Íjáfara
Léwu Tolú sáré kàbàkàbà pèlú èrù. Kò mo oun tó lè se. Béè, awon tó dá wàhálà sílè ti fi pápá bora. Wón si ti ni b’éléșè ba njìyà, olódodo a pín ńbè, bi ó tilè jé wípé owe yìí kò sisé rárá fún àsìkò yìí nítorí àwon elésè ti f’esè fée; awon kòmòdí lo wá nfi ara gbógbé.
Tolu dúró sii. O ndàáro bi oun gbogbo ti se wá dì báyí. Bê, jéjé ni esu jókòó kí awon omo ęgbé okunkun wònyí tó lo ta adií le lórí o. Won ò n’íyá, won si lo n d’égbò èyìn. Won wa koó tán ó d’aápon. Wón fón tán, ó d’àbòn. Ó wú, ó sì bé jó won lójú.
Okan lára awon omo egbé kékèké tí ìyé apá won kò tî tó fò ló lo kojá fàrándà won lo ko jagunlabí olórí egbé kan lójú. Kò sì si éni tí kò mo wípé eni tó n darí egbé yìí kìí se eran áfeyín fà rárá.
Tolú rántí ìgbà kan tí o lo sí ilé itura kan ti awon omo ilé-ìwé gíga npe Gbogbonìse nitorí kòsí àrà te wá débe ti e ónì ba. Jàgó, tí n se olorí egbé ta mò tâ gbodò darúko yìí wa níbè lójó tí ànwí yìí. Sebí, omokunrin kan ló kó sí pańpé Jàgó. O bèrè fún iru otí tó nmu lówó. Eyí ló bii nínú ló bá fa obę yo tó sì bému nínú arákunrin naa.
Èèmò lukutu, kiá lagbo túka tí enití kòsì lèrìn ní kí wón dákun dábò gbé oun sáre. Irúfé eni béè ni awon dòdòyò kan wá lo f’ara kan o, tí wón da ìdàrúdàpò bolè. Èyí ló fa bóolo o yàfún mi. Tí gbogbo ogbà ilé-ìwé ti dàrú. Sùgbón Tolú o mò. Nitorí gbògań ìkàwé gbogboogbo ló gbàgbé sùnlo si.
Fadérera, orébìnrin rè lópě tó tá lólobó pé kó yera fún agbègbè ogbà ilé-ìwé won fún igbà kan ná. Onà tí Tolú si ma gbà dé ilé tó yá gbé gan ni wàhálà ti ń jò rányìn yíi.
Tolú sá wo kòrò kan láti gbà délé. Bê ló ńwò fòfò fòfò pèlú inú fu àyà fu. Tolú nfi okàn gbàdúrà pé k’Ólórun só òun délé.
Igbà ti ó yo sí òpópónà tó dá ònà àti malo si gbògań awon akékòó ìmò ìjìnlè nípa ìròyìn ati ti àwon akékòó onímò oun àlùmónì sí méjì, ó ri pé òkú àwon elegbé òun ti sùnlo bíran. Béè ló ngbó tí ìró ìbon ndún kíkan.
“Okan lára won nìyen! Ę mu!”
“Kò ní ye baba nlá baba yiń!”
Béè l’ariwo ńse gèè tí oníkálukú sì n fi eşè fée. Ásúbúlébú kò tó òkìtì gbígbé. Oníkálukú ndu kó m’órí délé.
Tolú sá wo yàrá kan, èrò tó bá níbè kò sé fęnuso. Awon yen kò tilè gbà kó dúró tìwón. Níse ni wón le bí ajá síta. Okan rè pòruru, kò mo oun tó lese. Béè, òde ngbóná si. Kò bèsù bègbà, o yára wá ibikan f’ara pamó kí àwon tó k’óbon kó kùmò fi rìn síwájú.
Bí Tolú se yo sí gbàgede bayí, awon omo egbe okùnkùn oní dúdú-pupa ló se pèkínpèkí pèlú. Kiá lo rórí pa dá. Kò se méjì, ó yípadà láti gba ibòmî. Tolú ro wipe ìjáfara léwu. Bí nkò bá tètè kúrò láàrín yí, wàhálà wà o!
Béè, ìwé ìdánimò awon akékòó lo fé lo mú wípé, a ìíbá mò bi oun bá pàdé awon agbófinró. Nitorí okùnkùn ti kùn.
“Wòó, n ò mà lé wá kú o. K’ójú mà ríbi, gbogbo ara lògùn rè o. Àbòrò sáre kèké kolu àjàgbé bayí?”
Bí Tolú se yá ara rè lópolo rèé, tó si ya pèyìndà padà sóna igboro. Kó oun m’órí délé ni kókó o jàre.
Delay is Dangerous
Tolu ran unseeing, scared but ignorant of what needs to be done. The hoodlums who started the problems had escaped. But as the saying goes, when the sinner suffers, the saint suffers with him. But even he could not link that saying to this particular situation because the sinners have all escaped leaving the saints to suffer alone.
As he stopped to catch his breath, Tolu remembered how it all started. Trouble was on its own when some cult boys went to awaken it. It is said that a child that has no mother should not get injured on the back, but these boys have no mothers and they allowed themselves to be injured on the back.
One of the boys from the small cult groups on campus started it all by starting a fight with one of the leaders of the toughest cult group on campus. Everyone knew him as a cold-blooded killer and did their best to avoid him, but this particular boy was too bold for his own good.
It started with a visit to a bar called “Everything” because there was nothing you wanted that you wouldn’t find there. Jago, one of the leaders of the top cult groups on campus was drinking in a corner of the bar when a member of another cult group entered and asked what Jago was drinking. Jago felt insulted that the other boy had guts to address him. He got up and stabbed the boy thrice and all hell was let loose.
As everything scattered, everyone took to their heels. The ones who couldn’t walk begged to be carried. Tolu was ignorant of all these because he had been holed up in the library. As he stepped out, he saw a message from his girlfriend, Faderera warning of the crisis on campus. The only trouble was that the fastest route home was where the fight was hottest.
He took a side path hoping he would be able to avoid the hoodlums and link up with his original route. But as he came out of the road, he saw corpses of students, some shot, others with machete wounds, and still the chants of war raged on. As the chants grew louder, the students ran faster, desperately clinging on to dear life and hoping they would get home safely.
He hurriedly dashed into a lecture room. The number of students he met hiding out in the classroom were just too much. But even they did not allow him to stay. As he returned outside, he heard the chants and running boots grow louder. He hid quickly in the shadows to allow the rioters pass.
Tolu came out from his hiding place thinking the worst was over. But just as he was about to head home, he heard more footsteps running towards him. He hid again. He was on his way to take his identification card but as things stood, he knew if he delayed any longer, he would lose his life.
He turned back and began walking to the library. If home was a no-go area, the library shouldn’t be.
