All Alone: Story by SFN

Kalu was seven years old and okpe,ten years old. They both lived with their mother who was a trader. Later one night, Kalu wake up and started to cry,complaining of fever and a headache. Okpe wake up their mother. She rushed to the children's room and found Kalu crying. Her body was very hot. The time was 11:15pm.

Their mother, Mrs. Odu quickly ran to a neighbour down the road to ask him for help. The neighbour, Mr Dede,took Mrs Odu with Kalu strapped to her back to a hospital. Kalu grew worse before they got to the hospital. So,he was admitted and put in bed. Mrs. Odu had to stay with her. Okpe the elder brother to Kalu was made to spend the night all alone in the house that night.

At first,okpe was not afraid to be alone in the house that night. He was more worried about his sick brother. This kept him awake most of the night. At about 3:00 a.m, he heard footsteps outside. When he tip-toed to the window and peeped, heard whispers. He could not see the men talking. Minutes later,Okpe could hear the breaking of glass window in his mother's room.

He didn't want to shout because the robbers would know at once that he was a child and alone in the house. So he quickly took the key to the kitchen door which leads out. He took a cutlass and a can of sheltox for protection. While the robbers were busy cutting the burglary proof bars on the window,okpe crawled to the kitchen and quietly opened the door and ran to the house of Mr. Dede for help.

While the robbers were inside searching for money and gold,Mr. Dede grabbed his double-barrelled gun and with two other neighbours,carrying guns,they lay in wait for the robbers to come out. As soon as the robbers came out,Mr. Dede and his friends shot in the air. The two robbers who were taken by surprise dropped what they were carrying and tried to run. They were caught and taken to the police station.

This is how the robbers ended up in prison,