Special Contributor (Issue 3)
Deceitful Truth by Makinde Damilola
Returning from buying eggs and sardine that Saturday morning, I heard someone calling out to me. It was my friend Wasiu who lived next to my house. I rarely had time to relate with him as I was hardly allowed beyond the railings of our balcony. After exchanging pleasantries, I told him I had to go in. He instantly made it known that he would love to follow me in; I defiantly refused, but he seemed resolute. I entered and started whistling as if we had a dog which was to heed the ominous call. Unaware of the trick, Wasiu, like lightening, disappeared from behind me. I consumed the fruit of happiness which the trick served me.
Upon entering, dad asked me why I whistled. Confidently, I explained how Wasiu wanted to follow me in and how I deceived him playing the role of a whistling mythical dog. After my explanation, dad went in, brought out four strong wires, strung them together and started flogging me. To him, I was a lazy liar who had been an apprentice of the devil. I was flogged blue-black.
After 45minutes of thorough flogging, he commanded me to go down on my knees with arms up. I pondered on what had happened and why I got flogged to that extent. I could not rationalize the link between the punishment and the offence. Coincidentally, a radio sermon was on, and the cleric made a statement, ‘Tell the truth and it shall set you free’, and in my demoralized state, I burst into tears, answering to myself, “No, it didn’t set me free”.
Makinde Oluwadamilola Peter, a second year student of communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, takes delight in writing, singing and reading.