JUDAS...Part 5.

I stood at the edge of the cliff preparing to jump. An endless chasm lay below, littered with pointed rocks and sparse vegetation. The mere sight sent shudders down my spine. But I had to do this. I could no longer bear their eyes. Those judgemental eyes. The scoofs and 

snide remarks that follow each time I passed. I heard their voices. The other apostles speaking in hushed tones. They seemed to be plotting something. Elsewhere, some young male voices were singing in Latin. I held my head in my hands, screaming for the voices to stop.

"Jude."

I turned. It was Dad, Dr. Isikaro. He was dressed in a white linen cloth, just like the Messias. He was approaching me.

"Come back," he said.

I shook my head, stepping forward. I staggered, struggling to regain balance. The chasm beckoned.

"He who the gods want to kill, they first make mad." His voice was solemn. He was almost at the edge of the cliff, his arms outstretched.

I studied his features closely as he approached. He had a kind face. His hair had strands of white ones. But his eyes harbored pain. 

He reached where I stood, smiled at me and patted me on the back.

"Go home," he said.

I turned from the edge and made to walk away.

"Jude!" It was a shriek. I whirled round to see his head disappearing below. I rushed to the edge but he was gone, a white linen cloth in the distance, receding in the chasm. I screamed in horror.

"Jude!"

I woke up with a start, soaked in my own sweat. Dad was at the door, staring at me.

"Another nightmare?" he asked, looking concerned.

I nodded.

"Did you take your drugs before bed?"

"Yes, I did."

"Ok. Go back to bed. Remember we are going to your seminary tomorrow to see the Rector. Catch some sleep."

I laid down and waited to hear the sound of the door close before sitting up. I knew sleep would not come till morning. I paced the room thinking of what to do. Just then, my phone rang. Cynthia.

"What are you doing awake?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

"Studying, of course." She sounded very alert.

"At 2 am?"

"Yeah. It is the period I find very convenient. Everyone is asleep. No disturbance. What aren't you asleep?"

"I had a nightmare which woke me."

"Again?" There was a hint of concern in her voice. "What was it about?"

"Some weird stuff," I said. "We are going to the seminary today."

There was some silence at her end. "How are you taking the expulsion?"

I laughed. "I can't even recall being in that school. So to me, it is pure drama."

She laughed. "So, since you can no longer be a priest, have you decided on what to do with your life?"

"You mean besides marrying you?" Her laughter could be heard from my end of the line. I smiled. "Well, my dad wants me to consider studying Medicine to take over his hospital in the future but I am not interested."

"Well, na you sabi. You can go back to Galilee and be a fisherman."

I rocked back and forth in laughter. "That won't be a bad idea at all."

We chatted briefly about other things. Her parents and siblings. My hospital visits.

"You know, my case keeps baffling the doctors."

"How?" she asked.

"On one hand, they don't want to believe I am Judas. Yet, on the other hand, they cannot explain how I know the things I know like Aramaic, the entire geography of Jerusalem and Judea, the Torah."

"Maybe you are an alien, from Mars." She chuckled.

"I hope one day, when you become a great doctor, you will be able to uncover what really happened to me. Why do you study so hard by the way?"

"You just said it."

"What?"

"To become a great doctor."

I shook my head and wished her luck. Her ambitions amaze me.

A knock on the door woke me up. I had slept off on the seat after Cynthia's call. It was Mum. I greeted her. She looked at me in surprise.

"You are not even dressed yet! Don't you know that we are running late?"

I looked at the clock. 9 am. I showered quickly and dressed up.

Dad was waiting downstairs. We got into his black Landcruiser jeep and headed for the seminary.

The seminary was situated in serene part of the town away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Trees graced the large expanse of land, with the classrooms blocks lined in a row. The office block was behind the classrooms and as we passed, students looked out of their windows and whispers of 'Jude, SP' got to my ears. I figured SP was short for Senior Prefect. We met the Rector in his office. He smiled as he saw us and motioned us to seat. He handed me a letter.

"This is the most painful expulsion letter I have written in my twenty years as Rector. Jude, we wish you well in life."

"Thank you, Sir,"I said, standing to leave. I was indifferent. The drama was over. We left the office as quietly as we came in.

We rode silently to Mum's court. We dropped her off and headed for Dad's hospital. I scrutinized his face as he drove.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes. Just a little headache," he said, forcing a smile.

We soon reached the hospital and as he swerved into the parking lot, I knew something was amiss. The jeep overshot and hit the flagstone.

I looked at Dad and froze. He was slouched on the seat, eyes rolled up, motionless.

"Dad!" I shouted, but got no response.

I screamed for help. The nurses ran to the car with a wheelchair. We unfastened the seatbelt and took him inside the hospital.

There was a flurry of activities in the reception. A doctor was listening for his heartbeat and flashing a small torch into his eyes. I ran outside in panic and dialled Mum. Minutes later, she arrived and ran into the room. 

"What happened?"she asked the doctor. "I was with him not quite long ago."

The doctor was compressing Dad's chest with his interlocked hands.

"He just slumped in the car. We are thinking he had a form of stroke. Was he hypertensive?"

"Yes, but I think he is on antihypertensive drugs."

Dad was still motionless. Minutes later, the doctor stopped. He felt Dad's wrist again.

"No pulse."

He listened to the heart again. "No heartbeat."

He turned to the nurse. "Pupils are already fixed and dilated. Time of death, 11.00 am."

As I stared disbelievingly at the lifeless man before me, the distant chimes of the clock as it struck for the eleventh hour broke my heart.

©Kelvin Alaneme, 2015.

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