... as Shakar was waiting at the station overwhelmed with thoughts, he suddenly jumped on top of the heavy brass dustbin near the street light, and started shouting into the streets.
‘I can’t believe you people! Talking about, “If God exists, why is there so much evil?”…’ Shakar began, as the surprised crowd around him assumed the slow motion mode, gazing at him with curiousity. ‘Why evil?! I don’t know! Why are you evil, you tell me! I know why I’m evil. I don’t know why you’re evil. Nobody likes to look at themselves and think about why they are evil, everybody likes to blame everybody else while being a part of everybody’s common evil. The indifference! People pretend they care, but they only make it an excuse! You might want to find out the why of your own actions, cause it’s a good way to start to eliminate the evil in general – and then the world will follow you, just set a good path! Which you can only do with God, because everybody knows how to do evil, and only Jesus knows how to not do it. That’s the whole point of Jesus being perfect, guys, just for you to have someone to follow. So why wouldn’t you?!’ Shakar asserted, and stood on the dustbin.
‘Hey, isn’t that Shakar? Street preaching? I think I heard him say… “Jesus”, of all things!’ Carney looked out of his car in disbelief, as he and Kanoa were approaching Shepherd’s Bush round-about. “Why do all my friends turn into freaks these days?” Carney thought. ‘Something like that is very Shakar, I’m not surprised,’ Kanoa commented, although he was lying. He was surprised. Surprised and glad. Shakar looked much more alive compared to when Kanoa last saw him.
Kanoa got out of the car, then picked up his bag from the backseat, as Carney parked at the bus stop, his hazards blinkering. ‘Wanna say hi to Shakar, by chance?’ Kanoa suggested to Carney.
‘No way! Get out quick, so I can drive off before he recognised me,’ Carney exclaimed, then mumbled. ‘Religious fanatics for friends are even more embarrassing than prisoners!’
Kanoa laughed. Carney needs to relax, he thought. Then again, it’s Carney, he was born constipated, Kanoa assumed. Carney drove off.
‘Noah, my bredren!’ Shakar exclaimed, as he saw Kanoa walking towards him.
‘Shakar, my sisterin!’ Kanoa laughed, as he hugged Shakar, beating on his friend’s back. ‘Guess what, our good friend Carney has actually given me lift here. Surely, he was too neurotic to grace you with his greeting though.’
‘What a relief that is,’ Shakar noted.
‘Well, I knew his Demic Highness would not be terribly missed, hence I did not insist so hard,’ Kanoa replied, as he made Shakar laugh gleefully. It had been a long time since he last saw Shakar laugh, he thought suddenly. Way longer than his prison sentence lasted.
(Shakar Golden) “Our whole lives are about putting unspeakable into words, and giving infinite a shape.”
(Shakar and Marlisa) ‘What are you seeking?’ she asked, ‘You can’t flee from somewhere and into nowhere. You must be looking for something.’
‘I just want some good news,’ Shakar sighed, ‘Go somewhere where… it makes sense.’
(Milana 'Blizzard') 'If God could save me from the harm I wanted to do
to myself, what can an outsider do to me? If I was my worst enemy, and God
defeated that one, why would I fear people?’
(Marlisa Aileen) ‘All these opportunities of the big city – so much choice, so much to do, so much freedom, so good a life… It’s a place to spread your wings. Londoners are so full of this dignity, some confident edginess…’
‘It’s called stress, darling,’ Shakar inserted gloomily, clearly with the intention to shatter her pretty picture...
(Kanoa 'Warrior') ‘We are mad, we live in chaos, we hate rules – it does take strength to allow yourself to be governed by rules that benefit the next person more than they benefit you. Hey… walking in chaos is much easier.’
(Shakar Golden) 'This world only needs money because people stink.
In the ideal world, things would be free.'
(Pastor Zimran) “Don’t sit on the fence between God and your fears. Make your choice – you live like a champion or you just quit.”
(Carney Charles)
'Let me tell
you a story, Wishes. Once God decided to make a joke – and He created me. And
all my life it seems, He’s been laughing really hard…'
(Jahzara Sheera) ‘Believe it or not, I was once different. I wasn’t always a heart-breaker, mind-shaker, bone-snapper and fire-cracker...'
(Daeg Wahine, in a letter to his brother) "I still see your revolting face in my dreams, and I don’t know why I have to go through the pain of remembering you! I don’t understand how you sleep at nights, after what you’ve done to Makani and me."