IN THE KINGDOM OF THE STEEMITITIANS #2: THE LONG WAIT

The contest is at the end of the story.
Click here for episode 1

He pumped the air with his fist as he neared the post office. Quickly he opened the mail box and peeped inside. His face dropped in disappointment as he slowly realised that none of the letters there came from the city's council. With anger he threw the letters into his goat skin bag without even opening them. It was only 3:21am but Ete Okon had already been to the post office 17times just tonight. You could see the anger, then doubt, followed by disappointment written all over his face.

'One day, just one day, that's what he said' he muttered to himself as he tried to adjust the piece of clothes in his shoe which he put in there to make the oversized shoe fit him.

'@Joshuaetim had told me it took him just one day for the council to send him his keys. Even the guard at the gate had told me it will take just four market days'
Okon was almost losing his temper. Now he couldn't breathe well, his eyes were red from all the sleepless nights. He began his journey back from the post office.

He stopped at a group of peasants rooming about the huts in Facebook. He hated peasants. They neither write on their own scrolls nor do they ink something to contribute to other people’s writing. But today, he felt like a peasant because everything written looked to him like a writing from ancient Babylonian tablets. He couldn't get his head to understand anything.

'In Tom's name, it is ten market days now and nothing'

'What would be wrong?' He let out a sigh, a look at his face showed how troubled he was deep inside.

'Maybe they don't like myself, but they should have told me, rather than this deafening silence'

'Oh the name I used was too long,' He thought for a while but rejected the thought. He had written his name, long or short, they wouldn't have expected him to write something else

Maybe he should have given them the postal address to his yahoo post office. He had heard a rumour a long time ago that the mail boy at gmail once lost some people’s letters. He had thought it to be a rumour but now, he became greatly concerned. Okon was so lost that he barely noticed he had reached his Quora hut. He stepped inside to see if the questions he had inked on his frontage about Steemit had been answered. He skimmed through the answers but they were all things he had already read in the bookhouse and nothing new.

The last ten days had been quite eventful for Ete Okon. He had heard about great warriors and missionaries like @ejemai and @ewuoso who have gone out through many lands, hamlets and kingdoms to preach about the new kingdom of Steemit. He admired their courage and remembered his youthful days in the army. 'I will be like them, I'll be a missionary throughout the kingdom of Facebook and twitter' he had beaten his chest proudly and promised himself.

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In the last ten days, he had spent half of his time at the book house at the outskirts of the land. There are about seven of these book houses but he preferred to study at the one they called Google House of books. The women who worked there are always fast to bring you all the books you want and it seems they have way too many books than others though sometimes they will be silly and bring out books not even related to what he wanted. But he still preferred to go study there whenever he has a chance to. Ete Okon had buried himself in scrolls upon scrolls, literally, tearing up books from all walks of life that has anything to do with the new kingdom. For days, he fired his lantern and burned his oil to understand the new kingdom. He read the constitution from cover to cover five times in ten days. There were lots of complex things that he didn't understand especially about the new money they called akriptocurrency. He split most of his time between the library and running back and forth to the post office to check if the council had sent his key.

Next, he had walked through the kingdom of Facebook with his old horn-rimmed eyeglass reading from the scrolls of merchant who he believed had travelled far and wide. Only a few had inked anything about the kingdom on the walls of their hut.
Ignorance, I only wished they knew what is happening in the world today. he murmured under his breath as he began the long journey to Quoranation.

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The united empire of Quora (still called Quoranation to this day) is a special kingdom where the scholars, philosophers, theologians, men of books and great understanding go sit and argue all their life. Each taking pride in his great wisdom, always trying to show the other he is far more learned. He used to answer some questions before but the people never appreciated his work and he was tired of arguing with people who believed they knew everything when they know almost nothing. But now he had gone to read all the answers hoping to find something about the new kingdom.

Armed with the new knowledge, he had gathered all his family members and friends and sat them round the fire on a moonlit night at the townhouse, telling them of the wonders of the new land he claimed to have discovered by himself. Like a litany of an alien religion they had understood nothing, they marvelled at his wisdom listening with their mouth opened as he exaggerate and lied.. They had all clutched their lantern and rowed in their canoes across the river to the kingdom of Steemit to enter their names in the mighty book of life - as Okon had called it with pride.

But now Ete Okon is worried, he had not expected to stay this long, he had already planned of many things to write and bought large drums of oil from Mama Mtn for his lantern.
'I must see Joshua immediately' and with that he ran the short route to the townhouse hoping to see his home friend there.
'Ete Joshua, there's a problem' He had dragged his friend from a large crowd of people and had ignored his greetings.

'I have not been given a key till now' he continued, his face dejected and sad
'you look desperate, you have to calm down, am sure they will send it today' @joshuaetim tried his best to cheer him even though he too was worried.

'But, but you said one day, just one day to get yours, its 10days and 21 hours now...'

'Honestly, I myself don't know what is wrong, but you know many people also wants to enter so the council are taking time to make sure thieves and fraudster do not come' Joshua tried to explained

'You can testify that I am a good man, I have never taken anybody's ox or sheep before, I am no son of Belial, please since you are there, help me speak to the council, I can no longer wait' His desperation slowly snowballed into anger and frustration.

'In the kingdom of Steemit, patience and persistence is the key to succeed. You have to take your time and be..'

'Let me get my key first, then you can begin the Gospel of Mark, Matthew and my father' Okon shouted cutting him short. 'it is easy for you to advised when you are already inside collecting all your money,'

With that he picked his candle and walked out of the hall.
####******#####*****#####****####**

Its 10:13pm, Ete Okon had been to the post office 4 times already. He was silently losing hope especially when he saw his friends who he took by himself just a few days ago to go put down their names, now collecting their own keys. As he lay on his mat outside his hut, staring at the stars in the sky, a poem began to form in his mind,

Another day, another night
The church signboard stood
It directs people to go meet God
While they received salvation
It stood rusting in the rain

When will my day come
Another just passed
But the great wait continues
...

The cold breeze took a tighter grip and his mind could not fight nature anymore. Slowly his eyes closed and his mind drifted far off to the realms of the subconscious -- to a dream of war and sorrow.
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Did you enjoy the story, let me hear from you in the comment below. Now the contest,

Last week winner was @febizle. There was no modal referer, So the prize is back to the purse for another contest.

The contest for today is simple, complete the poem at the end of the story with at least 4 stanzas. You can write it as a comment below or write it as a post using the tag #the-steemititians as one of your tags, then submit the link to your post as a comment here.

Prize: One winner will be chosen by the judge for a prize of 3sbd

Rules for entry
Resteem the post - for visibility.
Upvote the post - its your little way of showing support.
Follow - nah, that's not compulsory.
So lets hear from you, results will come with the next episode on Sunday.

Original @lordjames

@moneyinfant has added your contest to the list Steemit Writing Contests: Issue #18. The list is updated on a daily basis and your contest will remain on the list until its expiration - there's nothing you need to do.

The list was created to save writers the excessive amount of time spent searching through the #contest tag for writing contests. Now they can just come to the list each day, see new contests and use their time doing what they love - writing.

If you'd like to help spread the word about the Steemit Writing Contest List I'd really appreciate a resteem, but it certainly isn't necessary. The project is simply meant to help writers save time and contest creators attract more contestants.

P.S. If you know of any contests I've missed I'd love to hear about them. Thanks!