Silent Screams - Season 1 - Episode 22

Episode 4 years ago

Silent Screams - Season 1 - Episode 22

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Continues…

Leila gave her father a quizzical look and said, ‘I don’t know what all this is all about but I am sorry I am not getting married anytime soon.’

‘Your refusal to get married will have grave consequences.’

‘I am ready for whatever consequences that will come my way.’
‘You see,’ her father yelled, he was burning with rage. ‘This girl is selfish.’
‘Why should you force me to get married, why can’t it be Jada?’
‘You are the chosen one,’ her mother responded.

‘Is the dark figure that has been hunting my dreams my supposed husband?’ Leila asked hoping she was wrong about the dark figure being her husband to be.
`‘Yes. That dark figure is the man you are set to marry. His name is Ngozi.’
Leila felt her heart break into tiny pieces, her insides ached.

She looked at both her mother and father, ‘Why?’ she enquired. ‘I want to know why you would marry me off to something that evil.’

Her mother took a deep breath, ‘Sit down and I will take you down memory lane.’

*
BEFORE PRESENT TIME
It was a cool and lonely Sunday afternoon Abby was lying on the couch in the living room reading.

Her six year old son was sitting up on the floor his eyes fixed on the TV screen. Shortly after, there was a soft knock at the door.
‘Alfred check who is at the door,’ she said without taking her eyes off the book.

The little boy rose to his feet and rushed towards the door he opened the door to see his mother’s friend with her son.
‘Auntie Carol! Chilufya!’ He beamed with excitement.

‘Hey young man, is your mother home?’ Carol asked

‘Yes please come in,’ he stepped aside and allowed their guests to walk in then he closed the door shut.

‘Alfred who is it?’ Abby called out.
‘It’s me,’ Carol walked into the living room.

‘Carol!’ Abby placed the book on the table and stood up, she embraced her friend.
‘You are welcome, please take a seat.’
‘Thank you it’s been a while how is everything?’ Carol asked.
‘Well we are surviving my dear.’
‘I see you are glowing,’ Carol teased.
Abby laughed, ‘my husband has been so good to me how’s marriage treating you?’
Carol shook her head, ‘Girl that man is a beast, if I knew then what I know now I doubt I would have ever married him.’
‘It’s that bad?’
‘Yes.’

‘Let me get us some juice so you can tell me more.’

She stood up and walked to the kitchen, she came back a while later with a tray of biscuits and drinks. She handed some to the children before she placed the tray on the table.
‘I always thought Kalu was a cool guy,’ Abby said

‘I thought so too my sister, that man is a beast, firstly he abuses me, secondly I haven’t had peace in that marriage for a while now, I am always having these weird dreams, sometimes it feels like someone is watching me.’

‘That’s strange. I always thought everything was perfect in your marriage.’
‘That’s because I never want to talk about these things. I always try to smile in front of people, I pretend all is well when deep down I am a mess.’

‘Why don’t you leave?’
‘Leaving would mean leaving Chilufya behind, Kalu would never allow me to take him with me and I just can’t leave without my baby boy, he is my sanity.’
‘This is really sad Carol I wish I could do something to help.’

‘I don’t think anyone can help me at this point, I married the wrong man for the wrong reasons and now I reaping what I sowed.’
‘Maybe he will change some day.’
Carol laughed, ‘That’s who he is, he will never change.’

The pair became so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice the kids had gone to play upstairs.
*
As a child, Alfred was a little pushy and rough with his friends. Being the first born, his parents had spoiled him rotten, he was so used to having his way always even if it meant being physical and violent.

‘No I don’t wanna exchange toys, I love this one a lot,’ Chilufya held on to his blue toy car that he had come with.

‘But I want to have it,’ Alfred whined
The two were standing on top of the stairs.
‘You can’t have it my daddy got it for me on my birthday.’

‘I want it,’ Alfred tried to get the toy by force but Chilufya held on tight.
‘I don’t want to play with you anymore, you are a fighter,’ Chilufya turned to leave.

Alfred became furious with his friend.

With all his strength he pushed Chilufya down the stairs and watched him tumble all the way to the bottom.

Panic started to grip Alfred and he yelled on top of his name.

The women stood up and rushed towards the stairs, they found Chilufya lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs.

For Carol it felt as if time had come to a standstill, she stood frozen for a minute.
Abby knelt down beside Chilufya and shook him but there was no response. She looked up at her son,

‘Alfred what have you done?’ she asked her voice shaking with fear.
‘I didn’t mean to push him mummy,’ he cried out.

‘I am finished,’ Carol suddenly screamed in grief and rage as she stared at her son’s motionless body.

‘We need to call an ambulance,’ Abby stood up.

‘He looks dead, my son looks dead Abby.’
Abby rushed to the living room and grabbed her phone she could feel her whole body shaking as she called 911 for an ambulance, she was scared for her son, if Chilufya was dead then he would be terribly doomed.
‘Hang on,’ the ambulance will be here shortly, Abby tried to console her friend.
Carol was holding her little boy in her arms, tears were uncontrollably pouring from her eyes, he was the only one she had she had failed to conceive again after giving birth to him, what would become of her if he left.

The ambulance took forever to arrive and when they finally arrived, they checked for the little boy’s pulse but it was too weak. The ambulance operators asked them a few questions but no one could answer them.

They carried Chilufya on a stretcher and wheeled him off to the ambulance.

‘I will drive you to the hospital,’ Abby said as she picked her car keys.

She held her son’s hand and they walked out to the car park.

The drive to the hospital was a silent one, Carol’s heart was beating so hard, she texted her husband and asked him to meet her at the hospital.

‘He is going to pull through, Chilufya is a fighter,’ Abby said.

When they arrived at the hospital, the little boy was taken to an emergency room where he was kept overnight.

His parents were restless they couldn’t stop pacing back and forth in the corridors as they waited for news on their son.

Chilufya suffered severe head injuries and a collapsed lung, he died the next day.

When the Doctor gave his parents the sad news, Carol helplessly sank to the floor, she felt like her whole world had crushed.
Her husband gave her a vengeful look,
‘You caused his death, you killed our son Carol,’ with that said he walked out on her.
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