"You are saying Daddy's touch light got electrocuted?" Exclaimed Rita, Dominic's loud older sister.
Six years old Dominic was shocked at his own lame lie. As at that moment he couldn't come up with something else to save his head.
Just like he expected, his disciplinarian father came out of his room immediately he heard the sound of his touch light of ten years now colliding with the ground. The scowl on his face gave a hint of what awaits Dominic if he didn't explained himself.
"Its not my fault! It jumped out of the socket when I plugged it in." He explained to his father with so much fear evident in his voice as he took some steps backward. At this point his eyes began to tear up without control like a toddler seeking his favorite toy. He felt bad for dropping his father's touch light because he knows how much he valued it. He'll always brag about how it shows his level of carefulness to have owned it for so many years even before Dominic's birth.
Upon hearing his explanation, his father angrily pulled out his koboko, a locally crafted cane made from animal skin, from his back pocket. 'Mr do good' like he loves to call this cane, is his favorite instrument for correction mistakes. Dominic already expected it so he braced himself up for it. As the fist cane landed on his arm he sprang up on impulse from his kneeling position and ran outside. At this point his mom and other siblings that were watching with pity all the while gasped because he has just made the matter worse.
It was a thing of disrespect in his African home to run away when being 'corrected'.
As if the power distribution company was against what he just did, NEPA took power as soon as he stepped out and everywhere became jet black. He immediately made a U-turn to go back inside as it seems getting some more strokes of his father's cane was better punishment than staying outside in the dark but he didn't make it inside.
His father was happy to see the power go out and as soon as he saw Dominic turn back to run inside, he immediately locked the door and ordered no one to open it till he said so.
Now terrified Dominic started banging on the fragile wooden door frantically for it to open and pleading for mercy.
"Break the door and see if you will not go and know your ancestors today !" Mr Johnbosco, Dominic's father, threatened.
The pain from the last bang Dominic made on the door was too much that he gave up and collapsed to the floor holding his wrist while sobbing.
At 8pm, non of his neighbors were outside to come to his aid. Everyone was inside and all doors were locked. He tried to look around him to assess his environment but couldn't see much since the power just went off, every one is probably trying to put on their kerosene lanterns now. The silence in the neighborhood was so much that he could hear toads and crickets complain about it.
The mixed sounds from the crickets and other night creatures around him gave him a feeling of not been alone. The different sounds drew his interest as he started to pay attention to their fascinating voices. Surprisingly, he was not scared this time rather entertained.
Soon he noticed a glowing light coming on and off some steps away from him and he fixed his eyes to the spot to observe the little creature's activities.
He knew what this creature was. His father had told him once that it was called a glow worm. There was even a children story for it in their village.
He giggled as the creature came closer to him. It's beautiful, soft light lifted Dominic's mood and he started to get playful. He took some careful steps closer to the creature and tried to pick it up but the light went off and the next time it came on, it was a few steps away from him.
Dominic was determined to catch the glowing creature so he followed it to its new position. Every time he got there, the creature put off its light and appears later at a few more distance farther.
Crying Dominic from a moment ago has been giggling and having fun trying to pick the glow worm in the dark.
"What are you doing?" Asked Mr Johnbosco. Rather a statement than a question.
Startled Dominic jumped right up from the ground upon hearing his father's voice. He had been lying on the ground because he figured if he lay low he probably would be able to catch the glow worm when it showed its light.
"I knew you were up to something when I stopped hearing your voice." Mr Johnbosco continued while assessing the boy with his touch light beaming bright blinding light on his tiny figure.
Dominic stood there with a mischievous look on his face unable to say a word.
"Grab those two ears of yours and jump in like a frog this minute!" His father told him with an edge to his voice that promised him some more strokes of the cane if he stayed any further.
Like a frog that has just sighted a predator, Dominic hopped inside with gladness in his heart that his father has spared him the rest of his cane.
The End.