Voices: Can you hear us? Mr Dayo? **They continue to flash light across his pupils to at least get a sign that he was conscious.** Doctor: Nurse, please prepare the defibrillator and set for charge. Nurse: It is ready. **The Doctor holds the defibrillator.** Doctor: Clear **sends the first jolt of shock through his chest, and checks the monitor, no response. They begin chest compressions.** Doctor: Clear **sends another wave of shock to his heart, no response yet.** ****************************************** **Dayo finds himself in a strange dimension and also wondering how he got there. So, he began to walk in hopes to find someone or something that looks human like. As he got to a shallow pond, he finds a child sitting on a big rock by the pond crying. He could not see the face except the back of the child.** Dayo: Hello **He approaches with caution** Hello **The child kept crying** Dayo: Hello little one, why are you alone here? **He walks towards the child to at least get a glimpse of the child's face** ***This time the child noticing Dayo coming towards her, turned to another direction and continued crying. *** Dayo: Why are you crying? Why are you alone here? where are your parents?
**The child kept ignoring Dayo's questions and continued crying. Suddenly, it came to Dayo's mind to sing a song to get the child's attention. ** Dayo: **sitting on one of the rocks by the pond began singing** How long must there be tears here, before we can rejoice; Embracing love instead of fear, is but a simple choice; It's hard for me to see you fall, so bitter and so blind, When the truest nature of us all, invites us to be kind; Bloom, bloom, may you know, The wisdom only time breeds; There's room, bloom and you'll grow, To follow where your heart leads; Bloom and may you live, The way your life was meant to be; There's room, bloom and forgive...May sweet compassion set you free. **The child stopped crying in between the song and watched as Dayo sang, slowly moved towards him. When he was done, she taps him. ** Child: Uncle...**sniffles**...Thank You for the song. Dayo: You are welcome. Child: Where did you learn to sing that song? Dayo: My mum used to sing it to me whenever i was crying to cheer me up. Child: What is my mum? Dayo: **looks shocked** I mean my mother, the one that gave birth to me. Child: I have never had anyone like that. Dayo: Mind if i know you name? Child: ‘Owenbula konke’ Dayo: What does it mean? Child: “The one who reveals all”.
Dayo: So why are you alone by yourself? Child: I have always been alone here, no one to talk to. Dayo: How did you get here then? ***The child noticing Dayo's numerous questions decides to distract him with something else*** Child: What brings you here? Dayo: I really don't know...**He feels this sudden pain in his head as he tries to remember** I just found myself here. Child: Hmmmmn, i think i know how. Dayo: What do you know? please tell me. By the way, you are too smart for your age. Child: **Chuckles** Dayo: What is this world? How did i get here? how did you get here? Child: Are you sure your mind is ready to grasp what I'm about to tell you? Dayo: Go on. Child: Remember i told you the meaning of my name. Dayo: Yes... Child: I am the sole guardian to this place. I have been here since creation to guide the lost and broken souls back to their reality or help them journey to the great beyond. I appear in the very element of any individual that finds themselves here. Like i am child to you, i can be something else to others. Dayo: ***shocked by the revelation*** Child: You are not here by mistake. I also want you to know you are a kind person with the heart of child, joyous and cheerful.
Dayo: I am lost for words. Child: Hahahahahah, i hear this a lot, i think the 2545886358784545214879663th time. Dayo, Let's take a walk. ***Dayo and the child began walking away from the pond, which was also known as the 'water of revelation'. *** Child: Dayo, can you sing for me? Dayo: Sure, what would like to hear? Child: Anything sweet like the first one you sang. Dayo: Hmmmmmmn, let me think of something, oh yes, i have one i composed myself. i hope you don't mind? Child: **excited to listen** Yes yes yes Dayo: 'sometimes you have everything, sometimes life comes around so soon. You know it's all for a short while, you know it's never going to drown you, you know you are the best version of yourself. So, i say sometimes just give it all, i say sometimes just give your smile to the sun' **Dayo felt so emotional while singing because it meant a lot to him, and it was composed during a phase of his life when everything was gone.** Child: **looks at Dayo** you sing beautifully; it reminds me of a time in my life before i got this boring assignment. **Dayo laughs** Child: You know what? Dayo: What? Child: I want to do you a favor, close your eyes.
**Dayo closes his eyes while the child began to magically lay all the important moments in Dayo's life along their path.** Child: You can now open your eyes. Dayo: **looks surprised** What is this? Child: Who do you see ? **she points to the first one** Dayo: I see me, that's me, i see myself. Child: **proceeds to play that moment for Dayo to watch** Please pay attention. Moment 1: In this moment, we see Dayo as a 7 years old child representing his school in a spelling bee competition. After several group stages, Dayo qualified for the final round of the competition, defeating 15 students. So, it was now him and a student from another school. The anchor of the competition asked them to spell "Accommodation". Dayo remembered how a neighbor of his used to spell it in a playful way. 7 years old Dayo: A, C, C, O, M....M, O, D, A, T, I, O, N ... ACCOMMODATION Anchor: Correct. And the winner of this competition is Dayo representing Team Mates Nursery & Primary School. The crowd went into roar of victory for him, tears of joy from Dayo's eyes as this was his first competition, also to make his father proud of him.
**The moment viewer ends.** Dayo: Wow, this was a time i was genuinely happy, i was truly myself. Where did this version of me go? Child: Let's proceed to the next moment. Dayo: Okay. Moment 2: In this moment, we see Dayo in his early teen years. It was early hours of the morning in a car, his father and mother were seated in the front, while he sat at the back of their Peugeot 305 car, coming back from a church programme. As they were going, suddenly a sand lorry loses control and hit their vehicle. Shads of the windscreen glass flew straight to Dayo's forehead, the driver's side was badly damaged, his father was stuck and a little bump on the head to his mother. Passers-by came to their rescue and took them to the hospital. That incident scarred Dayo for life **The moment viewer ends.** Child: I know you held on to this memory. Dayo: If you ask me why? i can't give a precise answer, maybe because i saw my family nearly taken from me or that i have a scar on my forehead that reminds me of this incident everyday. It's tough to just skip or act like nothing abnormal happened. Child: I understand you. I do say to people, one to many people have different reactions to different incidents, regardless how of unstoppable sad days are, we still thrive, we push, we live our name, our purpose and make a mark on this earth. If you hold on to one
incident, perhaps because of one incident, you decide to stay in your shell, you are losing as a human. Dayo: It's strange how beings who have never lived a day as a human give the best advice as if though they experienced a lot of things Child: I hope you know we are all connected right? Dayo: Yes, we are... Child: Good. Let's keep walking. **The two walked down several moments of Dayo's life, each reminding him of why he chose his current path. Suddenly, a faint flash of memory comes to his head, showing a scene at the hospital with tubes stuck in his mouth and doctors flashing light in eyes, calling out his name. It sends a sharp pain through his head and shouts in pain while holding his head.** Dayo: My God!!!...what just happened? Child: What's wrong with you? are you okay? Dayo: I just saw a faint memory like I’m in a hospital. **The Child knowing what it meant, made a smirk** Child: I guess it is almost time.**she says to herself** Child: Dayo, we have two stops to make. Let's go. Dayo: Alright. **She holds his hands as they continue to the next moment. Child: Do you think you ever enjoyed living? Dayo: Yes, i think so. Child: Can you tell me a particular moment that made you appreciate the essence of living?
**Dayo tries to remember, suddenly the life moment viewer displayed that part of his life.** Moment 233-X3y4: In this moment, we see Dayo as an early adult in the university. He faced difficulties with his academics, carry overs from different courses. His life became a mess. He could not tell his parents about the state of things in school, the thought of the shame of those who felt he had finished school constantly asking him "Are you still here?" and having to lie that "He is still hanging around or doing one external course outside the school environment". His parents eventually found out. Dayo was forced to deal with the shame of constant reminder of failing in life and failing his parents. He went back to school, attended to each course he failed from his 2nd year till final year. He went through series of hindrances from lecturers and the Head of department too. But the one thing that held him together was his unwavering faith in God to calm his storm which eventually helped him to find peace and wear his shame with pride. There he stood firm on the words "Delay is not denial. It is a reservation in time for a better thing to come. Be Patient!". He cleared all his courses and graduated. Dayo: This is it. This is that moment. I was emotionally drained, psychologically worn out, and all that made sense to me was committing suicide. Child: Why didn't you do it?
Dayo: I thought about the damage it would cost my mother. I thought about all the ideas i had in me to still bring to life, wonderful moments i will be throwing away because of just one moment in my life i felt i totally failed myself. Child: Makes sense. I'm glad you didn't. Dayo: I'm glad i didn't. You know it is tough living a life of pain, having to go through series of painful incidents, even the undeserving ones. You give your heart to people; they just suck the juice out of it with no remorse. You are left alone to handle yourself. You put on a happy front, you are always there for other people, but no one knows what you are going through, no cares to ask, no one knows how deeply torn your heart is, but you are expected to keep moving. Why do we have to live a life of pain? like why? Child: I totally see the perspective you are coming from. I am sorry you had to go through all of that. Dayo: It's just totally unfair, no one cares, not even a single friend. All they just do is take, take and take, that's all matters to them. They don't care to know if they are suffocating you. Child: Sometimes, you might actually miss out on people that really care because of the purpose you think they should serve to you. Dayo: I don't understand. Child: When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our
wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. Dayo: **deep sigh** Child: Just breathe, you are already doing well, as long as you are self sustained in yourself, i mean being able to get whatever you are looking for out there within yourself, you will be fine. Dayo: You know I'm only human. I can always feel this way regardless of how self sustained i am. Child: I understand. There's one more moment i want to show you besides, you have a limited time here. **They both walk towards the next moment, suddenly Dayo feels the sharp pain in his head again. The faint flashes about the hospital, the doctor, the nurse are becoming clearer.** Child: Are you okay? Dayo: Am i dead? Did i die? Child: Apparently, you are not. Because if you were dead, we won't be having this conversation. Come, let's go. You have a limited time here. **They walk a few steps ahead.** Child: We are here. Dayo: What is this? Child: Just watch.
Moment 1256xyx: In this moment, we are shown a scene where Dayo taught a set of primary school children. **The moment plays out during their breaktime. He sees a student of his crying, proceeds to talk to her.** Dayo: Why are you crying? **the student didn't respond.** Dayo: Toyin, you know you can talk to me right? So tell me what's wrong? Dayo: Latifa, Khadija, Taiye come here, do you know why she's crying? Latifa, Khadija, Taiye: Uncle no, we just saw her crying. Nobody beat her. Dayo: You can go. Dayo: Toyin, talk to me, you can trust me. **The girl then decides to trust her teacher.** Toyin: Uncle i am tired of where i am staying. All i do is suffer and suffer, yet they beat me everyday. Dayo: Are you staying with your parents? Toyin: No sir, my parents are dead, so i am staying with my mum's sister. Dayo: Tell me, what's going on? Toyin: She does not send her children on errands, it is just me, only me and yet her children will just sit doing nothing. Dayo: That's serious. Toyin: She will still beat me on errands that she know I'm exhausted from. I am just tired **sobs** Dayo: Do you want me to talk to her? Toyin: Uncle No ooooo, it will worsen things for me.
Dayo: Okay, let me think of something. I will handle it ok? now stop crying. **Dayo tickles her. It sends a jolt of smile through her face** Dayo: Have you eaten today? Toyin: No sir. Dayo: Where is your food money? Toyin: They don't give me food money; it is till i close from school and get home before i eat. Dayo: Alright, come with me. **Toyin's friends began to tease her.** Toyin's friends: Heeeeeee, Uncle's daughter, Uncle shey we should follow you too? **Dayo took Toyin to meet the school food vendor.** Dayo: Mama Idris, Good Afternoon. Mama Idris: Uncle Good afternoon, this one that you are here, what do you want me to serve you? Dayo: Mama Idris, please let me see you privately **They both move away from the hearing of the children.** Dayo: Mama Idris, you see that girl, please serve her food every break time, everything necessary that should be in a food give her. Mama Idris: ehehn, Uncle no problem. Dayo: Just let me know my bill. Mama Idris: No problem sir. **This new arrangement for Toyin continued for a long time till the day Toyin graduated from that school. Dayo usually gives a portion of his salary to buy gifts for her classmates too to avoid dislike
between the children in his class. But his favorite was Toyin, he found her dearing and gentle, more like a daughter under his care. ** ***The moment viewer pauses*** Child: Do you know Toyin is dead? Dayo: Whaaaaaat? how? since i left their village, i lost communications with her. Child: Well, she is dead. She got hit by a moving car in her attempt to escape from her wicked aunt. **Dayo began to cry** ***The moment viewer resumes: In this moment, we see Toyin being hit by the car, with blood coming out her mouth. She began to whisper Dayo's name Toyin: ***Whispers and gasp for air*** Uncle Dayo , Uncle Dayo Uncle Dayo ***tears trickling from her eyes** i wish i can see you again. **Toyin gave up the ghost.** ***The moment viewer ends*** Child: It's quite unfortunate what happened to Toyin. Dayo: I could have adopted her but the trouble it came with almost took my life. I had to leave that village. Child: You don't have to beat up yourself about this. You did what you could but unfortunately not everyone have their smiles restored.
**Dayo began to feel pain in his head again with the memory flashes from the hospital becoming clear, this time it is becoming unbearable.** Child: Dayo, your time is up. Go back to the land of the living, and i hope you remember me. ***Suddenly with heavy tears in Dayo' eyes, still holding the child's hands, he blacks out.*** ****************************** **Back to the hospital scene** Nurse: Doctor, Doctor, he has a pulse ** beeping sound from the monitor, the doctor rushes in to confirm it.** **The Doctor began waving light across Dayo's eyes to confirm his pupil reaction, saw he reacted to it, with tears rolling down the side of his eyes. They try to stabilize him.** Doctor: Mr Dayo, if you can hear me perfectly, just signify by blinking your eyes twice. **Dayo did blinked his eyes twice** Doctor: Glad to have you back with us. My name is Dr Hyelachakri, you are in good hands. You will be under my care till i deem it fit to discharge you. i have to go now. Have enough rest. **The doctors slide the curtains and walks away to do other rounds.** The End.
The Cycle of Pain 3: Tears from The Other Side A universal truth: something only runs when it is being chased. A gazelle from a lion. A minute from a second. A criminal from a cop. We run because we fear danger. We run because we believe if we stay in one spot, pain will ensue. We don’t stop until we feel safe again. An object in motion will stay in motion, Sir Newton proclaimed. But why do we claim ourselves prey when pain itself doesn’t take ownership as a predator? What if this seemingly terrifying danger isn’t a lion set to devour us but rather something else? I have noticed that grief is a lot like that twist on your left side when you’re running sprints. You notice the sting. Your legs halt for a moment. Is the cramp there because you were running or because you stopped? When you lose someone, biological reasoning aside, an epiphany often arises in you. There is a threshold moment when you realize: this is just a person. Was a person. And like a place, you can leave them, but they can never really leave you. An imprint with terrible precision. A mark. An absence of their presence and the presence of absence itself. An essence of them in your being that doesn’t really ever go away. Not fully. When your legs begin tracking again, you tell yourself this was not just a person. It was a living, breathing entity of passion and light and dark and joy and sadness and everything in between. Maybe his eyes were green. Maybe her laugh was magic. You curse at the sky (and believe me, I do) but it doesn’t make the twist go away.
So long as you keep running, the cramp keeps crushing. Some days it’s faint. Some nights it’s violent. Will the ache ever go away? When you realize the question of suffering proves to be continual rather than resolvable, you begin to see that maybe the hurt you have been running from isn’t a predator. By definition, pain and suffering are not the same thing. Pain is: a momentary sensation stemming from activation by a singular event. Suffering is: a continual experience associated with the perception of harm or the threat of it. In other words, pain happens. Suffering follows. But what would happen if you allowed yourself to feel it instead of avoiding it? When you are out of breath and pain has finally found your hand, you have two choices: you can welcome it or you can close your fist. It is hard for me to say it without my fingers shaking on these keys, but I urge you to form your palm into the position of acceptance. I truly believe that anything worth receiving is found in the form of letting go. After a person is gone, we solely have the capability to agree with fate. That is all. Perhaps the pain you are running from is an ally. A teacher. A teammate. Perhaps if you feel like you have hit a wall, it means it is time to rest on it. Sayonara.