to the bangle in her wrist. All the refugeesgathered around her and shared in her sorrow.

Yol was happy for Goi. So also was Amun, and although they cried but they were gladthat he left when the ovation was the loudest. They knew he would forever live a goodlife. Yol went to meet his wife and immediately the car left and sent dust to the sky.When they met they embraced and all the refugees in the camp ran after the vehicle.They knew in their hearts they would miss the doctor who loved everybody.

As the car got to the road, it stopped suddenly. Goi came down and ran to meet hisgranny as her husband was taking her back into the tent. Nyot suddenly looked behind

and she saw him and she left her husband and ran to meet him. They embraced for solong that tears dropped from Yol‟s face.

“Go in peace, go in peace,” Nyot wept.

“Grandma, I will miss you,” Goi wept.

They embraced again and the car's horn sounded, so Goi left his grandma and ran tothe car. In the night Nyot couldn‟t sleep. She wept all night long, Yol tried to pacify her but he knew that no amount of pleading and begging could wipe away the tears fromher eyes.



Chapter 5

Goi lived in Doctor George‟s house once he arrived in Hull. After his baptism at the

Anglican Church, Doctor George enrolled him in Atwood high school. Goi quicklybecame the quintessence of best behaviour in the college. He was very brilliant inschool, and he passed his O‟ level and A‟ level at a sitting. Later when he gotadmission to Hull University, George was proud of him.

Goi was six feet tall in his stocking feet; at twenty one he got admission to studyArchaeology.

“I am very proud of you Goi,” Doctor George said. He had a pleased look on his faceand he smiled.

“I am so happy,” Goi said with unalloyed happiness. What pained him most was theabsence of his grandparents in Hull, so they could not to share in his joy.

As he spoke with Doctor George inside the living room, the phone rang. DoctorGeorge stood up and picked it - it was Janet, the doctor‟s new girlfriend.

“Who is calling sir?”

“It„s Janet; she was asking whether I am at home.”

“I see, I thought it was my friend.”

Doctor George shook his head and went to sit down; he worked in a private hospitalin Hull.

“What did you have in the kitchen, Goi?” Doctor George asked and fell on the chair.

“I cooked noodles, sir,” Goi said.

“I want it hot my dear,” Doctor George said

“You will definitely get them hot,” Goi said and went into the kitchen.

One hour later, after they finished their food, they sat down in the living room andtalked.

“Goi, when last did you write to your grannies?”

“Two weeks ago.” Goi said, sipping the juice succulently.



“Have they replied to you?”

“No, I am still expecting their reply.”

Rain fell as they talked together, so Goi went to lock the window. Later he stayed

inside his room. It had been three weeks since he had arrived in Hull. Still Goi found itdifficult to adjust himself to the weather condition in Britain. He especially hated thewinter season and, as he slept on the bed, and thought of his grandpa and grandma. Hefell into a deep sleep.

Later Goi strolled around the University with his girlfriend, Abigail, a young beautifulgirl, fair, tall and beautiful, a daughter of a Jamaican immigrant and a British mother.Abigail loved Goi and the two of them were birds of a feather that flocked together. Asthey both strolled together under the cool morning sky, Goi suddenly looked at his wristwatch.

“Look Abigail, I have a class at eleven and it‟s almost time.” Goi looked into her face.

“Okay, when shall I see you again?” Abigail asked.

“After the class. Let‟s say around one.”

“Then meet me at the library.”

“I will be there hopefully,” Goi said and they kissed.

As he was about to depart, Abigail drew him back.

“I forgot to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Remember, we are going to Justin‟s birthday party tonight.”

“I remember,” Goi said, kissing her and running toward the lecture hall.

X X X X

Janet breathed deeply when Doctor George kissed her on the lips as they slepttogether on the bed. Janet was a student nurse at the Roller-skate hospital. She lookedat George on the bed with pleasure. She hadn‟t anticipated this and had no illusions thatDoctor George could talk to her and profess his love. George had eyed her the first dayhe saw her at the hospital, and her beauty captured him. Then one day when he smiledat her and she smiled back, he knew in his heart that she belonged to him.



Janet, unlike the other student nurses who were boisterous, was cool, calm andgentle. At twenty one, she was a beautiful girl, the only child of her parents. Herappearance in the life of Doctor George was a breath of fresh air in his gloomy life,Janet was a real brick. She looked after George during his travail, when he suffered thepang of cancer. Janet held to him on the bed and they kissed many times.

“Janet, look, I have to go, the patients are waiting for me at the hospital,” George saidand made an attempt to leave the bed.

“You can‟t leave me, dear,” Janet said and knelt on him, her eyes holding a look of silent appeal.

They kissed again and she freed him. Then George left the bed and ran to thebathroom. Janet stood up from the bed and went to join him there.

“When are you leaving, Janet?” George asked as they got out the bathroom.

“I don‟t know. I think in one hour‟s time if I am lucky.”

“Look, Goi is coming home tonight.”

“Oh Goi. It has been a long time since I last saw him. How is he?”

“He is fine, doing very great, and I have no regret for bringing him to Hull,” Doctor George said and arranged his tie on the mirror inside the room.

Janet went behind him, turned around and faced him, and helped him to arrange the

tie. Later she embraced him and they kissed.

George left the room and went outside. Later, as he drove away, Janet stared at thetail of the car as it disappeared around the bend like a streak of lightning.

When he got to his desk at the hospital, his phone rang and Doctor Cameron cameon line. He spoke from his office on the top floor of the five story building.

“George, can you come over to my office quickly?” doctor Cameroon asked.

“I will be there in a jiffy, sir.”

George left his office and went into the lift, and as the lift went up, many thoughts jostled for space in his mind. He shook nervously as he turned the knob of the officedoor. When he got inside, he went to the doctor‟s desk, where they exchangedpleasantries and Doctor Cameron told him to sit down.



“Have your seat, Doctor George.,” said doctor Cameroon. He was the chief medicaldirector of the Roller-skate hospital, and a very a humble man. He had put in thirty yearsof service.

“Thank you very much sir,‟ George said. He couldn‟t look at the Director„s face.

“I have great news for you,” Doctor Cameron said. George‟s heart beat at uneven rate.

“Great news for me, I don‟t understand.”

“Yeah George, it has to do with your health.”

“I am very afraid sir.”

“You don‟t need to fear George.”

Doctor Cameron stood up and went to the window. Then he walked to the smallwardrobe inside his large office and brought out a file.

“Look, from the advanced examination we conducted on you, we found no trace ofcancer in your system,” Doctor Cameron said and George was shocked.

“You must be kidding. I don‟t believe it sir. Tell me you are fooling, sir.” George said asthe doctor handed the file to him.

He read the information inside the file aloud and cried. Doctor Cameron smiled andtook a tissue from his desk. He went to Doctor George and gave him the tissue paper.

Later George stood up and brightened up. This news was the light that hit the dark sideof him. He thanked the doctor for all his efforts in his behalf.

When he left Doctor Cameron office, he was so excited that when he got into hisoffice he brought out his phone and dialed Janet‟s phone.

“I have got terrible news for you.” George said into the phone. Janet knew he hadcancer.

“How terrible is the news?”

“I have just received the report of my last medical examination.”

“Drop it on the table,”

“The result is negative. Janet, I have no cancer!” George shouted. He heard Janetdance all over the house.

“I am so happy,” she shouted and sang.



Many of the doctors and the nurses that worked in the hospital came to congratulatehim. When he heard the news, Goi was happy too. He called the doctor andcongratulated him.

Doctor George, Janet and Goi sat down at a cozy restaurant. They were celebrating

for Doctor George had fought the battle and won. They laughed and joked over themeal. Later Doctor George proposed to Janet. She was so happy. She stood and wentto sit on Doctor George‟s lap. In fact, she was so happy that the chair they both sat onfell apart. They both laughed and laughed till they left the restaurant.

X X X X

Goi was not happy. As he rested on the bed he touched his manhood but it wasweak like dodo. In fact, he had discovered the placidity of his manhood when he got to

Hull. He didn‟t tell anyone except even his closest pal, Justin. He hid his medicalcondition fathom deep. His lack of erection affected his relationship with Abigail.

Goi thought about Moi on the bed and, whenever he slept in the night, she appearedto him. Goi remembered the oath they had in the village; it was heavy upon his heart.He dreamt about Moi. He was still on the bed when the clock beside his bed rang. Itwas seven in the morning. He quickly left the bed and cleaned his room. Later when hewent to the window and looked across the street and was shocked to see Abigail. Shewas visiting him for the first time. Immediately his face lit up with joy and his moodlightened. He cleaned his room of all any evidence that he had written to Moi. As hecleaned his room, there came a knock on the door. It was Abigail.

“Abigail, my love, I have missed you,” Goi shouted and carried her into the living room.Doctor George was not in the house; he had gone to work.

“Goi, I missed you too.” Abigail said in a whimper.

Later they went into his room and Goi went into the bathroom. When he came back,they both lay on the bed and talked about many topics; she held his hand and lookedinto his eyes. She needed him like an Arab needs a clandestine well in the desert. Asthey embraced, his touch was hot and passionate, unbridled by lust. Abigail removedhis clothes and he helped her to remove her own as well. He laid her back on the bed.

She wanted him. She had wanted him inside her for a long time. Suddenly shesearched for him and caught him under the bedspread but he was weak. Goi stiffenedas Abigail wrapped her long tapestry legs around him.

“Oh God, what has happened to me?” Goi shouted and fell on the other side of the bed.

“Goi, Goi, please don‟t do this to me,” Abigail pleaded.



Goi couldn‟t look into her eyes; he looked weak and tired like a withered plant.

“I am sorry, Abigail; I don‟t know what is wrong with me,” Goi said apologetically.

“I am damned,” Abigail said and put on her clothes.

“I will make it up to you, I promise,” Goi said.

“Okay, but don‟t worry about it all.” Abigail said and placed her bag on the bed.

As they got into the living room, Goi wanted to kiss her on the lips but she turnedher mouth away. He held her hand and spoke to her.

“Promise me you won‟t breathe a word of what happened out to anyone.”

“No I won‟t Goi,” she said lightly.

Goi couldn‟t see her off. This was the third time it had happened. The first time ithappened was in her hostel and the second time was at Justin‟s birthday party and nowit happened again under his own roof. He went into his room and crashed on the bed;he hit his scrotum and cried. Goi stood up and went inside the bathroom, pouring coldwater on his manhood. His body responded but it couldn‟t get to his manhood. As hegot out of the bathroom, the terrible experienced he had with Abigail unbalanced him.He vowed to find a solution to his problem. He knew that two wrongs can‟t make a right,but now it had happened to him thrice. He wore his clothes, locked the door and wentoutside, taking a taxi to the Hayfield specialist hospital.

At the hospital he was taken to a Doctor Livingstone‟s office in obvious distress. Goiexplained his predicament and the doctor listened with rapt attention. One hour later; hewas being examined at a special ward inside the hospital.

Back at Doctor Livingstone office, after his examination, the doctor picked his file onthe desk and read it.

“Young man, from the result of the preliminary medical exam conducted on you, I havediscovered you have no problem at all.”

“Look doctor, it can‟t raise,” Goi said and touched his trouser.

“You are virile. Your problem is psychological.”

“What should I do, doctor?”

“I will recommend one of our psychological experts for you; he will work with you andrecommend some drugs too.”



“Thank you very much doctor,” Goi said with a distant look in his eyes.

“Take this. These are your prescriptions.” Doctor Livingstone said and gave him a pack.

“I am so grateful doctor.”

Later in the night Goi couldn‟t sleep. He thought of Moi, knowing he was the captivethe prisoner of her love. When he slept he dreamt of the day that they had taken theoath, but in the dream they had another oath. This time it was a long oath that boundthe two of them forever.

X X X X

Yol woke up suddenly and he ran outside. He saw thousands of birds flying across

the moon. He became afraid and his heart palpitated, for he knew something terriblewas coming. He couldn‟t sleep. He stood in front of the tent all day long, sweating as heremoved the silver bangle on his left wrist and prayed to it. It had been a long time sincesuch a feeling happened to him. It had happened last during the civil war and now it wascoming back again, a feeling of death, disaster and pogrom. He wanted to wake his wifeand tell her about the evil that knocked at the door but he changed his mind because heknew that Nyot would never believe him.

At Kosa, the second refugee camp, Moi dabbled her face with a white powder. Thepowder was given to her by one of the soldiers. A week ago the refugees in the campcelebrated their sixth year of staying there. Moi remained inside her tent. Most of the big

and beautiful girls had gone, following the United Nations soldiers back to their country.

Moi was almost at the point of death when she met Richard, a United Nationssoldier from Ethiopia. When she had waited for Goi for five years and didn‟t see him,she fell for Richard. It was one woman who introduced Richard to her inside the camp;the woman had seen her condition and came to her rescue. It was Kolo that told herthat Goi was dead. She concocted a lot of lies to change her mind. In one instance shetold her she knew Goi very well. She used what Moi told her to work against her. Aftershe worked on Moi psychologically, Moi came to believe her. One day she opened herpalm and saw the mark of incision there. Later in the night, she brought out a razorblade, opened her palm and cut it with the razor blade. She licked the blood that oozed

out from her palm, cried and fell on the small bed inside the tent.

Kolo was happy when Richard gave her a packet of cigarette; she smoked as theystood outside the camp.

“How does it go, Kolo?” Richard asked.

“I have won her heart; I told her the boy is dead.”



“Did she believe you?”

“She swallowed it, hook, line and sinker,” Kolo shouted and laughed.

“Here is five grand for your help, Kolo.”

“Thank you Richard.”

Richard smiled and looked toward the sky. Two weeks later Moi made up her mind.She forgot everything about Goi; he didn‟t exist in her life again. She powdered her faceinside the tent. Richard didn‟t wear an army uniform when he came into the tent; Moiwas too delighted to see him. They kissed and Richard fell on the bed and embracedher. Moi looked like a lion hungry for a prey when he touched her. She held on to him ashe rode her, her piercing moans disappearing with the evening wind.

Two weeks later, after he was relieved of his duty, Richard and Moi flew to Ethiopia.

X X X X

Yol couldn‟t sleep. He was tortured by nightmares. He had been having the strangedreams for more than five days. Then, when he woke up, his face suddenly turned pale.He touched his wife and left the bed. He went outside. When he looked at the sky, hesaw neither the moon nor the bird and it was a pitch black moonless night. He was soafraid that he walked about the still camp. He saw some of the refugees that sleptoutside their tents; they were so tired that many of them were snoring on the mats

outside their tents.

Few of the peace keepers prowled around. He saw some soldiers smoking weedsvery close to the doctor‟s quarter inside the camp. Yol went back to his tent; he felldown and cried. Amun woke up suddenly, he couldn‟t sleep again, and he stood up andwalked toward a tree very close to where the soldiers were standing.

Unknown to the United Nations soldiers, militiamen had surrounded the whole campin the thousands. They didn‟t make any noise. They walked toward the camp like greatlions that crouched in the cover of darkness. Yol could see them in the dim light. Whenhe saw the men, he raised an alarm.

“The Janjaweed, the Janjaweed are here!” Yol shouted and went into the tent to wakehis wife.

The militiamen fired. Refugees all ran out of their tents when they heard his voice,running helter-skelter, but the militiamen had prepared for them. They unlocked theirautomatic weapons and came out of hiding and shot at the people as they came towardthem in the darkness. They knew their onions and peeled them with skill and dexterity,



knowing the camp would be in disarray. They smote the people in the thousands. Hotlead tore into naked flesh and the sword by their side fell on men, children, old men andwomen. The Janjaweed burnt the tents inside the camp. The United Nations peacekeepers fought with them till the break of dawn. More reinforcements were called andmany of the Janjaweed militiamen were killed and others captured.

The next morning thousands of dead refugees were piled up in the middle of thecamp. There was wailing, tears and sorrow as people wailed. Many of the peacekeepers were also killed by the militiamen. Amun escaped but Yol and his wife were notlucky. They were mauled down as they ran toward the tree in the distance. Amun sawtheir corpses among the dead. Later he went to the camp commander and begged himto allow him to bury his father and mother.

The camp commander smiled sheepishly and granted his request. Amun weptuncontrollably when he buried Grandpa Yol and his wife Nyot under the Jacaranda treeinside the camp, He put two stones on their graves. Later the camp was stripped of the

human colony. All the inhabitants of the camp were transferred to Kosa and the campwas closed down.

X X X X

Goi was buoyed by Doctor Livingstone pronouncement, His heart was a cauldron ofpowerful feeling when he used the prescription that the doctor gave him. He wasoverjoyed when his manhood became turgid one day when he took his bath. When hecame out of the bathroom, he took his phone and called Abigail.

“Abigail I really want to see you.” Goi said.

“I am pretty busy.”

“Please dear, I really want to see you.”

“Okay, I will come to your place immediately.”

Thirty minutes later Abigail knocked on his door. His heart gave a sudden leap ofsurprise when he saw her. Goi didn‟t give her any chance; he swept her off her feet and

took her to the room.

“I need you, Abigail.”

“I need you too,” Abigail said and they kissed.

Goi took her to the bed and they kissed for a long time, having missed each other somuch.



“I have missed you so much,” Abigail said.

“Words can‟t express my desire to get to you everyday.”

“I wanted to walk away,” Abigail said and they kissed.

“I thought as much.”

“But I can‟t walk away from you; I want to love you again,” Abigail said.

When they embraced together, she painted fantasy in her heart. Later, when she felthim, he was hard. Her body sunk and she held to him. He felt incredible and heexplored her body. As they moaned together on the bed, she was so happy. It was sobeautiful, natural and fantastic, and she had wanted it for so long. Abigail stayed withGoi for a week before she left for her own home.

Doctor George married his heartthrob Janet and nine months later they had a son,Henry.

Goi was very sad inside the taxi when he heard about the Janjaweed attack. He hada jaundiced view of life when he heard the news .He looked at the bangle in his wristand he cried. He wept for his Granny and Grandpa when he heard the news that theywere killed in the camp. When he got home, he took the pictures of his two granniesand put them on top of the television set.

When Doctor George heard the news, he visited him in the house. Seeing him, Goistared at the doctor with a blank expression and then he cried. Doctor George went to

him and consoled him and they embraced. His wife Janet also sympathized with him.Doctor George squeezed his hand in sympathy; they stayed with him inside thebungalow throughout the day.

As the days and weeks went by, Goi couldn‟t think straight. His mind was incomplete turmoil. Abigail came to stay with him. Still it pained him that he had lost hisgrannies. The pain penetrated deeply into the fabric of his heart like a train that hadcrashed into an empty Chinese vase. He had thought of bringing them to Hull, for theywere the people that mattered to him most in the world, but now he had lost them to thepang of war.

On his graduation day, Goi was a happy man. Flanked by his fiancée Abigail, DoctorGeorge and his wife Janet and their little son Henry, Goi was the happiest man in theworld. Later, as they left the party and Doctor George went home, Abigail gave him arose.

“I love you Goi; congratulations my dear.”

“Thank you Abigail,” he said and looked into her eyes.



“There is something I want to tell you,” Abigail said as they walked toward the parkinglots of the University.

“Let‟s go to my house, love.”

“No, I won‟t follow you home,” Abigail said and Goi stiffened with surprise.

“What is really happening, Abigail?” Goi asked.

“I don‟t deserve you Goi. I am deeply sorry for what I have done to you,” Abigail saidapologetically.

“Look Abigail, please forget about what happened between us. Look….”

“Goi, I have to go,” Abigail said and cut him short. Goi wanted to hold her hand but shebroke free and walked very fast to a car in the distance.

Goi walked behind her, stopping suddenly when he saw her in the distance.Opening the door of a car was his friend Justin. Unknown to Goi, during the time that hewas having problems with his health, Abigail had gone to meet Justin.

Quailed by his future, he walked in shambles and threw the rose in his hand away.Abigail had struck his heart with a knife. Within the taxi, as he went home, and back athome, Goi had a jaundiced view of life. He could no longer sleep on the bed. He criedand called Abigail but she had switched off her phone.

X X X X

Mr. Fisher was a renowned archaeologist. A report by the Associated Press (A.P)listed some his discoveries to include the palace of Egypt‟s 4th dynasty ruler (2,575B.C. to 2,467 B.C.) Mr. Fisher worked all over Africa and discovered great archeologicalsites; his new site was in Ethiopia, in East Africa. Goi was too excited when the dispatch

rider gave him a letter from Mr. Fisher.

Doctor George had gotten a job for him in a small library in London but George hadrejected the job and opted to work with Mr. Fisher as one of his assistants .Thefollowing week, after he signed all documents in Mr. Fisher‟s office in London, Goitraveled to Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, Mr. Fisher and Goi wandered around all the villages and looked for



ancient sites. They drove and walked dusty villages and looked for imaginary siteswhere Cush was buried; someone had told Mr. Fisher that Cush had his place of birthbetween Ethiopia and Sudan. Mr. Fisher wanted to be the first archaeologist to discoverthe place.

When they got to a village in northern Ethiopia, they settled there and began to work.Goi monitored the workers on the site under the hot African sun, Goi made sure hegave directions to the workers that dug the site; he made sure that they didn‟t destroy or steal any artefacts that they discovered on sites.

As they worked in the sun in Kasara village, Northern Ethiopia, a car drove towardthem and stopped in front of Mr. Fisher. An English man came out of the car and a localguy followed behind him. The English man greeted Mr. Fisher and introduced hiscompanion.

“Good morning, Mr. Fisher sir.”

“Elthon, I am glad to see you.” Mr. Fisher said and they shook hands. Mr. Elthonintroduced his companion.

“This is Gabriel, Mr. Fisher.” Elthon said.

“Hello Gabriel, how did you do?” Mr. Fisher said and shook Gabriel‟s; he brought out hiscigarette case, took one cigarette and lit it.

“Sir, this man came from Darfur, and he has a lot of information for you.” Elthon saidand Mr. Fisher made a gestured and they all walked toward a makeshift pavilion in the

distance.

Mr. Fisher sat down and faced Gabriel; he looked with misgivings at the strangeman.

“Where the hell did you say the man came from, Elthon?” Mr. Fisher said and pouredwine into a glass cup.

“The man comes from Darfur sir,” Elthon said and Gabriel nodded his head.

“There is war in Darfur,” Mr. Fisher said and pushed the wine to Elthon.

“Yes there is war but it won‟t affect you. Get what you want and leave the place.” Elthonsaid and gulped the wine down his dry lean throat.

“Okay, what does he have for us?” Mr. Fisher said and Elthon nodded to Gabriel tospeak.

Gabriel gulped down the drink and made an attempt to pour another into the glass cup



but Elthon held his hand and told him to talk with Mr. Fisher. When Gabriel spoke, hemixed broken English with his dialect, Mr. Fisher didn‟t understand a word of what hesaid, so Elthon told Gabriel to shut his mouth and he took it from him.

“Well, he said his father had a large site in Darfur and he saw an old broken pot on the

land when he was working there two years ago,” Elthon said with a sycophantic smile.

“What are you trying to prove?” Mr. Fisher said and looked at Gabriel‟s face. Elthonurged Gabriel to bring out the small broken pot from his pocket.

When Mr. Fisher saw the small pot, he flinched on his chair and sat down toexamine it. He could feel the heat of the sun on his back as he continued to stare at thesmall pot which had golden patterns all over its body. The small pot was so beautifulthat Mr. Fisher called on Goi to examine the pot.

“Goi, get your butt over here.” Mr. Fisher shouted.

Goi left the workers in the sun. When he got inside the pavilion, Mr. Fisher gavehim the small pot. Goi brought out his equipment and examined it, and after heexamined the small pot for more than an hour; he discovered that the pot dated back to2000 B.C. Later he raised his head and closed his equipment; Mr. Fisher looked at himin the eye.

“I think the pot is original, Mr. Fisher sir,” Goi said and Mr. Fisher nodded his head.

Elthon and Gabriel smiled because their plan was working.

“Goi, dear, you can go back to your work,” Mr. Fisher said and Goi went back tosupervise the workers on the site. As he walked toward the place, he glanced back andsaw the two men being happy to talk with Mr. Fisher. He knew it would be sheermadness if Mr. Fisher trusted the men, for they looked sinister and his heart didn‟t gowith them.

Mr. Fisher laid the small pot on the table and touched the pattern that was designedon it. When looked at Elthon he knew there was something sinister and he was afraid totrust him, but then he couldn‟t afford to lose access to the site in Darfur. Many thoughts

jostled for space in his heart. Finally he concluded that the men may be telling the truthafter all. He looked at the two men and spoke.

“When will Gabriel be ready to take us to Darfur?” Mr. Fisher said. Elthon looked atGabriel; they talked for a moment and then looked back at Mr. Fisher.

“He said, when you are ready,” Elthon said.

“Tell him I will be ready in two weeks; I need to work on my traveling document andother logistics,” Mr. Fisher said.



“Like they say, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. We shall be ready any time youare ready, Mr. Fisher sir,” Elthon said and looked at Gabriel who smiled at him.

The two men agreed and told him that they would be ready any time he called the shot;Mr. Fisher counted a wad of notes and gave it to Elthon.

“Thank you, Mr. Fisher. I am most grateful.”

“Look, if I discover many artefacts on the site, I will surprise you,” Mr. Fisher boastedand the two men stood up.

Elthon smiled. He shook Mr. Fisher‟s hand and the two men walked to their car.They drove off in a great deal of speed. Mr. Fisher looked at the tail end of the car as itsent dust to the sky. Later he went to join Goi on the site.

In the night Mr. Fisher couldn‟t sleep. He was thinking about the new site in Darfur.

He stood up and walked to his desk and began to calculate the cost of logistics andeverything he would need in the place. He knew Darfur was volatile with different armedgroups, so he needed to have as many private guards as possible. Later, after he hadworked late into the night, he thought about Elthon. He had met the Briton in arestaurant in Addis Ababa, where he worked with a big hotel in the country‟s capital city.He was very jovial and friendly over beer as he told him about his new site in northernEthiopia. Apart from the fact that he knew him as a worker in the hotel, Mr. Fisher knewnothing about him. As he thought about him, he didn‟t know the time that he sle pt. Hewas fast asleep on the bed and he snored like a heavy pig, his tall gangling framecovering the bed.

A week later, like genies, Elthon and Gabriel came back and demanded that Mr.Fisher sign an agreement with them. After a lot of discussion, they both agreed ontwenty thousand dollars and there was a clause in the agreement that said that if anartifact was discovered on the site, Mr. Fisher would pay them the sum of one hundredthousand dollars each for their efforts.

“I will pay you ten thousand dollars now. When we get to Darfur I will pay you thebalance after we discover an item on the site.”

“Okay, we have a deal, Mr. Fisher.”

“So when we shall we leave?” Mr. Fisher asked.

“Next week Tuesday.”

“Okay, I shall be ready for you,” Mr. Fisher said.

When the men left the pavilion, Goi left the workers and went to meet Mr. Fisher. Hetold him he knew about the place like the back of his hand because he grew up there.



He tried to plant a seed of doubt in Mr. Fisher‟s mind but, unknown to him, Mr. Fisherhad already made up his mind to go to the place. Goi knew that Mr. Fisher was adifficult man to convince and he sat with him and began to tell him the history of his life.Mr. Fisher was unyielding and told Goi to go back to the site. Two weeks later, aftersome delay due to visa problems, Mr. Fisher and his crew eventually traveled to the

Sudanese capital with Elthon and Gabriel to unravel the mystery under the Darfuriansoil. When he slept, Mr. Fisher dreamt that he discovered the palace of Cush and theimage of his ten princesses.

When they got to the Sudanese capital, they booked in a hotel and used two weeksto make preparations. Mr. Fisher studied the map of the area under the morningsunlight. Later Goi came to meet him and they went out of the room.

“Look, Mr. Fisher, I know this place like the back of my hand,” Goi said. He had tried todiscourage Mr. Fisher from embarking on the journey but all his convictions were met bya brick wall. He knew that Mr. Fisher would always doubt the correctness of his

decision.

“Calm down your nerve Goi. You don‟t know the place mor e than Gabriel. Remember,Gabriel also grows up in the place and he is older than you, right?” Mr. Fisher said andtook a cigarette case from the table; he took one from inside the case and lit it.

Goi was unhappy. He left the three men in the hotel bar and went to his room,falling on the bed and thinking about his life. He thought about Abigail and how shealmost ruined his life. He was afraid of coming down to Sudan, for he knew that manythings awaited him as he returned home. The ghost of his granny and grandpa wouldhaunt him as he returned to the place of his birth. He stood up from the bed and went to

the window and looked at the clear blue sky. When he looked at the sky, the thought ofMoi came back to his mind and he smiled and went back to sit on the bed. He prayedthey might meet by chance.

The next day, three jeeps and a big lorry with armed escort left the hotel and movedfrom Khartoum to Darfur. Mr. Fisher, Goi, Elthon and Gabriel sat in one of the jeeps.Elthon understood Gabriel‟s language. Gabriel was from the Murle ethnic group, so Goicouldn‟t understand the language, but he could pick a little from it and he knew therewas something sinister about the two men. He had already suspected them; he knew heneeded to watch his back every minute when they arrived on site.

X X X X

Moi was swooned when Richard introduced her to his family members. He was sofond of her that it took a little time for his mother to accept her into the family. Still, Moimanaged to live with Richard‟s mother. When a new military barracks was constructedin Addis Ababa, Moi and her husband went to live there together. Richard loved Moi so



much that he doted on her.

Moi got admission into a nursing school; Richard provided everything that sheneeded in school. One day when Richard came back from work, he found her behindthe house; she sat down on a long bench and ate an apple. When he got to her side

they embraced and he gave her a box. When they got into the living room she openedthe box and was so surprised when she found a golden wristwatch inside. She was sohappy that she kissed and embraced Richard. Richard carried her in his strong handsand took her to the bed inside the room and then he switched off the light.

The next day, after Richard left for work, Moi took a taxi and went to her friendPagan‟s working place. Pagan worked in a big restaurant in Addis Ababa. Moi didn‟tbelieve they could ever meet in life again, but their paths had crossed again during thecelebration of the Armed Forces Remembrance day. Moi saw her as she sat calmlyamong the wives of the soldiers who came to grace the occasion, so she was shockedwhen their eyes both met. Then they had embraced for so long when they met each

other and since that time they had become great friends. Pagan was doing fine and herhusband was good to her.

Pagan was too happy when she saw Moi; she left what she was doing and went toentertain her friend.

“Moi, I am happy to see you,” Pagan said and embraced her friend.

“How are you Pagan?” Moi said when they disengaged.

“I am fine.”

“Come along please,” Pagan said and invited her to the visitors lodge.

When they got there, they talked till late in the night. Later Pagan promised to visither the following week.

X X X X

Goi had a look of boredom and sadness on his face as the jeep drove very fast andsent dust to the sky on its way to the village. They whizzed past many villages likearrows from the Tartar‟s bow. They soon got to Kiba village; the village was desertedwith patched muddy huts, dried and bitten by the harsh weather. Goi told the driver tostop and when the jeep stopped, he stood at the distance and looked at the ruin thatremained of his village.

He walked to the gate of the village and fell on his knees. He kissed the bangles on



his wrist, though he no longer believed in them and their power, but he kissed it as arespect for his grandparents. As he knelt down and prayed, a big dark bird came andflew over the ruins of the village. Mr. Fisher came to his side and touched him on theshoulder.

“Look Goi, life goes on,” Mr. Fisher said. He brought out his small camera and videoedthe ruin of the village. Later Goi stood up and, with Mr. Fisher by his side, walked backto the jeep in the distance.

As the jeep drove very fast in the dusty arid road, the two men behind the jeep,Elthon and Gabriel, were uncomfortable. Goi knew they were up to some sinister movesand he didn‟t trust the two men. He looked behind him and spoke.

“What happen to you, Mr. Elthon, sir?” Goi asked.

“Nothing, Mr. Goi. We are having a little discussion,” Elthon said and the two men kept

silent.

They drove around western Darfur for two days and every day they encounteredmilitiamen in dark clothes and with heavy guns. Sometimes they stopped for the ragtagsoldiers and at other times they forced their way. All the men in the entourage of Mr.Fisher would have died if they had encountered an ambushed as they left Kiba village,but some men in veils came from nowhere and attacked the convoys. Yet the guardscame down from the jeep and fought back. There was cacophony of gunfire in the darknight. At the end of the melee twenty of the attackers lay dead on the white sandy soil.

When the attackers left, Mr. Fisher, his tongue in his mouth, came down from within

the jeep. He was badly scared and he prayed to God. Goi was so afraid that he prayedto the bangles in his hand. Further, all the workers inside the big lorry were afraid. Afterthe attack, they drove for some minutes and set up their camp very close to anabandoned well. Mr. Fisher and Goi couldn‟t sleep, so they talked together till the breakof dawn.

The wind blew in the morning and sent dust particles to the sky. Later, after sometime, the weather became bright and everyone went back to the vehicle. As they wereabout to get inside the car, Mr. Fisher stopped Elthon and Gabriel and questioned themin front of the jeep.

“Look guys, when are going to get to this place?” Mr. Fisher asked. He got impatientwith the trip that had already taken many days.

“We are almost there, Mr. Fisher. You really have to exercise patience,” Elthon said andbrought out the map .He showed Mr. Fisher the map of the place.

“Well, I have seen the map, but I am getting frustrated,” Mr. Fisher said Goi stood by hisside and shared portions of the pain.



“Don‟t be frustrated. We will get there in two hours‟/ time,” Elthon said and Mr. Fisher looked at Gabriel in the eyes and spoke.

“Where are we, Gabriel?” Mr. Fisher demanded.

“We are still on the border of Kiba,” Gabriel said in broken English.

“So where is the place exactly?”

“I told you - it is between Kiba and Kosa village. We will get there in less than two hourssir,” Elthon said and they went back into the car.

As they left Kiba and drove for forty five minutes, Gabriel suddenly saw theJacaranda tree in the distance and an old dirty sign he kept in front of the land; heexchanged glances with Elthon and Elthon shouted to the driver.

“Halt, please stop the car,” Elthon shouted.

“What happened to you Mr. Elthon sir?”

“Gabriel has found the place at last.”

The driver stopped the car and Gabriel and Elthon were the first to get down. Theystood on the road and pointed to the Jacaranda tree in the distance. Later Mr. Fisherand Goi came down from within the car and walked to them. They stood behind the menas Gabriel continued to explain to them about the site.

“Look Mr. Fisher sir, we have got to the place,” Elthon said and pointed to theJacaranda tree in the distance.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I am one hundred percent sure, sir,” Elthon said.

Mr. Fisher told Goi to call out to the workers as he surveyed the whole place. Laterthe workers and the ten guards came down from the jeeps and the lorry and they beganto clear the place. There were weeds on the site. They constructed three makeshifthouses with planks, one for Mr. Fisher and Goi, one for Elthon and Gabriel, and a large

one for the workers, Mr. Fisher had brought twenty workers from the Sudanese capital.They were cheap and easy to work with. In the evening Mr. Fisher and Goi walked allover the land and tried to figure out how they would start the work. Inside their room,Elthon and Gabriel drank wine and sang old familiar tunes.

When Mr. Fisher and Goi came back after they had inspected the site, Goi held hishead. A mysterious headache racked up his head so much that Mr. Fisher noticed hisuneasiness.



“What happen to you, Goi?” Mr. Fisher said as he fell on the bed.

“I have a terrible headache,” Goi said he felt cold and terrible on the bed.

“When did it start?” Mr. Fisher said because Goi was hale and healthy until they came

into the room.

“The moment we got to the Jacaranda tree.”

“It is malarial fever,” Mr. Fisher said.

“I don‟t think so, Mr. Fisher. I have been using my medicine. It‟s just a strange feeling. Icouldn‟t understand it sir.”

“Okay, just lie down there. I will make tea for you, right?”

The following day the men worked. They dug the ground and worked all day andnight, but they discovered nothing except old and dirty bathroom slippers and shoes.They also discovered old clothes and pieces of broken aluminum pots. Later, in theevening, Gabriel and Elthon came to meet Mr. Fisher and demanded their balance.

“Men, you really have to exercise patience. We have been working all morning and weare yet to discover an item, but I know we shall get there but you really have to calmdown. I will pay your money when we find an item.”

“Okay, we are going to wait a little bit more - no problem,” Elthon said and smiled andGabriel smiled back at him.

Immediately after the men left the room, Goi came to meet Mr. Fisher and told himthat the two men were not honest. He told him there was something fishy about the twomen.

“I told you sir; I don‟t seem to trust these men.”

“Calm down your nerve, Goi. There is still hope that we may find something on the site,”Mr. Fisher said and lit his cigarette.

“Why do you say that sir?” Goi said and poured wine into the glass cup.

“One of the men discovered a silver chain in the morning,” Mr. Fisher said, his eyessparkling with excitement.

“I saw it but there was nothing special about it.”

“There is something special about it because this is the palace of Cush.”



“The palace of Cush. How sure are you?”

“Yes Goi, for so long I have been trying to discover the palace of Cush before otherarchaeologists discover the place,” Mr. Fisher said and told Goi to give him a glass of wine.

As he poured the wine Goi looked at Mr. Fisher‟s face and shook his head.

“Sir, are you sure this is the Cush palace?”

“I am very sure.”

“Okay, if you are sure sir I will concur,” Goi said and left the room.

Goi stood outside. Later he looked at the Jacaranda tree in the distance. There wassomething strange about the tree because anytime he got there, he felt a terrible

headache that racked through his brain and system. He knew there was somethingstrange about the big tree, something he couldn‟t unravel. As he slept on the bed, hethought about what Mr. Fisher had said about Cush palace. Maybe it was the truth afterall. His headache may be a result of disturbing the solitude of the dead. As he thoughtabout the mystery under the Jacaranda tree, a heavy sleep took him away. He dreamedof Moi beckoning him to him to come into her open arms.

Chapter 6

In the morning just before the laborers began their work, Mr. Fisher and Goi took atour of the site, as they moved all over the land and inspected the work the men did,they got to the Jacaranda tree and stayed under it. The sun was hot and fierce on theazure sky. As they discussed under the Jacaranda tree, Goi held his head with his twohands. It was the same headache that hit him before under the Jacaranda tree and nowit came back again with even more ferocity.

“I think you better go back to your room. I will come and meet you there.” Mr. Fisher said as Goi left the place and walked back to his room.

Mr. Fisher looked at the tree branches; he examined the tree and discovered

nothing strange or spectacular around the tree or under it. Later, as he stood watchingthe tree, Elthon and Gabriel came to meet him.

“Hello Mr. Fisher, good morning sir,” Elthon said.

“Good morning Elthon. How are you Gabriel?” Mr. Fisher said.



“I am fine,” Gabriel replied and Elthon looked at Mr. Fisher. He wondered what the manhad found under the tree.

“Mr. Fisher, I hope everything is okay sir.” Elthon said.

“I am not sure, Elthon.”

“Why did you say so, Mr. Fisher sir?”

“We are yet to discover anything on the site except an old neck chain,” Mr. Fisher as heresettled his glasses on his nose.

“Calm down, Mr. Fisher, I believe something is under the ground. Please let your mencontinue the work.”

“You better be sure, because if I don‟t see anything, I will collect my money and get the

two of you arrested,” Mr. Fisher said as the workers filed out to begin work on the site.

Later in the night, just before he longed for the oblivion of sleep, Goi thought aboutthe Jacaranda tree and the mystery that surrounded it. He got up from his bed and wentoutside. Then he looked at the site again. In his heart he pictured that the site lookedlike the refugee camp at the border of Kiba where he had stayed with his family andDoctor George, but as much as he tried to picture the whole scenario, it remained a

jigsaw puzzle in his heart.

The next morning the men dug and dug. They discovered many strange things likeslippers, torn clothes, an old pot, cooking utensils, rubber mats, clay pots and lots of

beads. Mr. Fisher was confused when he saw what the men brought out from the soil.He tried to picture the whole puzzle that stared him in the face. He took some of thediscovered items into his room and examined them. By and by the men dug out bonesfrom the soil. Goi saw one of the men who he wanted to pull something out from theground and he went to meet him.

“What did you find there, Abdul?” Goi asked.

“I found plenty of bones,” The man said and Goi called Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher camerushing to the place with excitement on his face.

“Look sir at what the men are finding here,” Goi said and gave one of the bones to Mr.Fisher.

“These are carcasses,” Mr. Fisher said, examining the bones.

“Carcasses? I am not sure, Mr. Fisher,” Goi said

“Yes, these are carcasses in the desert,” Mr. F isher said and Goi looked at his face.



“I am really confused sir. Look, these are human bones. They don‟t look old at all.”

“Look Goi, as far as I am confused, these are carcasses until proven otherwise.”

“Okay, let‟s prove it,” Goi said and they went back into the room. Goi brought out his

equipment and worked on the bones. Mr. Fisher eyes were wide in disbelief when Goiread out the results of the bone examination for the bones were just a few years old.

Later, as the men worked, they discovered more bones. The men brought them to Mr.Fisher, who smiled and told the men to continue their work. Many bones and skullswere discovered on the site. Goi and Mr. Fisher looked at them with shock, surprisedwith disbelief.

Goi couldn‟t sleep. Gradually he realized that the site was indeed the place where therefugees‟ camp was located and all the bones found on site belonged to the people thatdied when the camp was invaded by the militiamen. He looked out through the window

and cried. Elthon and Gabriel heard the men talking about the site and the bones andanticipated that they would soon be discovered, so they planned their escape route. Thefollowing day the men working around the Jacaranda tree discovered two humanskeletons, these two skeletons were special. Unlike the other bones scattered in thesoil, these two skeletons were still intact. Mr. Fisher, as supervisor, helped them bringthe intact skeletons to the room.

“Goi wake up, wake up quickly!” Mr. Fisher shouted and Goi quickly left the bed.

When he saw the two skeletons on a board, he was shocked; there was somethingstrange about the two skeletons. When he stared at them at length, it was as if they

resembled his two grandparents, Yol and Nyot. As he knelt down to examine them theheadache came back, this time, more intense than ever, and he fell down beside theskeletons. Mr. Fisher called three men to come and lift him to his bed. Mr. Fisher wasconfused; he couldn‟t fathom what got wrong with Goi ever since they got to the si te. Hehad been behaving so strangely.

Later, as he wrote on his desk inside the room, one of the men brought out twosilver bangles and gave them to Mr. Fisher. Goi had just woken up. Mr. Fisher stood upfrom his seat and went outside to examine the two bangles; Goi stood up from the bedand followed him. When Mr. Fisher examined the bangles, Goi saw him and he went tohim and stood by his side. Mr. Fisher was surprised to see him.

“Look what the men found with the two skeletons,” Mr. Fisher sa id and gave one of thebangles to Goi.

Goi examined it, looking at it for a long time and compared it with the one on hiswrist. Then he ran back into the room. Mr. Fisher was shocked by this reaction; heshrugged his shoulders and went to meet Goi.



Meanwhile, Elthon and Gabriel had perfected their escaped. They packed theirbags and other things they brought to the site and went to dump them at the back ofone of the jeeps. Soon three jeeps and a big lorry followed Mr. Fisher to the site. Someof the guards occupied the jeeps and other stayed with the big truck that had brought allthe workers to the site.

Unknown to Mr. Fisher, Elthon knew his onions and peeled them with much skill anddexterity. Gabriel was an immigrant and had worked as a cleaner at the MayflowerHotel in Addis Ababa. Although he himself was a former refugee at the camp, he wasthe one that told Elthon about the dead people in the camp. One day Elthon thoughtabout what Gabriel told him at the hotel and he planned how to dupe Mr. Fisher. Hebrought out a pot that someone gave him as a gift and smiled. Later he went andcooked a concoction of lies to Mr. Fisher after he sought Gabriel assistance. Out of theten thousand dollars Mr. Fisher gave them, he gave Gabriel only one thousand dollars.Elthon needed money badly. He wanted to pay his hotel bills and have a go at the mostbeautiful girl in Ethiopia. He knew Mr. Fisher was desperate and he was ready to work

on his psychology. Naturally he hated Goi for his interference and he knew if he had hisway he would tell Mr. Fisher to sack him. Later, when Mr. Fisher entered the room withGabriel by his side, they got within the car and drove off. When the guards saw Elthonand Gabriel they couldn‟t challenge them, so they drove out of the site and went back tothe Sudanese capital.

Mr. Fisher was transfixed and left in shock when he saw Goi weeping over theskeletons inside the room. He thought Goi must be mad. He touched Goi on theshoulder but he refused to raise his head. Mr. Fisher knelt by his side and looked intohis face. He knew there was a connection between the skeletons and Goi, but the linkwas so strong that nobody could decipher it.

“What is happening to you, Goi?” Mr. Fisher said and Go i stood up and went to the bedand sobbed.

“These are the remains of my grandparents,‟ Goi said, sobbing.

His word left Mr. Fisher in astonishment, Mr. Fisher was confused. He didn‟t knowwhether he should cry with him or smile and tell him to get back to business. Goi rolledhis shirt and showed him the bangle on his left wrist. Mr. Fisher collected the banglefrom his hand and compared it with the one in his hand. He looked at it for a long time,removed his glasses and looked at it all over again.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable, it can‟t be true.” Mr. Fisher intoned. He was transfixed andleft in shock. He couldn‟t believe it was true. He looked at Goi in disbelief.

“They are my grandparents; I have been feeling their presence since we got to the site,”Goi said, his head still racked by pain, Mr. Fisher could hear bitterness in his voice.



“I am so sorry, Goi. This revelation is shocking,” Mr. Fisher said and wiped off the sweatthat formed a ring on his fore-head. Goi refused to be mollified; he cried all over again,knowing his grandparents would never rest until he gave them a befitting burial.

Mr. Fisher was so tired by the sudden revelations he went to his desk and sat down.

It now dawned on him that Elthon and Gabriel had lied to him. When he thought aboutwhat to do next, Goi looked at him and spoke.

“Look Mr. Fisher, this place is our refugee camp and the bones you saw belong tothe people that were killed by the militiamen when they attacked the camp.” Mr. Fisher removed because he was overwhelmed with sweat. He was so tired that he wanted tofaint on the chair. Goi called two of the guards and they took him outside. The suddenrealization that he had embarked on a wild goose chase pained him so much, rearing itsugly head like the Frankenstein monster and penetrating deeply into the fabric of hisheart.

Mr. Fisher ordered the guards to arrest Elthon and Gabriel after he took a picture ofthe bones and the site. Later, when the guards got into Elthon and Gabriel's room, theyfound it deserted. The two men had run away. When the guards came back and told Mr.Fisher, he promised to track them down. The next day they buried all the bones in anexclusive area in the site. Mr. Fisher ordered the workers to erect a concrete markerwith an inscription that read:

HERE LIES THE BODIES OF THOSE MASSACRED BY THE MILITIAMEN (THEJENJAWEED) IN KIBA VILLAGE.

When they were about to leave the camp, after they had paid all the workers andguards, Mr. Fisher looked at Goi and asked him what he wanted to do with the bones.

“I will cremate them and show them to my children,” Goi said and smiled.

“That is very good of you,” Mr. Fisher as they entered the jeep. Goi couldn‟t look backas the jeep departed to the Sudanese capital.

When they flew back to Addis Ababa, Mr. Fisher gave Goi two months‟ break, Mr.Elthon was arrested for immigration offences in Libya. Meanwhile, in Addis Ababa, theEthiopian capital, Goi sat at a restaurant and drank beer in the evening. He had alreadybooked his flight a week back. He would have traveled but bad weather had delayed histraveling plan.

As he ordered more beers in the restaurant, he suddenly saw her. He couldn‟tbelieve his eyes. He thought it was a dream, but here she had come to the restaurant,so happy and so full of life. She came out of his dream and into his life, right there inAddis Ababa.



Moi didn‟t see him as she entered the restaurant. In fact, she was so happy that shewanted to come and tell her friend what her husband Richard had done for her. He had

just given her a new car for her birthday.

Goi cleaned his face with a handkerchief and left his chair. He buttonholed her as

she was about to enter the large restaurant. When they looked at each other they wereboth transfixed and stood rooted to the ground. They were confused, shocked andundecided, so they just stared at each other.

“Moi, Moi, and Moi. I see you at last,” Goi moaned and embraced her. It was like adream come true. She had appeared in his dream but now she appeared in his life.

“Goi, Goi, oh I missed you my love,” Moi wailed and they embraced for a long time.Tears of joy flooded their faces as they kissed and kissed.

Pagan was shock when he saw the two embrace each other. She had just served

Goi his drinks and she knew Richard very well, and she wondered what Moi was doingwith a stranger. She went to meet them. When Moi saw her, she left Goi and didn‟t lether ask question before she narrated her story\. Pagan was so happy for her. Later theyboth left for Goi‟s house. When they got to his house, Goi narrated everything thathappened to her, and Moi was confused when she got home that night .She visited Goievery day for one week without Richard‟s knowledge.

When she lay on the bed with Richard, many questions popped up across hermind. She couldn‟t sleep and she was afraid to lose Richard, who had done so much for her. He was the one that gave her a new life. Without Richard she would have died buther heart was somewhere else; her heart and desire was with Goi who she loved with

all her heart. Later that night, before she slept, she took a pen and began to write.

The next day Goi waited for her at the airport. When the time struck five early in themorning, she left her bed and went to the bathroom. She cleaned herself, dressed, andleft the letter on the bed. She walked to the door and waved good bye to Richard as hesnored on the bed and bolted the door. Inside the taxi, she was full of smiles as shelooked out through the window. Later, when she got to the airport, the first person hesaw was Goi. He stood there in the distance with a smile across his face. Moi waved tohim happily.

Goi smiled and ran to meet her with a long embrace. They kissed and he wound hisarms around her and they went together to the terminal to wait for their flight.

Documents

The Carcasses in the Desert