Chapter Eight The mystery unfold

When the old Herald saw the gold in the wall, he decided to seal the crack, closing the gold in the wall so that it would forever ramain buried out of sight. He knew that the worth of the gold would far out weigh even the value of the entire house. This rich man is both Stingy and wicked, he thought to himself. He doesn't deserve any more riches....

"So I closed the wall with the gold in it," he told the young Herald quietly.

Oh, thought the young strangers, realizing the error of his judgement." But what about the poor farmer's case; what's the true story there?" he asked carefully.

The old man smiled with a glint in his eyes. At the farmer's house, when everyone was fast asleep and the whole neighborhood was calm,there came an evil presence in the house. The old Herald Sensed that evil presence and he woke up quickly. At first, there was nothing. Then he waved his hand in the air a he commanded in a firm voice: "Show yourself, you foul spirit!"

Suddenly, a dark smoke rose in the air

and standing before the old man was a tall, shadowy figure clothed in tattered hooded garment. he was leaning forward, holding a crooked wand in his bony fingers. The Herald recognized this figure as the shadow of Death.

"What do you seek here?" the Herald challenged the evil visitor.

The Shadow of Death did not speak.

He only stretched forth his wand and pointed to the farmer's son who was fast asleep and shivering with fever.

"No,Foul spirit, you cannot have him," said the Herald, firmly. "You must leave this house at once, I command you!"

The Shadow of Death stood back and said, "But I cannot leave without fulfilling my mission here,you know this, Herald. A messenger must deliver the message."

The Herald was silent for a moment, as he considered what to do to spare the life of the farmer's boy. He knew that spirit Messengers must deliver their message as a rule. If the shadow of Death had brought death to the farmer's home, then death must be delivered. Then he had an idea. Turning to the shadow, he said, " I cannot let you take the life of his poor child. But If you must leave death behind, foul spirit, deliver it to the pig at the backyard. Leave your message there and be gone!"

The Shadow of Death bowed and disappeared at once, while the old man went back to sleep.

The old man looked at his young campanion and sighed quietly. " You see, my boy;I judged that it was better to let the shadow of Death fall on the pig than upon the farmer's son. What would have been your judgement, my friends?" he asked the young strangers. " Imagine what it would have been for the farmer's family to wake up this morning to find their only son dead."

The young Herald smiled and shook his head slowly. " I see," he said, still shaking his head. " Then you have done well for serving judgement to both the rich man and the farmer's family as they deserved, only that I didn't see it at first!"

"That's why I said to you before, ' be patient'," said the old man. " some things in life are not what they seem."

"Of course, now I know."

Then hand in hand, two strangers walked down into the mist and vanished from sight. All these would not have been known by anyone, had not a palm wine tapper, coming back from the bush that early morning seen and heard the conversation of two strange visitors to the village. It was he who brought the words of it back to the village and told everyone.