Sephtis

Sephtis is a suicidal super-hero looking for an escape from immortality. With a rough childhood and the pain and resentment he has had to deal with, he has become tired and sees his powers more as a disease than a gift.

When he finally manages to find a way to end his life, he has to compete between the feelings of responsibility he feels for the family he loves and the public protests against his suicide.

COMMON THIEF

The bakkie came to a screeching halt, they had no choice but to flee on foot, the baby behind the back seat was happy as if nothing wrong was happening, she was full of joy if only she knew in what kind of trouble she was,
They got off the bakkie and the thief” as Miles knew the guy as, had no worry, no sympathy for the baby behind the bakkie; he searched the car and took all the valuables items. Miles tried to talk to the thief to think about the baby, but he did not care he took all the valuables in the car and fled, it was a cool summer day
As Miles was standing looking at the baby not knowing what to do, he heard a faint voice saying to him remember, remember , when he looked behind him he saw a young man he must have been eighteen years or so, he was dirty and his clothes were torn, Miles jumped in fear of the stranger, all he said was remember, remember, he nearly fainted as He fell down, the stranger came to him and held him on his shoulder as in like comforting him, he repeated what he said previously and said remember, remember
The hand on his shoulder did not felt as if the young man was a stranger, Miles felt a deep and powerful connection with this young man, Miles told the young man about the baby in the back of the seat and how sorry he felt for her and how worried her parents might be with regard to the baby, he told him how desperate he was to have a job and how it let him to commit this crime so that he could feed his daughter who was only four months old and that is was his first crime he ever committed in his entire life… the stranger seem to know all of this which was surprising to Miles, how did he knew?
The stranger said to him that, he need not worry anymore, that the baby was safe and he should go because the cops have tracked the bakkie and were on their way, Miles could not just leave the baby alone it felt wrong knowing also that he had a daughter himself made even harder, but it took a while until the stranger convinced Miles to go, the stranger kept on saying those words remember, remember, Miles heard the cops coming and he went away as the stranger had asked him to
As Miles fled the scene looking for the thief to get a share of the valuables that the thief took from the bakkie , so that he can buy food to feed his own daughter…. there was a police helicopter hovering about looking for two men who hijacked a bakkie and a baby inside. It was dark and it was becoming cold and one can see lighting striking from a distance, Miles knew that what he has done would haunt him for the rest of his life, he was not the type of guy to hurt anyone, but desperation has pushed him to do something that he said himself would kill someone if it happened to his own daughter.
The thief as greedy as his name meant was waiting for Miles at a place where they said they would meet, Miles was tired, scared and his thoughts were on his own daughter

The thief wanted to take all of the valuables and give Miles only a little, but Miles wanted to go fifty, fifty with the thief, the thief would have none of it……….. And suddenly Miles heard the faint voice remember, remember. With this voice Miles decided to let go of the share and let the thief have the entire share.
The police helicopter saw the two men on the ground and used the loud speaker to tell them to stand were they are, Miles lift his hands up in surrender , but the thief started to run, he did not take even five steps when gun shots were heard and the thief fell on the ground in a hail of bullets….Miles woke up and he was sweating, it was a terrible dream he just had, her wife next to him with their four months year old baby sleeping in harmony as he stared at them and those faint words came back and say remember, remember and it all made sense to him now, that his wife and daughter was more important to him and needed him……….
He went out his bed to wash his face……. After a minute the phone rang and it was the thief telling him about the plans they have made to go and hijack a bakkie, remembering the faint voice Miles told him no, that his daughter and wife needed him more than he could have realised, even if he did not have a proper job…….. the thief was angry and told him he was a coward and dropped the phone, it hurt him to be called a coward, but the voice kept on saying remember, remember and that give him a little bit of hope

After a couple of minutes when he was playing with his daughter, his wife came running to him, screaming with delight that he finally got the job as a chef at an international restaurant ……even today he never forgets those words……………….. Remember, remember, but this time only as your best friend. Today Miles owns he’s own chain of restaurants and is a very successful business man and not a common thief.

By Flanegan Thabo Ntshotsho