Story #3: Between Worlds
Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash
Moving to a new place was always going to be difficult. For Chris and Bimbo, it was a nightmare. Pulled from school, from all the friends they knew and all the comforts they had become accustomed to, they now had to make their way to new dwellings. Ever since their mother died, dad had thrown himself into work, and while this had led to a more comfortable life for them, they did miss their father.
He was an important man, and whenever Chris would ask what he did for work, their father would laugh and say it was too complicated. But, they had the most expensive things and enjoyed all the creature comforts they could want. So, life was good.
But then they had to move.
“Chris. Bimbo. We’re going to a new home.” Their father’s announcement was abrupt. Chris had been playing games and Bimbo was reading a book. Their heads snapped up so fast it made a sound.
“What???” Chris was indignant. “Why? Where are we going to?”
“Hurry up, we’re leaving.” was his answer
“What?! We’re leaving now?” Bimbo chimed in.
“Yes. Now” There was a hint of urgency in their father’s voice that made the siblings obey. Chris’ head was spinning. What was going on? Why were they moving so abruptly? What about his friends?
Their father hastily flung things into a travel bag and urged the children to do the same. Bimbo started crying when their father said she could not take all her books.
“We’ll get new ones,” he said impatiently.
“But what if we can’t find them,” Bimbo asked dubiously.
“Well, then, you’ll have to make do without them.”
Bimbo was on the verge of throwing a tantrum when their father turned sharply to face her with a stern look on his face. This shut her up instantly. “We’re leaving.”
Chris was older and was handling this a whole lot better. He was certainly disappointed to be leaving, but there was an intensity about his father that made Chris silently obey. Something was telling him not to test their dad right now and just go with what he said.
They packed two travel bags each, and anything that could not go into the bags was to be left behind. Chris decided that his handheld gaming console was his best bet. He took some clothes, two pairs of shoes and some other toiletries and accessories. He rushed downstairs with his bags packed.
Their father was actively ignoring Bimbo’s glares and little moans. As they reached the house door, Chris heard a sound in the distance. There was a loud ‘Thwump! Thwump!’ coming from somewhere. What could that be? Their father heard it, too, and his lips compressed into a straight line while his brow furrowed in worry.
“Okay, kids, we have to go, NOW!”
“What’s that sound, Daddy?” Bimbo asked. Chris thought their father would ignore her again, but something about Bimbo’s voice caused him to soften his gaze at her. She sounded scared, and Chris could understand why.
“Some bad people from Daddy’s work want to take something from him.” For the 12-year-old Chris, that did not sound good at all. It was clear that their father was trying to make it sound less threatening than it actually was. Bimbo wanted to say more, but their father hushed them and hurried them out the door. The sound got louder, and it was clear that a helicopter was coming toward their house. As they hurried across the compound towards their car, Christ looked back and saw the helicopter over their house, and the great wind pressure was blowing like a gale.
Chris and Bimbo piled into the car while their father threw their things in and raced to open the gate. Chris kept looking at the helicopter and could not tear his eyes away from it. Ropes had sprung from the vehicle, and men were now descending on the ropes. Bimbo started screaming at their father to come back.
The men hit the ground, and it was then that Chris noticed that they were armed. They looked around quickly and saw the car with the scared children inside.
Their father came back and started the car without looking back. Bimbo was a bundle of questions, “Who are those men, daddy? Why do they have guns? Are they looking for us?”
“Bimbo, shut up!” It was Chris. He knew instinctively that their father needed his wits about him and could do without the whinings of a seven-year-old.
One of the men from the helicopter gave a loud shout and pointed his gun toward the family. Their dad gunned the engine and drove quickly from the compound, not even bothering with the gate. Just as they turned out of the compound, Chris heard a burst of gunfire and instinctively ducked his head. “Move, dad! MOVE!”
Their father obliged, driving even faster.
“Don’t worry, kids; daddy won’t let anything happen to you.” He drove as quickly and decisively. While he was scared for himself and his family, his mind was incredibly clear, and he knew just what routes to take to evade their chasers. The helicopter was now after them, and it moved quickly, but the advantage a car had was its ability to take secluded places with some ease. But, it was almost impossible to escape the superior aerial privilege of a helicopter.
Suddenly, their father’s phone started to ring. This did not seem like the time for phone calls. “Can you check who that is, Chris?” Chris obliged.
“It’s Uncle Martin.”
“Pick it up and put the phone on speaker.” Chris did as he was told.
“Kunle?” Uncle Martin sounded shaken
“Martin, I’m kinda busy right now.”
“I know. What happened? It’s going crazy over here; everyone is talking about what a revolutionary discovery you have made. Why are you on the run?”
“No one was supposed to know. They want to send a team. You know what that means.”
“Why don’t you just talk things over with them?”
“You know how they are, Martin; there’s no reasoning with them. They’ll ruin everything; all they care about is their profit margin.”
“But, maybe you could just…”
“Look, Martin; they may be tracking your phone. I have to go; take care of yourself.” He motioned to Chris to end the call. Chris did.
“Now, Chris, throw my phone out of the window.”
“What?” Chris was shocked
“Just do it.”
Chris did as he was told and sat back down, thoroughly scared. Just how much trouble was their father in?
“Okay, listen, kids, the reason the men are chasing me…” he took a deep breath as he pondered the heaviness he was about to let loose.
“Kid, daddy found a way to travel into another world.”
Chris and Bimbo’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
Psalm 69:4 (NKJV)