Gall Turn Sweeter(Jason Otieno) ‘Ding dong!’
Pam was busy in the kitchen preparing supper. Although she heard it clearly, she gave it a cold shoulder and continued chopping the onions. She was busy humming a song, a song running deep in her veins. The day she met Sean, he kept singing this at intervals. Sean loved this song and the virus in it had caught her, sweeping her off her feet. Again the bell rang, only this time accompanied by a loud bang at the door. She was not expecting anyone as Sean who always paid her regular visits in the evening had left for a business trip to Kisumu. She herself had escorted him to the Jomo Kenyatta international airport before heading straight home.

”Who could that be?” she asked herself as myriad of endless questions brimmed in her brain. She made quick calculated steps towards the door, but suddenly realized that someone was fumbling with the door knob in haste. This further confused her and she decided to ask who it was. No answer was coming as the grope became vigorous and rough. No sooner had she turned to run for the emergency button than the door flung wide open. In came a strange lean middle-aged man of about thirty. He was nattily dressed in a black German suit, white shirt made more eye-catching with his striped tie. Sarcastically, his face glowed with inestimable glee as he exposed his well arranged snow-white teeth giving an ear to ear smile.

The face seemed familiar but as much as Pam tried to refresh her mind, she couldn’t tell where she saw that guy.
“Who are you and how can I be of any help to you?” asked Pam in a panicking voice as she cautiously made steps backward, not taken in by the smile. Surprisingly, the man neither talked nor made any move towards her.
Abruptly, she stumbled on something. Hardly had she turned round to have a glance when she felt a tenacious grasp around her neck. She was shocked; tongue tied and perplexed as her mouth suddenly went dry. She had not seen or felt anyone behind her and so this caught her with a big surprise. She drew audible shuddery breath and shivered with a perceptible rattle of her teeth. Fear rose in her like a column of mercury in a clinical thermometer as frigid sweat trickled down her forehead and armpits fully drenching her tank-top. She struggled to free herself from the rigid hands but all was in vain. It was as useless as crying over spilt milk. She bit the hand and it suddenly let go. She fell down with a thud and struggled up in vain.

What she saw wasn’t a sight to behold. It made her shake to the roots of her existence and as a result, virtually jumped out of her skinny body. A gun was directly pointed at her head by a strange looking man. He was equally elegantly dressed but in contrast, he was gargantuan and had dreadlocks with thick moustache. His eyes had popped out of their sockets and were as cold as those of a wounded lioness. In fact, he looked like the most brutal creature on earth. He took a rope and tied her hands together as if she were a convict. With little resistance she was cautiously frog-marched into a waiting posh car. He went to the driver’s cabin and ignited the engine.

Guilt and concern swirled within her as her eyes were glued on the men. She looked at them as though they were worms wriggling in her delicious meal as they drove at a velocity of a bullet from a machine gun. She could hardly tell the routs and corners they were negotiating. It was now clear beyond any doubt that these men were kidnappers. She recalled nasty calls she occasionally received at her residence and her eyes stung with tears of sorrow. Grace, her neighbor, had just been rescued the other day after disappearing under mysterious circumstances. This had prompted Sean and her to fit an emergency alarm with direct link to the police station just in case. But now it was no use after all. She had easily fallen prey. If only she knew… she regretted not pressing the button as soon as she sensed danger. However if wishes were horses, beggars would joyfully ride.
The thought of the horror those kidnapped go through, made her body grow weak, numb and flaccid. 'Will I be lucky enough to survive this ordeal? Who are these guys? What do they want from me? Oh Sean if only you were around,' she cried to herself as she wondered what was in store for her. Funny enough, these kidnappers remained mum. They neither spoke a single syllable to her nor produced a sound despite her many questions. All these were doing her no good. She was torturing her mind and scaring herself stiff.

Suddenly, they came to a halt and alighted. A large hood was put over her face rendering her blind. This almost made her blood freeze as she knew her seeing again, would be a miracle. They then helped her out of the car and led her into an access of a building. She could easily tell they were moving into a basement. She thought of screaming but something told her not to add salt into an injury. She played the tune. They entered into a room and lead her to a chair in the middle of the room. She could feel movement of many feet in the room. It was now crystal clear in her mind that her death was fast approaching as she imagined how many people were there.

'Will they rape me? Oh my God forbid all these!' she exclaimed to herself as her heart started thumping like pistols of a locomotive. She prayed hard as she waited for the best though prepared for the worst. She felt someone closer to her back, pinched her lightly on the neck and at once pulled out the hood together with the blindfold.

“Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Pam!
Happy birthday to yoouuuuu!”

In front of her was Sean, her fiancé, her mother, papa and friends. She remained emotionally touched with mixed feelings as undefined tears rolled down her cheeks. What a birthday surprise!

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