chapter 1... Your father and mother are dead.

Mummy good morning, daddy good morning sir! Nne morning, hope u slept well? Yes sir! She quipped. Sha sha when will u go to your mommy's shop? Ermmm.. Daddy that will be later, you know I will have to do some house chores before setting out. Ermmm! Daddy remember that gown I told u saw I at Anty vero's shop….. yes darling I remember.."he conceded" sharon's face glued at her dad's, her mouth shaking, her soft palms clasped at each other, as she watched the reaction of her dad … sheepishly she said "I need money to buy it" He looked at her with a bold smile and thought of how beautiful his daughter has grown to be, he had vowed not to deprive his children their monetary rights, since his child hood was rough and shaggy and had kept the promise.. soon he's going to get an in-law and be a grand dad"

Mr OKoro sha sha's father had grown without smelling the walls of affluence, he's life was immersed in misery and wretchedness, his father and mother were local village farmers, that lived at the mercy of other villagers for survival….one faithful day tragedy struck…. His both parents had been ran over by a trailer on their way home from farm. The news hovered, all the nooks and crannies of the village, Mazi uche, Okoro father's best friend had come over to break the sad news to Okoro. "my son, I .. I – ,his face was not appealing, his eyes were red with a condensed tears about to roll down his cheeks, he tried to conceal his somber and grimy face.. he muttered and continued "I—– YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER ARE DEAD"…. At first , okoro thought he was joking and at the same time he wondered why people were trooping into their little hut , crying and wailing in anguish…." Take heart, it is God that gives and takes" Mazi uche mumbled….. at that point he realized it was true, he fell on the ground , rolling and hitting the himself against the hard rock, pulling the tiny strands of hair on his head . He howled out in pain , cried in an inconsolable anguish, wishing for death to devour him like it did to his parents… In his head , he thought; "they were all I had, they were my future, they were my dreams to be actualized( he had one time made a promise to his parents, that he would build a better house for them, and buy many things for them) yet, death has deprived him of fulfilling his vows, he was only fifteen years old. "Oh death! You are a coward, come and take me, yes! come and take me now! " He wailed…

The next day, UMUNNA(kinsmen) gathered at okoro's fathers compound discussing on how to bury the dead, some arguing , when they would be buried, some wondering why he had to die without paying what he owed them, some felt a pang of pity for the boy little boy,others threw punches of hard lines at each other… Oh death why! Okoro cried, as he sat in a corner as he watched the elders display all sort of misanthropic attitudes.. In all these there was no unanimous decision until Elder NKEM rose up to speak, there was a sudden still of decorum, he was not a tall man but commanded a significant height of respect, his bald hair, were decorated with God's nature's gift of gold gray hair that gleamed at the blaze of the sun, he had a face that smiled all the time and a pot belly, that protruded in his Ishi Agu cloth. He was intelligent and magnificent. He spoke words imbedded in intelligence and cognitive that pierced the strongest of hearts, a wise man he was indeed. "Enough of this noise here, we are matured and elderly, why are you all fighting each other over nothing, we should be craving on a how to put our heads together , to bury our dear brother and his beloved wife. Pls lets be focused, as for the burial of our brother and his wife, we are laying them down tomorrow. Forget what he owed you, look at his son , who is left with nothing and let's give him the last respect, he deserve .

Those words sent chills down the veins of his listeners; they were remorseful and felt a throe of shame….. he continued …. "Pls I'm begging us to respec ,this man who has struggled so much in his life time" like I said earlier, we will bury them tomorrow, any contrary opinion? The whole house echoed "NO".

The burial had come and gone, okoro left alone in the dark hollows of their hut ,hungry but unable to eat, he was afraid of the dark and had always been afraid of the dark,

Thoughts grazed through his mind " Is mama and papa here with me? Are they watching over me? Why did I not die with them?" tears rolled down his firm cheeks… earlier that morning, elder Sam(one of the kinsman) had called him into the confines of his home ,and pre informed him of his journey to lagos with his son, who does business in lagos tomorrow.. As he struggled with his unending rattles of thought, he slumped down on the tiny mat ,placed by the corner of the wooden chair beside the Ghana must go bag , and dozed off to sleep…..

At about 6:00am, a hard knock pounced on the wooden door of okoro's " oya o! okoro wake up, get your things and gather yourself, don't bother baffing o…"it was elder sam"

Okoro staggered to get on his feet, still feeling sleepy, hurriedly gathered his cloths, which couldn't be differenciated from a rag, and made his way to uncle Sam…..

Off, they zoomed to lagos…..

Lagos was a place of survival, not for the weaklings, not for the lazy bones. it was a place of struggle, a place where focused like minds achieved their aims ….. wonderful and beautiful place" he thought" He was perplexed at how busy the city was, people drooling and pacing to and fro like an oscillator machine, posters placed on the walls, that read : 3days signs and wonders crusade, loud music coming from unknown speakers, chattering from sane and insane fellows, sky thick with blue, and the clouds were snow white.

High tall edifices glimmering with its glass doors and windows, beautifully architectured houses shimmered in its wonderful paints, beautiful people everywhere, the good, the bad and the ugly, the poor and the rich….. "hmmmmmm, he hummed . Seeing all these he promised himself never to be poor like his parents..

Finally! The struggle had just begun, he managed to finish his secondary education , with suffering and pain ,and daily spanking and thrashing , the abuse , the starving ,insults of how his parents died out of misery from his uncle and his wife (elder Sam's son and his wife). He was sent out of the house…. That day was a day he would never forget in a hurry…he slept on the streets looking haggard and shagged, hungry and deserted; he reached out to a biscuit he saw on the floor and thanked his stars… The weather drizzled with rain, the night was unimaginably cold and dark, the roared sounds of thunders got him scared and afraid, he reached out to a confined area and layed down, wrapping his arms around himself, profusly shivering and quivering … OH! MAMA, PAPA, why you die, he cried out loud….

The next morning, he hovered round the streets aimlessly like a spirit "praying in his heart "God send and angel to me, please lord send me an angel" indeed the lord answered his prayers and sent him an angel. He had bumped into Mr. Tayo, who took interest in him. As he narrates his ordeal to him, Tayo felt a pang of pity for the young man and took him home. From that day, he's life changed for the best.

Sharon jolted him out of his reverie " daddy! You've been smiling since, are you alright? Abruptly he said "yes dear, I will give the money" Sharon excitedly planted a kiss on his cheeks. "You are the best dad in the whole world" she said making her way into the kitchen… what of mark and mike? Daddy! They are gossiping in their room, she said bursting into laughter, tell them to go wash the car, I have an appointment by 10. Okoro said.

Mark and Mike were identical twins and was in their early twenties, they had a well built masculine structure of an athlete, sensual full lips, and a storming brown eye that got girls craving for them. Their body shone with the clasped hair of their bright fair skin, adoringly handsome and attractive. They had come home from school on holiday and had been surprisingly gifted with a car by their father, who was jarred and allayed by their performances. They were always on top of their games….. The boys spent most of their times playing PS games and answering numerous calls from the girl folks. "Hello mark, yes! Who is on the line? Haba! It's me Cynthia, don't tell me you didn't save my number… oh sorry! I did Cynthia "he said" anyways I was calling to ask if you and your brother could join I and my friends for swimming. AWWW! Too bad, we would have loved to but we are occupied" he lied "as Cynthia dropped the call, mark looked at mike, and both exploding into a fierce laughter… these girls will not allow someone to rest" mike hushed…

M square! M square! Sharon called out to them.. yes sha shaa! The boys answered, is the food ready? Mark asked, Sharon looked at him surprised, food? By this time? You are a joker? Please Daddy asked you both to wash his car… who's making breakfast nw? Mark asked frowning….. Mummy is in the kitchen, Mr. food ,"she jokingly replied

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Sharon had a sensational slender figure, like that of an American air hostess, adorned with a lovely dark long hair, which swayed as she walked. Her caramel skin color was made in heavens, her legs were long and smooth, and her dark eyes were magical and charming. She had an infectious smile that quietly displayed her nicely arrayed dentition. She talked calmly and intelligently, and acted matured. She loved and enjoyed reading; she was a true definition of beauty… She has recently graduated from the university and was waiting to receive her call-up letter for NYSC

As she gets ready to head to her mom's shop, she wore a pair of jean trouser and a snickers and a pink Tommy Hilfiger polo that firmly fitted her gracious body, a matching pink earrings and a gold chain round her neck, Emeka had gifted her with it, on her birthday. She had met him at a conference in lagos, held in memory of world non-violent activist, the both of them had gotten into an argument about Gandhi Mahatma and Martin Luther king Jr, Sharon argued that Martin Luther king, was a practical example of non-violent activist, while Emeka was on the opposing side, the argument went on until Emeka conceded. They became more than friends afterwards…. Emeka was a man after her heart, she loved him with all the veins in her body, and he was her world….. Abruptly she walked to her shelve and picked a novel "Americana" by CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE, and Hurriedly made her way to the dining, picked two slices of bread, sipped her tea gradually and she was done… everyone gazed at her… Sharon are you done eating? Her mom's voice quietly asked "yes mum , too much food is not good for your health.. she stood up and waved them good bey.

Mrs.Okoro's shop was massive and lacked nothing, she sold imported shoes, jewelries, diamond rings and lots more.. The show glass was stocked with diamond and gold rings of high standard, its stones shone and gleamed, it was a display of wealth in disguise. They had two sales girls Funke and Ada. They where good girls and had stood the test of time. Hung on the wall was a beautiful family portrait, a Panasonic flat screen television, which displayed one of the Nigerian comedy soaps ( papa ajasco and company) and a split unit. People from all works of life strode in and out of the shop; it was the shop everywoman had wanted. Sharon walked in exchanged pleasantries with the girls and reached into her bag for "Americana as she swayed through the pages of the book, she began to read… After hours of long reading, feeling nauseated and hungry. Her world came in with a hand full of goodies , she lifted her head and looked at Emeka, her face flushed with a vibe of excitement, slyly shy and smiling sheepishly , in her head she thought " oh! I've got myself a wonderful guy. Hey babe! I brought you this; I will see you later after work. He planted a kiss on her lips and left, thanks darling! She said, she looked towards his direction as the sight of him disappears.

Sharon had just gotten back, exhausted and gloomy, she got into the shower and had a hot bath, sluggishly ,she made her way to the kitchen, preheated her dinner in the oven and brought it and quenched her hunger.... Lights out ! it was bed time.

Around 8:00 am the next day, everyone is awake it was time for the morning ritual, Sharon feeling a little dizzy and sick, sunk on the couch in the living room, Mike and Mark ,were outside washing the car. Mom, think I'm sick, Is there any paracetamol in the house? " sorry nne, it's on the table, lemme get it for you. Shasha what is wrong with you? Sorry your body is hot… Mike said. Just stay at home today don't go anywhere Mark chipped in. I won't she said.

Mom , that reminds me we will be going to see our friend later in the day and we might come in late . Mark said' which of your friends? She asked" Stanley…. Ok boys! Biko stay out of trouble. Yes ma" they echoed.

It was exactly 3:15pm, Sharon was all alone in the house, her head banging, she felt like someone was using a hammer on her head, feeling hot in her body, she started shaking' she thought to herself "I' think this is malaria"

Suddenly, her phone rang, she reluctantly ignored it, it rang the second time, she ignored again. The third time picked up, her voice still weak, she mumbled...….. helo?

Yes, hello , is this Sharon? Yes….. who is this?

Ok….its Cynthia, please rush down to Balogun Street, your brothers are in serious trouble

Suddenly her weak sick body became energized, she jumped out of the couch, she thought in her heart, what is wrong with M2, I hope they are ok?

She wore her scandal and made her way out of the house...

At Balogun street, people were gathered, shouting and making noise, the environment was chaotic and in disarray, she wondered why the environment was out of peace, people were gathered in circles discussing ,she couldn't still comprehend what was going...….

Suddenly she heard of the boys say.... They have taken the two boys to the other street, where they stole the money, she asked the boy quietly....are the two boys twins? He responded yes.....

It felt like her world was tearing apart ,she hurriedly got there, her two brothers were still alive

They had beaten them out of recognition.... She shouted…. Pls they are my brothers and they are not thieves, pls leave them alone ,you have the wrong boys…they are not thieves…..

Mark saw her and and slowly said, almost dying "sha sha save us, tell them we didn't steal any money , they want to kill us for what we did not do...

Sharon profusely crying begging them to leave Mark and Mike alone, she reached for her phone it was gone,one of the boys there had stolen it from her without her notice…..she wailed and cried in anguish...…pls leave my brothers alone ,please lam begging you in the name of God, they shoved her off and began pouncing on them again......

O boy u don bring the fuel and the tyers ….. yes" matches nko ? I get am too

She ran back to them....."pls don't burn my brothers, they are not thieves, they are innocent ….. she was bushed to the floor,by the angry mobs.....

She watched, as a heavy rock was plunged on the heads of Mark and Mike ,,they were still alive, they groaned out of pain … "Sha sha... biko save us...…

They poured, the two liters of fuel on the boys , hung the tyers around their necks and lit them, they engulfed into flames and began to burn...

Sharon tried to jump into the flame, but she was grabbed from behind….. "oh my brothers! U wicked souls have killed my brothers…. Oh!, she cried and cried yet it was too late, her tears could not bring them back to life...….. their bodies have been burnt to ashes......…

Everyone had gathered in Sharon's room, sha sha wake up! Wake up! Mark was playing PS mike when they over heard Sharon screaming...

"they are not thieves....Pls leave my brothers alone...….

WAKE UP! Ada wake up !

ALAS! IT WAS A NIGHTMARE...SHARON WOKE UP FROM THE HORRORS OF HER NIGHT MARE STILL CRYING..........................................

THE END

LET US STAND AGAINST JUNGLE JUSTICE...........