Story continues...

In an attempt to cross the road back the same way I came, someone hit my arm, the exact spot where I had the cut, and the pains came all over again, with fuller force. I found myself on the ground, gnashing my teeth in agony and for that moment, I forgot mum, Dad, even Pedetin. In fact, I became oblivious of the situation. I groaned in pain. Sanity returned when a hand touched me from behind and I stood up in anxiety.

“Pedetin!” I screamed. 

Oh no! It was a soldier man who was busy dragging people into a van. How come I compared his rough hands with the soft palms of Pedetin? I struggled with him.

“I’ve you seen my sister?” I questioned him but he wasn’t ready for a reply, so, I screamed even louder. 

“Don’t take me away”

“Get into the Van,” he spat

“No, I won’t. I want my sister.”

“You’re bleeding, you need to get treated”. As he spoke, he never relented in dragging me.

I screamed again “Pedetinnnnn! Pedetinnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!”

But the soldier showed no pity on me. He didn’t even listen to me. Or maybe he did, because he responded.

“Don’t worry, we will definitely pick her up. But you have to go now”

For a second, he made sense. I stopped struggling with him and hopped into the van. But the next moment brought back the gravity of the entire scenario, I screamed so loud that I heard myself no more. The van travelled down several paths and I peeped from the small window searching through the crowd. 

Suddenly, the van stopped and we were ordered to move down. I discovered that we were brought to an army barracks. I actually thought we were going to a hospital. The van made a U-turn and some soldiers put a tag on us as we got ushered into the barracks. 

I walked in, lost in thought, and thought of my loss. I didn’t even know what I was doing but I must have been looking like someone who just heard about his death sentence. In great quietness, I moved to a corner as if in a trance. A moment later, maybe minutes or hours, I can’t be accurate now! I heard a group of people running into the barracks and I watched in awe. 

People trooped into the barracks in hundreds. I stood up and walked towards the wailing crowd. I paused and looked through them with a deliberate attention. There she stood. I saw Pedetin just behind the mighty crowd. That soldier was right after all. But there were so many people standing between us. I called out in horrific excitement and ran towards her. More people passed between us. 

I fixed my gaze on her and stretched out my hands as if she was a foot away. I was more than ready to give an embrace. She was soothing to my wound, just the treatment I needed. I was just 2 feet away when someone else came to pull her off. My countenance changed and I increased the pace. This time, I was the one knocking people over without caring what the implications were. I finally got to her and pulled her away from the woman holding her. 

“Pedetin. How did you get here?”

Obviously, she has been crying. She had catarrh dropping from her nostrils, in an attempt to clean her tears with the back of her palm, she rubbed it all over her face. Then, the woman holding her spoke up.

“Who are you? What is it?” She drags her from my grip and continued with her journey. 

I stayed put, just like a statue in a museum, watching the woman take her away. The girl is the woman’s daughter after all. I had mistaken her for Pedetin. Now, watching her again, I could see clearly that I misidentified the girl’s height, hair, stature and even clothes. I remained still in my bent position with an outstretched hand. I disappointed myself greatly. 

“Pede! Pede! Noooooooooooo” I finally broke down in tears.

(Wait or the final part...)