The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E03

Story 1 month ago

The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

The morning sun was beginning to climb higher into the big, blue sky, casting long, thin shadows across the cracked earth of the yard. It was a bright day that made the dew on the grass sparkle like tiny diamonds, but the light did not make Seyi feel any warmer. He was standing in the small, dusty yard, his hands still sore and red from the heavy work he had done the day before. The birds were singing loudly in the mango trees, but to Seyi, their happy songs sounded like they were crying for him. He was waiting for something, though he did not know what it was. Every day felt the same in Aunt Clara’s house. It was a long and painful cycle of waking up before the sun, working until his small bones ached, and going to sleep on a thin, cold mat in the corner of the room. He often dreamed of his mother’s voice, but those dreams always faded when the cold reality of the morning arrived.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of a bicycle bell rang out near the front gate. It was a cheerful sound that usually meant news from the outside world had finally reached their small village. It was the postman, a man named Mr. Bello. He was a friendly man who wore a dusty, brown uniform and a wide hat to keep the hot sun away from his eyes. He stopped his old bicycle and pulled a small, clean, white envelope from his leather bag. Aunt Clara was already standing at the door, as if she had been waiting for this very moment. She always seemed to know when something was coming. She moved quickly, her eyes sharp like a hawk and hungry for whatever the letter might hold. She took the letter from the postman and gave him a quick nod. Mr. Bello waved his hand and rode away, his bicycle tires making a crunching sound on the gravel path as he disappeared down the road.

Clara went back inside and sat down at the heavy wooden table. She did not call Seyi to come inside. She did not even look in his direction. She carefully and slowly tore open the envelope, taking her time to enjoy the secret moment. Inside was a letter written on a piece of lined paper with very neat handwriting. But more importantly, there was a small wad of cash. The money was folded neatly into a square, tucked away like a precious secret. Clara pulled the money out and began to count it. Her eyes sparkled with a strange, dark light as she looked at the paper notes. They were crisp and clean, smelling like the bank and the busy city far away. She felt the texture of the paper, thinking of all the things she could buy for herself and her son, Tobi.

She began to read the letter to herself. It was from David, Seyi’s father. David was a man who worked very hard in a big city many miles away. He missed his son every single day and every single night. He worked very long hours under the hot, burning sun just so he could send money home for Seyi’s care and education. The letter was full of deep love and kindness. It said, "My dear sister Clara, I hope you and Tobi are doing very well. Please use this money I have sent to buy Seyi the new books he needs for his school. I want him to be the smartest boy in his class so he can grow up to be a great man. Tell him I love him very much and that I am working hard every day for his future. I will see him soon."

But Aunt Clara did not feel any love or kindness as she read those beautiful words. She did not feel happy for her nephew, Seyi. Instead, she felt a cold, dark kind of greed growing in her heart. She looked at the money in her hand and then she looked at the old, tattered curtains hanging in her living room. She thought about the new shoes and expensive toys Tobi had been asking for lately. She slowly tucked the money deep into the bottom of her own purse, hiding it away where no one would ever find it. Then, she crumpled the letter from David into a small, tight ball and threw it into the dark corner of the room like it was just a piece of trash. She did not want Seyi to know his father still cared for him.

"Seyi!" she called out loudly. Her voice was smooth as silk, but it felt dangerous, like a snake sliding through the tall grass.

Seyi came running into the kitchen, his heart beating fast with excitement. He had seen the postman at the gate. He knew in his heart that a letter had come from the city. "Is that a letter from my papa?" he asked very softly. His voice was small and full of hope, like a little bird waiting to be fed. He gripped the edges of his worn shirt, his eyes searching his aunt’s face for any sign of a message from the man he missed so much.

Clara looked down at him with a face that was cold and hard. She did not smile. She reached for a long broom that was leaning against the kitchen wall and handed it to him. "Yes, it was a letter from your father," she said, lying with every breath. She leaned in closer to him, her eyes narrowing until they were just thin slits. "But I have very bad news for you, Seyi. Your father is very disappointed in you. He sent a note saying that you are being lazy and not helping me enough. He says you must work much harder if you want to stay here in my house. He told me not to buy you any new books until you show that you are a very good worker."

Seyi felt like his heart had just cracked right down the middle. He stood very still, the heavy broom feeling like a massive weight in his hands. He could not believe what he was hearing. His father, the man who always called him his champion and his hero, thought he was lazy? His father wanted him to work even harder than he already was? Seyi felt a painful lump forming in his throat, making it hard to breathe. He wanted to cry out loud and ask why, but he remembered what he had learned in this house. Tears did not help him here. Tears only made Aunt Clara more angry and more likely to punish him.

"Go on now," Clara snapped, pointing toward the other room. "Start with the living room floor. I want every bit of dust gone. I want the floor to be so clean that it shines like a mirror. If I find even one speck of dirt when I check it later, you will stay awake all night long cleaning the windows with cold water. Do you understand me?"

Seyi turned away and walked into the living room. He didn't want Clara to see the deep sadness in his eyes. He began to sweep the floor. He didn't just sweep normally like he usually did. He swept with a ferocity and a power that he had never felt before in his life. He was very angry, and he was very hurt by the lies he believed were true. He pushed the broom across the floor so hard that large clouds of grey dust rose up into the air. The dust got into his nose and his throat, making him cough and sneeze, but he did not stop for a second. He wanted to show his father that he wasn't lazy. He wanted to prove that he was worth something, even if his father was far away and could not see him.

While Seyi was working until his arms felt like they would fall off and his back was sore, Tobi was sitting comfortably on the big, soft sofa. Tobi was not sweeping. He was not cleaning. He was not doing any work at all. Instead, he was holding a brand new handheld electronic game. It was a shiny, plastic toy with many buttons that made bright sounds and a screen that lit up with many different colors. It was a very expensive toy. Aunt Clara had gone out to the market and bought it with the very same money that David had sent for Seyi’s school books. Tobi was completely focused on the game, his thumbs moving rapidly.

Tobi was very happy with his new, shiny toy. He pressed the buttons very fast, making little beeping noises and winning sounds fill the quiet room. He looked over at Seyi, who was covered in grey dust and dripping with sweat. Tobi did not feel sorry for his cousin at all. He did not offer to help him with the heavy broom or give him a glass of water. Instead, he made a very mean face. He stuck out his pink tongue at Seyi and laughed.

"Slave," Tobi whispered in a mean and hateful voice. He said it very quietly so his mother in the kitchen wouldn't hear him, but he said it loud enough for Seyi to feel the sharp sting of the word. "You are just a slave boy. That is why you have to sweep the floor and I get to sit here and play with my new game. My mom says you don't belong here with us. You are lucky she even lets you sleep on the floor."

Seyi stopped sweeping. The broom stayed completely still on the dusty floor. He looked at the dust motes dancing in the bright sunlight that came through the window. Then, he slowly and quietly turned his head to look at Tobi. He looked at the shiny, expensive game that should have been his school books. He looked at Tobi’s smug, happy face and his clean, fancy clothes. He thought about everything he had lost and everything he was being forced to endure.

For the first time in his whole life, Seyi did not feel like crying. He did not feel like running away to hide in the backyard. Instead, a tiny, bright spark of fire appeared deep in his eyes. It was a brand new feeling that he had never known before. It was the feeling of a boy who was tired of being pushed down into the dirt. It was the feeling of someone who was starting to realize that the mean things he was being told were not the truth. He looked at the wooden broom, and then he looked back at Tobi. He didn't say a single word, but his grip on the long broom handle tightened until his knuckles turned as white as bone. He felt a strength growing in his arms that had not been there before.

The air in the room suddenly felt very heavy and very still. Even the dust in the air seemed to stop moving for a moment. Tobi saw the new look in Seyi’s eyes and for a second, he looked a little bit scared. He stopped pressing the buttons on his game. The beeping sounds and the music from the toy stopped. The whole house became very, very quiet. It was the kind of silence that happens before a big storm hits the ground and changes everything.

Just then, a very loud and clear noise broke the silence of the house.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It was a knock at the front door. It wasn't a soft, gentle knock like the postman Mr. Bello always made. It wasn't a loud, angry bang like the neighbors sometimes made when they were upset. It was a firm, steady, and very confident knock. It had a very specific rhythm to it, a rhythm that Seyi remembered from a long, long time ago when he was a much smaller boy living with his mother. It was a knock that sounded exactly like his father’s knock.

Seyi’s heart stopped beating for a second. Aunt Clara froze in the kitchen, her hand holding a large metal spoon mid-air. Tobi dropped his shiny new game onto the soft sofa, his mouth hanging open in shock. Everyone in the house held their breath, too afraid to move. The sound of the knock echoed through the long hallway, making the wooden floorboards seem to hum and vibrate.

Who could it be at the door? Was David really standing there on the porch? If it was his father, what would he see when he walked inside? Would he see the dust on the floor? Would he see the shiny toy bought with stolen money? Or would he see the fire that was finally starting to burn brightly in his young son’s eyes? The suspense hung in the air like a thick, heavy cloud, waiting for someone to finally open the door and let the truth inside the house.

Do you think Aunt Clara will get in trouble for stealing the book money from the letter?

Why did Clara lie to Seyi about what his father said in the letter? Was she trying to break his spirit?

What do you think the "spark of fire" in Seyi’s eyes means for the next episode? Is he finally going to stand up for himself?

Who do you think is really at the door? Is it really David, or is it someone else who knocks just like him?

Do not miss what happens next in this story!

The big secret is about to come out and the tension is higher than it has ever been before! Will Seyi finally be saved from his life of hardship, or is this just another trick played by the world?