BUREAU OF LIFE (PART I)

Mosun’s knee locked as she stamped the brakes in futile desperation. Her pulse was so loud her eardrums were vibrating like the thumps of an orchestra at crescendo. Her Toyota Prius was no match, bodily, for the monstrosities that flanked her to the left and right. In her anxiety to get to work early, she had thrown her calm nature out her windows and attempted an imprudent overtaking venture.

The Oando and Total fuel trucks had driven side by side for the last five minutes and Mosun knew that another minute spent on this Oshodi-Apapa expressway meant another query sheet closer to her sack-letter. So she attempted a “Jaiye-Bond” stunt that she ordinarily wouldn’t; a possible drive-through in the little space between the two trucks.

Unknown to her, just ten meters ahead, there were ditches and several pot-holes on the service-lane. So, at the same time she drove in to split the competing trucks, the Oando truck to her right swerved left to avoid the ditches. Despite Mosun’s honks, the space between the trucks narrowed and the proverbial life flashed before Mosun’s eyes. She pumped the brakes but they didn’t connect.

Her brakes-pumps were dead, her heart was alive, her accelerator was on fire, and her skin was freezing. This was imminent and certain death. Then her spirit poured a Psalm out her lips, “Lord you have given your angels charge over me.”

***

Sanctiel flew through the flaming glass of the 1000-storey all-white and glass building, leaving Mackel, the doorman, aghast with mild frustration. Sanctiel’s exuberance was cause for concern at the Bureau. Since his employment, though adept and swift to execute missions, he had come into infractions with everyone in the bureau – and that’s like the population of an earth nation. Mackel, however, smiled after the spurt of emotion passed, he had seen Sanctiel’s type come and leave the Bureau for the last 200 Zion years. They either learnt to behave or got transferred to another Bureau.

The Bureau of Life was a special force that executed special missions in planet earth. Their focus was to administer life to all who believed in Jay. Theirs wasn’t to fight wars or battle the fallen over territories or hearts. Theirs mission was simple – administer life as Elion’s Spirit instructed.

Elion’s Spirit sent coded messages about Christians in need via inter-galactic waves; these messages would be received by Yadah’s Department on the 1000^th floor, who will then forward it to Shamah’s Department on the 700^th floor, where an angel was assigned to execute the instruction transmitted by Elion’s spirit. Whatever supplies the angel needed was picked from Rapha’s Department. All of these happened within one-one-millionth of an earth’s second.

Immediately Sanctiel entered the lobby resplendent with the glory of a thousand angels going about their different missions, his wrist buzzed and Amaziel, his unit boss, popped up in a holograph.

“Mosun Akinola, 32-year-old, 8,231,811,127 strands of hair, married with two-kids,” Amaziel rattled-off like some light-speed data software. “She works at Dangote Sugar, and is currently on Oshodi-Apapa expressway, Section 83, Quadrant 4, Code 234, Time-zone GMT+1.”

“What’s my mission?” Sanctiel hovered, his wings fluttering in excitement. He just got back from Alaska, where he pulled a 10-year-old boy out of a frozen lake. He had dreamt of serving in the bureau since he was a kid and his greatest joy was when he was drafted in after his life-long training.

“She’s stuck in between two fuel trucks just before Barlett bus stop,” Amaziel didn’t finish before Sanctiel sped out of the lobby again without waiting for Mackel to sign him out. The holograph swept back into the pod as Sanctiel sped off leaving a trail of glory behind him.

***

Mosun shut her eyes and gave up despite the words that left her lips. She knew deep down that she shouldn’t have tried going in between the truck.

Then she heard some loud horns behind her. She opened her eyes and realized that the horns were coming from behind her. She checked her rear-view mirror and her heart stopped. The two trucks were about twenty meters behind her.

How her car got to that point from the of valley death, she had could not fathom. The only thing that came to her mind was John 10:10 “…the thief comes to kill, to steal and to destroy, but I have come that you might have LIFE and have it abundantly.”

Image credit: revivalcentres.org