Bang! Bang! Bang! Continued the hard knock on the front door, as  I  rolled  off  my  bed  and sneaked  under  it. Clutching  the  bed  spring with my  two hands , I lifted  my body off  the  floor  and hung unto  the bed  springs until my hands refused  to hold me any longer. Cold fear ran through my nerves and I lost every hope of safety.

“Our own is finished” I murmured and wept bitterly. “God, why can’t you save us?”   I prayed, still clutching the bed spring.

“Open this door”. A voice from outside   thundered.

“Who are you?”  My father barked

“I say open this door or I will push it down”. The voice continued.

 My father rose up trembling and opened the door. He gave a sigh of relief and turned away sluggishly leaving the door wide open. He had opened to reveal the last person he had   ever wished to see. In fact if Satan  himself  had knocked  he would  not  have  been  so reluctant  to see  him  as he  was  to see  my drunken brother  standing before him.

The noise  had ceased  temporarily  and I crept  out under the  bed  to peep out at the  staggering  image  that entered  the house. My brother had come back. I  couldn’t  believe  my eyes   neither  did I believe  my ears. His voice was coarse and angry as he muttered some words and went straight to his room accompanied by a party of friends of both sexes.

       “Yeah; yeah; yeah; yeah!” he sang as he switched on his stereo set. The volume was high. The walls vibrated, the windows rattled and everybody was awakened.

      “Dan, lower the volume”. A mate advised.

       “Shut up!! This is my room and I can do what I like in it”. He denounced.

      “Your father is asleep; mark you” the friend reminded.

      “You mean my young father?” he mocked.

      “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” went the prolonged laughter of his friends as they sneered at his insanity, as if they had never seen his old father.

     “My beautiful mother is sleeping” he contradicted and another prolonged laughter ensued. The music continued and the room was turned into a dancing hall. Beers  were brought  out and there  was  much  merriment  and jubilation as  the  stereo  set  blared  out captivating  sounds.

               Drinking is not bad, but the impact of excessive drinking is dangerous. Believe it or not it can kill. It can lead to disastrous consequences. Naturally,  wine  makes the heart  rejoice, yes, but  the way  some  people  gulp  large  quantities of alcohol at a stretch  is alarming. Some even boast of the number of bottle they can consume at a sitting. Is this not foolishness? Why not use that spare money for something more tangible than spraying it on excessive alcohol. 

                    Some people even compete in wine-drinking. Two cartoons of beer may be  ordered  and you,  in order  not  to be  taken  for a fool  will try  as much  as  you  can  to consume  a large  quantity  of the beer  in a very short time  until at least  half of the  carton is gone. By this time your eyes have changed to reddish brown. The friends may cheer you up for your smartness in being able to exhaust-six bottles in less than one hour.

             Down you go again for the second time. This  time  the story  will not  be the same again, for  by  the  time  you  have  finished  the ninth bottle your  flat stomach  bulges, your  eyes swell and  your  legs   stagger, and what else? You feel like visiting the toilet.