Lords and Thieves

It was a rainy night, David was under the sheets and sweat was running down his face. He was having nightmares. The year was 1996 and David was just six years old. Little David was standing outside his mother’s bedroom. There, he can hear his grandmother and aunt trying to keep Abidemi conscious. Suddenly, there a large shadow covering him. David turned around and saw a tall, dark figure in the form of a man. However, it wasn’t an ordinary man. It had bright red eyes. David, with fright ran. He was turning and twisting in bed. In the dream, he saw his family attending his mother.

Minutes later, her eyes were open and she was in terror. David was standing by the door. Then, he heard a loud growl. He shook and turned slowly and there was a large demon. Abidemi screamed David’s name. Just like that, David fell into a dark deep hole. He was in another dimension. He got up and started panicking. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” he screamed. He looked around and there was no one. Suddenly, he heard a growl. He froze. David slowly turned around and there was a horrific demon. He slowly walked back, but the demon lunged at him. David screamed as loud as he can. He woke up screaming.

His screams woke up the entire room. The lights came on and his teacher Mrs. Sani came in. “David! Are you alright?” she asked. The other children were already up and were looking at him. David looked around and was breathing heavy. “I’m good,” he responded. He quickly got up and went to the bathroom. After five minutes, David went back to bed. And so, the next morning, it was the first day in the month of August. That morning, the bell rung. All the students showered and went to the hall for breakfast. David is an orphan. His father got shot in an armed robbery when he was four.

His mother, Abidemi died when he was six. His grandmother got custody of him. However, she died when David was ten. After her death, David was taken to an orphanage. The year was 2005. Every year for the summer, the children in the orphanage would go on camping trips. So, the day was the 7th. That Monday morning, the bell rang. Mrs. Hudson announced on the P.A. system for all students to go to the hall. It was after 8 and the students were in the hall saying prayers and singing hymns. After spending an hour, it was time to go to camp. The orphanage was huge. It had two buildings; one for boys and one for girls.

And so, after they got dressed, the boys lined up in the front yard. The head of the camp committee was Jonathan Garba. There, he spoke to them before they left. For camp, they went to IITA Ibadan. They left the orphanage around 10. After on the road for over an hour, they’ve reached the camp site. Before the students settled down, they were put into groups of seven. David was placed in a good group. And so, the rest of the day, the children were out in the fields playing games. David didn’t play. Instead he stood a far off watching the other children play. He sat down on the bark thinking about the nightmare he had. David reflected on his mother and her painful death.

Moreover, he thought about the horrible creature that he saw. Then, one of the camp committee members saw David under the tree. Her name was Esther Ali. She went over to him to find out why he was sitting under a tree. “David! David! What’s the matter? Why are you sitting under here?” she asked. David answered, “I don’t know. I just want be here for a while.” Esther convinced him that he couldn’t sit here for too long. “You can’t be here for too long. Go out and play,” Esther convinced him. So, David got up and walked off. As he was walking, he kept on thinking about the nightmares. There was a group of boys playing baseball. One of the boys threw the ball.

The other boy with the bat hit the ball and the ball went up high. Suddenly, the ball hit David on the head and he fell down on the ground. He laid their unconscious. The other students gathered around. Two of the camp committee members to his assistance. They took him to a room and called an ambulance. The ambulance came fifteen minutes later. They took him to the nearest hospital. David had a small concussion on his head. Two members of the camp committee and a few other boys were at the hospital. David was in the I.C.U. A few minutes later, the doctor came out.

Susan and Grace saw the doctor coming out. They walked up to him and asked about David. The doctor told them that his injuries weren’t that bad. “There was a small bruising on the left side of his head that we manage to treat,” the doctor told them. “Is he going to be OK?” Susan asked. The doctor answered, “Yes, however, we still need to keep him for some time.” “Is it OK to go and see him now?” Grace asked. The doctor said, “Yes, you can see him.” So, the two went to his room. David was lying peacefully. Outside the room stood a tall man. However, no one couldn’t see him. He was dressed in a navy blue robe.

No one knew that it was an angel. When Susan and Heather left, the angel walked into the room. He went to David’s side and placed his right hand on his head. Not only the angel healed him, but he gave David a gift. The angel left and David was still asleep. Minutes later, he woke up. This time he was in another dimension. He looked around and the place was very dark. Suddenly, he heard what was like someone crying. He turned around and David saw a little boy. He slowly walked up to him. “What’s the matter? Are you OK?” David asked. The young boy kept on crying.

David slowly stretched out his arm to touched him. He asked again, “What’s wrong?” The child answered, “He’s coming to kill me.” “Who? Who’s coming to kill you?” David asked. Aloud growl was made and a large shadow covered both of them. David slowly looked back and there stood a man. He walked up closer and David recognized him. He saw that the man was none other than Pastor Abdul Adebayo. Suddenly, he turned into a large demon. The beast was very horrific to look upon. Both boys shook in great terror. David asked, “What do you want?” The demon replied, “Your soul.” Then, it lunged at both of them.

David got up screaming. His screams alerted the nurses. When he was awake, David looked around. Two nurses came in and tried to calmed David down. “Where am I?” he asked. “You’re at the hospital,” one of the nurses replied. David looked around again. “I—I was at the playground and then I was in a black hole,” he stuttered. Then, David started to overreact. The nurses had to calm him down. One of them gave him an injection. David falls into a sleep. The nurses checked his pressure and everything was normal. David was kept into observation for a few days and the following Wednesday, he was discharge from the hospital.

He went back to the camp. Because of his injuries, he couldn’t play any sports. So, David had to stay under tents. They stayed at IITA Ibadan for four weeks and in the second week of August, they left. They left that Friday evening. On their way back, David kept thinking about what happened. After driving for two hours, thy arrived at the orphanage. However, David’s mind was very far off. “David! David! David!” Esther shouted. David got up fast. “We’re back at the orphanage,” Esther said to him. David grabbed his things and got off the bus. Later that night, it was time for dinner. For dinner, they had chicken and bean soup.

David sat by the window slowly eating his meal. And then, he went into a trance. After a while, David heard a sound. He looked around and he was standing outside the orphanage. “What’s going on here?” he asked. He went inside and the place was empty. All the tables and chairs were gone. The other children also disappeared. Then, out of nowhere, a tall dark figure arose. It was a demon. David froze. His eyes opened wide. “Who are you?” he asked. The demon replied, “I am the evil Lord of Darkness.” The demon swiftly lunged at him. David jumped out and screamed. He didn’t know that it was a nightmare.

One of the caretakers attend to him. “It’s OK! It’s OK! Calm down,” she said to him. David cleaved on to her. The woman took him to the bedroom. Her name was Chinara. There, she comforted him and asked him what took place. “Why were you screaming like out there?” she asked David. David answered, “I had a bad dream. I don’t know what happened.” Chinara pointed out David’s behavior. “This is not the first time you’ve been acting like this. Are you having problems with the other children?” Chinara wondered. David answered, “No! no! It’s not that. I’ve been having these dreams.”

Chinara told David to take some rest. Later that night, the other children were treated to what they called movie night. There, they assembled in the grand room to watch a movie. They were watching 101 Dalmatians. In the middle of the movie, David got up and went to the grand room to watch the movie. The movie finished after 11. The bell rung and it was time for bed. All the children changed into their sleepwear and went to bed. The time was 2 a.m. and the place was dark and silent. Everyone was sleeping except David. He was up still thinking about the dream he had at the dinner table. David quietly got out of bed and went out on the balcony. He sat next to the plants.

He thought about the past dreams he had. Suddenly, he heard a voice. “What is the matter?” a voice asked. David looked up and saw a tall man dressed in a suit. He looked very well dressed. David was awe struck. He looked at him and saw that the tall man had a radiant countenance. David had no idea that he was talking to an angel. “What is the matter David?” the man asked. David bowed his head. He stuttered, “I—I, I’ve been having these dreams. I don’t understand.” That was when his eyes were opened and David saw that the tall man was in fact an angel. David was speechless.

He stuttered a second time. “Are you… Are you an angel?” he asked. The angel smiled and then revealed himself. “I was sent to you by the Lord,” the angel replied. David got up. He was a little shaken. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said to him. “Why is all of this happening?” David wondered. The angel answered, “The Lord gave you a gift. Look up,” David looked up and his eyes were opened. There, he was amazed at what he saw. David saw a host of angels in heaven. “The Lord gave you the gift of sight,” the angel told him. David was still confused. “Do not be confused. The Lord has given you the gift of sight,” the angel said.

David didn’t ask any questions, but deep down he had a lot in his heart. Then, he angel said to him, “David, you were given this gift because the Lord has chosen you to opened the eyes of his people; his church.” David was relieved. After talking for a while, the angel left. David looked around and that was when one of the caretakers saw him on the balcony. “David, what are you doing here?” the woman asked. David replied, “I was having trouble sleeping. So, I came out here.” “Go back inside,” she commanded. David went back inside and went to sleep. In the realms of Hell, there was a lot of anger and tension.

Wails and screams echoed through every wall. Satan and his demonic cohorts knew about the divine gift and calling on David’s life. David was destined to exposed the evil in these churches. The next morning, David got up and sat on his bed. He thought about the encounter he had last night with the angel. Minutes later, the bell rung. On the P.A. system, the announcement was made to go and take a shower, get dressed, and head to the dining room for breakfast. David went after almost everyone showered and changed their clothes. The time was 9. Some of the children had already finished their breakfast.

For breakfast, David had some bread with scrambled eggs. He ate very slowly as he kept on thinking about what happened last night. Images of the angel and the angelic host appeared in his mind. Chinara was walking down the hallway heading to the headmistress’s office. She stood at the door and took a deep breath. Then, she knocked. “Come in!” the headmistress shouted. Chinara opened the door. The headmistress Mrs. Grace Bankole was on the phone. She told Chinara to have a seat. She hang up the phone. “I was told that you wanted to see me,” Chinara said to her.