Hushed Echoes

When Maria woke up, she had the feeling that something ominous was lurking around the corner but the involvement of her beloved husband in an accident that morning was perhaps the least on the list of the misfortune she envisage.

Thus, with bated breath she had waited earnestly for him to return and had even prepared his favorite dish for breakfast, not until that fateful moment Salu brought the sad news of the unfortunate incident to her, that she began to see it as the manifestation of her dream.

It was then she presumed that something was unpleasantly in the offing, it became clear to her that her husband might have sustained some injuries.

This vague notion almost clogged her vision as she felt as blind as a bat, ” No way, it can’t happen” she sobbed silently.

‘But what if he suffered a permanent disability and become a liability go her all the rest of his life?’

“Let it be far from me and my household” she rejected it as she used her hand to wipe the sweat which had gathered and started trickling down her face.

Maria tried as much as possible to shield her mind from the stronghold of negative thought but the more she tried to curtail it, the more it elongated.

But whatever was responsible for her strange feeling was grossly inconsequential compare to her desire to get to the scene of the accident, to locate her husband, rescue him and fight against all forces and above all to make sure he was safe and sound.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Even if he sustained injuries, she would do anything to guarantee his speedy recovery and give him the will to live on, but what she dreaded most gravely was the thought of losing her husband to the cold and wicked hand of death.

No! that would be too much for her to bear because she could not afford to become a widow at the prime of her life, not even when they had a son to cater for.

“What would become of her? What would become of their son Marco? How would she accomplish her uppermost desire? The desire to nuture her only son and see him grow to adulthood, the need to give him the best life could offer, educationally, morally and materially.

Maria knew quite well that she would be swimming in stormy water if the unexpected happens, and Alas! The possibility of losing her husband hung over her head like a sword of Damocles.

“Dear God, please have mercy” she panted, ” save Sylvester please’ she sobbed profusely.

“Take it easy Maria, Sylvester would be alright, iam sure nothing would happen to him” Jamal consoled her.

When they eventually arrived at the scene, they were taken aback by the dreadful damage the accident had caused, it was a gory sight to behold, to the extent that the ill fated coaster bus which had conveyed about fifty Passengers that morning was badly shattered beyond repair, with a pool of congealed blood stream everywhere.

It would have been considered a fairytale if anybody had escaped unhurt, it was indeed a doleful moment as the sight of the gruesome accident produced gloomy effect on the crowd who had gathered there to sympathize with the victims of the accident.

However some of the sympathizers are actually relatives of this victims of the horrible mishap, who expressively demonstrated their sorrows over the dismiss if their loved one in the best piteous manner they could.

Some wailed, whirled and twisted woefully, while others lamentably recounted the extent of the burnt they were going to near as a result of the tragic occurrence.

“What a disaster, iam finished! My wife is gone with a seven months pregnancy” cried one of the sympathizers.

As soon as Maria alighted from the car, she ran quickly, pushing her way through the crowd and shout on the top of her voice, ” my husband, where is my husband?” She screamed, her voice reverberated through the atmosphere.

Within a short while she hurled herself violently on the ground and began to roll like a whirlwind, moment later she got up and ran bravely to one of the men who were watching and dragged him by his arms.

“Please do you know where my husband is?” She asked, desperate for an answer.

“Is your husband a casualty?” The man retorted.

Jamal noticed what was going on and ran swiftly towards her, trying to console her, ” take it easy Maria, don’t worry yourself to death” he caution her, fear gnawing at his heart.

He inquired from the man about the seriousness of the accident.

“Is your relative involved?” Asked the man.

“Yes” replied Jamal.

“Well…” The man continued, ” it happened at about 7:30 this morning, I came outside to get something from the grocery store nearby, when we heard a screeching of wheel and before we knew what was happening, the vehicle swerved off the road and summersaulted several times until it’s finally landed in the ditch.

“Is there any clue as to what might have caused the accident?” Jamal asked.

The man shook his head, ” up till now, the immediate cause of the accident remains very sketchy, but the police are carrying out investigation, to unravel the remote cause of it” the man said sorrowfully.

“So where are the victims?’ Jamal asked, trying not to sound too irritable.

“Well heavy casualties were recorded and incidentally their bodies have all been deposited in the general mortuary, so I advice you to check the mortuary for confirmation”

“Okay, thank you very much” Jamal muttered, his lips quivering.