The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E13

Story 4 weeks ago

The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E13

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 13

Tobi sat on the hard dirt floor of the tiny room in the slum. The air was thick and it smelled like old trash and wet smoke. He looked at the small plastic bag of raw beans. His stomach was making very loud noises. It felt like there was a small animal inside his belly trying to bite its way out. He had not eaten a real meal in a long time. His mother, Aunt Clara, was sitting in the corner. She did not look like a queen anymore. Her yellow lace dress was brown with dirt at the bottom. She just stared at the wall and did not say anything. She was broken.

Tobi knew that if he wanted to live, he had to cook the beans. He found an old stove that the person before them had left behind. It was covered in grease and rust. Tobi did not know how to start a fire. In the village, Seyi was always the one who started the fire. Seyi was the one who gathered the wood and blew on the coals until they turned red. Tobi had always watched from the sofa while he drank cold water. Now, he had to do it himself. He tried to use a small match. His hands were shaking so much that the first five matches broke. He started to cry because he felt so useless. Finally, a small flame started. He put a pot of water on the stove. He threw the beans inside. He did not know that you are supposed to wash beans. He did not know that you are supposed to pick out the small black stones. He just wanted the

hunger to stop.

The water began to get warm. Tobi sat near the stove. He felt very tired. He had spent the whole day crying and worrying. The heat from the small fire made him feel sleepy. He thought to himself that he would just close his eyes for a few seconds. He thought the beans would take a long time to cook. But Tobi did not know that the fire was too high. He did not know that the water was disappearing very fast. He fell into a deep sleep on the dirt floor.

He dreamed about the university. In his dream, he was wearing a golden crown. He was sitting at a big table full of fried chicken, jollof rice, and cold juice. All his friends were there, laughing and telling him how great he was. But then, the dream started to change. The chicken turned into black stones. The juice turned into grey smoke. Tobi started to cough in his dream. He felt like he could not breathe.

Tobi opened his eyes. He could not see his mother. He could not see the door. The whole room was filled with thick, acrid smoke. It was a grey cloud that bit at his eyes and made his throat feel like it was on fire. The smell was terrible. It smelled like something dead was burning. Tobi realized that the water in the pot was gone. The beans were no longer beans. They were black, hard pieces of coal stuck to the bottom of the pot. The pot was glowing red from the heat.

"Mother! Mother!" Tobi shouted, but he started to cough so hard that he fell down. He crawled on his hands and knees toward the door. He pushed it open and tumbled out into the dirt of the slum alleyway. He lay there, gasping for air. His lungs felt tight. His face was covered in black soot.

The people who lived in the other shacks came out to see what was happening. They saw the smoke pouring out of Tobi’s window. They saw the boy who looked like he used to be rich lying in the dirt. These people were poor, but they knew how to survive. They knew how to cook and how to work. They looked at Tobi and they did not see a prince. They saw a boy who was more helpless than a baby.

"Look at the university boy!" a man shouted. He started to laugh so hard that he had to hold his sides. "He thinks he is better than us because he has a big name. But look! He cannot even boil a simple pot of beans without burning the whole house down!"

A woman joined in the laughing. "He is a hand-fed baby! If someone does not put the spoon in his mouth, he will surely die of hunger. What a waste of school fees!"

Tobi felt a deep, burning shame. It was worse than the fire in the pot. It was a shame that went deep into his bones. He wanted to hide. He wanted to run back to the village, but he had no money and no way to get there. He crawled back into the room once the smoke had cleared. The pot was ruined. The beans were gone. He had nothing else to eat.

For two days, Tobi stayed in that room. He was too ashamed to go outside. He was too weak to walk. The hunger was no longer just a pain in his stomach. It was a weight that made his whole body feel heavy. He felt dizzy every time he stood up. He looked at his mother, but Clara just shook her head. She had no more tricks. She had no more hidden money. Their harvest of pride had turned into a harvest of empty plates.

On the third day, Tobi knew he could not stay there anymore. He felt like he was slipping away. He thought about Seyi. He thought about the smell of the soup Seyi used to sell. He thought about how Seyi always had a plan. Tobi realized that Seyi was the only person in the world who could help him. He did not want to go. He hated the idea of Seyi seeing him like this. But the hunger was stronger than his hate.

Tobi stood up. He used the wall to keep from falling. He walked out of the slum. He walked slowly, like an old man. He left the dirt roads and the smell of the slum behind. He walked back toward the clean part of the city where the university was. He saw the big gate. He saw students walking by with bags of bread and bottles of cold water. He wanted to beg them for a piece of bread, but his throat was too dry to speak.

He finally reached the building where Seyi lived. He climbed the stairs one by one. Each step felt like climbing a mountain. He reached Room 4B. He stood outside the door and closed his eyes. Then, he smelled it. It was the most wonderful smell in the world. It was the smell of fresh beef stew. He could smell the peppers, the onions, and the rich oil. It was the smell of a home.

Tobi raised his hand. His fingers were shaking. He knocked on the door. It was a soft knock, but it felt very loud in the quiet hallway.

The door opened. Seyi stood there. He was wearing a clean shirt. He looked healthy and strong. He looked like a man who had worked hard and was now enjoying his rest. He looked at Tobi. He saw the dirt on Tobi's face. He saw how thin Tobi had become. He saw the holes in Tobi's shoes.

"Please," Tobi whispered. His voice was so quiet it was almost a whistle. "I am starving, Seyi. I tried to cook but I burned everything. I have not eaten in two days. Please, give me some of your food. I am your family."

Seyi did not move. He did not look angry, but he did not look sad either. He looked at Tobi the same way a teacher looks at a student who has failed a test.

"You told me that servants do not have brothers, Tobi," Seyi said. His voice was calm. "You told me that I was just a tool for you to use. You said that work was for people like me, not for people like you."

"I was wrong!" Tobi cried. A tear ran down his face, leaving a white line through the black soot. "I was so wrong. Please, just a little bit of rice. I will do anything."

Seyi reached behind the door. He did not grab a plate of food. He grabbed a broom. It was the same broom with the long wooden handle that Tobi used to mock him for holding. Tobi used to say that a man with a broom was a man with no future. Seyi held the broom out toward Tobi.

"The hallway is very dirty, Tobi," Seyi said. "There is dust from the street and paper from the students. My house is a house of work. In this house, if you do not work, you do not eat. That is the only way to earn a harvest."

Seyi pointed to the long hallway. "If you take this broom and you sweep every inch of this floor until it shines, I will give you a big plate of stew and rice. But if you put the broom down, the door stays closed. The choice is yours."

Tobi looked at the broom. He looked at his soft hands that had never done a day of real work. He looked at the long hallway. He thought about all the people who might see him. He thought about his pride. But then, the smell of the beef stew came out of the room again. It was so strong and so good. Tobi’s stomach let out a loud cry.

With trembling hands, Tobi reached out. He took the wooden handle of the broom. It felt heavy. It felt rough. He leaned down and pushed the broom against the floor. He began to sweep. He moved the dust bit by bit. He was the "hand-fed baby," but now he was the one holding the broom. He was finally starting to learn what it means to work for his life.

Tobi fell asleep while cooking because he was exhausted. Do you think this shows he is lazy, or just that he was never taught how to be responsible?

The neighbors in the slum laughed at Tobi. Why do you think they were so mean to him instead of helping him?

Seyi did not just give Tobi food. He made him work for it. Was this a kind thing to do, or was it a way to get revenge?

Tobi used to mock Seyi for holding a broom. How do you think he feels now that he has to use that same broom to save his life?

Do you think Tobi will finish sweeping the hallway, or will his pride make him stop and walk away hungry?

The Table has Turned!

The prince is now the servant! Tobi is sweeping the floor just to get a plate of food from the boy he used to bully. The harvest of hardship is teaching Tobi the most painful lesson of his life. But will this work change him for the better, or will he grow to hate Seyi even more? And what will Aunt Clara do when she finds out her son is sweeping floors for a living?