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Meshach Adewale
Some time passed, and then Mrs. Adesenya finally arrived at the station. Meshach saw her entering the interrogation room. She grabbed one of the free chairs and sat next to the detective.
Mrs. Adesenya's eyes were fixed on him while Meshach tried to avoid her gaze. Silence filled the air, until the detective broke it by coughing lightly before speaking.
"Mrs. Adesenya, your nephew has his own version of events that's different from what you told me. At this point, I'm not sure who to believe. Both sides of the story are convincing. Tell me, do you have any proof to back up your claims?"
"Detective Harrison, do liars and deniers ever tell the truth?" asked Mrs. Adesenya. The detective remained silent, and his lack of response spoke volumes. Mrs. Adesenya continued, "Obviously, the answer is no. This boy you're seeing is nothing but a cunning wolf in sheep's clothing. He is capable of deceiving others. Don't you know con artists are good at acting? So, I'd advise you not to be swayed by the little emotions he showed you. It's all an act - a very good one, too, one that could even deceive a detective like you.
The detective shook his head. "I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Adesenya, but I don't think that's the case here," he said. "You see, I'm trained to spot when someone is lying, and I'm not getting that sense from Meshach. He seems genuinely sincere."
Mrs. Adesenya scoffed. "You're either naive or he's a better actor than I thought," she said. "You're clearly being played, Detective."
Detective Harrison considered Mrs. Adesenya's words carefully. Why she certainly had a motive to paint Meshach in a negative light, he couldn't help but wonder if she might be right. Had he been duped by a talented actor? He decided to press forward.
"Mrs. Adesenya, regardless of whether or not Meshach has deceived me, I still have a responsibility to consider all the evidence," he said. "And the evidence so far suggests that you have been mistreating him."
Mrs. Adesenya glared at the detective. "You're making a big mistake, Detective," she said angrily. "What evidence are you even talking about here?"
"Madam, please calm down," said the detective. "I have to ask you this question. Why else would a child run away from home if he isn't being mistreated?"
Mrs. Adesenya froze, at a loss for words. The question had left her stumped, but she knew she had to think of something quickly.
"This is getting complicated," she thought. "I need to use my head and come up with a good answer."
Mrs. Adesenya paused, thinking hard. Finally, she said, "Well, Meshach despises me for no reason. You know, there are some children who just want to run away from home even if their guardian is treating them well. It's not always the case that a child runs away because they're being mistreated."
"I get your point Mrs. Adesenya," the detective said. "Well, this is becoming tiring for me," the detective said, glancing at his watch. "I have an important case to work on in thirty minutes."
"Let's get this done once and for all," he said. "Mrs. Segun, Meshach will need to return home to his aunt, even though you're not a stranger to him. He was never under your custody. You'll have to understand this."
"I understand, Detective," Mrs. Segun replied, but her voice sounded weak and unsure. The detective looked relieved. "That's good to hear," he said.
"Mrs. Adesenya, if you have been mistreating Meshach, I want you to stop "But I can assure you, that's not the case," Mrs. Adesenya said, a bit more firmly. "I have always treated Meshach well. He's like a son to me. I would never mistreat him."
Meshach looked at his aunt. He knew she was lying, but he couldn't say anything. If he did, it would make his aunt look foolish in front of the detective. So he just acted like it didn't bother him.
The detective studied Mrs. Adesenya carefully, trying to decide if she was telling the truth. Finally, he said, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Well, now that's settled, Meshach can go home with you," the detective continued.
Meshach felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. His plan had failed again. He followed his aunt out of the station, trying not to show his frustration.
As they left, the detective watched them go. He still wasn't sure if Mrs. Adesenya was telling the truth, but he had no evidence to prove otherwise. As the car pulled out of the station, Meshach could feel the tension in the air. His aunt was fuming and refused to look at him. He knew he was in trouble, but he didn't know what to do. Should he try to explain himself? Or should he just stay silent and hope for the best?
"You have some explaining to do, Meshach," his aunt said through gritted teeth. "I want to know why you ran away."
Meshach took a deep breath and considered his options. He knew he had to say something, but what?
During the drive home, Meshach and Mrs. Adesenya sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Meshach felt guilty and ashamed of what he had done, while Mrs. Adesenya was feeling angry and betrayed.
When they arrived home, Mrs. Adesenya began raising her voice as she spoke to Meshach.
"You had the audacity to threaten my children's lives and run away from home," she said. And if that wasn't enough, you also lied to the detective. You made me look like a fool there for a moment. This night, I'm going to deal with you. By the way, how were you able to contact your late mom's friend," she asked. Meshach could not say anything out of fear. he just stood mute.
"Answer me, you idiot," she shouted angrily.
Meshach began to stammer.
"I-I-I found my mother's contact book," he finally said.
"Oh, so that's why you ran away in the morning," Mrs. Adesenya said. "Where is that book? Give it to me."
"Here it is," Meshach said, reluctantly handing her the book that he had hidden under his shirt.
"So, you've been hiding the book in your shirt. Well, I know what to do," Mrs. Adesenya said. "I'll burn that book, and then you won't be able to come up with any more plans to run away. You idiot." Her voice was harsh.
As all this was going on, Jacob and Theresa remained unfazed. They continued watching TV, despite the shouting. That night, Meshach received the worst beating of his life, and he couldn't sleep well. The next morning, his aunt ordered him to burn his mother's contact book in front of her. As the book burned, Meshach wanted to cry, but no tears came.
The next three weeks were a living hell for Meshach. He sank into a deep depression and began to contemplate taking his own life. "If I'm dead, I guess all this will end," he thought. "I'd rather die than go through this torment any longer." He didn't know how he would find the strength to keep going.
One Sunday morning, his aunt drove him to the edge by slapping him for stepping on her dress, which he hadn't done deliberately. Instead of apologizing like he usually did, Meshach went straight to the kitchen. His aunt was shocked by his sudden action, and to her surprise, he emerged holding a knife. Her children, who saw him holding the knife, were startled.
"Are you going to kill me or all of us?" Mrs. Adesenya asked, fear in her voice. "No, I'm not a murderer," Meshach said. "I'm just going to end my life. Right here, right now."
Mrs. Adesenya knew that if Meshach dies under her custody, she will be in trouble. So, she began to beg Meshach not to kill himself. Meshach did not listen to her.
As tears ran down his cheeks, Meshach raised the knife to his stomach, preparing to end his life. Mrs. Adesenya and her children froze in place, as if time itself had stopped. Then, Meshach realized that he was the only one moving.
He then paused, still holding the knife. He scanned everywhere, and his eyes fell on a mystical being who sat on a chair in the right-hand corner of the living room."
The being was a manly elf, its multicolored skin impossible to describe, its shifting features impossible to pin down. Its eyes were glowing orbs of light.
"You're a lucky boy, Meshach," the being said. Its voice was like the sound of rushing water, smooth and soothing. "For you now have the chance to change your fate. There is no point for you to take your life."
Unconsciously, Meshach dropped the knife. He couldn't take his eyes off the being, whose features were still shifting. "How did you do this?" he asked, his voice breaking. "How did you freeze time for my aunt and her children?"
The being raised a hand, palm up, and nodded its head. "I did it but that's not important now. What is important is that you come with me. So, are you ready to follow me" the being asked.
"Does changing my fate mean I won't be living with my aunt anymore?" Meshach asked.
The being sighed before replying. "Why are you responding to my question with a question?" the being asked. "If you change your fate, it's true that you won't be staying with your aunt."
"Are you ready to follow me?" the being asked.
Meshach hesitated, still trying to make sense of everything he had heard. He thought about how unhappy he had been living with his aunt, and how he had felt trapped there. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I'm ready," he said. "But how are we going to this place you say I can change my fate?" Meshach asked.
"Don't worry about that," the being replied. "You'll see soon enough. Now, come with me."
The being opened a portal that was multi-dimensional and colored, then beckoned to Meshach. "Follow me if you want to change your fate."
Without hesitation, he stepped through the portal with the being. "Wherever I'm going, I'm glad my aunt won't be there," Meshach thought as he followed the being through the portal. He hoped he had found a way to escape the living hell he felt he was trapped in. Filled with hope and anticipation, Meshach followed the being through the portal, not knowing what awaited him on the other side.
Dominick Ricardo
Dominick, who had been moving on with his life, suddenly met an ill fate. Dominick had been a marketing executive at a successful tech company. He loved his job and he was good at it. But one day, he was called into his boss's office and told that his position was being eliminated. Dominick was shocked and devastated. He had no idea what he was going to do next. He felt like his whole life was falling apart, and he didn't know how he would recover. All he knew was that he was out of a job, and he was worried about his future.
As Dominick walked out of the building, he felt numb. He didn't know what to do next, so he just started walking. He wandered the streets, lost in his thoughts. He felt like a failure, like he had let himself and everyone else down. He was filled with shame and self-doubt. Finally, he ended up at a park, and he sat on a bench, staring at the ground.
Dominick had no idea what he was going to do next, or how he was going to move forward. His future felt hopeless. Later that day, Dominick began to think about his life.
"I've lost my job. My relationship ended because I was dating the wrong person. I tried to move on and I succeeded. I thought things would just keep working out, but then I suddenly lost my job, which I loved so much," he thought to himself.
Going deeper into despair, Dominick felt like he had nothing left. He spent his days lying in bed, too depressed to get up. He had stopped taking care of himself, and he barely ate or showered. He felt like there was no point in going on, and he didn't see any way out of the darkness.
One day, he decided he couldn't take it anymore. He reached for a bottle of pills and was about to take them. Then suddenly, a figure he had never seen before in his entire life appeared before him. It was a manly elf with multi-colored skin. This mystical being stopped him in his tracks and said, "Young man, I admonish you to stop taking that pill right now because you now have a chance to change your fate."
Dominick was very much terrified when he saw the mystical being. Its voice sounded like the sound of rushing water to his ears. He tried to get a look at its face, but it was impossible to describe.
"Who are you?" Dominick asked, his voice trembling.
The being smiled, but its smile was not comforting. It was eerie and haunting. "Who I'm doesn't matter right now. You haven't responded to what I said yet," said the being. Dominick then saw something odd. The being's features seemed to shift and change with every breath.
The mystical being saw that Dominick was not responding but instead staring at him with awe. The being then asked, "Don't you want the chance to change your fate?"
Hearing that, Dominick then managed to reply, "Yes, I want that opportunity. Please, tell me what I need to do," said Dominick.
"This is the first step," says the mystical being as he opens a multi-dimensional portal. "Follow me if you want to change your fate," says the being, gesturing for Dominick to follow.
Dominick does not hesitate and follows the being into the portal, with hope and expectation in his heart.