It was such a beautiful day.
The sun was shining, and the weather was warm. I looked out through the window and saw cows, goats and chickens running all over the compound. All was full of life. I thanked God for this village. All was calm.
In the neighborhood, not far from my place, a white man lived. He had been in this locality for over twenty years. He spoke our language and was one of us. He had a big farm and kept animals. He also had many crops. He provided food for the villagers. Many worked on his farm too.
I am not sure what happened, but violence erupted. I heard others say that it was a tribal war. Others called it tribal clashes. The intention was to send away people from other tribes. I felt sad.
Many of them were my friends and neighbours. We played together and went to school together. I could not understand the situation. I prayed, but this never stopped anything.
Paul heard some people speaking outside his house. They were on the other side of the window. One man said, “He must be eliminated.” This statement worried him. He knew that all was not safe. He was scared. He did not know what to do. He felt sad, “How could his friends turn against him?’ He could not understand.
In the evening, the talks were more and more. Paul’s friends had run away. He was alone in the evening. Many attacks were taking place at night. He was petrified; at around 7 in the night, he heard a knock at his door. He did not know where to escape to. He listened to the voice of his friend. He opened the door, and the friend came in quickly and said, “Follow me!”
Paul did not take anything except his jacket. He knew that he could not waste any time. He trusted his friend. At this time, this was his only savior. Slowly he followed his friend in the dark. It was drizzling and cold, but all was better than staying in the house to wait for death.
He trusted his friend.
The walk was long. His feet hurt, and he ran out of breath. He could not accept defeat. He knew the area well, but he could not understand where they were going this time.
Suddenly they entered a hidden place. It felt like a cave. All was dark and silent. He heard something pass near his head. He almost screamed. He could imagine the stories he had heard; people cutting each other with pangas. His friend smiled at him. He also returned the smile. It assured him that they were safe.
They stayed in a corner. Thank God his friend had carried some biscuits. That is all they had for supper. At least they were safe. Paul did not want to ask any questions. He knew that his friend had good plans.
Paul was never to be seen again. No one knows where the two friends went to. I do not think they were killed, and I hope they are safe wherever they are.
As I sat on my bed many months later, I recalled our neighbors’ experiences. I still pray God to forgive those that planned the evil.
For those who lost their lives, God grant them eternal rest. For the families of those who died, God bless their serenity.
For those that lost their property, may God bless them with new things.
I hope and pray that such a thing will never happen again.
