The Wealth of Her Tears

 

The Unexpected Return

"What do you want?"

That was the question Tyla asked him as he knocked on her door that morning. He had doubted himself for coming, but he couldn’t fathom a life without her. It had been a hard time for him these past two years; every day he had missed her, and the thought of not seeing her was driving him crazy. But then, he’d had no choice—it was either fulfill his two years of service, or lose her completely.

"I’m sorry," he said with such sincerity that she took a step back. Then, he saw her eyes harden.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed. "After what you did to me? How dare you!"

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you. I was half-dead not seeing you for the past two years."

"Don’t go sentimental bullshit on me," she fumed. He was glad she was even talking to him; it showed she still felt something.

"Please give me a second chance," he pleaded, dropping to his knees.

"Please leave me alone! You can stuff your second chance up your sleeve. You hurt me!"

"I wish I could take that pain away. I wish I could wear your pain and drown in your tears. I never meant it, believe me, Tyla. I love you more than life itself. You are what motivates me and pushes me to work harder."

"Then why did you hurt me and make me cry? Why did you let me suffer, and why did you tell me I’m useless and only good to be laid on? How dare you come here saying you love me!"

And then, she slapped him.

Henry touched his cheek where she had struck him. He could feel the sting, and he raised his head with his eyes closed. "I deserved that and more. You can do anything to me and I will take it in good faith."

A Torn Heart

Tyla looked at the man who had made her life a living hell. She was torn between forgiving him and hurting him the way he had hurt her. He had practically desecrated her soul and wounded it to the point that she nearly lost her mind. And now, here he was, begging on his knees.

She still loved him, and that sucked. He had been her first love, and she had never met anyone else, even after he had dumped her on the sidewalk that fateful day two years ago.

"Why did you do that to me?"

"I was under pressure," he said, not giving her anything else.

"So, what do you want from me?"

"I want you back. I want to feel your soft skin again. I want to see you in the house and be the first thing I see in the morning."

"You have really done a number on me," she said with a sigh. Love is stupid; you can never be at rest if you love someone to the point that you can’t live a day without thinking of them.

"I forgive you," she said, crying her heart out.

"I will always make it up to you, my love," Henry said as he embraced her.

The Price of Prosperity

Unknown to Tyla, Henry had been having a hard time back then. It was so difficult that he had sought the services of a witch doctor to know why things had been so bad for him. He wanted to know what to do so he could be wealthy. He had been given directions to the witch doctor, and as he went that night, he saw things that no mortal would believe possible.

He saw the grass on the path to the witch's house weeping blood. He remembered stepping on a root that had snarled at him and then whipped him, making him clutch at his rear. He saw a man living in a tree, and what baffled him was that the man moved upside down—even the water the man was drinking was upside down. He called it "water" because he didn’t want to remember what was actually in the jug the man was drinking.

He had seen a shadow below smoke; he had seen a fish floating on the surface of the path, and everyone knows fish live in water.

When he reached the home of the witch doctor, he was asked to remove his shoes and enter with his back as his front, while his front became his back. He saw the witch doctor sitting on a throne of skulls, surrounded by things that looked like dead bodies—but he was too cowardly to even ask.

The Taste of Fresh Blood

"Your blood is fresh, and has no taint on it. Why do you seek me?"

Those were the witch doctor's words to Henry as he sat down in front of her.

"My blood? But how? I haven't given you my blood," Henry replied.

The witch doctor laughed a chilling laugh that froze his soul. He swore he heard other voices laughing too, but he couldn't see them.

"You fool," the witch doctor said with contempt. "The Great KRUMA has tasted your blood as soon as you stepped in with your bare feet."

Henry looked under his legs to see if he was bleeding, but he saw no blood. He swallowed hard, knowing it had to do with spiritual matters; it meant his soul had been bloodied. He nodded his head in understanding, and the witch laughed again. "What do you seek?"

"I seek wealth. I have suffered a lot and I want wealth to enjoy a good life."

"Can you pay the price to the Great KRUMA?"

"Yes," he said with a shaky breath.

"Then leave your partner. But first, before you leave her, you will treat her like trash. You will make sure she suffers spiritually and emotionally. The Great KRUMA will enjoy her torment, and when she is gone, then the main sacrifice will begin."

"What!" he exclaimed. "That is the only woman I love. I can't do that to her."

"How dare you raise your voice over the Great KRUMA? How dare you reject his instruction? You came to him in the first place—should he strike you now?"

Henry went to his knees and bowed. "I'm sorry, Great One. I misspoke. Please forgive my ignorance. I will do as the Great KRUMA instructed."

"Go then. The trial starts now."

The Path of Torment

He hurried out of the hut, sweating and cursing his bad luck. He met a giant shadow outside the hut and was carried by the shadow to the outskirts of the road leading to the hut. A voice whispered, "It begins now. The more the suffering, the more you will become wealthy."

He began the journey of tormenting Tyla. He abused her, treated her with contempt, and mocked her—not just for a few minutes, but every hour of every day and week. Deep inside he had wept, but wealth comes with a price if it is not gotten legally. He watched her cry every night and doubled his efforts on her.

When she had finally had enough, he kicked her out of the house. As soon as she left, he got a huge contract, which began his journey of wealth.

The Ultimate Goal

And now, he had come to beg her because the witch said Great KRUMA asked for it. She had said if Tyla forgave him, she would be easy for the Great One to do with her as he pleased, and that Henry would have just one task to complete for two years to sustain his illegal wealth.

He was happy to get Tyla’s forgiveness. He knew that as it stood now, no matter how much he loved her, wealth was his ultimate goal.

The Wicked Condition

He hurried back to the witch to give her the good news. "Great One, she has forgiven me!" he said, beaming with a smile.

"That is great," the witch said with a wicked grin. "Now you only need to convince her to come back to your house."

"That would be easy," he said, clapping his hands together. He just couldn't imagine how wealthy he would become.

"Would it?" the witch asked.

That swept the grin off his face. "What do you mean, Great One?"

"In order for you to gain that permanent wealth, you will not sleep at night."

"That is easy. I can stay awake all night," he said.

"No. You will be turned into a dog at 11:00 PM until 5:00 AM in the morning, and you will be barking like a dog, too, until the time hits 5:00 AM. And she must not hear you. As you both live in the same house, she must not see or hear you while you bark."

The Price of Silence

That really swept the grin out of him. He knew it was impossible, as he lived in a two-bedroom apartment with no soundproofing in the doors. Besides that, he had no excuse to leave her and go to the other room.

"That is impossible," he said. "It can't be done."

"That is what the Great KRUMA asked, and that is what you would do," the witch said.

"And if she sees or hears me bark?" he asked.

"You will permanently be a dog until the end of your days."

The Weight of the Debt

"And if I don't get her to the house?"

"Then there would be no wealth, and you will have a debt over your head to the Great KRUMA."

"Is there no other way?"

"Don't be a coward. The Great One loves a challenge. Are you so weak?"

"I... I... wait... eh, this is hard," he stammered. "I don't think it would work."

"Fool. You want easy wealth. See, those who struggle to earn wealth the hard way enjoy it, but those who want a shortcut have sleepless nights."

"What debt would I owe the Great One?"

She laughed at that. "How would I know? I'm only his servant and he passes me instructions, but I figure it would not be an easy thing. Now get out; your instructions have been given."

The Brink of Ruin

Henry went out and he could feel the hostile eyes of all the creatures. He was now on the brink of getting into a debt he knew would be the end of him, or convincing Tyla—though that would be easy, her not hearing him bark at night until dawn was another thing.

When he reached the edge of the path, he sat down crying. What should he do? How would he get out of this jam? He had treated her so badly, and in the end, the devil still demanded more.

 

What would you do, when you find out the fog is alive: The Breach