The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 62

  • Chapter 8

  • The first time I met Joseph was in a camp in Goma.

  • At that time, the situation in eastern Congo (DRC) was chaotic.

  • Militants, driven by the scramble for mineral resources and ethnic conflicts, frequently attacked villages. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge in larger cities.

  • When I arrived at the refugee camp, a few doctors were treating a little girl.

  • She had been injured in an explosion, with a small pebble embedded in her ear. She cried in pain and struggled violently, making the doctors hesitant to proceed.

  • Someone called out, “Joseph!”

  • A tall man responded and stepped forward.

  • He examined the situation and surprisingly pulled out a few playing cards from his white coat, -performing a magic trick on the spot.

  • The little girl was quickly captivated and stopped struggling, giving the doctors an opportunity to act.

  • When the pebble finally fell into the tray with a “clang,” the cards in Joseph’s hand had disappeared, replaced by an African violet.

  • The little girl stared wide–eyed in amazement and tugged on his sleeve, trying to find the vanished cards, but to no avail.

  • She clapped her hands in delight, pulling at her parents‘ clothes as she squealed with joy.

  • Joseph handed the flower to the girl and escorted her grateful parents out of the medical tent.

  • The scene was so unique that I couldn’t resist taking a photo on my phone.

  • The clicking sound of the camera caught his attention. He turned around, slightly surprised, and asked in French, “New faces are rare here. Where are you from?”

  • 09:23

  • The Puined Daid

  • Chapter 8

  • A,” I

  • up, and he switched to Chinese, introducing himself: “I’m

  • Goma.”

  • I asked, “Where did you get that flower?”

  • rarity in

  • grew it! Want to

  • discovered a small garden he had created

  • garden was home to the African violet,

  • grow these?” I

  • the table, he answered confidently, “Because

  • happy.”

  • I was puzzled.

  • my confusion, he chuckled and explained, “You probably think food, clean

  • more important to them, and flowers

  • I nodded.

  • “Here,

  • them remember they’re alive, that there’s still something worth looking forward to.

  • when there’s hope, there’s

  • across his face, and he winked at me. “That’s

  • matter.”

  • of light, striking a chord

  • to look away from his lively, carefree demeanor.

  • entire camp, only Joseph and I were from Country A, so we

  • 09:23

  • of

  • 2%

  • Chapter 8

  • impression, Joseph was

  • and patient treatments and even assisted me in completing my first–ever surgery–successfully delivering a

  • mortality rate among AIDS patients in the camp.

  • antiretroviral drugs, but they’re

  • doesn’t make sense unless they’re not

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