The Love of Money

‘The love of money, the Bible warns, ‘is the root of all evils’, an early-morning ministration by Craig to his family before setting out for the affairs of the day. Soon after the morning devotion was completed, the family was ready to go; Craig was well-dressed to meet pressing needs at his work place, his children wore school-mode clothes and best of corporate feminine outfit best described his wife’s dressing –prepared to face the uphill tasks to be encountered at the office where she was manager. After carrying out necessary household chores, Craig and his family mounted their ‘family’ car-Craig mounted the Driver’s seat and to his side at the right was his gorgeous wife…his children took the backseat. He drove his children to school, his wife to her work place and subsequent headed straight to his office.
Indeed, Craig was a happily married man- an elevating career, a loving wife, Sarah and four ‘wonderful’ children-two boys (Mike and John) and two girls (Antonia and Michelle). Ahead of his time in his engineering profession, Craig, under the space of one year after his employment, got steadily promoted to a chief executive officer of his construction company, where he worked. His loving wife, Sarah, was a woman of understanding and substance; her unbridled professional image and amazon disposition edged her contemporaries. This was reason she was positioned as manager of the humanitarian organization. His children were uniquely different. Mike, being the first child of the family, had a flair for music, though he had exceptional grades in school. John, the second child, was very good academically but had a great interest in fashion. Antonia, the first female child of the family, aspired to be a nurse, though she did exceptionally well in Math and Geography. The baby of the family, Michelle, though very loquacious, wanted just to be a good mother in future. Both Sarah and Craig cherished the most Mike because of his sense of purpose, good character and distinct voice.
Lived in the outskirts of Akosombo, Ghana, the magnificent duplex single-handedly built by Craig was really befitting. Under the watchful eyes of well-planted trees came the refreshing cool breeze, beautiful garden came an abode for relaxation and some light refreshment. The large compound space gave room for John, Mike, Antonia and Michelle to play football and table tennis and afforded Craig and Sarah the opportunity for reflections at their convenient hours. The towering gates were an assurance of beefed-up security. Around to play with were their pet dogs; Puffy and Snicky. Uniform Painting with a blend of complementary colors added aesthetics to the building’s exterior. The interior segments were characterized by a silver-coated passage that led to the rooms occupied by Sarah and Craig and visitors/guests at the down floor. Upstairs, there were five rooms with each of their children occupying the rooms, using the extra as the store-room. Here, the passage was made of modern ceramics. Sandwiched between the living and bedrooms at the door floor was the modern standard kitchen, filled with what a kitchen should contain. The beds were well constructed to meet their sleeping demands! In short, it was a magnificent edifice!

Despite the comfort of his abode, Craig was not a materially satisfied man. He wanted to be, from the days of his youth, a man of stupendous wealth and substance, passing his father’s records of been the richest man ever in his homeland, Afflao. However, he was shown the exists by men of the underworld, disguised as transparent oil business experts, who lured him to investing his money by his late father d a into a white elephant project; investing in oil offshore (a scam orchestration). Craig was duped by the mischievous men. This development worsened his health predicament that it took the very intervention of his doctor friend, Khumalo and Sarah’s undying help to ‘bring back to life’ the almost dead Craig. By and large, he went through the thick and thin to ensure he acquired some fortune and with the unrelenting succor by Sarah, he earned it. Considering what he would have become if the business were genuine and pulled through, Craig, though admitting his aim of being richer than his father would have been reached, took a tough decision that he will, given the resources at his disposal, together with his wife, nurture to any lengths the well-being of their children(from infanthood to adulthood) . Indeed, Craig and Sarah did succeed! The only ‘but’ in the life of mike was that Craig and Sarah never observed Mike’s ‘big eyes’ for materialism. This discrepancy would tear apart the existence of every member of the family.
Mike, John, Antonia and Michelle were sent to the best of schools in the city, all through their school years from the elementary to the final tertiary stages of education. As a matter of fact, Craig and Sarah were prepared to sponsor their education up to the Masters and PhD levels. Mike graduated with a first class in financial accounting and a second class upper in classical music (minor). Antonia, not only did she come out in flying colors as best student in her department, she was a certified first-class holder in nursing. John came out tops in his class, taking with him an overall ‘grade A’ in fashion studies. Michelle, ‘the mish girl’, as she was nicknamed, scaled through the hard nut to cracks of family studies to become the best student of that department. Mike’s case was a bit penultimate in that Mike’s love for classical music was his obsession. Interested in furthering his studies in music, Craig decided to fund Mike’s two-year Masters in classical music at the London School of Music. This would change his thinking for the rest of his life…
After all necessary procurements were made, Mike set to depart the shores of Ghana to Heathrow International Airport, sojourning in Big Ben and learning an entirely different culture. Under the watchful eyes of the Romanian virtuoso, Adrian Peterscu, Mike became a force to be reckoned with in classical music, in and out of the classroom. His mastery of classical music attracted the attention of Prof. Adrian, as he was fondly called. In no time, they became best of friends. Mike would find out the person of his Romanian friend.
Adrian Peterscu was a die-hard Satanist whose fore-bears were high-level witches and wizards. His recently passed on mom, Mia, was a satanic minister. Wealthy, of course, Adrian, through his music forte, had been initiating his students for decades into the dreaded cult known as the Hood of Dragons; a confraternity which he has been a member of since his students days and known for the best of music rendition in all genres (producing great and very-wealthy instrumentalists, singers, vocalists, song writers and composers) with intents of communicating via sounds reversed psycho-subliminal messages to audiences, within and outside the school campus. Through the outright worship and daily acknowledgement of devil worship, Adrian became wealthy. The initiation rites were characterized by gross blood-cuddling rituals, torture of newbies, incantations of all sorts and subsequent blood sacrifices for fame and fortune.
A bosom friend Mike was, Adrian decided to empty his can of worms; the secrets of his success. Mike was shocked to hear the ugly facts regarding his would-be mentor’s success ladder. To convince Mike on how the principle works, he meta-physically positioned Mike in a trance configuration. Mike saw himself in a situation where the whole world was under his feet; the money flowing like the infinite streams of a waterfall, the women flocking around like ants feasting on grains of sugar and fame personifying his name. Mike’s happiness took a better of him that when he gained consciousness, he was a little crossed at Adrian. ‘This is tip of the iceberg’, Adrian said, ‘of what you will hugely benefit’. ‘All you need do is to simply join the Hood of Dragons’. He continued. In exuberance, Mike jumped into this golden opportunity without necessarily deeming it fit to inform his parents in Ghana of this development.
After a two-week period, Mike made up his mind to have himself engrossed in the initiation rites of the Hood of Dragons. He had to endure the excruciating pains experienced during the course of initiation. Finally, on the completion of the initiation, Mike was asked what he wanted. Mike replied: ‘I want to stupendously have money, fame and amass for myself and family in future enduring material and financial legacies’. ‘What a lofty wish!’ Adrian exclaimed. ‘Do you know the direct sacrifice you have to offer to the altar of his Holiness?’ asked Adrian. Mike was not able to answer the question because of the mystery that encompassed it. Adrian showed Mike through the revealing Trans vision of whom he would sacrifice at the moment (Else, he will lose his life in the process, should he decline to the instruction). Sadly, he saw in the Trans vision a moving car carrying Sarah, Craig, John, Michelle and Antonia. Adrian instructed Mike to blow a kiss (The Kiss of Goodbye as an intricate recognition of the Hood of Dragons) on the rectangular-sized Trance vision screen. After Mike did what he was told, Adrian, together with the rest of the old initiates (past and existing students), parted him on his back, a symbol of the brotherhood identity. Mike, in the next six months, would be made to realize that his worth weighs more than half a billion dollars!
The news from Ghana that his entire family-Craig, Sarah, John, Antonia and Michelle were involved in a fatal car crash got to Mike. In response to the development, Mike tabled the matter to the Hood of the Dragons. Under the watchful eyes and direction of Adrian, Mike was instructed on what to do to get over the shock and preclude him from the shades of suspicion by other family members. Mike did what he was told…And the result of that decision?
On return to Ghana, he headed straight to his family house his dad, Craig, built. In consoling other family members, being the first child, he shed crocodile tears to put the sympathizers on, in compliance to the instruction given by his fraternity. After the rites of passage and other traditional activities were observed by practically paying their last respect to the deceased family members, Mike was set to jet out of the country and return to his London base to complete his Masters program in Classical music.

He was warmly received at the Heathrow International Airport by the members of the Hood of Dragons. Knowing what had happened, Mike and the rest of the society members double-celebrated, on grounds that the next day will be the day of convocation and an Advance Merriment of the financial bounty that is to come. The D-day came and everyone in the confraternity; current and past were present to make it a memorable day for Mike. An after-party was held by the brotherhood, recognizing in advance the anticipated wealth Mike will acquire. The songs of joy swept from the crown of his head to his souls of his feet, knowing well that fortune, fame and wealth were about coming into his life.
Six months later, after observing certain ritualistic follow-ups, saw a text, a credit alert, reading a balance of five hundred million dollars. At this point, Mike was in a hard-and-fast-rule state. He went haywire and decided to ‘calm his nerves’ by taking some bottles of alcoholic drinks and later surrendered to sleep. After long hours of sleep, still very exuberant, called his fellow members, dashed to his car and drove to their rendezvous. The spontaneity of the celebration caught the party -mode of the members. Every Tom, Dick and Harry connected with the fraternal group extended The Hands of Congratulations, following Mike’s giant stride to Life’s Acquisitions in Phases. Adrian was excited seeing Mike’s breakthrough but was unfair to obliging his bosom friend of subsequent (tougher) sacrifices to improve his newly acquired status or sustain his current situation, at least. This would lead to a tragic passing on of Mike to the world beyond. Afterwards, his music studio, Record Company Label, My Soul and Music school were commissioned in Essex and Tema by Major McCartney and Senator John Mensah respectively.
His business acumen saw him through. His prudent spending was a force to reckon with. Judiciously, Mike was able to invest in stocks, bonds and shares, gold, landed properties in his homeland and acquire some buildings in Accra, Kumasi and certain outskirt areas of London. He also reserved some money for extravagant spending on his fellow members at the clubs and to lavish the rest on bevy of ladies that flunk around him on a daily basis. Along the line, he met a damsel who he later knew as Maria, in Manchester City. He told the rest of his group about his newly found love and with Adrian’s consent, he was given the green light. Adrian delegated three representatives to accompany Mike to his native Ghana for the wedding occasion.
Maria was a London-based Ghanaian who had sojourn in London since the age of eight. Mike fell in love with her and they both agreed to walk the aisle in their native Ghana. Two weeks after they arrived Ghana, all roads led to the homeland of Maria, Kotoko. All traditional wedding rites, from the introduction to exchange of gifts from Mike’s kinsmen to her family at her father’s compound, were observed. With the approval of her ailing and ageing parents, the ‘main’ wedding was about to kick off. The ‘white’ wedding witness a gathering of the society’s ‘who is who’ and a mass attendance was recorded. Though it was a red-letter moment for Mike and Maria, it would signal one of the last of Mike’s bliss on earth. After the wedding, the couple set off to Paris, France, for their Honey Moon. A week later, Maria, upon medical observation was confirmed pregnant. It was at this point Mike persuaded Maria to call quits their Honey Moon. Unhappy she was, she had the Hobson’s choice than to accept. They took a flight directly to London, Mike’s base.
While in London, Mike’s business empire steadily grew and with the support of his fellow members, enjoyed all accolades and awards, gained more fame and popularity. He was on top of the world, not knowing that his waterloo was imminent. He made more money and his record company, music school and studio were flourishing in Tema, Ghana and Essex, London and became Ghana’s talk-of-the town edifices.
On a fateful morning, just about the time Mike was set to leave for work, he got a call from his Personal Assistant, Mark, that his music studio, record label and music school were raided by armed robbers and possessions worth billions of dollars were missing. Shocked to the marrow, Mike wanted himself swallowed by the ground. In the heat of the emotional unrest, he ran straight to the home of Adrian, his ‘god father’ in the Hood of Dragons and related his predicament. Unperturbed he was, Mike, surprised at his reaction, wanted quick answers as to why he’s empire is crumbling before his eyes. Adrian told him to look at the Trance Vision screen and what he saw was exacerbating: the urgent need to offer his wife and his born 7-month-old pregnancy. Else, he will dig his early grave. Out of anger, he hurriedly left Adrian’s house and dashed home.
At home, he had no clue as to how he could pull the bull by the horn and inform Maria his predicament. Two months later, to make matters worse, a friend of Mike, Charlie, who jetted from Ghana to London on a study permit, spilled an item of news with sour contents; his businesses in Tema were completed gutted by fire and nothing was recovered. Mike was left between the devil and deep blue sea-what to do next became a riddle. Again, he went to Adrian’s abode. Still, Adrian kept to his word-the inevitability of offering as sacrifices Maria and her 7-month old pregnancy. Knowing that his life would be in danger, should he not do it, Mike vowed he will resuscitate himself from the mess he was in, no matter what.
Maria went about her daily duty as a store keeper in a big-time pharmaceutical, a stone throw from her house. To her surprise, she met a completely messed Mike bed-ridden and stinking. His body was seriously decaying and it became very obvious that Mike will experience excruciation before leaving his wife. On his death bed in tears, Maria asked: ‘dear, what suddenly took over your body? What was responsible for this mystery? Who did this to you? ‘In a slow tone, Mike replied: ‘never worry yourself about my predicament. It’s fate I die this way. My time is really up. I became rich by offering my entire family as blood sacrifices for my fortune, fame and money I acquired. Now, the Hood of Dragons, the cult I joined since my schooling days where I first performed my first ritual, wanted me to use you and my unborn child for another sacrifice so that my acquisitions will be sustained. But I refused. They struck me with this deadly ailment as a way of getting back at me for violating the fraternity’s law. Always tell my unborn child that dad loves you and he wants you to always remember what the bible says: the love of money is the root of all evil’ He breathes his last and gave up the ghost, with his decaying hands wrapped around his wife’s fist.