Near Death Experience on the Road - Supernatural Writing Contest (SWC)

This post is for the Supernatural Writing Contest sponsored by Jerry Banfield. This is an amazing contest where you can tell your own story about any divinity you have ever experienced and help inspire someone out there. Go over to Jerry Banfield's post Supernatural Writing Contest!, and read and understand what it is all about.

---

My story begins in January, the year 2006. I had just completed my primary school studies and I was at home preparing to join my high school of choice, Kagumo High. My brother was also going to the same school too. It was no coincidence that I had chosen to join him there. Being the last born my parents have always been overprotective of me and therefore they had insisted that I pick the school so that I could adapt more easily because I would be surrounded by familiar people. My parents were also known to most of the teachers in that school since they were also teachers themselves.

Now, the first term of school always started on the first week of January. Form ones, however, were not meant to report to their respective schools until the second week of January for orientation. This meant that my brother who was two years ahead of me in Form three would have to leave first for the new term.

This was perfect. It meant that I had the opportunity to see the school that I would be studying at for 4 years before I actually joined. I thought of it as a scouting mission. It was my first time going to a boarding school and that made me nervous. Having a quick look at what was waiting for me on the other side would definitely provide some relief, I thought.

The reporting date for my brother came very fast. It was the 1st of January, 2006 which was a Sunday and also my dads birthday. Students were always required to arrive on Sunday so that they could quickly dive into the school routine on Monday and help them forget about the comforts of being at home.

At around 2 pm my brother had already packed everything he needed for the new term. Fresh exercise books, pens, pencils, a new geometry set [this one got stolen a lot] and a bunch of snacks. Unlike most of the high schools at that time, the rules at Kagumo high were a bit lax. Other schools prohibited the students from carrying any food items from outside.

Despite that day being a Sunday and also his birthday my dad had to be at work. He was the head of a school for the Mentally Challenged and he was always needed there. He, therefore, could not drive my brother to school. The only option was calling a taxi to take us there. It only took a few minutes for the taxi to arrive outside our door and I helped my brother get everything he had into the back of the car.

My mother got into the front passenger seat and my brother and I got in the back. I remember being super excited but my brother was calmer. However, there was an obvious look of gloom on his face. Going back to school is never fun and especially a boarding school for that matter. Cold showers, under or overcooked food, limited freedom, preps (basically unscheduled late night classes) and not to forget the uncomfortable steel framed beds that had seen better days in the 70s.

The journey was pretty much uneventful except for the dark clouds that were forming in the sky. January is generally a hot month, therefore, rains were always welcome. By the time we got to the gate of the school the air had changed. It carried the sweet smell of rain. A cold shallow breeze made my nose water a bit and I reached into my pocket for my handkerchief as I stepped out of the car. My brother was already out of the vehicle his backpack over his left shoulder and his shopping bag full of snacks and other essentials in his right hand. It was clearly heavy so I offered to carry it through the gate for him. Going into 'prison' was burden enough.

I remember helping him carry his things for a few meters until we arrived at the hostel, Aggrey House. I would actually be sharing this hostel with him but I would be in the junior wing while he was in the senior wing. This was in itself a coincidence or was it? I don't really know. Here he unpacked everything he had and put it in his locker, spread his bed and made sure everything was secure before we headed back to the gate so that he could see us off. By now a few drops of rain were coming down in a slight drizzle.

We could not stay any longer. My mom gave my brother a quick handshake. It was an interesting one though. It resembled a drug deal. Money was changing hands in the process as my mom gave my brother some pocket money to spend in the canteen. The swiftness and the slyness of the handover was commendable.

My mother and I then got into the car and we waved through the window at my brother until he was out of sight. Shortly thereafter we pulled onto the highway on our way back home. The rain had picked up a bit. A cold sharp wind was blowing into the car as we begun to pick up speed so we pulled our windows up to get a bit warm. The driver of the taxi then offered to turn the heat up. It didn't take long for some warmth to start radiating through the vents in the dash. It felt great.

Since I was alone in the back of the car, I took up the middle seat and hooked my left leg under my mom's seat and the other under the driver's seat and leaned forward to catch the heat that was coming out of the vents in front of me. Hardly had I done this than the vehicle suddenly rolled to the right as if we were performing a professional drift only this time in a rusty old Toyota Corolla.

The driver quickly battled the steering wheel to stabilize the vehicle and it is swiftly rolled to the left in the same manner as it had done before. The tires produced a wretched screech as the driver struggled to stay on the road.

Suddenly I heard my mom scream, "Jesus!"

It happened so fast. One second I was trying to get closer to the warmth the next the vehicle was twisting and rolling like a boat in a stormy sea and then suddenly we came to a sudden stop. The front of the vehicle was pointing 90 degrees away from the direction we were heading in towards a steep rocky slope that led to a river at the bottom.

Everybody was visibly shaken especially me. The back seats had no seat belt but somehow I had not been thrown around the back like a ragged doll because of the momentum. Somehow, having my feet under the seat in front of me and holding on to the headrests had kept me secure. I must have held onto the headrests with all my might.

We slowly stepped out of the vehicle to assess the damage and see what had caused us to drift so widely. As we approached the rear we were shocked to see what had caused us to finally stop. A thick looking shrub barely even 30 centimeters was lodged under the treadless tire on the left rear side of the vehicle. The tire was so smoothly eroded it was a surprise that we had got that far on them on a wet road.

My mother stood there looking down at the car holding her mouth. She had her palms together over her mouth as she muttered to herself. She was saying a prayer. I remembered hearing her call out the name of Jesus before we came to a stop. It was incredible. Most likely a miracle. Had we skidded off the road towards the other side we would have probably rolled over the slope over a bunch of jagged rocks into the valley below. It would have ended very differently. The fact that there were no other vehicles on the road at that time was also a blessing. What would have happened if we had skidded into the path of another car, bus or even a heavy truck? I would hate to imagine that. It was divine intervention. It was undeniable.

With that belief in our minds and hearts, we decided to get back into the car and continue the journey. This time we insisted not to go over 30 kilometers per hour. At least at a slow speed chances of skidding on the wet road were almost zero and truly we never did. We got back home safely and made sure to remind the driver to change the tires or else we would report him to the police. He listened.

When we were safe and warm in the house my mother mentioned that God was probably revealing himself to me and wanted me to be saved. I remember her praying for me in the table room and thanking God for saving our lives.

I would probably not even be here today to share this story.

Thank you for reading this and I hope it inspires someone out there. God does indeed work in amazing ways.

---

Support Community Curation Project @boosterke for Steemit Kenya with an SP delegation, Steem or SBD.

Would you #Follow, #Upvote or #Resteem me? I hope to see you in the next one!