A NIGHT AFTER A NIGHT

The First night (The bar)

Kunle and Yomi, two hustlers, two Africans with the taste of survival embedded in them. Kunle took a sip of his beer every moment, then he rubbed his hands together as he listened to Harold, a white merchant in a bar, at the early hours of the night. A Yoruba music band sang traditional Yoruba songs. People flocked around the bar doing whatever that they were doing that night.

“It is very simple. You both can act as middlemen in this transaction. Museums in London would kill for those kinds of artifacts, so what say you guys?” Harold said in a rather calm and condensed manner.

“Not about the money… no… no, we are cursed if we do something,” Yomi stuttered as he replied.

Harold tilted his face his head for a few moments. “What are you talking about?”

“What my brother is saying is that what we’re doing could bring a curse on us; you don’t play with the Gods,” Kunle responded in rather fluent English.

Harold burst into laughter. He folded his fist and banged on the table. He caused a scene, as eyes from all over the bar fixed on Harold. Harold coughed and gave a slight hit on the chest as he stopped laughing. 

“If there was anything like a curse, England would never be England”. Harold took a gulp of his beer and belched, “You both don’t know anything about business or money, and it is better for you both to be cursed than to live in poverty for the rest of your lives”. Harold gulped the beer to the last drop; he slammed the bottle on the table. “So, what say you guys?”

Kunle gazed into nothing. Thoughts flew through his mind. He scratched his nose. After a while, he faced Yomi. “Let’s go” Kunle Standing up, gestured to Yomi in Yoruba. The brothers always spoke Yoruba to each other.

**

The First night (the beach)

The moon is bright and full. The faint sound of music echoes through the night, giving the night a filtered sense of calmness. Kunle and Yomi were on top of the beach sands. The ocean waves pushed back and forth as the breeze howled throughout the beach. It was the beauty of nature, but with bad intentions.

“We steal the artifacts, then he would give us two hundred pounds.” Kunle nodded his head as the idea sunk and waited for his brother’s approval.

“Yes, I am in total support of this,” Yomi shrugged as he replied.

Kunle became perplexed. Confusion was written all over him. He scratched his face, and then gazed at Yomi. “I thought you said something about the curse”

“My brother, you are troubled, if this would make everything alright, I can’t say no to you, cause I know that you would do it with or without me” Yomi replied. Yomi smiled at his brother; it was a reassuring smile that had its therapy to uplift Kunle for a little while

“Thank you” Kunle replied

**

The First night (The bar)

Harold laughed hysterically as two women sat around him. He was totally drunk. His confidence boosted, he took turns kissing the two women. “I have to admit, women are going to be the death of me”

The two brothers came. Anxiety built up inside of them. They sat down.

“What is your conclusion?” Harold stared at them. His reality had been restored.

“We want 400 pounds.” Kunle folded both of his palms together. Harold gave it a thought. Eyes stared at eyes. It was as if a telepathy deal was going on.

“Agreed”, Harold took a cigar from his pocket and started sniffing it. He gestured for the ladies to give him some privacy. The ladies kissed him on the cheeks and walked out of their sight.

“I like your spirits. I do not care what conversation happened between both of you. “

“But we would like it if you paid one hundred pounds first, then when the job is done, you can pay the rest.” Kunle interrupted. He knew he had to be careful when he handled issues like this.

“Done”, Harold brought out a hundred-pound note and flung it on the table. Kunle took the cash, raised and flapped it, checking its authenticity. 

Harold brought out a pack of matches and lit his cigar. Clouds poured out of his mouth, “I have appreciated your terms and conditions. It is time for you to do your part in the deal.”

“And one last thing, so what is the plan?”

“Our team researched a small town in a village north of here. Those artifacts are very artistic and unique in their nature. Museums, galleries, universities, scientific institutes, even powerful people in London society are trying to get their hands on them.” Harold took a drag of his cigar and continued, “it is a competition, and we want our hands on it. You bring it to us, we all become rich and everyone is happy.” Harold stretched his arm to his bag, unzipped it, and he brought out a map. He laid down the map on the table, “This is where you are going.”

Kunle stood up and took the map. He gestured to his brother to stand up. Yomi clearly understood and stood up. When Harold winked at the ladies, they both rushed to him and jumped onto his laps.

**

The First night (the hotel room)

Kunle and Yomi laid on their beds looking at the ceiling. They were both high on wishful thoughts. Kunle was a former student of Cambridge. He was deported for engaging in a robbery while in England. He couldn’t bear the guilt, those feelings; every time he thought about it, he wanted to take a hammer and smash it on his head. He should never have committed that crime. The money he was getting from charity and well-wishers was okay; he was even sending some to his family. But when he got caught, his world started to fall apart. He spent some weeks in jail before being shipped back to Nigeria. He could not go back to his community. His family would find the news unbearable, but he had his brother Yomi, a man that could simply just kill for him.

Suddenly, electricity lit up the room. The fan whirled heavily.

“I miss my mother,” Yomi said as tears strolled from his eyes. “I miss her roasted yams and her advice. We did a lot of wrongs, a lot.”

“And we are trying to solve our wrongs” Kunle replied. “We need to find a way to get into the shrine and take the artifacts and just get away from the country. We can try Europe or America. We are starting a new life. “

“We have a family” Yomi responded.

“We are going to be taking care of them too”

There was something that was still found in Yomi. He still had that compassion, that yearning to be with his family. He still believed everything could come back to how it had been before. All he had to do was to go on with the mission with his brother.

**

The Second Night (Bush)

The moon hanged on the sky that night, it was a peek into the brothers secrets. The brothers stood on top of a hill and they could sight the village. There was something about that night; the cricket chirped, the mating frog croaked once a while, but Kunle was different about that night, he was wearing the English clothes and looked like an explorer. He was anxious that night, his hardened spirit could not cover it, he looked at the map once a while, then looked at the village. He knew he was entering a battle against a lot of things; the jungle he was in, the guilt he was suppressing, God and the villagers.

Yomi came and wrapped his arm all over his brothers’ shoulders. “I know how you feel”

Kunle brushed his brother’s arm away “I don’t think that you do”

Yomi became flustered. He had to act right or it would be for nothing, him trying to restore the family again would be for nothing. He sighed out heavily and faced his brother “I hope that you have eaten enough food”

“Yeah” Kunle responded. “I don’t know, but I am very scared, what if we don’t make it, then we are just living for noting”

Yomi finally understood his brother, he was human and broken. Yomi had to act like safe space for his brother.

Droplets of tears leaked from Kunle’s eyes, the dam of his emotions cracked, it has been piled up for too long, the feelings, he definitely had to let a little bit of it out.

Yomi rushed to him, and embraced him “We are going through with this, I know, then we can go back to our village and meet our mother and our father too, I know that can happen”

Kunle shrugged off the embrace “I know” He went to a tree and sat on the branch; he placed his hands on his face thinking about his mistakes.

“Let’s get this finished as possible” Yomi yelled.

“I want to make things alright, everything” Kunle spoke with a high degree of emotions

“That is what we are doing”

Kunle took a pebble from the ground and flung it. “I think it is better we go on with the mission before we talk about anything. “Are you with your knife?”

Yomi nodded his head. “Let’s go”

**

Second Night (the shrine)

At what level can men have riches, would they go as far as robbing God, the maker of riches, in the coal of Night, when no one was watching. But the night doesn’t make God blind, it makes him angry, the brothers had to be ready for the wrath from God.

The night was calm, cold breeze sifted through the jungle. The big eyes of the owl shined bright that night, it tilted its head and hooted once a while.

The brothers walked to the shrine, they had already battled the cold and they were without shirts, they walked stealthily through the bushes.

The shrine was empty of humans when the brothers arrived. The shrine had Deities being represented by artifacts. Kunle nodded to his brother, things had to go as planned.

Yomi went on the lookout, his brother stayed. Kunle knelt down brought out a large piece of bag and started loading the bag with the artifacts. Yomi told him while they walked to the shrine, that he should use his sense in this scenario, he should load what he could carry, they needed only one artifact, but Kunle thought of getting some to sell to other merchants, that equals to more money.

Kunle would not hear, the incoming good life blinded his senses, he was already thinking what he could do with the money while he loaded the bag. “I would get myself a nice business in the city, get a lot of money, get myself a white woman and run away from this country, this feeling and this anger in me once and for all” Kunle thought to himself.

The bag was already loaded more than Kunle could carry. His brother came and was with Perplexity all over him, he went to meet his brother and touched Kunle on the shoulders, this startled Kunle, pushing him to the ground in fear. “Kunle what are you doing, let us get the hell out of here, I thought I told you we need things that we could carry only” Yomi talked to him in a whispered voice, he didn’t want to wake the night.

Kunle stood up and carried the bag on his shoulders. It is too late; they have been seen. Chants flickered everywhere as the shrine guards shouted “Who is there?” and “Identify yourself” in a different dialect of Yoruba.

Kunle fell on the ground from the heavy load. Arrows were raining from every space of the sky. Yomi pulled Kunle beside a tree. The arrow woosh on the tree for some seconds.

The brothers were panting heavily, sweat and anxieties strolled through their cheeks even when the night breezed the cold air and shivered their soul. The arrows stopped raining. The brothers glanced at each other, they understood what they are supposed to do, go for a run.

“They are here” the shrine guards, two of them spotted the brothers. Kunle, he was formerly one of the wrestling champions in his community, he was feared for his brute strength and his ability to charge at an opponent with great rage, he was called “The leopard”. But he was still no match for Yomi, who beat him easily. Yomi knew a battle should be always calculated.

Kunle dashed at one of the shrine guards before he could strike his bow, he pinned him to the ground, smashed his face continuously with rocks. Yomi had already killed his opponent with a large rock smashed on the face. Yomi rushed to his brother and dragged him away from the guard who is already dead. “Let’s get out of here before it is too late, they are coming, they are plenty. Yomi dragged his brother up.

Kunle ran to where the bag was and quickly carried it on his shoulders, he waved for his brother to go into the jungle.

**

The Second Night (the jungle)

Thoughts were going through the brothers’ minds; Yomi thought of the regret of accepting the this in the first place, he has put his brother and his family in danger. Kunle had a simple mindset in the situation, what he had to do was to escape the jungle with the loot. The loot equaled his freedom from the guilt that caged him, he also had to make sure that his brother was safe. An arrow passed through Kunle arms slitted it; blood started pouring. The brothers rushed to a tree, they could not hide from the night, the moon showed their guilt for their hunters to see, they had to fight through the night.

“can’t we limit the load of those artifacts” Kunle tore a piece of his clothe and tied it through his wound, he groaned in pain.

“Are you okay” Kunle whispered to his brother, as he saw his brother fight through the pain he was in.

“Yes”

“Let’s go, i must have dropped the map” Kunle rushed with the bag still heavy on his shoulders.

“We are going to get lost”

“If we keep heading straight, we won’t”

The brothers were at the heart of the jungle that particular night, Yomi had a wooden torch light. flaming with fire. The moon had retired out of sight. The brothers walked without direction, unable to show their guilt, the universe had the second option to leave them lost in their guilt. The loud noise of monkeys echoed through the jungle.

“Maybe this is a curse” Yomi thought to himself. “Kunle wait” they both stopped walking.

“What are we waiting for?” Kunle replied

“I don’t think they are coming anytime soon; I suggest we just rest for some moments; I would make a fire, we still have a lot of time before they catch up with us, then we retrace our steps and go back from where we came from initially” Yomi said.

“We would be dead by then; those people are ready to die for this”

“And you are ready to die for it too”

“We have to keep going, we know what we got ourselves into”.

Yomi had to do something, he knew how dangerous his brother could be anytime he was ridden with greed, he becomes impatient, strong headed, and uses none of his senses, that was what got him expelled from school and deported back to Nigeria.

Yomi went in front of his brother, and punched Kunle hard on the face. There was this stern face that Yomi wore, it was a process of getting his brother in check and in order. “I cannot risk my family falling apart” he thought to himself.

“Yomi what are you doing”

“Making sure greed doesn’t lead you elsewhere” Yomi replied “We have to do things in order”

Kunle stood up and groaned in pain.

**

Second Night (Jungle; by the fireside; the interlude)

That night by the fireside, was the moment they had to relax and rethink, all impulses simmered down, while the brothers deeply in their thoughts, they unconsciously watch as the fire crackles.

Yomi thought about his mother, he remembered when she would sing while she was in the farm or at home, it was something beautiful. He once thought of it as a remedy for his soul whenever he felt depressed. Yomi face fell down with depression, he needed his mother to sing one more time.

Kunle thought about the days with his father. His father had deep respect for him, for his abilities to cause trouble in the village and at the same time maintaining a high level of education. His father would always remind Kunle that he was coming out to be the first educated person from the family, and it meant a lot to him. The news of Kunle’s admission to Cambridge was the best thing that his father heard. His father spent the last of his money to organize a party for the village to celebrate. Kunle couldn’t ever approach his father after what had happened. His father wanted more from him, he had high expectations, and worse of all, it would be because of a failed robbery at a store that could damage the relationship with his father. Anytime the thoughts came into mind, the guilt would be too much to handle. He would always speak to himself “I should never had done this, Kunle you are a big fool”. His wish was  to retrace time and made sure he went to the soccer pitch instead of allowing some thugs convince him to robbing a store to see a lot of money.

“We need to go back and retrace our steps back to where we came from before dawn, or else those people would find us, they know the jungle better than we do” Yomi said.

“We can just continue going, there is always a way out of the jungle”

“And how would you know?”

Kunle looked at his brother and tried to utter a world, but he could not, his brother has already poured a lot of reasoning into him.

They had to continue on the journey, they have been at the fireside for minutes, they have had their rest, they have had their fill of water from the stream. They had to get up and find a way out of the jungle before the dawn.

“Let us start moving, I sense them coming for us” Yomi stood up, he groaned from the pain on his arm. He tightened the cloth harder on the wound.

Kunle stood up from the ground and placed the huge load on his shoulders.

The night was dangerous at this moment, their lives did not depend on money at that point of their lives, but it was depended on their survival, they had to beat the night, the jungle and the shrine guards. Survival sometimes has a mind of its own, it is like money but it is different. Money makes one kill, but survival makes one mad. The brothers did not have any road map, they never asked about it at the fireside, but they had to survive in the right way according to Yomi. They had to retrace their steps back to the beginning of the jungle to find their way back home.

**

The second night (against all odds)

The brothers’ hearts were beating and drumming through their chest. They stood up for some moments to get themselves in the right state of mind. Hot air from their lungs breezed through their mouth. They both stretched their body, with their bones straightened; it was the last battle, they had to pick the best weapon available to them, the weapon was their fist and the side of their spirit much darker than the night.

The universe was still beaming with anger, it sent forth rain. Droplets of water started to thump on their faces. Yomi looked at the sky, he was fully convinced of the rain.

The rain poured on the fire and showed its power as the stronger element

“It is raining, we have to move as fast as possible” Yomi told his brother.

“It is already the night; those guards would stop looking for us” Kunle replied.

“I am starting to doubt if school gives the right number of senses” Yomi started walking, looking forward without the fear of the rain. “Let’s start moving”. His brother joined him.

Lightening flashed on the sky; thunder claps accompanied it. The brothers are already soaked with water.

Kunle slid on the muddy floor, he fell down and two of the artifacts fall from the bag. His brother raised him from the ground. Kunle became anxious, he started turning, looking for the fallen artifacts.

Yomi rushed to him and gripped his brother firmly. “It is gone, let’s go, forget it, we still have enough inside the bag” Yomi pulled his brother, and grabbed the bag “Let’s go”

“It is gone” Kunle said with his face covered with daze, as he followed his brother that took him by hand.

The moon is shown clearly in the sky while the rain became light till it was empty of water

Arrow struck a little nearer and it would have pierced the throat of Yomi, the sound of another arrow is heard and it is stung to a tree.

Yomi pulled his brother to a tree. He placed his finger on his lips, signaling his brother to remain silent. “They are here, like three of them, I think we could take them out, just wait on my signal” Yomi whispered, as he peered through the trees. An arrow is struck but hit the tree. “We would attack soon” Yomi turned his head and meets his brother that was still moaning the artifacts that were lost. Yomi boiled with anger and slapped the face of his brother; it was a shock therapy to bring him back to life.

“What are… are…you…doing?” Kunle stuttered.

“We are in the middle of a war zone, get back to your senses” Yomi said worriedly.

An arrow struck Kunle on the leg, he falls on the ground and groaned in pain.

“Damn it” Yomi, looks around hurriedly, he picked up a rock from the ground and rushed to one of the guards and pinned him down with a swift, smashing his head with a rock.

“Brother, look out”. Kunle shouted.

Yomi dodged an arrow that came to his direction, a pinch of luck found him. He rushed to the guard before the guard took another stroke of the arrow, it was calculative, using a rock to smash his head.

Yomi rushed to the tree his brother was, he met one of the guards with an arrow on his chest. Yomi goes to hug his brother. The arrow is still struck deep in Kunle’s leg.

“You think you can steal from the gods and go scot free?” The stricken guard talked with the remaining strength in him. “The gods are coming for you, just two of you can’t defeat 15 guards that are scattered all over the jungle looking for you. It is going to be a longer night than you ever imagined, a slower death too”. The guard chuckled as he died slowly.

Yomi quickly tore a piece of cloth from his shirt. He was calm for a moment, he thought of when to remove the arrow from his brother foot, his plan was to remove it unexpected. Still a moment, then; he dragged the arrow from his brother’s leg.

“Argh” Kunle groaned loudly.

Yomi quickly tied a cloth around the leg, tighter than ever, to stop the flow of blood that gushed. Kunle had to hold himself from letting the pain out.

“Put that foot on the ground” Yomi told his brother.

Kunle put the foot on the ground in pain, he squealed in pain. Yomi rushed to the where the other guards’ bodies were. He picked the bow and an arrow, he raised one to the air, trying to get his hands used to it. He rushed back to where his brother is.

“It is a good thing we are heading to the right direction; I just pray we get there in one piece” Yomi chuckled, his hopes were failing, his face could not hide it anymore, but he had to continue fighting, it was the only option available.

He raised his brother to his feet, and gave him the bow and arrow. “You have to fight too, I would carry the artifacts for you, but you have to try to walk, we can’t run anymore, we have to face whatever comes our way, at least let’s die fighting for our lives and a future”

Kunle nodded his head in agreement.

**

The rain had stopped pouring that same night. The brothers walked careful through the jungle. Kunle limped and walked with one of his feet.

“Walk out the pain, it is just a mindset” Yomi advised him.

Kunle thought for a while to gather some courage, he placed the foot on the ground, it was accompanied with a loud cry. Yomi knew there were in enemy territory, he dropped the loot and rushed to his brother. “Position your bow and arrow”.

The brothers learnt how to hunt from their father, who took them to the jungle and look for antelopes to hunt. Their father was a master hunter, he taught them how to aim their arrow to kill the Antelope with one strike. Tonight, was when they had to forcefully remember the skills that their father taught them, this time is not about hunting, it is about survival.

**

They hid behind the trees and acted in a stealth mode. The brothers had already positioned their bow and arrow, they were fully ready to strike. The guards were chanting as they approached, five of them. The loud scream from Kunle had brought them here.

The brothers glanced at each other; it was time. Immediately, the brothers positioned their bow and arrow and aimed. The guards approached, the brothers fired their arrows into the chest of the guards, two of them killed.

An arrow pierced the shoulder of Kunle, he fell down in pain, groaned hard. Yomi became anxious, sweat started to drip from his head in the cold night. An arrow flew through the air and pierced Yomi’s left ear. He held the pain in that prevented him from screaming. The arrows kept on flying in the air, Yomi dragged his brother closer to him.

Yomi took an arrow stung on the tree, he positioned it carefully and struck one of the guards. Yomi looked at his brother down again, in pain.

“They are here, they are here” chants were coming from the back up guards, adding up to 10 of them. “Careful, be careful, they are armed”

Yomi looked at his brother, tears strolled from his eyes. Yomi looked at the sky twirling his head, anxiety painted all over him. He picked a rock, walked out of the tree with his hands raised up, a form of surrender. The guards rushed to him, the surrender was fake, it was an attempt to bring them out and take out as many that he could. Yomi threw the rock at one of them. He charged forward. An arrow was shot to Yomi’s leg, he fell, landing on the muddy floor.

**

The brothers were on their knees, their hands and legs tied, they are about to be beheaded in the bush, their heads covered with clothes. Dawn approaches, and their fate decided.

                                                                        The end