Naughty Felix - Part 1(Jason Otieno) At home, Felix changed into his home clothes, a blue khaki short, white T-shirt and his favourite sunglasses that he put on even in the house. Gabriel switched on the television and went to the kitchen to bring the boy yoghurt, a drink Felix loved with all his heart. On returning to the sitting room, he got a shock of his life though he was used to funny things his son did.

Felix was comfortably cuddled and already sleeping on top of the television. How he climbed there, was a mystery to Gabriel who was shocked out of his wits. Fear ran its icy hands up and down his spine trying to imagine what would happen to the boy owing to the fact that, that was an electric gadget and it was on.

“Daddy, look!” he joyously shouted oblivious of the danger that lay ahead.

“What are you doing there? Come on, let me remove you,” said Gabriel in a low, soft and caring voice keen not to create panic or to say the least, irritate the boy.

“No Daddy, I can climb down on my own,” he said so confidently.

“Okay then but be careful not to fall and injure yourself,” encouraged the frightened father as he moved closer to put support on the stand and the TV. He was surprised to see the boy climb down so easily without a great effort.

“Now tell me, where did you learn that?” inquired the concerned father.

“I watched it on TV,” said the boy proudly.

'TV! Oh my God! What a bad influence to my son!' he said to himself when he remembered a certain evening as he was busy watching a song with the line "bow to your partner" which the boy thought was "growl to your partner", and he started saying "grrr grrr grrr" to his father. When he asked him what he was doing he answered that they were told by their teacher they must follow the instructions given. Now since the song was saying growl to your partner, he was growling at him. Gabriel was perplexed and thought to himself that Felix needed to see a doctor or else he would get out of hand.

“Now, listen here son, there are certain things we should not do even if we see them on TV, because you know some of them can make us injured or even die…”

“What is to die, daddy?” inquired the curious boy cutting his father short. Now this is the time Gabriel regretted why he had to bring up such an issue. However he had to let the boy understand what he meant since he wanted to bring the point home without actually annoying or misleading him.

“When people die, they leave us and go to heaven where God lives. There, we shall never see them until the last day….”

“Is that where Tom went?” Tom was his favourite pet cat that had passed on a fortnight ago.

“Yes, that is where Tom went. Now, you know if you do some of these things, you will go to heaven and leave me here alone. Is that what you want?”

He shook his head, something he does when he has been touched and would not like to repeat that again.

“Good, then you must never climb on TV again because you can go to heaven and leave me here alone if you do that. Now take your yoghurt then you talk to aunt Mercy.” Gabriel said while forwarding the glass to him.

“I will tell her to bring me a big one, big like your head,” he said as he pushed the glass into his mouth for a sip.

“My head?” asked the father thinking the boy never knew what he was saying. Felix shook his head without even a smile on his face. An indication that he was serious and never bothered or understood what he had just said. Perplexed, his father exclaimed, “What! Who told you that my head is big?”

“Teacher told me that my head is big like yours.”

“But Felix, is my head big?”

“Yes, like mine,” he said getting up from the chair towards the kitchen. Embarrassed, Gabriel threw his head down in shame and pain as he sank into the couch. Soon he came back running into the house yelling, "DADDIE! DADDIE! Tom couldn't go to Heaven! Come and see!"

This took Gabriel aback and left his mouth wide agape. Of all the things, he never expected this. But it seems after telling the boy when people die they go to heaven, he developed curiosity and wanted to find out for himself. He dug up the place where Tom was buried and found its body still there. Felix became more persistent and started pulling his dad towards the place. He gave in to the call and followed. What he saw at the grave left him saying that the boy needed prayers because perhaps he was growing nuts.

“Don’t disturb him since he will go soon,” he said to him as he pulled his hand right into the house. After little resistance, Felix gave in and they all went to the house. As Felix took his homework book to start doing the work left to them by the teacher, his mother arrived from work. Soon the boy was out to the playing yard behind the house. There, many estate children were playing.

As soon as his mother arrived from work, she sat at the couch after hugging Gabriel her husband.

“Where is the little Felix?” she asked after taking a sigh of relief.

“Who knows what the boy is up to today? I think he is with the other children at the yard playing. Do you know what this boy did when we came from school? Imagine….” Suddenly, before he finished, they heard Felix talking to himself a bit. "Num Num", he said. They knew something was up. So they rushed to him. He held out his hand and repeated... "Num Num" To the parent’s horror…, in his hand was the remains of a baby bird which must have fallen from the nest! The boy had swallowed almost the whole bird! Ms Gabriel grabbed Felix and ran for the house, trying to get what was in his mouth out while she ran. Father was busy calling the doctor to come and attend to the boy or even give them instruction on any first aid for desperate attempts to save the boy’s life. They were scared stiff and saw nothing but the boy dead. Suddenly the door bell rang announcing the arrival of the doc.

“What happened?” asked the doctor looking at the boy calmly.

“Felly ate a bird!” they all answered in unison, fear and panic clearly written on their faces.

“Do something doctor!” sobbed the mother. To their horror, the doctor started laughing hysterically. When he could finally gain control of himself he said, "Give him a glass of water to wash it down…" then started laughing again. “There is nothing to worry about. The boy is okay. It never choked him,” he finally said as he took the boy who suddenly melted away towards the kitchen. As the parents were still trying to come to terms with what had just happened, Felly emerged with six fresh apple fruits from the fridge.

“Felly! What are you doing?” asked the shocked mother.

“I want to eat the apples…”

“All of those?” intervened father who had remained speechless since then.

“Yeah daddy,” he answered as he took a bite from one apple, “the teacher told us that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. So I want the doctor to leave and go never to come back because I am not going to be sick again.” To this, they all laughed as the doctor took up his briefcase and set for his car.

“Bye doctor. Don’t come again. I will eat more apples,” said Felix as he climbed on top of the couch watching the Television. Gabriel and his wife left to see the doc off. After bidding the doc goodbye, they looked at each other, their eyes full of many questions. Felix was a thorn on the skin to them. No one would predict what the boy would do or the comments he would make at any given time. Soon they entered the house to find Felix comfortably sleeping on the sofa set.

“This boy!” sighed Ms Gabriel, “will give us problems, hear.”

“At last he is asleep. Take him to bed,” added father.

No sooner had his mother lay a hand on him to carry him, than he burst into loud laughter that left all of them confused. They all exploded into uncontrollable laughter that left all their ribs aching. This had been the order of events; from crying to laughter, from anger to joy, from fear to courage. The boy smartly mixed the feelings.

“Were you not sleeping son?” asked the father when he finally contained himself.

“Got you! Hahaha! Was playing trick on you.”

“That was hilarious,” said the father, “give me five!”

Felix soon left with mother to the kitchen to prepare supper. Although he was just three, he insisted on helping his mother at the kitchen. He claimed to help mother wash the dishes which mother had to repeat washing. He keenly watched his mother as she prepared and cooked.

“Mum, is it true that I will be left by my wife when I grow up?” he asked after a long silence between them.

“Why Felly?” inquired mother without practically looking at him. She was busy with her cooking.

“John said his mother told him that he shouldn’t be at the kitchen when she is cooking because boys who stay at the kitchen are beaten and left by their wives. Is it why daddy doesn’t come to the kitchen?” John was his new found friend at school.

“No, your daddy just has a lot of work and that’s why he is not helping me. But that other question, wait I will answer you tomorrow.”

“Promise!” insisted the boy.

“Promise!” said mother extending her hand to seal the deal.

As soon as the food was ready, the table was set. While eating, an elderly woman who was his mother’s friend suddenly entered the house. She was rather wrinkled and her skin was somewhat sagging. As she made for the seat at the dining table, Felix glued his eyes on this woman as though he had seen something very strange. She extended her hand to greet Felix, after greeting his parents, and even gave him a light peck on his cheek.

“Come here little boy,” called the elderly woman as she took him up. Up to then he had not uttered a word.

“What is your name little kiddo?” asked the woman.

“Felix and I am three and a half years old. I learn at Preblo academy and my father is daddy and my mother is mummy. I have a big car that daddy bought for me,” said Felix looking straight into the woman’s face.

“Wow! Felix….”

“Why doesn’t your skin fit your face?” asked Felix touching the elderly woman’s face.”

“Felix!” exclaimed Gabriel, his father.

The woman laughed at the boy’s question and said, “You see Felix, this is old age. When you will grow old, your skin will be like mine. When people grow older and become grandmothers or grandfathers, their skins appear like this.”

“But you are not my grandmother!” said the boy.

“Yes I’m not your real grandmother, but you see, when one grows old, she becomes a grandmother,” expertly intervened the woman.

“Then I don’t want to be old daddy!” cried Felix.

When bedtime reached, everyone settled to sleep but not before they prayed. Felix offered to pray. He demanded that everyone close their eyes before he prayed. He finally began “God bless daddy, God bless mom, God bless Felly, God bless Grandmother, God bless sleep. Amen.” Everyone clapped as Gabriel took over the prayers. Everyone left to their room. Father took Felix to his room and read him a short bedtime story that read:

“THE DOG AND THE THIEF

On a Sunday afternoon Paul’s parents were not at home. He was feeling bored. So, he decided to go and watch a cricket match. He left his dog, Snoopy, in the house.

Just after Paul had left, a thief forced open the window. He entered the house and started searching the rooms. He took all the valuables but when he was about to leave, he saw Rex standing in front of him, growling.

The dog was about to pounce on him when Paul returned home. He asked Rex to calm down and handed over the thief to the police.”

“That is the end of the story. Did you like it?” said father.

“Yes daddy, I would just be like Paul when I grow up,” commented Felix.

“Now it’s time to sleep,” he said as he covered him with the warm blankets, “goodnight son.”

“Goodnight daddy.”

Father left the room after switching off the lights and closed the door behind him. At the middle of the night, Felix came into his parents’ bedroom and said he wanted to sleep with them for he was terrified. Mother tried to comfort him and told him God was with him and watched over him during the night. He got real close to her and narrowed his eyes and said, “Mom, let daddy sleep in my room with God, I need someone with skin.”

It had been a tough battle to let Felix sleep in his own room. But now that the boy was coping with his sleeping alone, again the nightmare began. He would no longer sleep alone. They had to let him join them in their bed where he slept soundly.

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