The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

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?”

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The Puined Daid

Chapter 8

I replied.

eyes lit up, and he switched to Chinese, introducing himself:

Goma.”

did

flowers were a rarity

grew it! Want to see?”

garden he had created using scavenged foam boxes, plastic bottles, and

home to the African violet, agapanthus, tropical orchids, and Congo azaleas…

these?” I

legs on the table, he answered confidently, “Because flowers make people

happy.”

I was puzzled.

“You probably think

important to them, and flowers are just impractical luxuries, right?”

I nodded.

but firm tone, he said, “Here, everything pushes people to forget beauty,

alive, that there’s still something worth looking forward

when there’s hope, there’s life.”

spoke, a confident smile spread across his face, and he winked at me. “That’s why

matter.”

passion were like a beam of light, striking a chord deep within me.

found myself unable to look away from his

entire camp, only Joseph and I were from Country

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Bride of Velvet Nights

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Chapter 8

my first impression, Joseph was incredibly dedicated to

patient treatments and even assisted me in completing my

he noticed an unusually high mortality rate among

but they’re still dying in

sense unless they’re not taking the