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Black Crime Fiction

My neighbor, Mad Anderson, they call him, but I am not sure that is even his real name.  Where he came from, I don't know but he is one of those tinker workers that is turning those sectors into serious business. Those guys can't give your ears an iota of peace even on sundays. They hammer, chisel, scrape, file, wash and then paint to bring to life a deadpan of any shape. He is a dreamer, not only that he dreams walks at times,  he makes time to sit and dream up, plot every kind of negativity that never enters into any ordinary man's head. Of course, Mad Anderson is no ordinary. He is queer fellow to the core. I don't even believe that anyone is surprised that his thoughts always lean on the queer side. A man that anytime he wants excitement in his life always goes to any extent to have one. A man with zero conscience that refuses to believe that there is nothing one can't have if he so desires it. All it warrants is just sitting and mulling it over and ideas always drop from nowhere.

I sometimes spy this guy and his fellow tinker workers in their shop hammering it away. Manhandling one iron, aluminum into obedience. I actually don't know what he is to those guys, but am sure he is not their boss. But when one of his demonic ideas drops from nowhere into his queer mind, I can see he is always generous to share the queer idea with them, even though from what I can see, his version of truth and reality to them always differs from the reality as he sees it. To him, I can see it is a game of safety and security as I overheard him voicing out one day. I don't know why he plays that kind of game with those guys. I will believe that if you don't trust people enough, you just close shop on them on any issue that warrants secrecy. 

I would not know actually. I don't focus on that guy well with his antics. Few times I have overheard him. Whenever I came out on my veranda for one thing or the other, I couldn't resist shaking my head in wonderment at that guy and what was reeling from his mouth. I am always at a loss why he doesn't know that if i overhear him, surely others do too. Why is he telling those guys such a thing knowing well they are not the only ears listening.

You can see that from his tales to those guys, what is dropping from him really mesmerized them. Initially, I wondered if he was contemplating a coup or something. I mean you can see that the other guy is their boss or something like that not him. But his tales are doing wonders to those guys psych. The other guy can be their physical boss but he is clearly their emotional and psychological boss. Those guys has more hope to his unseen wealth that is on the way perennially to what their main boss has on the ground. I just don't know what to call this his game.

Mad Anderson is clearly not a mover per se, but he clearly moves those guys with his tales. When the main boss doesn't find the handiwork of those guys satisfactory, he will haller like mad and those guys that were never in the habit of talking back will raise their voices and rush to Mad Anderson complaining and explaining, waving their hands this way and that to drive their point home. Their salvation they had found somewhere else. I will hear mad Anderson trying to impose his authority, superiority on a few guys that saw through his antics. "Shift, I am trying to eat" he will scream out of accumulated anger that you can observe has nothing to do with space or anything like that. The anger dates back to days or weeks even. 

He is not all that silent although. I just found it hard to grant this guy some honor. Not as if he cares or something but there in his backwardness he is running errands for officers and some prominents leaders. I am sure that his occasional challenges to the efficacy of prayers to his dark powers and his vociferous claims that his ways are far better than the prayer ways can't stop drawing smirks from me. I think seriously that Mad Anderson has some serious and key nuts missing in his head. He clearly needs alignment. Comprehensive checkup.

This guy, I have never seen in flesh in the church yet, he is always there in spirit following a guy that captured his fancy financially. I have not been privileged to overhear what he claimed were his unseen services to the guy who you can clearly see don't know this guy exists let alone subscribing to his unseen services. Anderson doesn't believe in God, he trusts his black magic more than any other and never failed to resort to any slightest obstacles. He believes in money and thinks that the only way to get it in quantity he wants is never through tinker work but that guy he fancied hence, his guardian angel games on the guy. He sees God and his guardian angels as disappointment. "They never deliver, '' he shouted one day.

'Slowly does it' is never for Mad Anderson. Schools, churches, and gradual progression are all disappointing to him. " Why spend six years running after what little BK-s6 can give in seconds? That's what his line had always been. BK- s6 meaning black magic solution six. That one covers learning. Normal classroom work is a waste of resources. This is his line I had been able to overheard. I suspect other things have their own BK- something that takes care of them. My confusion has always been why his quest for money doesn't have a BK solution that handles that aspect. The guy can't at times help living up to his moniker. Mad Anderson.

I can swear, but I have slightly overheard him talking about side and after effects of something. I was surprised he knew that something like that existed. Anywhere, he ought to know, afterall, he deals in damaged goods. Yet, why he always argues on the efficacy of his BK over prayers always surprises me. Maybe, this doesn't have side effects. Why what matters to him most has failed so far to obey the regulations of his BK is surprising to many.

One day, I was in a cafe not far from my base when that guy he follows around in spirit entered. I eyed him and then spent more than thirty minutes there wondering if Mad Anderson was sitting on one of those empty seats near me or peeping from the windows. I realized i am becoming more paranoid than the people action is going on in their lives. I just know then i am becoming part of the game i don't know it's rules and regulations. I later admonished myself seriously on such acts. Let the dead bury themselves.

I have overheard him narrating to his guys some of his spiritual exploits some evenings. I was like: " what's even wrong with him and those guys listening to him. Why haven't they asked him why he still sleeps in the workshop instead of hiring a flat like others. But I guess he must have some BK solutions for such an audience. There must be a kind of BK at work in their lives?"

He told them one day he will besiege this person and annihilate his soul, mind and spirit. "Only body will be his from next week"  he told them. "So when you see him, just know i am the one walking, okay?" The kind of laughter that cracked, passed the message well to me. " What is the name of this BK?" One smirking voice asked in glee. " It's nothing serious. It's just BK- s4, nothing serious' ' he voiced nonchalantly. 

" You mean there is heavy one that can do the same work?" Another voice asked. "If i apply BK-s13 on that guy, he will start gifting me all his property including wife and children'' the guys shifted closer " you mean it's possible that way?"  Anderson feigned offense. "Why would I tell you if it is not, I mean, you are my people?"  "Why are you not applying it to those wealthy wenches strutting here and there?" "The law of course. The officers knew that the machine I use is a gift" the guys shifted even more closer. " Haba!, Why haven't you tell us about this for long?"  " I am telling you because you asked. If you don't, why tell you. It's regulation thing"  " How do we possess this solution13?" He eyed them for long in silence. "I am not sure you qualified for it, judging from the way you ask these questions'' the faces looked downcast but one asked: "Questions, how?" 

" You saw the day officers invited me to their office?" He eyed the guys for approval, saw what he wanted on their face and continued "I demonstrated certain things for them and they don't like the advancement and asked me to accompany them for a tour around town. We went to the prison tour. What I saw there, I didn't like. I don't want to end up in one of those chambers" " doesn't it work on the officers" one asked. He eyed the guy for a long time before smiling and asked him to rest that the story would continue the next day.

Two days later, Mad Anderson was seen sprawling face down in the flood water that gathered on the major road not far from their workshop. When he was sent to the hospital, he lay there muttering it's all fun and game. It seems as if this fancy guy had more tricks up his sleeve than Mad Anderson. This his one game seems to have gone off critter.

April 14, 2024 07:59

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3 comments

Isabel Jewell
18:29 Apr 14, 2024

Wow, oh boy! Quite the characters! Interesting story! I love the clear narration voice!

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Philip Ebuluofor
11:12 Apr 15, 2024

Thanks alot for reading.

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Mary Bendickson
18:23 Apr 14, 2024

Watch out what kind of games you play.

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