Part 2: My miserable existence

By Mory Keita

Part 2: Adventure in the Garden of Eden

           

         After being abandoned by my father, I was drawn to the daily spectacles taking place outside  the box in which  I lived in. The incessant noises of the crowded streets, the dark smoke of the trains passing by, merchant women calling on pass byes to buy their merchandises, children playing catch me if you can and running in the avenues, a group of old men smoking pipes while others  played chess and shared life experiences charmed my wandering spirit. I was particularly intrigued by a university professor, whose  name escapes my short memory, who seemed very bright and righteous. Therefore, one night, I decided to secretly venture into his chamber to question him about my father and myself, for if there was a man who would have been able to tell me my identity, it had to be him.

        I went to his chamber walking slowly and calmly, like a cat. Seated in the right corner of his vast room, he was reading a book of geology which he seemed to enjoy. I approached him as politely as I could, and then tapped his shoulder. He turned his face towards me.

“Who is this?” he said with a soft gentle tone.

“Sorry for the interruption sir….” I replied back as gently as I could.

         Before I could articulate my sentence he ran heart pounding afraid and disappeared from my sight . I went back to the laboratory, wondering about the cause of the professor’s sudden disappearance. “What is the ghost that scared this gentleman or was it simply my giant posture and pale face?” I wondered throughout the day in solitude.

        Long I spent waiting, thinking and dreaming—dreaming like a lazy dog of an unknown father’s return, but my patience was in vain. So, the next day, at dawn I disguised my self like a typical townsman by wearing some old cloths left by my father before his sudden departure.Dressed like an upper class gentleman,  i walked slowly and confidently. To my unpleasant surprise, the people seemed to be in fear of seeing a hideous monster like me, as they murmured to each other. Hatred  consumed their souls, but despite their envious and heinous eyes, I continued my journey of exploring the town.  

           The town, with its majestic vista and rich people had nothing more enchanting than my precious Lady Janet. She was a pearl of heavenly beauty—a beauty above earthly minds.

                                          Soft and gentle like snow,

                                          She climbs the moon like shadow

                                          Then her beauty fades forever.

                                    

        The first time I saw her passing by, our eyes met and like a god-sent angel, she smiled at me. Much I marveled in knowing that such an enchanting ghastly creature could have a sincere interest in a monster like me. Isn’t fantastic—beauty and the beast.I followed her gently to pay my compliments to her loveliness. “Excuse me my lady. May I know your name?” I said calmly approaching her, “Ewww, Monster, Monster!!” she yelled hysterically running like a fearful tiger chased by elephants or Cerberus itself. Much I marveled again, “Why such a delicate flower would run from a gentleman being courteous”. Saddened and disappointed by this unorthodox conduct, I isolated myself for days to meditate on reasons people are scared of me, and decided to venture into the wildness. After days of thinking, I came to the conclusion that in the Garden of Eden, all creatures of god are not equal in status— only appearance matters, not personality nor intention.      


I encourage you to read the Third part of this story,  Day of judgment.           

Part 2: My miserable existence

Part 4: My miserable existence

                                                          By Mory Keita

                                              Part4:  Revelation
                    “To be, or not to be, that is the question."

                                                  Hamlet, Shakespeare

              Long I walked searching, like a desert nomad, for father’s location. I crushed earth and heaven wandering across seas and land  like Ulysses “following knowledge like a sinking star beyond the utmost bond of human thought”.

         I finally found my father’s mansion in an isolated place in Scotland and decided to pay him a visit that night. When darkness enveloped the sky like carpet, I adventured into his chamber through a broken window. While jumping at the window, I imagined my father jumping on my shoulders, crying of happiness. I imagined him ordering a banquet for his beloved son's return.

            I calmly entered the entrance to his chamber room and sat in an old chair in a dark corner of the room and began contemplating the family's tableaus hung on the tall, decorated walls of the chamber. These are my ancestors, great gentlemen and ladies; I felt pride in my heart seeing the nobles of my lineage. Suddenly, there came a tapping as someone entering the door. I hid by the rose decorated curtain covering the window, then there came a person entering. My heart pumped as I observed the tall silhouette approaching my hideout.

“Father,” I said uncovering myself.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my chamber?” he instantly replied, shivering as if he had feared this moment for so long.

“I am… I am your son,” I replied, approaching the sun light to make my face more visible and distinguishable.

“Do not approach me, Monster,” he yelled trembling, “I have no son.”

He took a few seconds to look at my face, and then, realizing who I was, moved backward little by little as if searching to escape.

“Have you forgotten me father?” I said astonished by his hostile welcome.

“No, my God, what have I done? You are a mistake”   he said with remorse, hands on his chest.

Confused, I looked into his blue eyes and said, “but, I am your son, flesh of your flesh”.

“Don’t you understand you are not human, you are a monster, my punishment for my sins” he said crying.

     My soul felt like a asteroid from sky. I parted from the chamber, sad, furious, and lost, then set out to travel the world while waiting of a revelation from heaven.


I encourage you to read the last part of this story, Exodus.

Part 4: My miserable existence

The Madman is amongst us

             At four o’clock of the night, he woke up and managed to get out of his bed. Wearing a dark jacket, eyes covered by lunettes, he turned on light, took a deep breath and ghostly marched towards the door to wait for his victim. “The Madman,” those who saw him secretly whispered to each others, “where the hell is he going this early?”
            During the two or three years that he has lived in his isolated apartment, no living soul has seen his face or heard his voice. It is said that the few unfortunates who saw his monstrous eyes perished immediately. He never went out at daylight or spoke to his suspicious, foolish neighbors. There were rumors circulating that he was a spooky vampire or some kind of Greek mythological creatures called “Minotaur”. If you ask the neighborhood children about him, they will certainly say that he is a murdered hiding from the police.

           Behold! Curiosity took over me. In a cold icy day, I courageously took the resolution to uncover the identity of the person hiding behind this mysterious character. I woke up early to meet his habitual stairway descent time. He was wearing the same shit (cloths) as usual. As he walked down in the deserted streets, I followed him steps by steps with a snake-like attentiveness. After nearly thirty five minutes of endless march, he turned his back and carefully analyzed his surrounding; “Bump, bump!” I hear my heart bits - I felt like facing an imminent danger.

          At the corner of a street, he stopped and suddenly began taking his lunettes and jacket off. As I carefully observe him, a familiar silhouette distinguished itself: tall, white male, shaggy looking. PE-DER-SEN, I proclaimed loudly with an air of astonishment. I think he heard my voice and saw me running across the streets because his face was firing like a boiling volcano waiting to erupt. After making this astonishing, yet marvelous discovery, I ran to school heart pounding afraid.

                                   Do not stare at me, he is the madman not me.  

           While passing by his class room, I saw his devilish face uncovered; he was smiling like an angel to some of his students. He did not look like the mysterious madman who has inspired hundreds of myths. But, I did not let his angelical new appearance deceive me; for, the devil itself, Lady Macbeth, advised her treacherous husband in Shakespeare’s Macbeth “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”.

 Beware the devil is double-faced.
                                 

              I didn’t want to go into his class, but Mr. Noonan forced me to. I tried to briefly explain to him the true nature of the man hiding behind our Mr. Pedersen, but his ears were blind.  “Kids” he said with mockery “always trying to find excuses not to go to class”.  When I entered the room, he stared at me like a ferocious bull preparing to attack.

“Mory sit here,” he said calmly.
“Sirrrr,” I replied nervously “I would prefer to sit on the back”.
“No, no, the front must be filled first”.
            While speaking I observed his facial expression. He laughed. He laughed and laughed again with the evil smile on his face.
             Take ten minutes to write a short poem describing you” he addressed the class emphasizing the verb “to describe”. “Describe myself” I whispered, “why doesn’t he describe himself?” . Later on I figured it out that he wanted us to reveal or weakness’ and take advantage of them. Didn’t you see him smiling like a viper?
           The bell rang a while after and we were dismissed from his class. While leaving his class, he called upon me and manifested his true nature. He was a bizarre creature …. Very bizarre...very, his has a rectangular face, big noose, eyes of varied sizes and a large disgusting mouth. Do you want to discover who he is? Well, he is an alien enveloped in an artificial human body. I know it because….. No, it is a secret, ask him yourself.
           Since that day, the madman hunts me in my nightmares; I think that I’m his next victim. He once pointed at my face and said “you are the next”. Help, save me! Save me from the madman and his extraterrestrial insanity. Do not approach him. Do not let him deceive you with his smile, for the devil is a smile.

Note: This is just a piece of fiction; therefore any description presented in this piece is purely fictional.  

Mr.Petersen: my high school creative writing teacher.

Mr.Noonan: high school principal.

The school: High School for Arts , Imagination and Inquiry.

The Madman is amongst us