Episode 21

Final_Chapter

Danny walked into the house, holding a walking stick in the company of a woman.
Cassandra slowly stood up,twice as shoocked as Agnes whose mouth were still hanged open.

“Danny….is…is this a dream or what? You are alive!!” Agnes said, looking all over at him.
Danny smiled as the woman led him to a chair and he sat down. Danny locked eyes with Cassandra. He looked back at Agnes, smiling again.

He shook hands with pastor Frank and said hello to the children.
“It’s a long story,Agnes but I will try to cut it short.

I was never dead although I lost consciousness and you guys took Esther and I to the mortuary.

Those people never told you the truth.
My body went missing and they never bothered to look for me.

That is not all. My memory was lost by the time I woke up in another part of the city.” Danny said and looked at the woman standing beside him.

” Meet Eunice,my life saver. I’ve been living with her for all these years and sorry to say,I have kids with her already. I would call her my wife although I never had the memory to mourn my late wife.

Everything happens for a reason. I blamed and hated myself when my memory was restored.

I couldn’t cone and give you guys warning about what happened to me and I know more lives would have been lost.”
Danny said regretfully.

Pastor Frank together with Agnes explained all that happened.

Cassandra could hardly stand on her two feet. She was dying of shame and guilt.

She could not look at her father’s direction,let alone his face.

Hastily,she turned to go but Johnny stopped her.”Let me go, please.” Cassandra whispered.

“Where on Earth do you think you are going to, Cassandra! You have no place to go!” Johnny said, holding her hand.

Cassandra burst into tears. Sorrowful and pitiable tears.

Danny stood up from where he was sitting with his walking stick and went to Cassandra, Patting her.
“Everything that happened wasn’t your fault.

You were possessed and tormented by the water spirit.

Bring down the heavy load of guilt from your shoulders and let everything pass away.”
Danny said as Cassandra looked at him, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. How could she ever call this man dad again?

“Forgive me….dad..” The word “dad” sounded strange in her mouth but she was so relieve when Danny hugged her.

Eunice came to the kitchen to drink water late in the night when Cassandra entered, closing the door.
“Oh,you are up too. What’s the matter.” Eunice asked,facing Cassandra who came closer to her with a polite smile.
“Aunty…..I…I have a request to make.”
“What… request?” Eunice asked, looking at her.

Cassandra came closer and knelt in front of her.” Please Aunty… promise me you will grant me this request although we barely know each other but You are my last hope.. please…” Cassandra pleaded as Eunice looked at her, wondering what request she wanted to ask.

---

The next day was a Sunday. Danny and Eunice were ready to go back home and they asked Cassandra to come with them but she refused.

That would be the last thing she would do, going to live with the father whom she had stabbed in the stomach, making him to loose his memory.

“Stay well dad. Please…continue to take care of my father till he gets well enough to take care of you too and great my step siblings too.” Cassandra said to Eunice who smiled at her, saying she would.

They saw them off as they entered their car and left.

Cassandra stared at the car until it disappeared out of sight.

Still,she stood there weeping.

With the plan in my mind,she knew she would not be seeing her father again in a long time.
Someone touched her from behind and she quickly cleaned her tears away, turning around to face Johnny who had come by that morning.

“They left.” She said, sniffing and glancing back at the road. She looked back at Johnny forcing a smile.

“Why didn’t you go with them?” Johnny asked softly.

“Johnny,I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I need to give them some space.i couldn’t bear to go with them.

I will die of guilt. Didn’t you see how my dad now walks? He’s bent over!” Cassandra said.

“But he has forgiven you, right?” Johnny said, smiling at her.

Cassandra shook her head.”Even so,I’m still a murderer who murdered all her family members.”
“Don’t call yourself a murderer, Cassandra. The murderer in you is gone.” Johnny said as Cassandra looked at him and looked away.

“Well tommorow is school. You are going,right?”

Cassandra said nothing. She only kept looking at him.

“Heyy!Don’t tell me you aren’t going o because I will force you.” Johnny said and laughed.”And make sure you wait for me.”
“Of course I will! Oh…..and before I forget, tommorow morning at school….make sure you open your locker…. there is something I want you to see.” Cassandra said. Johnny held her hand as they went inside together.
“What’s that? I hope it’s something interesting?” Johnny asked as Cassandra smiled at him.

“I hope so. I hope you find it interesting.”
Cassandra smiled again,her heart already made up with her plan.
Only if he knows….only if he knows today is the last day he’s going to be seeing me……..

---

Johnny knocked on the door the next day, dressed in his school uniform. His bag hung from one of his shoulder.

A gloomy looking Victoria opened the door and greeted him.
“Tell Cassandra I’m waiting for her.” Johnny said as Victoria frowned a little, looking at him.

“She already left. Didn’t she come to your house?” Victoria asked.

Johnny was quiet,staring at the ground. But he told her to wait for him yesterday.
“Okay… thanks. Let me hurry up to school. Maybe she’s already there.” Johnny said as Victoria nodded and went back inside while Johnny rushed off, boarding a bus to school.
As soon as he got to school,he entered their class. Few students were already inside but there was no sign of Cassandra. Johnny’s eyes fastened on her seat. Not even her bag was insight.

Johnny was beginning to go crazy. He rushed out of the class,going around the school compound, looking for her.

He checked the girl’s loo. The cafeteria,the sports house but she was nowhere to be found.

Did she come to school at all? He turned to walk out of the school gate when he suddenly stopped, remembering something.

She had told him to open his locker that morning.

Johnny turned back abruptly and started walking back to class.

The assembly bell rang but he ignored it and walk into the class. He walked swiftly to his seat and and opened his locker.

He looked in and a white envelope became visible.

A letter…
Johnny’s heart did a double flip as he reached inside and brought it out.

He held the letter, afraid to look inside as he closed the locker and sat down.

He closed his eyes and drew out the letter,then opened them and began to read before he could stop himself.

…..???……A letter from me …Cassandra…❣
️
I never knew what love was….until I met you.
That very day you touched me…my life changed…I don’t know but I think it’s something I couldn’t control.

After all I did…after all the chaos I’ve done…the damages..the lives I have taken….the home I have destroyed ….did you ever expected me to still go back to my normal life?aaaa

I deserve death, Johnny. Even something more than death.

I’m writing this letter in tears, Johnny.
The guilt is killing me. It probably will kill me if I should continue to see those people I’ve hurt.

I want you to know that no matter what happens….you will always be the first person to unlock my heart…even before I was delivered.

I will go out there and become someone you will be proud of one day.

I will go out there and kill the guilt in me and become someone important.

No one…I repeat no one will be able to take your place in my heart.

I’m going far away and don’t know when we shall see again.
Don’t even know if I’m going to see you ever again but no matter what happens,you will always be the guy who set my heart on fire!

It’s hard to say goodbye, Johnny….I’m sorry I have no other option than to leave you….say hello to your dad for me.

I will forever remain grateful to him as I serve God…..I’m going to say goodbye now and if it’s in God’s will that we shall meet again…then we shall.

Goodbye…Johnny…this is my first time of saying this to you or someone else…but……I love you..❣️

Cassandra..
By the time Johnny was done reading,he had tears flowing freely from his face.
He clutched the letter in his hand…. barely able to control himself.

“Cassandra why…why!!” Johnny cried out.
He was going crazy…the thought of not seeing Cassandra again filled him with rage and fright.

He picked up his bag and ran out of the class, heading back straight home.

FIVE YEARS LATER
“Hey man! Johnny! You have a call right here!” Samson sang out,tossing Johnny’s cell phone to him.

He was laying down on his bed. They were in their room,in the hostel.

Just last year,he got admission into the school.
Johnny was lost in thought. He was thinking about Cassandra…how beautiful she would look now. His phone rang on but he did not pick it up.

“Come on, Johnny…pick it up! It might be important!” Samson probed on.
” Aissshh!!.” Johnny said annoyingly and picked up the call, carelessly putting it on his ear.

“Yes? Johnny on the line.”
“Johnny!” The voice from the other shouted happily.

Johnny gasped and bolted up from bed.
Was his ears deceiving him?

There was no mistaking that voice!
“Cassandra….. Cassandra!” Johnny shouted into the receiver.

He jumped down from bed.

“Oh Johnny!! I missed you Soo much!” The voice sang on.

“Cassandra! Wait for me! Where are you!” Johnny raved on. Samson stared at him, amused.

“I’m waiting for you, Johnny. Somewhere you will never imagine.”
“Please…. where are you! Please tell me where you are, please!” Johnny said all in a rush.

Cassandra laughed so hard on the other line that even, Johnny wondered if it was really her he was talking to!
“I’m outside.” Carrisa laughed.
And like a mad man on therapy,Johnny ran out of the room.

Out of the hostel and straight downstairs to the school compound which was so quiet because it was a Sunday afternoon.

Johnny got downstairs, looking frantically about and breathing fast.
“I’m outside. Please show yourself! I think I’m going to go crazy!” Johnny breathed into the phone.

But the other line was already dead. Johnny looked up suddenly and saw her coming… coming from behind a large tree, looking like an Angel.

Johnny stared on as his cell phone fell off his hand. “Cassandra!” He cried and t sy both broke into a run, running into each other’s arms.

Cassandra closed her eyes as she hugged him tighter.

Her hair was packed to the back and she smelt so d–n good!

“I can’t believe this! How…… how did ..how…how…. Johnny stammered as he stared at the beautiful hoatel.They in front of him.
Cassandra cut him short with her laugher.

“Let’s go in. I will tell you everything…just everything that happened.” Cassandra said as they laughed and hugged once more.

They held hands and started walking back to the hostel, laughing at their own jokes. !!

THE_END.

???

EPILOGUE:
With the help of Eunice, Cassandra travelled out and continued her studies,after which she came back to Johnny.

Then,she was in her final year. She became a graduate then started the course she studied for:a lawyer.

Johnny became a doctor and three years later,they got married.

Two months after their wedding, Cassandra got pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl.

They got more richer and built an happy family.

But then….

Even though everything had gone well… having a happy ending, Cassandra still lived with that guilt….that guilt that she killed her family and would continue to live with her for as long as she lived on the surface of the earth.