As if there was someone present with them with a sharpened short axe, the invisible force hacked into them, hewing them into pieces. Blood oozed out from their opened flesh in, all direction and the chunks of fresh flesh, flew in all direction as well. The assault went on until there was nothing left of them, even their skeleton, which one would think would be left behind was chopped into pieces of bone, lying all around every where you look at, and their stomach content –liver, heart, could not be made out, it was as if some one sliced and grinded a meat offered as a sacrifice to some gods. Pieces of fresh human meat and bones slapped and hit him where he stood. Hot blood dripped from within the flesh, almost drenching the boys face and the bones left some splinters on his flesh, he was dazed and transfixed to the position he was in as well as being rooted to the ground. After the massacre the black and mysterious fog lifted and dissipated into the thin air, the same way it came, and the wind’s gust was reduced and came back to the normal atmosphere it was before –the tranquillity returning as well as the glorious peace and calm it was known to have, the shrieking, screaming and horrible chattering dying away. The animals quit naturally returned to their normal vibrant lifestyle and thrived on, but not for the humans, just not for a while. The disturbance –the screams and cries of the habiting animals and the deceased, of the forest, has drawn the attention of most of the inhabitants of Cansasa’s valley to the spot of the ritual and sacrifice look alike, which was now humming with flies and smelled of blood. The natural colours which made up the place and the grandeur were now covered with blood making it look grotesque –the massacre particular environ.
The carnage left behind was not worth seeing; it was horrible, gruesome, dire, repulsive, ill-omened, and atrocious. It made those at the scene revolt, it gave them headache and to vomit. The scene certainly wasn’t for faint hearted, as a few passed out right there, never to see the seasons reoccurring. Amid this filth and carnage, was something odd, strange and unusual, the baby was right there, hail and healthy, not a single speck of blood stain on his clothing or face unlike the boy from the other canopy, miles away.
No one knows if he was the real baby or if some demonic incarnation has taken place. Many tittle-tattled that he was a living offering latter to be killed by a very close ally of his, from behind, it does really send the shivers down your spine. His closest relations known was his aunt –his mother’s sister, who came and took him into her care, none can predict his future.
His aunt was called Clara, she lived alone with no other family, her little house was made of good timber, and it was just alright. The inside was tidy and clean every item well placed, boosting four rooms, and beds in the sleeping rooms were of oak and straw lying. Outside, the house was wearing a veil of climbing flowers, which were well looked after, there was another separate garden with some vegetables, lettuce and to the left an apple tree. The garden also contained flowers such as rose, hibiscus, parsley, orchid and canna lily. The compound was in the middle of a light forest with a road passing right through the compound.
The boy grew up to be somewhat dull, not particularly sharp, he was forgetful, but stuck to some specific words which have been emphasized over and over again or words conveying action. He really liked mouse, he would leave anything he was doing to, run after a passing mouse, if he wasn’t already petting one. Due to his weak mind and unintelligence he pets the mouse even when they were too young to pet, resulting in their early death, though those which were big he always pets them too hard killing them by breaking their neck. As a result of this hobby of his, he was always detached from his environment and things which would attract boys of his age –he was now fourteen.
One evening he was sitting outside the house on a log facing the public road which passed through their compound, petting the new mouse which had just been given him by his aunt Clara, when a boy of medium height, bronze hair, small eyes. His face was well built, small forward pointed nose; his face was cool, showing someone of great character and eyes depicting someone of caution, and was light in complexion. He was also older than Lennie. Lennie stopped petting for just a moment, looking at the boy; it was unusual of Lennie as he was always spellbound by his petting.
The boy went out of sight and Lennie resumed his almost daily devotion. A minute had hardly gone by when the boy went by the house. Suddenly, there was a cry coming from the direction the boy had gone, ‘bastard!’, ‘help! Help! Help!’ shouted the boy. Lennie took his time, stopping his devotion, and then lifting his head slowly and finally looking forward when he heard the boy’s cry, he started muttering to himself ‘ aunt Clara said no trouble, no fighting’, ‘she said if ya fight, I’ll take off ya the mouse’. Again, there were the cries more often and now like shrieks, ‘for God’mn sake, will som’bodi ‘elp me’ Lennie listened and said over and over again ‘no fighting, no trouble or else mouse’ot for petting’. This time around a very hard slap bounced of someone’s skin, echoing into the forest and beyond. Lennie stood up this time around putting the mouse carefully into his pocket and soon ignored what his aunt told him. Actually he got the scene running and saw that the boy was overpowered by some other boys unknown to him who were big.
One was very tall and slim, but fit with dark eyes, shining like that of a sparrow and with ember hair which had streaks drooping onto his face. The second was of medium height, looked intelligent with his Rosse Crowe looks and had strong hands. Portraying; blue crystal eyes, and dark hair, also, some muscles. The third, hefty looking with a lot of muscles in his arms and thighs, though, short with tanned skin. His large pale eyes which seemed to be looking nowhere specifically, made him stand out amongst his friends. Lennie himself was not to be overlooked, at his age; he looked bigger than most boys of his age mate and some adults. Strong thighs, and flat feet’s which had a very good grip of the ground. His hands were also strongly covered in muscle, his neck wasn’t long but thick with muscles, his chest was big moving in and out. His eyes were sort of green with little embers of yellow on the sides. Although his face was dull, shapeless and no strong features, hair of gold, now standing erect, like a lion ready to pounce on its prey, he looked like a bull about to bring down a wall. Soon the other boys took notice of him and stopped and look at him for a minute and were about to return to their torturing, when Lennie said ‘stop, let him go, off him’, the short and the tall guy said immediately and together ‘yeah?’, ‘yeah!’, said Lennie, nodding his head a little. ‘Well, what have we got here, a real hero to the rescue’, with a smile on his face and his eyes glisten with pleasure, ‘funny, you just can’t beat us’, said the medium height guy with such sureness and ego. ‘Grandma’s pet, better run like hell out of here, if not, you coulda be grandma’s patient’. Lennie’s face has certainly changed to, that of a hurt dark agent, in horror films out for revenge and revenge only, for honour and esteem. Yet, the other guys hardly took notice, with such terror, on his face, but instead, they were about to resume the torture act again, without hesitation he lunged forward and intervened holding the tall guys punch with his palm and threw him back with so much force, that it seemed as if he was blown out of a propeller, the guy went straight into the nearby shrubs, falling backward and hitting his skull on a rock, to lose consciousness.
The others watch with awe and strange eyes which held bailment, and as well as being open mouthed for just a second. Then the short guy broke the spell of the moment by facing Lennie, ready for a bout. He threw a punch which was aimed at Lennie’s face but Lennie ducked on time, the guy punching the air, however, the guy was quick to recover from his missed punch, this time getting his target which was Lennie’s chin and took him off balance, the guy rushed at him whilst he was trying to regain balance, sending tones and tones of punches all over Lennie, yet Lennie did not fall down and this got the guy real frustrated and angry that he also resulted into kicks. The other medium guy joined in, now Lennie was bleeding all over his face and any other person would have let go but not Lennie, he tried and tried as hard as he could to gain his balance, when he did, he let all his fury and anger on them both. Punched as hard as he could muster catching the short guy on the lips which tore apart, oozing blood, and gave him a powerful thrust backward, but due to his muscle he didn’t fall but staggered and regained balance. He immediately moved forward again throwing a punch which Lennie blocked, replying with another destabilising punch, hitting the guy on the chin, but stood, Lennie immediately turned this into his advantage, punching him over and over again repeatedly without stopping until the guy’s body slumbered down, the medium guy came from behind him and threw a punch but he was no match for Lennie, only three punches from Lennie to his head and nose sent him sprawled on the floor gasping for breathe as was the other short guy, none moving.
He went to the guy he was aiding, who was drenched in blood, his face had cuts, arms also bruised, Lennie helped him to sit aright from his awkward position. ‘Are you a’ight?’ with a bit of difficulty, the boy replied ‘yes of course I’m, as you can see, do I look alright to you?’ Lennie went on absently ‘you need help’, ‘so do ya’. Then Lennie put his hand to his pocket and brought a dead mouse, the guy said ‘George’, Lennie wasn’t listening no more, all that concerned him was the dead mouse in his hand, the guy said again ‘I’m George Milton’, but Lennie didn’t take his eyes of what he was doing. ‘Are you listening to me at all?’, ‘hey look at me, ‘m talking to ya!’. ‘What his that in ya hands? That ya’re feeling, poor bastard’. People were now arriving at the scene amongst which was Lennie’s aunty. She held Lennie by the hand and took the rabbit. ‘What had I tell ya? You in trouble again, I’m gonna throw this mouse away’. Lennie’s expression changed, his face contorted, ‘Aunt Clara please don’t throw it away, won’t fight no more’. She said I’m going to throw it away now, you’ve be bad’, she turned and was walking away when George called ‘Aunt Clara!; please don’t throw it away’, he hesitated and said ‘he didn’t look for trouble, he came to help me when I was being beaten, please and please don’t throw it away’, he had watched and listened to their conversation. Lennie at this point was crying, tears streaming down his eyes, and said with a heavy voice, ‘please give to me, aunt Clara, I promise I won’t be in trouble’. ‘Ok, you can have it as long as you keep out of trouble’, ‘promise’, ‘yeah, promise’, said Lennie. Lennie whipped his face with his hand. ‘You like mouse a lot I observed, Yeah I do, nothing else I like more than them’. ‘My name is George once again, and yours I assume is Lennie’. Lennie took his eyes off the mouse and said ‘uh’.
‘George, what are we going to do’?
‘How many times do I have to tell ya, I will keep telling ya and ya’ll forget.’ Why tell ya, any ways ya’ll always forget in one minute.
‘George’
‘What is it again, will ya just let go’?
‘We go’ng to have a ranch of our own, aren’t we?
‘Yeah, and I get to tend the mouse and bring alfalfa to feed them’.
‘Yeah’
And live of the fatta the lan’.
‘George, we going to really do it’
‘Yeah, we are’
‘George? Let’s stay friends forever’.
‘George stopped walking suddenly, sayin, ‘we will be friends forever, ‘nd then we have a little piece of land, with a cow, mouse and chicken, all to ourselves, no one to disturb us’, George said dreamily. Lennie also looking ahead, hypnotized in a dream of is own about the ranch they would own one day, said ‘all to ourselves, and I get to take care of the mouse’
‘Yes Lennie, you will’ George said dreamily, again.
‘I get to tend the mouse, alfalfa’ dreamily.
