AN ABSTRUSE CONSCIOUSNESS
by
BLESSING OTABOR
I was travelling. I had to board a plane in Lagos. This was the first time I was going to fly in an aeroplane. The plane took off and settled very quickly and gently in the air. Everyone on board the plane or myself per se was relaxed to watch the film on the screen of the television in the plane. Whatever this film was watched at all, I cannot actually beat my chest about it even as I am writing right now. What I can still remember for sure is that we or I was started by the greeting of a thunderous and cracking sound of an obvious explosion which threw everyone into an immeasurable pandemonium. I found myself in the other half of the plane and my consciousness was at this juncture put to an abrupt dark full stop.
All of a sudden, I found what I first thought was my ghost in a very thick forest of an unfathomable diameter. I soon discovered that I was the one and not a ghost lying on the belly of the unknown forest. I had thought that the story of my life had been concluded at the time the plane exploded. “So it is really possible to survive in a plane crash! People will say I have made history! Christ, how can I be discovered and rescued from this strange forest?” I spoke these words, not with the mouth with which I eat, but with the mouth of my heart. “I am still alive after all and not dead”, I breathed as I looked down upon the problem which I didn’t bargain for.
I couldn’t but give way to a thanksgiving sleep as I looked forward to being told by a rescuer, “I am here to help you, lucky man”. Then, the captivity would be over. As this mighty sleep whose woolly palm was beginning to lull me into an anticipated unconsciousness, the spittle of a lanky cobra startled hell fire out of my eyes which had almost sunk into my head. I knew I was now running as fast as my legs which had now become somehow alive could carry me. I was as a matter fact, running to where I didn’t know whether or not was the direction of the dangerous animal.
A reader like you might want to predict that the next thing that happened could be a case of “Frying pan to fire”. This had hurried over my mind anyway. Danger shone into my eyes that was now fully set on my head and almost blinded it. It was a fierce looking and apparently hungry creature – a lion this time, which I was sure nothing could stop from having its way that bedevilled my sight. You should not better your mouth to say that I was lucky I didn’t run into it. It was fully poised to get something down its gut which was saturated with anticipation in order to ensure that its metabolism was sustained. As it thanked God for bringing food, as my mind had told me, it didn’t hesitate to roar after me like Goliath had roared towards David before the later surprisingly made a mess of him.
The harder and faster I thought I ran, the closer I knew the distance between us became. The distance geometrically became closer and closer and closer until finally closed up. “It is all over for me”, I had thought, allowing myself (what could I have done) to lie and wait on the floor of the mysterious forest for the claws of the lucky beast. The through of life after death flew into my heart and gave it a big consolation.
I waited. As I waited, the sharp double edged rays of the rising sun cut my eyes open. I was shocked to my bone to realize that I was, and had been on my bed in my bedroom. “Oh! Nightmare”, I breathed with relief, still looking for evidence. I looked up at the wall clock in my room as it struck mid – day. I probably fell back to sleep. What do you expect?
by
BLESSING OTABOR
I was travelling. I had to board a plane in Lagos. This was the first time I was going to fly in an aeroplane. The plane took off and settled very quickly and gently in the air. Everyone on board the plane or myself per se was relaxed to watch the film on the screen of the television in the plane. Whatever this film was watched at all, I cannot actually beat my chest about it even as I am writing right now. What I can still remember for sure is that we or I was started by the greeting of a thunderous and cracking sound of an obvious explosion which threw everyone into an immeasurable pandemonium. I found myself in the other half of the plane and my consciousness was at this juncture put to an abrupt dark full stop.
All of a sudden, I found what I first thought was my ghost in a very thick forest of an unfathomable diameter. I soon discovered that I was the one and not a ghost lying on the belly of the unknown forest. I had thought that the story of my life had been concluded at the time the plane exploded. “So it is really possible to survive in a plane crash! People will say I have made history! Christ, how can I be discovered and rescued from this strange forest?” I spoke these words, not with the mouth with which I eat, but with the mouth of my heart. “I am still alive after all and not dead”, I breathed as I looked down upon the problem which I didn’t bargain for.
I couldn’t but give way to a thanksgiving sleep as I looked forward to being told by a rescuer, “I am here to help you, lucky man”. Then, the captivity would be over. As this mighty sleep whose woolly palm was beginning to lull me into an anticipated unconsciousness, the spittle of a lanky cobra startled hell fire out of my eyes which had almost sunk into my head. I knew I was now running as fast as my legs which had now become somehow alive could carry me. I was as a matter fact, running to where I didn’t know whether or not was the direction of the dangerous animal.
A reader like you might want to predict that the next thing that happened could be a case of “Frying pan to fire”. This had hurried over my mind anyway. Danger shone into my eyes that was now fully set on my head and almost blinded it. It was a fierce looking and apparently hungry creature – a lion this time, which I was sure nothing could stop from having its way that bedevilled my sight. You should not better your mouth to say that I was lucky I didn’t run into it. It was fully poised to get something down its gut which was saturated with anticipation in order to ensure that its metabolism was sustained. As it thanked God for bringing food, as my mind had told me, it didn’t hesitate to roar after me like Goliath had roared towards David before the later surprisingly made a mess of him.
The harder and faster I thought I ran, the closer I knew the distance between us became. The distance geometrically became closer and closer and closer until finally closed up. “It is all over for me”, I had thought, allowing myself (what could I have done) to lie and wait on the floor of the mysterious forest for the claws of the lucky beast. The through of life after death flew into my heart and gave it a big consolation.
I waited. As I waited, the sharp double edged rays of the rising sun cut my eyes open. I was shocked to my bone to realize that I was, and had been on my bed in my bedroom. “Oh! Nightmare”, I breathed with relief, still looking for evidence. I looked up at the wall clock in my room as it struck mid – day. I probably fell back to sleep. What do you expect?
Comments
Post a Comment