The price of disobedience
18 June 2015
SAMANTHA KUSARI
An entry in the Crocodile Prize
Paga Hill Development Company
Award for Writing for Children
THERE lived a brother and a sister, Bina and Nika, who were twins. Bina was the boy and Nika the girl. They had a best friend, Kepas, a boy who lived on the same street.
Bina, Nika and Kepas loved doing things together and enjoyed each other’s company. They were called the three musketeers.
Bina and Nika were obedient children. They helped their mum with household chores after school while their father was at work. Kepas was obedient too, but at times he was a little cheeky.
Their neighbour was a poor old widower. His wife had died a some years ago and he lived alone. His children were grown up and married and seldom visited him. Bina and Nika’s mother would warn them not to go to his house or touch his property.
The old man was a good gardener. He planted all kinds of plants around his house. Guava, mango, banana and pawpaw trees surrounded his house.
One afternoon after school, Kepas came to Bina and Nika’s house to play ‘hide and seek’, one of their favorite after-school games. While they were playing, they noticed the old man walk out of his house. He was a heavy smoker and was going to the canteen to buy cigarettes.
Kepas noticed a ripe mango in the old man’s yard.
“Hey Bina, the old man is going down to the canteen for a smoke,” Kepas said to Bina. “C’mon, let’s go climb the tree and get some fresh mangoes.”
“I can’t go there,” Bina replied. “My mum will beat me if she finds out.”
“Oh, c’mon Bina,” said Kepas. “Your mum won’t know. It will only take a few minutes to climb up there and get the mangoes. We’ll be back before the old man comes back and before your mum knows.”
“Stop forcing him,” Nika said to Kepas.
“You’re not a boy so shut up,” Kepas spoke back at Nika. “You can’t climb. Besides, I wasn’t asking you.”
“You’re not going, aren’t you?” Nika asked Bina.
“Yes, he is,” said Kepas. “Or else I’m going by myself.”
“OK then, let’s go quickly,” said Bina. “Nika, you watch out for the old man and signal us if he comes.”
Nika stood on the footpath and kept an eye out for her mum and the old man while the two boys went into the yard and climbed the mango tree.
Bina was already in the tree feeling for ripe mangoes. Kepas was halfway through climbing but he got scared of the height so he lied that a red ant had bitten him and he couldn’t climb further.
Instead he would stand underneath and catch the mangoes. Meanwhile, Nika was on lookout.
Unfortunately the old man took the back path to his house and Nika did not notice. She was expecting him to come along the front path.
He caught the boys by surprise.
“What are you doing in my yard?” he shouted. By then, Bina was on his way down the tree. Kepas had fled when he heard the old man’s voice.
Poor Bina! He tried to jump down from the tree and run out of the front gate but landed so badly he broke his arm and twisted an ankle.
He was taken to hospital and got his arm put in plaster. From then on he promised himself not to listen to anyone but to obey his parents. He had learned his lesson.
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