“O, What a storm!” Sandra muttered within. Right then, the night, with its gloom, was closing in on her, as if there was conspiracy of nature’s elements in the firmament. It had been stormy, and rainy, yet the cumulus cloud would not have their fill.
Mercifully, some half-hour later, the wind began to blow less tempesturously, and the heavy downpour reduced to tolerable drizzling, leaving the streets wet, empty and quiet, as only few road users dare the inclement weather.
“I must get home, to my kids,” she got firmly resolved. And suddenly she saw herself driving through an unfamiliar path. Panic-chills ran down her spine, as she took her lonely drive home through the dark and eerie road.
Shortly afterwards, just by a huge refuse dump a few yards away, she saw two armed men throwing a body hurriedly, and disappeared into the side brush.
“And what, what was that?” she spluttered, terrified to her marrows. Sensing great danger, she sped past the spot, prayed to God silently to take control, and to take her safely home. Soon after that, she saw through the side mirrors a Hilux van following her. Wherever street she turned into, they, too, turned into, and kept following her steadily. So, she drove at top speed, from street to street, taking advantage of the good layout of the area. And she managed to dust them out of sight, at last.
Well, that was what she thought, when she was no longer seeing them behind her through the mirrors. Meanwhile, she had kept her headlight on full beam, driving all the way in great panic, until she got home.
Thank God, the gate was left wide open. It is the bad habit of the gateman any time it rained, so he could avoid coming out in the rain to open the gate. Very bad security sense that was! But this time, his lousiness worked for her needs, and uninterrupted passage to her house.
So, she drove straight to the bungalow, parked and switched off the engine, and lights. She sat still in the car for a while, to be sure she was not being followed. Then she mustered courage, and rushed out into the house, only to discover that the front entrance wasn’t locked.
“What? Austin! Austin!” She called aloud, but her husband didn’t respond. His Hilux van was parked at its usual spot all right. Why was he not home yet? She wondered. She became very tensed even horrified. So, she quickly locked the entrance door, dashed to her children’s room, and was greatly relieved to see them sleeping soundly.
Then she entered her room, and heaved a sigh of relief from danger at last. She lay down on her bed a while, then sat up and looked around. Only to see right inside the room, two masked men in black, dashing at her: one from the bathroom and the other from the closet, holding sharp swords. Their heads were fully covered, but for the little openings at the region of their eyes for them to see. They looked like ninjas.
“Jesus! Jesus!” She shouted uncontrollably, and in great hysterics.
“You thought you could escape us? No way, woman… Now, we’ll finish you,” one of them said, sounding very much like her husband, Austin’s voice. Both of them burst into throaty, devilish laughter, and came dangerously close to her with their swords, to strike her. She screamed on top of her voice:
“Austin, no! No…nooooo…,” she struggled out of her sleep at that juncture. She was soaked with sweat and was gasping for breath.
Transforming Word Series 