Trapped in darkness, witnessed a crime. Would anyone believe him?
Mukeni, a gentle soul with a developmental disability, faces a terrifying fate when his head is sealed inside a clay pot, left to suffocate on a lonely Kenyan hillside path. His desperate struggle for air intertwines with visions of his beloved late mother—visions that may be his last.
His discovery comes from Wacera, his devoted guardian since childhood. Rushing to deliver milk before dawn, her shortcut leads to a horrifying Mukeni, seemingly lifeless, his head grotesquely imprisoned. Her screams shatter the silence, rallying the village.
As Mukeni fights for survival and recounts witnessing a brutal burglary next door, the community scrambles. But justice proves elusive. The thieves targeted Gathii, a man Wacera secretly longs for, yet Mukeni’s testimony is dismissed—the law deems him unfit to speak. While pragmatic villagers focus on recovering stolen goods, Wacera rages against the injustice done to the man she protects like a brother.
The Price of Sight is a poignant and suspenseful tale set in rural Kenya. It explores the bonds of family and community, the crushing weight of prejudice against disability, and the quiet resilience of those fighting for dignity and love in the face of cruelty and indifference. Can Mukeni find safety? Will Wacera secure justice for him? And will her own heart find its answer with Gathii?
Thoughts:
The Price of Sight is a short story about Mukeni, who lives in a small rural community where he faces prejudice for his learning disability from the larger community, but receives infinite kindness from Wacera, a young woman who treats him like a younger brother.
This short story offers a sharp commentary on the callous indifference and distorted perceptions of those with disabilities in our communities, and how such neglect can leave them voiceless, unrecognized, and without legal empowerment.
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