Chapter 9: Revengefulness

The morning sun had already burst forth and began warming the land and its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Philip, Ella, Dion and Devon, slept away all the tiredness they had occurred from the day before. Ella and her two younger siblings slept inside the hut that she had made while Philip slept on the hard surface of the ground, with only a coil of banana leaves to his head, used as a pillow to comfort away the callousness of the ground.

Phillip, laying at the entrance of the hut like a weary guard dog who had been setting watch all night at its master’s feet, was now finally awakened by the stench of smoke in the air. Having his eyes fully open and his mind now very alert, he sat upon the ground trying to detect where this heavy smoke was coming from.

It was on his mother’s property for sure, but what were the reasons for such a massive fire, blazing red flames as high as some of the fruit trees on the land, was very perplexing to him. Stretching his limbs, he knew he needed to go in a hurry and investigate this enormous fire spreading heavy white smoke all around them on the property.

Racing from the giant June plum tree, towards his mother’s house, Philip was now sanding face to face, in from of the big red demon sending off dangerous heat that would scorch – singe off every tiny strands of hair from his face and hands.

Desperately wanting to know what was blazing in the fire, Philip raised one hand to his eyes and the other hand used for fanning away the smoke that was seeping into his nostrils.

Soon, he could recognize something in the fire that belonged to him. It was one of his Sunday best, a shirt for special occasions.

He then, could detect Ella’s school uniform and some of her other clothing as well, and also some more his.

A sense of great disbelief took him over and he wasn’t sure if he should race towards the fire or scream.

Racing towards the blazing heat to grab whatever he could rescued, Philip called out his sister Ella’s name numerous times, hoping she would come and join him, in the saving of whatever little clothing they had in their possession.

But Ella was dead to this world and enjoying her sleep.

Grabbing the bamboo stick, used for holding up the clothing line, Philip dig into the edge of the fire, time and time again, trying to rescue whatever clothing that he could.

How he wished that his sister could hear him and be there to rescue some of her things. Things that he knew meant something special to her. But, Philip realized that she wasn’t coming after a while, and did the best he could to fight this demon all by himself.

Saving a substantial amount of clothing, Philip quickly hasted with them to the standing pipe in the yard, turned on the facet and then let the water beat upon the clothing for a while. Severely hoping, that such would remove some of the dirt, grime and smoke that had saturated itself within the fibers of the garments.

His back turning west towards his mother’s house, his face turning east, Philip could somehow see that someone was coming towards him, through the gliding and spiraling of the thick white smoke.

Minutes later, this person was standing next to him with her fingers fanning away the smoke from her face.

“You don’t know by now; that you must sleep with one eye open and your ears cock, for trouble?”

Philip asked stutteringly.

“What this shit, happening here?”

Ella asked, still fanning away the stubborn smoke from her face.

“What… What you… think, but Satan’s wife catch… all our clothing a… fire!”

“Philip responded nervously.

“Casual ware, church ware, school ware; every god damn thing belonging to us; she set ablaze!”

He went on, still with a tied tongue.

Hearing the frightening depth of their circumstances, Ella raised her hands to her head, placed them there for a while and began weeping bitterly.

“Lord Jesus Christ have mercy ho… how can Mama and Dada be so wicked to us?

Jesus Christ… we didn’t ask her to birth us, to suck her breast… Lord, look what she’s doing to us once again!”

Ella continued to utter as she kept crying.

Another figure was making its way through the thickness of the smoke that was spiraling upward and outward.

Periodically, Phillip was pouring water into his eyes to wash away the burning sensation from his eyes which was coming from the uncontrollable puffs of smokes all around the atmosphere.

Recognizing the figure, which was now nearer, Philip could clearly see that this person was no other than his mother.

But with his tongue twisted, his soul quite angry, he just couldn’t come out with the words he wanted to express to his mother. And even though, he had told himself that he wouldn’t lay his hands on his mother in a violent way, ever again. He just couldn’t helped it, because, she had gone too damn far with him this time around.

Filled with much rage, Philip brought the piece of bamboo stick, used for heisting the clothing line to his knee. He then cracked it into two, and the larger piece, he gripped it tightly in his hands and soon he began whacking his mother with it all over her body.

He was throwing hard blows on her, like she was some hardcore vagabond who was caught red handed in a severe case of pedal larcenist.

Ella was no different!

“You made a big mistake this time around, mama!”

She said, while taking up the smaller piece of bamboo stick which her brother had thrown to the grown and began making her way to her mother to cast her blows on her as well.

On one accord, both brother and sister began throwing merciless blows on their own mother, until, she was unable to raise her hands in defending herself any longer; from the harsh whacking of the two pieces of bamboo sticks on her body.

Bruises and whales were all over her entire body, and her forehead had a large crack with blood spewing from it like a freshly husked coconut pad.

No physical movements were coming from Ms. Nella’s body, and neither children new how or cared to check her pulse to see if, she was now dead or alive.

Completely exhausted from all the hard labor she had put into beating her mother, to physical stillness, Ella went to the bathroom which was attached to the house. Where, she just stood under the gushing showerhead, still fully dressed into her clothing. And there she allowed the cool water to run down on her body from head to toe while trying to stabilize her breathing pattern.

Exiting the shower after an hour or so, Ella returned to the outside of the yard where she saw her brother Philip, standing over their mother’s body and weeping.

Soaking wet, and dripping heavy water from her hair and the tail of her skirt, she placed her hands on her brother’s shoulder and ask; “Is she dead?”

“I don’t know… I really don’t know!”

He answered sobbingly.

“What are we going to do now?”

Ella then asked.

“I don’t know… what you think?”

Philip inquired staring into his sister’s face in a state of shock.

“If she is dead, then we are certainly going to spend the rest of our lives in prison!”

Philip said with tears streaming from his face.

“We could always throw her in the hog pen, they will know exactly what to do with her!”

Ella voiced, showing no emotion on her face; just a blank stare.

For a while, Philip stood there scrutinizing his sister, wondering if, this experience had allowed her to totally lose her marbles.

He could somehow detect that she had become somehow uncaring and her sentimental and generous nature was slowly dwindling away.

“No, Ella, we can’t do that! She is still our mother! We can’t allow the hogs to just chew upon her!”

Philip spoke softly.

“Well, you ride your bicycle to the police station or to the morgue, and see, how it will all workout for us… our asses will be thrown into prison for an eternity… until our eye balls becomes white, our skins shrivel up like dates and only one tooth left hanging from our fucking gums!”

Ella expressed with eyes bulging and both hands resting on hips.

Her harsh words had caused a moment of silence between them for a while. But such silence was broken when Dion and Devon began giving off sounds, conversing and calling out for their sister Ella to come to their aid.

“You don’t want Dion and Devon to come down here and see this pile of shit; don’t you?”

Ella turned to her brother asking, while staring him in the face without an ounce of remorse or compassion.

Suddenly, sounds of aching moaning and groaning began coming from Ms. Nella’s body.

“Thank you, God!” Philip shouted.

“What the hell are you thanking God for?” Ella ask vexingly; “Isn’t this the same woman who pour water on our mattress, catch our close on fire; including our school uniform and have us sleeping out in the night air like fugitives?”

Soon, Ella was reaching for the heavier piece of the two pieces of bamboo sticks, to start throwing some more finishing blows on her mother’s head. But Philip intervened; grabbing both of her hands and restraining her. He then, bucked her very hard on her forehead with his head like a ram goat, when she wouldn’t stop riling up and cussing about what she wanted to do with their mother. While he kept on hoping that his actions would put some damn sense into her.

“This is our getaway card from prison!”

Philip lashed out.

“She is still alive… she is still breathing!”

Philip exclaimed with gratitude showing all over his face.

“Let me go and catch a ride and bring her to the damn hospital!”

Philip said anxiously.

“On the other hand, you go and flag down a ride, for her to go at the hospital while I say here with her. Because, I don’t want your itchy ass fingers, ending up doing some bullshit and sending me off to prison for the rest of my life!”

Philip suggest warningly.

Filled with reluctance, Ella stood there for a while before bellowing out; “But Dion and Devon are fussing for something to eat!”

“Leave them alone let them fuss!” Philip lashed out; “Their fussing won’t kill them, but this right here, will paralyze and kill the both of us forever!”

Philip suggested sternly.

Coming to her senses and soon realizing that what her brother was saying to her, was logical and factual, Ella took off running to the streets. Minutes later, both her hands were in the air, waving down whatever vehicle were going in either direction, pleading with them to stop; because someone was badly hurt and needed to get to the hospital.

Bad luck, was brewing and boiling in the air!

Over twenty vehicles had pasted by the Bradshaw’s gate and none of them cared to stop!

Ella started getting worried, nervous and scared!

She felt, as though, she was about to lose her noodles – she began feeling dizzy in the head!

Chockfull and covered with fear, Ella began thinking that the gods must be against her; punishing her for the deed of partaking in the beating of her mother, almost to the point of death.

Especially, since some of her high school learning consisted of bible scriptures; stating that one should; “Honor their father and their mother, so ones days may be long upon the earth and things will go well with thee.”

Having no vehicle stopping by to rescue her mother from her almost dying condition, Ella threw herself to the ground on the waysides of the streets, and there she began screaming out loudly while ranting about in the dirt; “Brother Philip ho, prison house is going to be our happy and eternal home!”

Overhearing the outcry of his sister, Philip ran to the road to see what was wrong with her. And he was totally shocked to see his sister, lying in the dirt and gravel, kicking about like someone from the mad house or someone belonging to it.

He was now perplexed!

He wasn’t sure who he should go and assist now; his mother or his sister. Because, he was giving sips of water to his mother, trying to revive and sustain her life; with the hopes that she would make it out of the yard alive when help came along.

Analyzing the whole situation, Philip made a conscious choice – a brave decision he made returning to the side of his mother’s and staying there. Presuming, that someone will see his sister lying on the ground and stop by to give her some assistance.

But would his analytical way of thinking work for him?

“Come mama drink… come mama drink! Help will soon come for you!”

Philip kept on saying to his mother while seated on the ground, and buttressing and propping his mother’s head into his arms and lap.

Moments later, there was a squeaking halt in the middle of the road in front of the Bradshaw’s property. And then seconds later, there was another and another!

Back to back, three different vehicles stopped at Ella’s feet.

One man jumped from his truck and ran to her side, trying to investigate what was the matter with her!

Soon, another man shouted from his car; “Is she breathing or is she gone!”

“She’s here with us, but seems a bit confused!”

The first Samaritan answered.

Hearing the voices talking at his gate, Philip began shouting;

“Come this way… somebody please come this way!”

But Philip cries went on deaf ears, because of his twisted mouth and stuttering tongue.

The driver who had stopped closes to where Ella, laid, hastily came from his vehicle with a bottle of water and began opening the cover to pour out the water on her face.

Quickly, the first Samaritan on the spot, with outstretch hands, block him from doing so. And viciously he then ask;

“Are you fucking crazy; don’t you see the young woman is boiling in the scorching sun?”

“Are you a fucking doctor?”

The man retorted with the bottle of water in his hand; still trying to loosen its cover so as to pour the water on Ella’s face, hoping it will revive her back to life.

For a while the both men argued, one adamantly stating that water could not be poured out on her face while the other, was steadfast in his approach that this was her only hope now.

Eager to assist the young woman lying on the ground, clueless about all that was taking place with her, the man with the bottle of water, around in his fifties or early sixties, stepped away from the man arguing with him. And suddenly, he began squirting the bottle of water on Ella’s head like a water fountain and whomever else was standing around her.

A reaction came, and it was an immediate one! And soon, Ella was sitting up and wiping away the drizzle of water from her face.

“What happened; was rain falling?”

She asked looking confused.

“I just save your life!”

That man who squirted the water answered, still holding the bottle in his hand like it was some miraculous portion.

Few minutes later, Ella’s mental faculties began returning, and she started remembering what had brought her to the streets in the first place.

“Did you guys take my mother to the hospital as yet?”

Ella asked with a worried look on her face.

“Your mother… where the hell is your mother?”

The man with the water bottle in his hand lashed out asking.

Ella then began pointing to the side of the house where she had left her brother comforting their mother.

Quickly, the man with the water bottle in his hand, race to the side of the house to see if, the young woman’s mother was actually there. Meanwhile, the first stranger who had stopped at the Bradshaw’s gate, and began pursuing an argument with the man with the water bottle in his hand; soon began calling him names and infusing for another quarrelling to begin.

“Ok Mr. Jesus Christ, run along with your holy healing bottle… you alone have the remedy to save everybody in the world!”

The first stranger on the scene lashed out in a laughing manner.

Whether he had heard his remarks or not, he did not respond. But hurried along to where Philip sat on the ground and began seeking information about what had happened to the woman resting and groaning in his lap.

But with the sever barrier in communication coming from Philip’s tongue, the Good Samaritan, just couldn’t wait around any longer for an answer from him just then. Therefore, he raced back to the gate where Ella was still seated on the ground and repeatedly began shouting.

“I need help here, I need help!”

The stranger shouted while running towards his vehicle.

“Kiss my neck-back, Jesus needs help!”

The rival of the aiding stranger blurted out, giggling.

However, no one else on the scene found his remarks very funny. A little smirk on the faces here and there but no serious giggling was taking place. Because, most persons were hastily making their way onto the Bradshaw’s property, around the side of the house; eagerly wanting to go probing into what was happening on the premises where, Ms. Nella was laying on the ground fighting for her life.

Ella was now on all fours, trying to get up from the ground with the assistance of one of the passersby. Meanwhile, the kind stranger dash across the street, jumped into his truck and began reversing it up the slope and into Ms. Nella’s yard.

Philip, still filled with tears, got up from the ground where he sat holding his mother in his lap, and began positioning himself to aid his mother from off the wet ground. It took four men to heist Ms. Nella’s body and place it into the back of the pick-up truck. On the count of three, holding both hands and feet, tightly, the four men managed to sail Ms. Nella’s body in the back of the pick-up truck. And seconds later, the driver of the truck was seated around the steering wheel and pressing a heavy foot on the gas pedal, so as to make it to the hospital as urgently as possible. Or, before Ms. Nella’s condition became fatal.

Although, very afraid, Philip sat in the back of the truck, comforting his mother all the way to the medical facility where she would be treated. But he had no intention of taking the rap for this crime that he and his sister had committed.

Therefore, as the long journey to the hospital continued, he quietly sat there, carefully scouting out in his mind what he was going to tell the doctors and nurses about what had caused him to bring his mother there.

Since, the smoke in the yard was very thick, he just wasn’t quite sure, if his mother hand seen who had really attack her. And he crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that she would never remember such either. But just in case his mother had come to her senses and recollected all that had happen to her between her and her own children; Philip was prepared to deny all of it, and would encourage his sister Ella to do the same as well.

The big dilemma now was, would Ella able to comply with a straight face to her brother’s fabricates story?

In that moment, Philip thought about his sister wanting to finish off their mother when she was regaining some consciousness, and concluded that she would stick by him when the authorities started asking questions, or if, the flag of suspicion was waving at them.

While filled with thoughts of plotting his alibi, suddenly, the truck stopped, and Phillip shockingly became aware that they were now at the entrance of the emergency area of the hospital.

“Help! Help! Help!”

“Doctors, nurse or warder, we have a badly wounded woman here!”

The driver of the truck shouted from the entrance of the emergency doors.

Soon, four men dressed in blue was hauling Ms. Nella’s body from the pick-up truck like a cow ready to be slaughtered. Then busily, they began transporting her onto a gurney and wheeling it into the wide open room of the emergency department.

“Is there any family members with her?”

One doctor asked sternly.

Philip raised his hand like a boy ready to answer to his teacher’s questions.

“What relations are you to her, young man?”

“Her… her… son doctor!”

Philip answered nervously.

Not waiting for the doctor to ask him anymore questions, Philip hastily began relating his side of the story to the doctor the best way he could. So, he could hurry and leave the hospital and head back home, where he could discuss with his sister, Ella, what story they would be telling the cops if, they came by asking questions.

“My sister and I found her lying beside the pipe stand this morning, beaten, bruised and barely breathing!”

Philip divulged.

“What is your mother’s name and how old is she?”

The doctor inquired while pressing his stethoscope all over Ms. Nella’s body and gazing at her pupils with a tiny flashlight.

“I don’t know her age doctor, but her name is Nella Bradshaw!”

A puzzled look came over the doctor’s face and now he began asking the young man, standing in front of him;

“Is your mother’s husband admitted here at the hospital as well?”

“Yes, doctor, I think so!”

Philip responded.

“I thought he said, he wasn’t married; so how comes your mother’s last name is Bradshaw as well?”

The doctor questioned with a show of concern on his face.

“I don’t know anything about that, doctor! All I know that everyone of us in the house has the same last name, sir! Which is Bradshaw!”

Philip responded with much agitation in his voice.

Trying to determine Ms. Nella’s age, the doctor then ask:

“Do you know the age of your oldest brother or sister?”

Hearing such a question, Philip’s face became blank, and now he was staring as though, he could see through the white painted walls of the emergency room. Realizing, he was unable to tell the age of neither of his eldest brother nor sister, Philip became quite angry and blurted out;

“Doctor, I really think, you asking me too much damn questions when you should be taking caring of my mother who is lying right in front of you suffering!”

And before the doctor could give an explanation to him for his questionings, Philip gave a big kissing of his teeth and hastily walked out of the medical facility.

His main focus now was to hurry up and reach home, so he could have that chat with his sister, before the police or anyone else did. Therefore, they could be on the same page when the cops came probing for questions about their mother injuries or circumstances.

It was just after 10:00 a.m. when Philip returned home to the family’s house at Duckens Field, after catching two different rides to find his way back home. Because, he did not have even a single cent in the pockets of his pants which he had slept into last night. Since all his payment from the Crusher Company was tied up in the pair of shorts he had worn the previous day.

Now, he was rather very happy to be home, but to his amazement, Ella nor the two little ones weren’t inside the house or anywhere in the yard space.

Panicking, Philip ran to the spot where all four of them had slept the night. But neither Ella nor her siblings were there either.

Feeling troubled, probably for the first time in his life, Philip began combing through the bushes while calling out his sisters’ name. Although, he feared that she might never hear him calling her from a distance, because of the condition of his mouth, his voice wasn’t protruding from his mouth properly.

However, after thirty minutes of desperately searching through the bushes for his sister, Philip found her sitting under one of the large apple trees, feeding her face and crying at the same time.

Right away, he noticed neither Dion nor Devon was seated around his sister’s feet or hanging onto her skirt tail.

So, immediately, he asked frighteningly;

“Where is Dion and Devon?”

“I don’t know!” Ella answered; “Just after you guys drove off to the hospital with Mama, I rush back here and they both were gone!”

Philip’s mind began thinking the worse!

“I wonder which of the strangers who stopped here this morning to help us, took them?”

Philp asked with a worried look on his face.

Especially, since he was clueless about who any of those persons actually were.

No phone numbers, no addresses, no connections; they were all strangers, and all were there one minute and then gone the next.

But, even though, filled with concern about his two missing next of kin, Philip was rather happy to have this time alone with his sister in the bushes. Because now, he could secretly relate to her what he had urgently raced home from the hospital for.

“Sis, I honestly don’t know, who is going to come here, asking us questions about Mama’s bruises or condition. But we must have the same story to tell them, or else, we gone to prison!”

Philip expressed rather nervously.

“I already told the doctor at the hospital that I and you had found her at the standpipe just like that this morning; therefore, we both have to stick to that same story. So, whoever had beaten our mother almost half to death, we don’t know; you got it! We had found a large fire at the side of the house this morning, and she, lying by the standpipe filled with bruises, and we don’t know anything else about the matter!”

Philip went on explaining away their alibi.

Nodding her head, Ella strongly agreed that such would also be her statement, to those who came seeking answers to their questions pertaining their mother attacker or attackers.

But could Ella manage to keep her story straight?

Anyhow, much bigger and serious worries were on Ella’s mind than the potential interrogators who would be seeking answers about her cruel mother’s condition. Her mind was already burdened and filled with concerns, pertaining to who had taken her younger brother or sister without informing her… uttering a single word of iota to her.

Needless to say, time was going and Philip was in a famish state, and desperately wanted something in his belly. Especially, before going back by the crushing company to continue on with his daily hustling.

Helping his sister to her feet, they both soon began walking towards their mother’s house with the intention of taking advantage of the amenities that were there. Like the four burner gas stove. Since, she wasn’t coming back there any time soon to throw at them her violent blows and painful insults, pertaining to the using any of her stuff.

Reaching the backdoor of the house where the kitchen was located, Philip thought he clearly had heard the smashing for dry leaves over to the far side of the house. The side of the house where his mother and father were digging tunnels to bury Corporal Banks and anyone else, who had gotten in their way. The smashing sound went on for a little while without any form of persistent patterns.

Then a sweet childish voice spoke repeatedly;

“Me, want water, Dion!”

Slowly, Philip began putting one foot before the other, attentively listening while stepping into the bushes to investigate if, his baby brother and sister was actually there in the muddy trenches.

Reaching the muddy slopes of the hill, Philip stopped and began staring further down below, trying to detect the childish voices he had heard once more. But he neither heard voices nor had seen any children there.

Beaming with sweat, he then began shouting out the names, Dion and Devon, as loudly as he could.

Frighteningly, no one answered to his first or fifth calling, but at his sixth calling, there came two little muddy images to the mouth of the tunnel totally unrecognizable. Because, they were both covering in mud from head to toe. And a coloration of mud that was exactly like their complexions.

Slipping and sliding to the ground, Philip tried reaching them, but he just couldn’t.

Putting one hand to his mouth, hoping to control the sound of his voice into the direction he meant for it to travel, Philip shouted repeated on the top of his lungs; “Ella, Ella, bring me rope!”

Moments later, Ella was carefully making her way down the slope with a coil of rope, used for tying hogs when ready for the slaughter.

Seeing the predicament her siblings were in, Ella warned;

“Don’t move… just stay right there, you hear me!”

Few seconds afterwards, Ella was climbing up to the top of the hill, where she walked the pathway to the kitchen and stepped into her father’s water boots, so she could control her balance while walking in the mud. Then minutes later, she began trotting down the hill where she tied the rope around her waist and began making giant steps into the mud to rescue Dion and Devon.

Having Philip steering and controlling the rope, all three relatives made their way out of the muddy ditches to safety, and over to the other side of the muddy trenches. Utterly looking like they had been baptized in a river bed following with dark chocolate or possibly sewage.

Half hour later, all four brothers and sisters, were standing at the standpipe with all intention of washing away the pasty yuck that was splattered all over their bodies. Except for Ella whose heart and mind was still callous towards both of her parents. Therefore, in her state of maliciousness, she took all the muddy clothing which she and her sibling had just gotten themselves out of, brought them to her mother’s living room and in the beautiful living room chairs, she wallowed the muddy clothing on her mother’s furniture until they were partially dry.

“This is for all the shit you have put me through, when I went to the river and wash all of your fucking clothing!”

She said angrily, as she wipe and daub all of the muddy garments taken from off her and her siblings back.

But, before Ella could make it back to the standpipe to wash her skin off, there came a big white vehicle, pulling up in the front of their yard. While, she being partially naked and still holding the evidence of her cruel actions in her hands.

What could she do now and where could she hide?

Desperately afraid to be caught in this act, Ella dash through the back door of the kitchen as fast as she could and then, she made her way back to the hut in the bushes. And there she remained, alone, naked and afraid, hoping for help to come soon.