On a Friday after Wakin had concluded his prayers, he went about his daily routine of offering rides to people in his tricycle. On that portentous day, he picked up three passengers and upon reaching their destination, Wakin was robbed, injured by the three passengers, and his tricycle was taken from him.

Moments later at the Hospital where he was laying on the bed in the company of his brother, an Investigation officer arrived just in time as Wakil was gaining consciousness and asked if Wakil was stable enough to give a narration of what transpired which Wakin, in a momentary feeling of pleasance responded with a nod.

Wakin started by saying that while he was commuting, he was pulled over by three people and was asked if he knew where the Polo field was and I answered no. ‘Hold on’, the investigation officer interjected. Can you give me a brief description of these people that pull you over? They were all male, in their 20s, and dressed casually but one of them had a scar on his nose said Wakin. Then the officer responded, ‘Thank you, go on with the story’ and Wakin further replied; you look familiar but…ok.

So after I answered that I had no idea where the Polo field was, one of them then asked if I knew where the Mel market was and I responded yes! ‘Who in this poor community does not know Mel market’, I said to myself. So as they entered the tricycle, the one with the scar said the Polo field is just before the Mel market. While on the way, they showed me a signboard of a polo club advertisement and said the field is not far off.

After a couple of minutes, I asked if we had gotten to the location so that I could stop, but instead, they asked that I go further, and shortly afterward, I was told to stop.

They came down from the tricycle and one of them turned to me and asked that I assist them in carrying some bags of maize from a farm nearby as they intend to still require my services to drive them back from where I picked them. They also promise to reward me for my efforts to which I agreed reluctantly.

As I followed them, I realized that they kept whispering to each other while scanning the farm area for movement. It was at that moment I knew I had made the second biggest mistake of my life ‘the biggest mistake as I can vividly remember was selling my vote to the councilor on the promise that my family and I would be paid after the election’ stupid me.

I had to think of a way of escape, so I told them that I forgot my phone on top of the tricycle and wanted to go back and get it, but they responded by telling me that nobody was going to take my phone.

But I insisted that I had to pick up my phone. So as I was going towards my tricycle I turned back out of curiosity and saw that the three of them were coming closely behind me, I also noticed that they were not carrying any maize so I rushed into my tricycle and started it and was in motion but one of them was able to enter my tricycle and as we wrestled for the control of the tricycle, we fell together with the tricycle. At that material time, the windscreen of the tricycle fell out from its place and the fuel tank broke and was spilling petrol into the tricycle and on both of us. I managed to come out through the open space and as I was running one of them caught with me, jumped on me, and pinned me down. One of them held my nose and mouth, one then held my legs while on the ground and the third one brought out a knife. He stabbed me with a knife in my neck, stomach, and somewhere in between my thighs.

Wakin then paused at that point to look at the faces of the officer and his brother to see if they were paying attention to his story, but their faces bear no reaction and seemed faded, so he thought to himself ‘It seems my eyes are beginning fail me and I am getting weak’ but Wakin continued with the story.

So as I was saying, the knife did not penetrate neck but did on both my stomach and thigh. At that time, some boys were passing by and shouted at the assailants to ‘stop’ but the one who was holding the knife approached the boys, brought out the knife, and told them that he will cut them with the knife if they come closer and the boys took to their heels and left us there.

The three guys lift me and searched my body and took away my money and my phone and also demanded the keys to my tricycle. I told them I didn’t remove the key from the ignition of the tricycle. They drag me to where the tricycle was. They searched and found the key.

I held on to the tricycle as they tried to move and then the tricycle ignited maybe due to the scotching heat that combined with the fact that the tricycle was already spilling fuel. After that, I couldn’t remember what happened next till I woke up here at the… it was then that it occurred to Wakin that the hospital was inordinately quiet and that he had been speaking for a while, but no doctor or nurse had come to check on him. As he beckoned on the officer to help him call a nurse, he notices the officer had the same scar as the man who attacked him, and

his face was covered with gloom.

The man stood up, looked deep into Wakin’s soul, and said, I AM DEATHLY SORRY THAT MY ACTIONS BROUGHT US HERE. Upon hearing that, Wakin looked at who he thought was his brother but saw the second person who attacked him and then realized they must have all died from the tricycle explosion. As Wakin walked out of the hospital room alongside the two other assailants and as their souls began to vanish into the abyss,

Wakin turned back and saw the third assailant on the bed in a coma after suffering a 3rd- degree burn, and said ‘I hope to see you soon’.