The Coffin Mak-er
ALEXANDER AKOTO ADJEI
THE COFFIN MAKER
EPISODE 29-30
Episode 29
Michael Ansah
Please, how may I help you?
Visitor
(yelling at someone who was hiding behind him) Herh, is this the man who seized my bicycle?
Young Boy
Bros please, he is not the one, it is his father rather.
Visitor
Massa, where is your father? I want to see him now and I mean now, go inside there and get him for me before I start creating a scene in this house. You people think it is everyone that you can easily intimidate like that? This evening one of us will end up at the morgue whiles the other person ends up at the police station if I don’t get my bicycle. I’m really pissed off and the only thing that can calm me down is to get my bicycle.
Michael Ansah
Mr Man, you better take it easy with your mouth, did your brother or small boy tell you into details what happened earlier on before your bicycle was confiscated? Were you not taught manners in your house, that when you go to someone’s house you have to be submissive?
Visitor
Massa, don’t bite more than you can chew, this is not your battle so I will advise you to stay out of this and find somewhere to hide your body. This is a fight for the elephant so you rat, find somewhere safe to hide before I trample on you.
Opana
Bernice who are those making noise outside there?
Bernice Ansah
I don’t know papa but I think I overhead something like bicycle been mentioned there.
Opana
Oh really? Since I’m done with my supper let me check who is making noise on my compound this Sunday evening. (walks to the door and before he gets there he heard a familiar voice)
Visitor
For the very last time, I said go and get your father for me before I barge into your house and start breaking things in there.
Michael Ansah
Hmmmmm, it is because of the police case I just got myself out recently that is why am been gentle with you if not like by now your mouth should have been covered with your blood for this nonsense you are spewing out from your mouth.
Opana
(from behind) Kwaku Mike, what is going on out there with this exchange of words?
Michael Ansah
Isn’t it this rude person who is trying to get on my nerves. He said he is the owner of the bicycle you seized this morning.
Opana (joins them outside) Oh really? Well!!! Well!!! Well!!! Who do we have here? So you are the one who wants to pull my roof down with your tantrums and threats huh? Well, I’m here now so whatever you intend to do you can go ahead because am not releasing that bicycle today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or even the years ahead.
Visitor
(goes on his knees and starts murmuring) Oh my God, not again!!! Why is it that everything that will bring me happiness ends up with this man, please sir am begging you to overlook everything and kindly release my bicycle for me. I just got employed in a company as a messenger and this bicycle was given to me by the company and if I don’t go to work with it tomorrow, I don’t know what will happen. Junior, have you seen the mess you have gotten me in?
Michael Ansah
Hehehe so you could be this submissive and you were here earlier on bragging and boasting like an Ashanti man who has been able to travel to Germany and back to Ghana, you see your wretched life now. Who say man no dey?
Visitor
Massa stop this nonsense you are saying over there can’t you see am begging your father to forgive me and release my bicycle for me, why are you throwing sand in my gari?
Opana
Kwame Fred or whatever you call yourself, if you don’t leave my house in the next couple of seconds, I will let my son tear you into pieces. I don’t want to inform him of our little encounter close to my workplace the other time.
Visitor
But sir, I thought we had solved that problem a long time ago so that is all in the past.
Opana
Really? Wait and see this, my friend. Kwaku Mike this was the idiot I caught the other day with your sister inside the uncompleted building close to my shop trying to rape her.
Michael Ansah
Whaaaaat? And he still had the nerves, impudence, temerity and tenacity to come to this house and exchange words with me. Hahahaha since you said today if you don’t get your bicycle, someone will either end up at the morgue for the other person to end up at the police station, wait for me right here because I will be back soon. (rushes to the house)
Opana
(chuckles and speaks in a low tone to Kwame Fred) My friend if you are wise enough, I need not inform you to run for your life because I know what my son can do when it comes to protecting his younger siblings. He has been searching for you for a long time since the day I informed him of your illegal activity with his little sister.
Visitor
Am not a coward and I don’t back out on things I start, if your son tries anything silly, I will beat him red and blue. Junior run to the house because it is about to turn bloody here and you are too young to witness such things, I will join you very soon in the house after I have finished dealing with this people.
Opana
Hmmmm, my son has never lost a fight to his age mate before and looking at things, today won’t be his first time losing his first fight so if you want to die please be my guest. Hope your family haven’t bought your coffin already because I sell coffin.
Akua Yankey screams inside the room to ask Kwaku Mike where he was going with what he had in his hands.
Opana
I believe you are hearing what is going on in my house, hope you have already written your Will before your untimely death?
Michael Ansah
(pops up with a sharpened cutlass in his hands and uses the back of the blade to hit Kwame Fred over and over) Since you are brave enough to walk into this house to exchange words with me and my father, expect something aggressive that you will never forget in your life if you are able to survive it.
Akua Yankey
(screaming) My dear please stop your son before he kills someone in this house this evening. Kwame Mike, please stop before you murder someone in this house, am on my knees begging you. My love please talk to your son to stop him from murdering someone’s child.
Visitor
(runs for shelter after he had been slapped with the cutlass on several occasions) So because I came to your territory you took the opportunity to molest me huh? The day I meet you outside without any weapon you will see the other side of me. (runs outside when he saw Mike approaching him).
Opana
Hahahahaha, why didn’t you stand there like you will see how a desperate graduate can butcher and dismantle a human being within a minute but hey Kwaku Mike, what intentions were you having in your head as you went in for the cutlass?
Michael Ansah
Exactly what I did to him papa, I wanted to lash him with the cutlass which I did to my satisfaction. I will be right back papa, I want to see if he is still standing outside the house, I don’t want him to come anywhere close to this house.
Meanwhile, Agnes Kyerewaa and her assassin friend were coming to her place so that she could get him adequate information of the target she wanted to deal with.
Agnes Kyerewaa
Ahaa, you see that guy who just came out from the gate? He is the target for our mission, he is the guy I want you to deal with.
Unknown Person
Oh okay, from where he is standing the lighting system is not that bright for me to see his face well but I believe he is the only young person with that physical stature in the house?
Agnes Keyerwaa
No there are about three or four other young persons in the house who have a similar physical stature like him in there.
Unknown Person
But don’t you have his picture or contact number on your phone? That information could make things very easy for my boys and me.
Agnes Kyerewaa
I use to have his pictures and contact number but after the incident, I deleted everything out of anger.
Unknown Person
Well, I will come and lay ambush close to this place if I can personally get some important information myself but still try and see if you can also get anything for me.
Back in Opana’s House:
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Opana
Ah, today my son has proven to me that he is indeed and truly my son, see how he dealt with that foolish guy like a thief. He really gave me something to be happy about before the bad day I had this morning comes to an end.
Akua Yankey
So you are happy he pulled out a cutlass to threaten his fellow man? What if he went overboard and did something silly? You know it was just yesterday that you helped secure his bail at the police station for assault charges. If there is any help you can offer him with, this is the time for you to do so, I don’t want this joblessness issue to eat into his head where he will start doing bad things in this town because you know the devil always finds work for the idle hand.
Kwame Fred also after running away from Kwaku Mike to save his life stopped under a street light to check on some bruises he had gotten on his body after Mike had used the cutlass on him. Herh, so this fool did this to me? His father took away my money, made those hoodlums beat me up, took my girlfriend from me and to add icing on it, he made his stupid son beat me like a thief. I swear by my mother’s grave that I will deal with these people even if it will take my life at the end of the day. No one steps on the tail of the viper and goes unbitten by the snake. I will access and attack them even if it will take 10years to get my revenge…
Episode 30
Kwaku Mike walks back to the house when he was convinced Kwame Fred was nowhere close to the house.
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Opana
For the very first time, you have really made me proud, my son. I thought all this while, that you are a weak person but today you proved me wrong and am very happy because the lion doesn’t give birth to a dog.
Akua Yankey
I hope this praises you are showering on him won’t be a one day wonder?
Opana
Don’t be a carrier of bad news to the happy soul woman if you don’t have anything to say I will urge you to go and sleep because I have a very important discussion to do with my son.
Akua Yankey
I will prefer to reserve my comments for now and talk when the time is prudent.
Opana
My son, take a seat and let’s have an important discussion. I last told you that I don’t hate you and neither do I wish your downfall, whatever has happened is in the past and now we are in the present where we have to think about the future. Now I want you to tell me your plans as a man because day in day out you are growing, it is the responsibility for the parent to take good care of their children for them to get proper teeth so that in the future when the parent is ageing and losing his or her teeth, the children will help them also.
Michael Ansah
Well papa, I’m grateful you are having this very important discussion with me this evening because I was always looking forward to this opportunity to avail itself but it never happened. For plans I have a lot but to execute it, money is going to play a major role in it, papa for some time now I have been communicating with a school mate of mine who is in the city and he tells me that, there are better and brighter opportunities in the city for me if I can get some gadgets I need to work with. He has offered to accommodate me at the place so that we can join forces together and start working.
Opana
This sounds good but why have you never bothered to inform me about this decision all this while?
Michael Ansah
I was very much afraid to come before you because of the mistake I did when I was back in school. I know you have not yet forgiven me and making a mistake to come before you will rather cause me more problems in this house.
Opana
Hmmmm, to an extent you are very right because if during those moments, you made a mistake to come before me for assistance, possibly like you might be in a wheelchair or even in a hospital bed recuperating right now but at the end of the day I have come to understand that as a parent, I can’t impose a particular course or career on my child if he or she doesn’t like it, you can force the horse to the riverside but never can you force it to drink. My responsibility as a father is to guide and counsel you on what you want to do but I know at the end of the day, you are matured enough to make great decisions for yourself and I want you to know that I am now solidly behind you and anything you want to do. Go and sleep over what you want to do so we talk about it tomorrow morning before I leave the house for the shop.
Opana goes into his bedroom and does as instructed by the beggar earlier on before he slept he prayed to God to ask for a better future for his children especially his son. In his sleep, he had a dream where some people came to him for help because they were in die need of water when he dipped his hand in his pocket the only money on him was a 1cedi note which he gave to them to go and buy water, when they took the money from him, one of them gave him a necklace for him to give it to his son and the other person pointed to the field closer to them, there was a lot of white cattle grazing over there and he said to Opana, the one who gives water gives life and for giving us money for water we also hand over those cattle to you. Take care of them and take it as a gift from us to you, they will help change your fortune but remember not to be mean to your fellow man or else you will lose everything that we gave to you. He turned to watch the cattle but when he again turned to the direction of where the people stood there was no trace of them anywhere. He went close to the cattle and started to count them, after counting he realised that the cattle were 90 in number and immediately he woke up from his sleep. The clock on the wall was exactly 1 a.m. as he checked, he pondered over the dream over and over but he couldn’t get any meaningful interpretation and in no time he was stolen by sleep again. Early in the morning, he got a phone call that his shop was on fire which made him rush to his shop without even taking his shower when he got there the fire service personnel were already there and were putting off the fire. After several minutes of aggressive work from the fire service personnel, they quenched the fire but a better part of the shop had been burnt because of the weather condition and the materials he had inside his shop. The fire service personnel took some information from Opana and they left to conduct their investigation as to what caused the fire outbreak, when Opana was going back home he passed by a lotto kiosk which had the bold inscription of 1 – 90 and below was “Aben Wo Ha”. He passed the kiosk and after a few steps, he remembered his dream and the number of cattle he counted and then remembered the money he gave to the people in the dream before they gave him the cattle. He turned back and went to see the lotto agent stake his numbers for him.
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Lotto Agent
Master, I heard about your shop and the fire that gutted the place. Please accept my sympathy because I know how difficult things are now.
Opana
Massa, thanks for sympathising with me but please stake this numbers for me, single 1 – 90.
Lotto Agent
Wooow, this is my number also that I took out of the lotto chart last night. This number must drop at all cost, please how much do I stake it?
Opana
Mmmm, stake it for ten cedis.
Lotto Agent
Master, if you have enough money on you I will advise you stake it big so that when you win, you win big time. The money can go a long way to rebuild your burnt shop.
Opana
(before he could say anything again, he remembered the advice of the beggar the previous day as to invest everything he had on him when he is taking steps to the dream he had) Mmmmm do you know what? Stake the numbers for an amount of two hundred and fifty cedis for me.
Lotto Agent
Eeeiii master, I can see you want to destroy the machine for good. Am very sure Ghana lotteries can’t even pay you all your money and that, they will put you on a monthly payroll till they finally pay you off. All the same good luck and please don’t forget my share when you win.
Opana takes the lotto coupon and heads back home to narrate his ordeal to his family but before he got home the news had already spread like wide fire in the harmattan season. Some were feeling pity for him whiles others were rejoicing on his loss, he walked to his house as most of his tenants were afraid to come closer to him because they were not sure as to how their landlord was going to receive them. His wife had developed a running stomach as he heard the news of her husband’s shop. Later on, in the day somethings out of the blues took place in the compound of Opana and you won’t believe what the things were…….
Edited By:
Yvie Opokua
The Coffin Maker
THE WRITER
I am Akoto Adjei Alexander, a Christian. A product of Abetifi Presbyterian Senior High School, Abetifi-Kwahu. I am in my late 20’s and the last born of the boys my parent brought to earth. I am a fiction/scriptwriter who loves to write about nature and the realities of life. Furthermore, I do a little of Graphics Design, I do MC’ing of events somethings, a Motivational Speaker and a Relationship Talk Expert.Â
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