TAMAR Episode 24 by Amah

TAMAR Episode 24

Right there at the cell Shamara accepted Christ, she proclaimed Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and saviour, and was no more afraid of death, I was so glad,
And when we were called out after being in the cell for two days,
Mandioh stood there in a blue rob designed with gold, he was older than Adolfo Marely looking at him and his pot belle was protruding out like that of a pregnant woman, he was a very short man but speaks of wealth, and commands respect, he sat on his big lion head sit, and was surrounded with lion art work, all around him, he calls himself a lion god, people surrounds him, I can see Okra sitting at a far end, her face filled with smile, I told Shamara not to say a word I will speak for two of us and she agreed, Mandioh looks at us then back at Okra

“Okra, this ones will not do much for my lions, especially this skinny one, she doesn’t even have curves like the other one and no much flesh on her skin like her second, Okra the amount I paid you to fetch her out I was actually expecting something that will serve as dinner for my lions, this ones won’t do…you said Vim washed his hand off the slim one, I don’t want Lord Reese son’s trouble, that young man is filled with trouble…are you very sure…

“yes Mandioh, Vim said he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her, he said her god can have her, and the amount you paid me will also encourage me in fishing out the rest of the other infidels, those who worship strange god in our kingdom…this slim one, they call her termite, there is no need of wasting your time with her, her mistress even try to make her denounce her god, but the foolish girl refuse, she is ready to die for a useless god… she is a fanatic…but Vim made it clear to the sister, Zity that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her, Zity told me that herself, the termite turned down his marriage proposal, which I’m so grateful to the gods that Vim, a royalty did not end up with this abominable looking thing…

“hahahah, good, I’m glad to know that Vim doesn’t want her, is a relief because I don’t want trouble from the second prime ruler’s son, they have power on their shoulder and I have built a good relationship with Vim so I don’t want anything that will stain it, you called her termite, is that her real name…but of all the whole beautiful and outstanding maiden of the soil, both royalty and normal born… what exactly did Vim see in this one or he was probably joking when he threw the marriage proposal to her…I still can’t understand, young lady what is your name and the name of your second…

“Tarmar, my lord, and this is Shamara…

“Tamar… Okra you are right, the name sound like termite….

There was outburst of laughter everywhere, as the few people gathered just kept laughing

“So Tar…mite, whatever that means…is it true you are a Christian, what god do you worship…

“The one true God, who true his son Jesus Christ I have being saved, I am a Christian.

There was murmuring everywhere and Mandioh ask everyone to remain silent, he asked me again and I answered boldly to the same thing, he asked Shamara and she also answered affirmatively, she was trying to be bold but I can see fear in her eyes as she answered Mandioh, she was determined, I whispered to her, that she has a choice to live if she still want to denounce Christ, I am not forcing her to believe is a personal choice, she may not return to Zity but she will be sold as a temple slave or to another household, with that she will have her life, she shakes her head and said she is not a fool, she knows what she wants and she really will not deny God just like me, even in death, then I encouraged her not to be afraid.
As there was a silent murmur and Mandioh was given us chance to have a change of mind but I turned to him and told him we won’t change our mind for anything.

“Do you know who you stand before…if you really know who I am, the god of lions… you will quickly have a change of mind, this is no joke… I will ask you two more times, giving you another chance to change your mind and live, a chance to walk away from here alive, because you don’t are not even enough food to my beast…which god do you serve…Tar…mar…

“the one true God, who has saved me through his son Jesus Christ, I serve the living God, not the gods of this land, made and carved by men, for the people who made them are just like them, they have mouth but can not speak, eyes but can not see, I am not afraid of you or your beast, I may sound foolish to you but not to my God…no other God in heaven or on earth except Jehovah, my defender…everyone listen… please listen to me even if is this once, turn from your ways and embrace Christ, he is just and ready to forgive and save you, he loves you more than you can ever imagine, tomorrow maybe too late, change from your idol worship and come to the light, I am not afraid of death because I know who is with me, you can’t see him with your visible eyes, he is right here and is beckoning on you all to come to him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and he will give you rest, take his yoke upon you and lean on him, for he is meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light…

“hahahaha, this lady is really foolish, Okra you are right when you say she is a fanatic, this is total madness, well, let her invisible defender help her, boys take her and her second to the den, and let’s watch my beast chew them raw…they will be fun to look at..

They pushed us as the few crowd cheers, I can hear Okra’s laughter, she shouted at me as I walk pass her

“termite, I have sent message to Vim through one of Mandioh’s boys, before the lions eat you all Vim will be here to cheer along with us, he will soon arrive, no god can save you, your so called god will be laughing at your foolishness, I swear to you with every god of this land that you will die today and you will be forgotten like every Christian eaten away by those lions…

When we got to the mouth of the den, there was a lifter tray that will send us down below to the under ground, into the den, we were asked to walk into it and we obediently did, I wasn’t listening to the cheering crowd I was silently praying for them because they have being brainwashed and deceived, the whole place suddenly began to open up, out of sudden, somebody was opening it wide so that everyone can see how the lion will eat us up, I look up at them, they were cheering as they look down at us as the tray lifter slowly took us below, Shamara shut her eyes as she kept muttering “God please have mercy and save us, I’m afraid to die….please save us… I breathed deeply.
As I looked down I saw the ugly mighty lions, three of them, they moved all round their cage, as the lifter was gradually taking us down, the lions were eager to have their meal as they move around waiting, anticipating, they made a terrifying noise that got my whole body covered with goose bomb, Shamara shakes as she held onto me, Mandioh shout down below to us

“Have you changed your mind yet, one lucky chance again for you to be lifted out before you get to the mouth of the lion, I guess you have changed your mind, who do you serve, the gods of the land or the Christian god…

“may the gods of this land burn to ashes, I serve the one true God, Jehovah Rohi, which means Jehovah my shepherd, he alone is God, there is no other, not even death will make me turn away from him, for though he allows me to be wounded, he will also bandage me up, if he allows me to be strike, his hand will also heals, but even in death he will always…always be my God. For in him I have my being.

“May your soul rest peaceful in the belle of the beast stupid and foolish lady, is your stubbornness and pride that killed you because you had a chance to live but refuse instead you chose death.

I turned to a troubled Shamara and told her not to be afraid, that she should stand beside me and when we got to the den she should follow my every move so that death won’t feel so painful, that ones the lion is done with me, that’s if God allows them, then she should just breath in and spray out her hand so that when they come at her she will not feel too much pain, it will be so quick and they will be done with us, but that is if only God allows it, but I wasn’t afraid of anything, I have felt fear all over me as I saw the might beast walking around in expectant since they know that food was coming down for them and the noise from the people cheering at the lions make them so eager to feed on us, I have felt cold and fear and it quickly left me, then I started saying psalms 91. I kept saying psalms upon psalms, I said Psalm 91 repeatedly and then psalm 23.
I started shouting psalm 91 out loud, the few that came to my head, I shout it so that the people can hear, as we were lowered to the den, I can see human bones and skulls scattered everywhere, they were at every corner, all the people the lions has eaten, so many skulls and human bones were there, Shamara has started crying as she held unto me as if her life depends on it, I suddenly started hearing a familiar voice shouting down below to us,

“lie down…lie down flat and pretend to be dead.. The lions don’t eat dead people, Tamar I know you can hear me, please do as I say, lie down so that the animals will not hurt you much…pleaseeee…

The voice was a man, it was like an echo, but the crowd was too noisy and I couldn’t ascertain who it was, but I stood there ignoring who ever that maybe and sprayed out my hands in the air, I asked Shamara to lie down and pretend to be dead as the voice has instructed, she quickly did, there was light coming from the other end as the lions came in full view, I can hear the voice clearer now, it was Vim, he was screaming, he was shouting at Mandioh to get us out but it was already too late, the lion’s were gradually coming to us, they didn’t rush at us as expected, I opened my eyes and the first one moved around me, sniffing me all over, one dug its sharp teeth into my thigh then another follows, and I fell to the ground, and another was at shamara, they sniff at her to know if she is truly dead but Shamara became afraid and started shaking, they put their teeth to her hand and other part of her body, and I quickly went over with my bleeding thigh, the lions were not so quick to finish us up, something was holding them back, some invisible presence, the second one, dig again into my cheek, my face bleed, as they tried to find a better flesh to feed on, their teeth was all over me as I covered Shamara with my body, it seem my body was bitter as they keep putting their sharp fangs on me, it seem we were not a good meat for them as they kept putting their mouth and removing it as quickly as possible, but their teeth was all over my body but they never took a bite out of me,
The lions later left us alone, I was loosing too much blood and Shamara too, from the wound but I held on,
Suddenly there was a scream and then a hard thud to the ground, I gently look, it was Okra, Vim pushed her down, she fell heavily and blood splattered everywhere, she was still muttering “help me, Tamar please help me, tell your god to save me, I don’t want to die, no…no..I’m not ready to die now…tell your god to help me…
and as I try to open my mouth to say a word the lions rushed at her and I shut my eyes as they began to feed on her hungrily, I can hear the lifter bringing somebody else with speed down, and it was Mandioh, , I can hear him say, “Vim, Okra told me you washed your hands off her, I did not do this intentionally, I didn’t, it was Okra, she told me you are not interested in her that was why I proceeded, the people can bear me witness that I asked her, Vim tell them to lift me up from this lifter, tell them to take me up, those lions belong to me, they can not eat me, they are all mine, I own them… I am the lion god…

I can hear Vim screaming in pain…

“I will kill everyone one of you…all of you, go and get me a rifle, I will kill everyone one of you that has a hand in this, if she dies I will also kill as many people as possible today, this kingdom will not rest until everyone is brought down, go and get me a rifle quickly or you will be the next to go down to the lions stomach…

Mandioh was lowered, I opened my blood shot eyes wide in shock and watch as the lion rush him, I shut my eyes from the horrible sight, Shamara has loosed a lot of blood and was not moving again, she became weak at every passing seconds, I can hear Vim telling them to hurry, then suddenly, it was like a shovel that shovelled me and Shamara into the lifter and we were taking to the surface, I couldn’t move, I was covered in blood, all over, Vim was panicking as he asked a man to check if I was still breathing, and I hard the man who seem to be a physician told him I was not breathing, he said me and my second have loosed too much blood already, he told Vim that I was already dead, me and shamara were both dead.
I can hear everything yet I couldn’t move, as the physician told Vim that I was dead I started hearing a loud scream, Vim screaming, I wanted to shake, I wanted to say a word to show I wasn’t dead yet but I couldn’t, I just lay there in the pull of my own blood, but I can hear everything going on around me, I started hearing a heavy gun shot as the people flew in different direction, people were running, as I can hear their foot sound, then I guess Vim shot at the lions because of the terrible noise they all made, it was horror to the ear, everywhere was noisy, the gun shot continued, down below into the den as Vim kept shooting.

“Son lift this one to your shoulder, I will carry this one, let’s go and dispose them off…

It was the physicians voice, and I was lifted to somebody’ shoulder and after sometime, I was on a moving wheel, the strange voices, it seem to be the physician and his son, they spoke to each other, as the man asked the son to speed up before they will be caught, I over heard them say they were going to the far end of the fourth district, far off from where they took me and Shamara from. Darkness clouded me as it shot through me and I can’t hear or feel anything, I try to shout Jesus but I can’t move my mouth as darkness was pressing me deeply down

I kept saying the name in my mind and eventually I spoke it out loud,

“ son…hurry…fasten up…I just hard her call a name, she just mentioned somebody’s name, she is not really dead so we can’t use her for your practical, if we get to a safer place you park let’s see if we can attend to all this their deep wound, since she is still alive I guess her second should also be… listen, nobody must know that they are alive, because we have told everyone that they are both dead, and a go ahead has being given to us to go and dispose them at the burial ground, if they know that they are alive, especially that young mad man, Lord Vim, the second Prime ruler’s son will come for our head, so we have to be careful.

I was so weak that I couldn’t hear anything again as they kept on speaking, I wanted to listen to all their conversation but strength failed me, all I see is darkness and a tiny ray light coming from somewhere I can’t tell. But as tiny as the light is it was enough to hold onto. It makes me forget what pain feels like and right then I was smiling, I felt at peace as I saw the face smiling right back at me.

Even in the dark his face shone so bright.