Shadows To Star [Wattys2019]

So Dirty From Cloth To Soul

"For days now, Danjuma's comments about Ahmad's 24th birthday have weighed on him. He has wanted to discuss the matter with Baba Garba, but various obstacles have prevented him from doing so. Now, as he gathers charcoal from the backyard where they burn wood, the same thought resurfaces: 'What lies beyond that black gate?' Without any recollection of his past, it's challenging to imagine what lies out there.

Baba Garba himself cannot recall the outside world, having been trapped here far longer than Ahmad. His memories have gradually faded, including the faces of his own family. He was once a young villager who sought a better life in the city, leaving behind his newlywed bride.

One night, in front of his sugarcane stand, a middle-aged woman bought his entire stock, bringing Baba Garba great joy. However, after collecting the money, everything changed. He vanished and ended up where he is now.

He knows many in his village would accuse him of shirking his responsibilities, and he wonders if his family ever tried to find him. His survival is solely due to his absence during the gruesome rituals, but he became a mere gatekeeper and servant, opening the gate every day without knowing where he truly is.

Loneliness prevailed until the day a five-year-old boy, considered untouchable, arrived in his school uniform clutching a lunchbox—an unexpected miracle. That evening, a group of children met their tragic fate after their hair was cut, and used for some dark purpose, resulting in the brutal dismemberment of their companions. Most perished, witnessing the horrifying dismemberment of their fellow children.

The woman overseeing these horrific acts would exclaim, 'What a waste of flesh, damn frightened chickens!' Baba Garba was then tasked with burning their lifeless bodies, a gruesome duty he carried out obediently. However, when it was Ahmad's turn, the last of that day, Baba Garba looked at the boy with reverence, muttering 'Astagafirullah' as he gently placed him on the bloodstained table.

Ahmad lay on that table for the first time that day, surrounded by the blood of innocent children. Terrified and drenched in sweat, he gazed up at the sky. At that moment, he could hear his mother's distant voice, urging him to recite 'Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raju'un' and 'la haula wala quwwata illa billahil aliyul aziim.' He repeated the words through his tears until the imposing woman before the table erupted in fury once again.

'Who brought this outrageous child here? It's an insult to the goddess!' she screamed, startling not only Ahmad, who had wet his pants, but also Baba Garba.

'I brought him. What's the problem? His age and appearance match the required description I was given,' a man said as he entered the slaughter area, covered in filth from head to toe. This man could assume any role necessary to fulfill the demands of any ritual, receiving payment upon completion. He could be a bus driver, a tricycle rider, a vegetable vendor, a crippled beggar, a street preacher, a hospital orderly, or anything else required to deliver individuals on time.

"He is a hideous creature. I can't move my hands in front of him," she shouted again.

"How can you move your hands when the auspicious hour for the sacrifice has passed? It's just his lucky day. He will be in the next batch," the man said and disappeared into the house, unaware that it was only the beginning of Ahmad's encounters with numerous incidents like that. Until they finally removed him from their sacrifice list. From that day, Ahmad and Baba Garba became buddies and never missed a chance to pray for their safety or help one another.

Ahmad dragged the charcoal sack he was taking to the kitchen area only to see Joe locking the black room, as he called it. The room was dark, where they used to keep people before killing them. The room was painted black, with only one red bulb hanging from the dirty ceiling. Ahmad believed it was one of the worst places to be in. Even if you were lucky enough to escape from there, that room could haunt you for a very long time.

"Ahmad!" Joe called out excitedly as Ahmad walked past him to where he was going. "Hey, how are you?"

"Same as always," Ahmad replied with a smile, wiping his hands with an old handkerchief he pulled from his trousers.

"You always say the same thing that I don't know what it means anymore." They both smiled.

"So, you brought goods today."

"Yeah, and don't meddle in my business, Ahmad," he said jokingly, but Ahmad knew he was serious.

"I can't remember doing so."

"Well, bro, you used to. I don't know what you saw in parking coal all the time and doing other stuff. You should do better than this; you know you can do better and become someone important, Ahmad."

"You just said not to meddle, Joe, but you're doing just that," Ahmad said calmly, as Joe had always been nice to him.

"Oh, sorry. Come with me, I brought something for you and your dumb friend," he dragged Ahmad to the fine area of the house where Ahmad and Baba Garba's rooms were.

That area where everyone can be fooled, given how beautiful it is with different flowers and beautiful paint. Joe handed Ahmad the two shopping bags he carried from the veranda of Ahmad's room.

"You brought us new clothes again. Thank you," Ahmad appreciated with a smile, looking into the bags. One bag contained four shirts and two pairs of jeans, while the other one contained food and groceries. Before, they only got clothes from the ones the dead people left behind, and they never ate the food served to everyone. They always ate what Baba Garba cooked for them secretly, as he used to steal raw food from the kitchen before.

That stopped when Joe showed up and started bringing clothes and food items to them. He only did that maybe because he liked Ahmad or had a motive they didn't know about yet. Or maybe because he could help his relatives, no matter how needy they were, with his money.

Joe used to be like any other jobless young adult, dreaming big while sitting on the roadside bench with a group of friends and fantasizing about rich people. Making expensive plans without making any effort to work hard and earn a decent penny of their own. They had a list of all the latest car models and the net worth of people who had achieved success through hard work and sweat, while they, the roadside benchers, only got to borrow from family and friends.

It was one of those days when Joe and his four friends were sitting by the roadside in their area, chatting among themselves, when a flashy black car parked in front of them. They were all in awe of the fine car until its owner stepped out, wearing expensive clothes, and greeted them.

He asked how they were and if they had jobs of their own. They answered negatively to the latter question. He engaged in conversation with them for a while, and as he was about to leave, he handed them his business card. Three of Joe's friends suspected the man was a fraudster and declined to accept the card. However, Joe and his remaining friends decided to visit the man's office since he had also invited them to his house for dinner.

Upon arriving at the man's house and being warmly welcomed with a spread of delicious food and drinks, Joe and his friend naively agreed to work for the man without knowing the details of the job. And that's how they found themselves on the wrong path, transitioning from being errand boys to being entangled in their own lives.

However, Joe made a firm decision not to offer any of his relatives for sacrifice, which resulted in a condition: he was never to assist any of them, no matter how dire the situation was. If he violated this condition, he would pay a steep price for his life. Ahmad still wonders why they went to such lengths, only to end up alone.

For the arabic word up there
Astagafirullah means 'seeking Allah's forgiveness'.

Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi raju'un means 'to Allah, we came and to Him, we shall return

La haula wala quwwata illa billahil aliyul aziim means 'there is no power and no strength except with Allah'.