A Fool's Knot Read Online Free

desk, taking care to rearrange the pencils in his desk tidy so that they were all parallel, all facing the same way. Above all else he was grateful. He was grateful to his teachers, to the Government for employing him and to his father, who had paid the school fees and also helped him to get the job. He was already earning as much as a teacher in a primary school and had already saved enough to buy four bulls.
    â€œIt is stated that you, Mulindi Kisuva, did on the third of January 1975…”
    The slow untrained clicking of the typewriter filtered through the partition into John’s office. The policeman and two other men sat facing John. The three watched in silence until he had finished. John, after reading through what he had just written, replaced the top of his fountain pen and put it into the top pocket of his jacket.
    â€œConstable,” said John without looking up, “since there seems to be some confusion surrounding the events in Nzawa last night, I have asked you to come here in order to listen to this statement which we have prepared. If this tallies with what you have been told by Mr Muchira, then we will have established that there is a case to answer.”
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    John took up the papers and began to read. “I, Boniface Njeru Muchira, am a teacher at Nzawa Primary School in Migwani Location, Kitui District. I have taught in the said school for three years. On the evening of January 25 1975 I was in my house talking with my colleague, one James Gitonga Kivara.”
    The policeman, whose first language was also Kikuyu, could not suppress an intended quiet chuckle to himself becoming quite audible at this point. The name, Kivara, means ‘baldy’.
    â€œAt approximately 9pm I heard the sound of shouting outside the house, which is within the school compound, so I went to the window and looked out to see what was happening. At this point a large stone hit the window, breaking the glass. I saw a group of about ten school students. There was a full moon and I could see some of them clearly. I shouted at them, telling them to go away or I would tell the police. Their reply was to shower the house with stones and shout obscene remarks about myself and my colleague. They continued to throw stones for about ten minutes. Mr Kivara –”
    There was only a muted smile from the policeman this time.
    â€œ- and myself then decided to try to chase the boys away. Together we rushed from the house towards the group. We carried sticks to protect ourselves. Some of the boys ran away but others continued to throw stones. Five stones hit me before the rest of the children turned and ran. Fortunately I managed to catch hold of one boy and overpower him. I asked him to tell me the names of the others present. His only reply was to curse me. Two of the others turned round, came back and began to beat me with sticks until Mr Kivara chased them away. But to protect myself, I had to let go of the boy and he ran away. I then asked Mr Kivara to ride on his motorcycle to the police station in Mwingi to report the incident. He returned with a police officer at about 11pm and I made a full report to the officer. He asked me to come to the police station the following morning, January 26 1975, which I did. I found that he had assembled a large number of school students as a result of his investigations. He asked me to inspect each one and say which of them had taken part in the attack on my home. This I did. I feel I have done my job at Nzawa well and can think of no reason why such an attack should have taken place.” John looked up. “Is that accurate? Does it reflect what you want to be recorded?” he asked looking from one to another.
    â€œIt is fine,” said the policeman. The others nodded.
    â€œWill you then sign the paper at the bottom, Mr Muchira? And you, Mr Kivara, can you sign your copy? I see no point in reading that one to the officer as well. It is substantively the