Part 1: The Book and The Boy

You know those "aha!" moments people talk about?

Mine came with a book and no pants. But let me start from the beginning.

So for the past three weeks I have been reading this famous “The Alchemist".

It's about a boy who looked after sheep. During the first chapter I laughed so hard my sides still hurt.

Why? Because when I was young, I was also a shepherd—more of a cowboy.

Not the American type with fancy boots.

Nope.

I was just a Kenyan boy with tough feet and fifty stubborn cows. Let me talk you back.

"Polycarp!" Mama's voice was louder than our neighbor's radio. "Toa ng'ombe kwa mahindi ya Mzee Kamau!"

Translation: Our cows were having breakfast on the wrong farm. Again.

I ran out barefoot (shoes? In this economy?). The morning ground felt like wet chapati dough between my toes.

There they were - my gang of troublemakers.

Shiro, our oldest cow, led them with a white patch looking precisely like a map of Kenya on her face.

She had more attitude than a Nairobi taxi driver.

"Shiro! Rudi nyuma!" I yelled. She looked at me like I was speaking Chinese.

Every morning was the same story: me chasing cows, cows pretending they didn't know their names, village kids laughing.

Even our local radio presenter knew about my daily marathon with the cows.

But that day was different. It was a big swimming competition.

I'd been practicing for months in the river while my cows munched grass nearby.

They were probably taking bets on whether I'd win.

"Leo ni leo!" I told myself. Today is the day!

If only I knew what 'today' had planned for me...