A cold morning to start with; bags were packed, goodbyes were said and hugs brought out smiles on people’s faces. This was a journey we had never embarked on. Everybody was willing to have this great experience- to walk on this long bridge that connected trees in the forest, what was known as ‘ the canopy walk’. This was one place that could force the the lion out of one to humble itself. We set off at dawn so that we could get there on time because we had other places to visit too. Within four hours, we were at our destination. It was a great time to socialize because many people had come from world’s ends to have this experience. After some minutes, we were attended to by the tour guide, who gave us a thorough detail about this site. We all nodded in excitement as we set to begin our journey. We had to walk through the forest for a few miles before getting to the canopy walk. In fact, what we had heard and seen on tv was nothing compared to what we saw in reality. This was a canopy walk that was more than 200 feet about level ground, which means you could see the uppermost part of the tallest tree. You could hear screams echo the whole forest as shivers run down the spines of many. This was not for the feint-hearted. Those who did not have the courage to embark on the journey had to withdraw because it was a 20 mile journey. We who were ready to face the worst got the courage to lead the rest of the pack. We set off some minutes later amidst screams from the lot. As I looked down, I felt as if I had jumped off a plane without any parachute to give me a safe landing. I could feel my blood rush through my veins with the speed of light. It was really scary. After walking for some distance, everybody stopped and turned back to see what was going on behind us. I was wondering if the worst had happened- someone falling. But that was nearly impossible. Instead, it was a lady who was screaming at the top of her voice as if she had some ghouls trying to drain her soul. She was scared as hell. Those around her tried to calm her down but it was just a useless effort. She wanted to go back to save herself from this torture but we had gone too far to do that. We later got to know she was acrophobic. Funny scenes just made our day. She had to crawl to continue her journey, with people taking out their phones to record it. Her prayers at that moment was just enough to bring heaven on earth. Funny, she was the same person who was bragging like she was gonna cover the distance in some seconds. Ah well, this was the start of a new day.

Yes... I’m here alone in this silent place my head rests on my cold palm’s face and my heart beats at a fast pace

Yes I’m here the sound of my heart echoes the room the second me can sense the doom lurking under the dark moon

Yes I’m here on this throne of misery I sit split between two choices; to live or to quit time is running out; tick tock tick

Yes I’m here i have a decision to make whatever I choose might be a mistake but I’m just ready to end this plague

Yes they are here their footsteps approaching so near the sound of their voices so clear and their aura striking some cold fear

They say to me You have nothing else to offer We present you paradise’ key Save yourself from this torture!

I just took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe my eyes. ‘ No.... this can’t be happening to me ‘, I said to myself. I stood there for some few minutes, waiting to see if they would realize what was going and turn back. ‘ Ah well, maybe the goddess of luck has visited my abode today’ ,I thought to myself. I walked back to my hostel with a cheerful face, not taking notice of the surprising faces that greeted me along the way. I had wild plans running through my head, which made me not look on as I came face to face with an old figure. I paused and stared at this woman, with beads of sweat dripping down her worn out face. From the bodily expression, one could sense that she had walked quite some miles to get to this destination. The dust which covered her feet, her throat longing for a cold sip of water, her shaking legs which could barely support her exhausted figure and the load which took a toll on her body said the whole. I looked with pity as I helped her offload the burden that nearly sent her to the dark world. What at all made this woman walked through this midday sun with such load resting on her tiring head. I went to the nearest shop and got her a cold drink of water. The sigh of relief from her made me felt like I was the savior of the day. I began a conversation with her, wanting to know the story of this strange woman. She started; ‘ son, May the gods of our land always show their undying love to you. You have really helped me a lot and I’m very grateful for that. I have a daughter who refuses to pay heed to whatever I say. She is been obsessed with things that would always make people feel good about her. I have always tried to get her into the right path but to no avail. Now, it’s been three days since I last saw her at home. But she is the only one I got. I had to pack my things and set off to look for her. I don’t know where I might find her but I hope fate will surely get us together again’ . This she ended with tears rolling down the wrinkled cheeks. I looked so blue I couldn’t hardly open my mouth to say a word. After calming my head for some minutes, I asked her, ‘ do you have the means to continue your journey? She took her head slowly, depicting one who is in the state of despair. I dipped my hand into my pocket and took out the wallet with I had just found. Out of compassion, I gave her every penny in the wallet to settle her needs. Alas, I felt like I was the hero I had always seen myself to be. It was much worth it.

He patted his shoulder and smiled. The look on his face gave him a sigh of relief. The last statement he made was, ‘ don’t worry, Gideon. Everything is gonna be ok’. Prince was the elderly brother of Gideon. They had lived inseparable for years after the tragic death of their parents. They had no one to lean on from their youthful age so they served as each other’s companion. Gideon was a weakling so his elder brother always had to give him the maximum protection he needed. He always took him to his music practice and made sure to help him rehearse back at home. Michael always saw his brother as a role model. ‘ Big bro, when I grow up one day, I will make sure to become a responsible person as you are, and also try to teach my family in the same way’ , said Gideon. Prince looked as his younger brother and breathed heavily....’ Hmmm.... if only mum and dad were alive’. It was getting nearer and nearer; the audition for the next top act in school. Gideon was not certain he would make it to the next round of the audition. Even though he had rehearsed for a very long time, it seems he was lacking an element that would be needed at this stage. That’s inspiration. Prince however made sure his brother could count on him in times of need. He was not going to let his brother down this time round. Every morning, he helped his brother to go through his piano practice and even got down his own lyrics to suit the sound of the rhythm Gideon produced. Soon, Gideon could feel the aura surrounding his performance that he knew it was his time to make a breakthrough. The day finally arrived. Lots of people trooped in the auditorium because it was one of the biggest events on the school calendar. Everyone one made sure he did his best to put out a great performance on that day. Gideon was the second contestant for the day. Backstage, he was feeling nervous the thought of him putting on a bad performance made him tremble. The first contestant went up stage and gave a thrilling performance. Claps of thunder echoed the auditorium as Gideon also began to follow next. ‘ What if I fail? What if everything goes wrong? ‘ Wild thoughts ran out of Gideon’s head that it could even be read on his face. Prince, noticing that his brother was looking blue, patted his shoulder and smiled. All he said was, ‘ Everything is gonna be ok ‘. That was what Gideon needed. He turned and gave Prince a tight hug. ‘ What could I have done without you? , he said. He loved his brother very much and had faith in him. In the end, his performance was marvelous and it was like a dream come true.