Nkem had always been the engineer in the family. At the age of eight, He had temporarily brought a solution to the darkness issue in their small village. For years they used lamps in the night till kerosene started increasing in price.
Nkem was bothered by the fact that His mother couldn't afford kerosene every night, so he decided to build a power source that used neither kerosene or fuel.
It would directly powered by the sun.
At first, His Mum thought his crazy for even thinking that the sun could help his imaginations. Four months of day and night working provided the long awaited device.
His Mum couldn't believe it till she used it for a whole week and figured that it was actually the sun that powered the device.
Everyone in the market heard of Nkem's sun torch as it was called. Nkem had to make a good number of it and sold it at a good price. The money really helped Mama Nkem in her business.
The kerosene market almost went out of business in that little town. The Sun torch was popular that even the king bought fifty pieces of it and shared to the villagers who were very poor.
The whole town adored the little engineer. The sun torch was very lucrative because not only did Nkem sell the torch, he was the only one that could also fix it, if it was broken.
"My next plan is to make a toy that can fly in the air without anyone holding it." Nkem said to his friends while they came to watch him build more sun torch.
Their was a brief pause as his friends thought about the possibility of that ever happening. After what seemed like eternity they are bursted out laughing.
"I have seen a lot of crazy people. In fact craziness is in levels. But, your craziness Nkem, is a discovery." Audu said.
"He thinks because he built a torch that the sun helps, he can build an object that the air will help." Obi said as he laughed loudly leaning on Audu.
"Unless you are trying to ask witches and wizard for help, nothing can hang in the air just like that without falling down." Adanna said as she laughed along side her other friends.
Adanna had always supported Nkem. She was the closest to him amongst the clique. But this time She was drawing the line in the crazy thought.
"Guys, I'm not crazy. I also told my Mum I would do this torch, She doubted. I promise you guys, I will also make you guys apologize to me for mocking me." He said as he angrily walked out.
Three weeks had past and Nkem hadn't come out from his small workshop. Je had listed the possible equipment that could help his machine fly and had tried a good number of them. But none could help him achieve his goal.
Weeks turned to months and months to years. It's been two years since Nkem started the project and it hadn't been successful. His friends laughed him to scorn. By that time his sun torch had already become an old device because he had built it to be better and bigger.
But no matter the huge fit he achieved, there was a loop hole in his heart that his best was yet to come.
Nkem was thirteen years old when everyone in the village witnessed an aeroplane flying high up in the sky. The whole village gathered and was pointing towards the aeroplane.
Immediately Adanna rushed to call Nkem. "Nkem, Nkem I saw the machine that flies in the air. Did you see it? Adanna asked.
Nkem ignored her questions. Because over the years they barely spoke because of how their differences in ideas causes the rift.
"I'm sorry for doubting you. How can I help you make the flying device?" Adanna asked.
"I don't need your help. I can handle it myself." Nkem said as he continued with what he was doing which was apparently nothing.
That situation where you know you've been right and have been doubted by your friends. And now they just noticed that you were right and came to apologize. That feeling of being right with a little chip on your shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Nkem. I will not leave here until you tell me how I can help you." She said and sat down.
After what seemed like days, "Can you get me the iron lying beneath that table?" Nkem asked.
"Yeah, I can." She said smiling.
The dream took long but it wasn't impossible and most of all. NKEM WASNT CRAZY.
