“Tony! Tony!” shouted Mikhail as he crossed the road. Focused on his target, he nearly got hit by a car. The child slipped through the increasingly dense crowd. Mikhail kept his eyes on him but struggled to move against the flow of people. He reached an intersection, and suddenly Tony was gone. He scanned all directions at the crossing but to no avail. He had disappeared.

“Tony!” he yelled again. His voice was lost in the surrounding noise. He turned around and saw the child walking near his car at the end of the street. Mikhail quickly retraced his steps, no longer slowed by the crowd now moving in his direction. His eyes were fixed on the blue shirt moving towards Eliane’s building until it vanished behind the door to the hall.

Mikhail entered the two-story building, shouting his son’s name at the top of his lungs. He saw several people descending the stairs, their faces marked by fear. Most of them were panicked women, crying, holding children’s clothes in their hands. Sometimes a toy. Sometimes a school book. He went up to the first floor, pacing the hallway back and forth, searching for the little boy.

While inspecting the stairwell, he sensed someone behind him. He quickly turned around and found himself face to face with the man he had seen crying at his window over his missing son, recognizable by his thick mustache. His tank top, which accentuated his paunch, was soaked in tears. He stared at Mikhail, who was unsettled by the sight of his red, teary eyes.

— Where is he?

— Excuse me?

— Where is my son? the man threatened.

*********

— Mikhail took a step back.

— Sir, I don’t know who you’re talking about!

— Stop lying, he screamed, pointing a kitchen knife at Mikhail. My Matthieu! I know you took him! Give me back my boy! Mikhail backed away slowly, hands raised, until he reached the stair railing, glancing quickly over the empty space behind him.

— Please don’t do this, sir. I don’t know where your son is. I’m looking for mine, too…

— Shut up! You’re lying, he shouted. Everyone lies! You child-stealer. He advanced with his weapon raised. But Mikhail, far more athletic than his opponent, anticipated his move. He easily grabbed the man’s arm before he could strike, kneeing him hard in the stomach and pinning him against the wall in a submission hold.

— Sir, calm down. I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with your son’s disappearance. He forced him to release the knife, which clattered loudly to the ground below. The father groaned in pain from the blow to his stomach. Mikhail cautiously relaxed his hold. The man offered no resistance, collapsing on the floor in a flood of tears.

— I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just want to find my Matthieu. He’s all I have left. I lost his mother last year; I can’t lose him too. Matt, where are you? he mumbled.

Mikhail wanted to ask if he had seen Tony, but he knew the man wasn’t in a state to think clearly. He could feel and share his pain. But unlike him, he had seen his son and had to find him. His Tony was here, somewhere in the building.

*********

Fueled by a new surge of adrenaline, Mikhail dashed up the stairs to the second floor in seconds. This was the hallway to Eliane’s apartment. Two people sat there, dazed. Some doors were ajar. He called Tony’s name again. He was almost at the end of the hallway. Eliane’s door was open. He hesitated before entering. The apartment was now flooded with daylight, with all the curtains open. He could hear the television in the living room. He approached slowly…

This text is an excerpt from the book THEY HAVE GONE written by Teddy NGBANDA.

We invite you to read the following article, “Mikhail Discovers His Wife’s Qualities through Hector’s Words.”