Boiling Water 

My mom’s suspicions about me got lit yesterday. Before now, she used to treat me like someone who was always up to something evil or who had done something evil, but she never really had a concrete reason or telltale to pin her suspicions on. My inability to look people in their eyes only added to her suspicions. I do not know why she has these suspicions neither do I intend on allaying her fears.

But yesterday, she walked in on me as I watched water boil in an open pot and that sealed it for her. She stood behind me as I stood in front of the gas cooker, staring into the pot of boiling water. I had no idea she was behind me as I was enraptured in my concentration. I watched the water boil and boil till it began to dry up. I watched the water level go down till it was invisible. Then the water dried up. I watched as the final bubbles in the centre of the pot bubbled. Then everything dried up. 

I sighed and turned around to go when my mother’s two palms landed on my back heavily. She dragged my ears and led me to her room and told me to kneel down. 

‘When did you start?’ She asked 

Still feeling the rush of terror through my back, I frowned and said, ‘Start what ma?’

‘Start what?’ She looked shocked as though I had just said I was not writing the minutes of a very important meeting. ‘You think I haven’t  caught you? I was standing behind you throughout. Just tell me, what would happen now that the water dried up? Ehn? If you wanted to even be a Muslim, I would have let you. But witchcraft? Shebi I always knew something was wrong somewhere. I have failed as a mother. Right under my nose, they got you’ her eyes were red already. 

‘What? I’m not a witch o. God forbid. I was just thinking about how boiling water is like boiling temper. Like Erm… I always hear people say that their anger is boiling. So I decided to boil water and watch it.’ 

She wasn’t looking convinced so I continued more eagerly. ‘I saw that boiling water does not just boil on its own. There needs to be a fire underneath it… Or at least electricity charging it. It’s the same thing with anger. Anger needs a fuel; a catalyst; a fire. Our tempers are like water. They are simply water without any extra element. But once something fiery contacts our temper, there is a tendency for it to become really hot. 

Also, I realized that boiling water does not become boiled in seconds. It takes a continuous and consistent burning fire underneath it for it to boil. So is our anger. If we don’t want it to boil, we must stay away for the fire that burns constantly – it may come in certain people, words, environment. We must stay away. 

Also, boiling water at its peak cannot and should not be played with. No one in his right senses can just go and touch boiling water. If we try to make contact with boiling water, it burns…it scars and it leaves grave injuries on the skin which may never fully be recovered from. That’s the same thing with boiling temper. We must recognize the potential of hurt that lies in our boiling tempers. If we make contact with anyone in the heat of the boiling temper, we may say words, do actions or react in such a way that we will scar or hurt people iredeemably

Finally, boiling water dries up if it keeps boiling. It burns out completely and the fire, for lack of subject, begins to deal with the vessel within which it is kept. The same with our temper. It eventually burns out and leaves us tired and empty if we keep it on top of a fire. And before we know it, it affects our physical appearance; slowly shrinking, melting and damaging us till we become a shadow of ourselves’ I exhaled deeply. 

‘Hmmm…. Wow.’ was all my mom could say. 

I stood up and dusted my knees. 

That. Was. Close! 

I walked away from her room and went straight to my room. Opening my laptop, I clicked on my google chrome browser and scrolled to the end of the webpage which welcomed me – it was an article. In the comment section, I typed: Dear Loraxenne, this article is crap. I tried the bit about staring into a whole pot of boiling water; 50cl and all, and yet nothing you said would happen, happened. I know people are always searching for the spiritual, but I think it’s a sad and terrible thing to exploit them because of this desire. If you’re not certain about something, then please do not share. Although you have the freedom to share your thoughts, I’m almost sure you can be seen as a person in fiduciary position from whom a reasonably just expectation of truth is demanded. TO ALL THE READERS ON THIS FORUM, STARING AT  BOILING WATER TILL IT DRIES UP DOES NOT ‘GIVE YOU A DETAILED VISION OF YOUR PAST!!’  Loraxenne is a fraud who just wants clicks on her site to generate more revenue. (The anger is coming from having to lie to my mom and come up with a convincing story on the spot). This is crap!’

I hit comment and closed the lid of my system. I rest my head on my pillow, stared at the ceiling and fell asleep. That night, I dreamt that a huge pot of boiling water poured on me… And the pot was laughing as I danced in scalds.