Chapter 29 28

Peku saw raging smoke rising from the village from afar.He knew immediately that something was wrong.God was going to punish him, but because he ran away and hid timidly, he took his wrath on his parents and friends. There appeared to be a large rock tied to his leg.The scorching sun scorched his head and neck, as if beating him with intense radiation.He really wanted to lie down in the shade, throw himself on the ground, and wait for death.But he couldn't tell what urged him to continue walking towards that miserable place. He soon smelled a smell: a pungent smell of gasoline and coke, and a sweet smell.He recognized at once that it was the smell of death.Peku's stomach tightened.

He ran up the gravel road and came to the first hut along the way.The old Kuso's thatched hut with all its teeth lost has disappeared, leaving only a few burning logs on the ground.The beautiful house of Letan, the wealthiest farmer in the village, who owned a dozen goats and fourteen cows, was reduced to a heap of burning ruins. A charred body lay on the side of the road, covered in flies.As Peku approached, the flies buzzed away.It's a goat.He walked on, his heart pounding, his throat hurting, and he wanted to cry, but God refused to accept his tears. Most of the houses in the village have been destroyed, leaving only a pile of smoky ruins, revealing the existence of thatched cottages.The thatched huts might not be as impressive as the stone houses Peku had seen on his only visit to the city, but they provided protection and shelter from the scorching sun.

The elder's jeep was parked by the side of the road.Yesterday, my mother was sitting in this car and went out with the elder to look for him.There is a human leg protruding from the back.Peku leaned over cautiously, almost out of breath with tension.He didn't want to identify who that person was, but he couldn't help himself. It's an elder.His bearded face was turned up, his eyes wide open, as if in death he could not believe the terrible punishment that the gods had inflicted on the village.There was a big blood red hole in his chest.Peku was stunned for a moment, he couldn't believe that this strong man, the man who often picked him up by the waist and stroked his hair, was lifeless; Noisy, the voice of this man yelled at him.

Peku finally left here, walking towards his parents' thatched hut with stiff steps.He seemed to be the wooden sculpture he carved, although he was pushed forward by a strange magic power, his heart was already broken.Surprisingly, his home was miraculously intact.Mother's laundry yesterday still hangs on the rusty metal rack in front of the door, and the beautiful colorful shawls are blackened by smoke. Peku stopped before the bark curtain at the door.It took a long time before I had the courage to push open the curtain and walk in. It was empty inside. He felt a burst of relief.Perhaps his family had fled.Perhaps God forgave them.He secretly prayed that it was so.

He walked around the village and found more bodies than he could count.Among them were old Jinya and Osman, who was strong in body but stupid in mind and unable to speak completely.There is also the village doctor Kunu.Once the villagers are possessed by the devil or sick, Kunu will use magic power to help the villagers.Why didn't God forgive Kunu?Isn't he the most faithful servant of God?Peku didn't understand.Among the dead were children, Kalu's youngest sister, Lisi, and the fastest runner, Kunatu. Peku walked back and forth among the ruins in a daze, staring at the charred body.Some of the bodies were so burnt that they were hardly recognizable.He's sure his parents aren't among them, though.

He knew that this disaster was caused by him alone, and it was all his fault.His father had told him once that when one despises the holy precepts, bad ones will come.The capital sin he committed provoked the wrath of God, so he sent villains.Perhaps that was the very God, the Christ, that the fat German governess used to speak of.He often seems to be infuriated by the evils that humans commit. Peku felt as if he, too, was dead.There is only one thing left for him to do, to dedicate his life to God to atone for the sin and restore peace to those he loves.He would go into the field until a pack of wild dogs or hyenas found him and tore him to pieces.