One messenger arrives with all of his fingers except for his thumbs cut
off - a mutilation called “one love” by the rebels in mockery of the
Sierra Leonean custom of raising a thumb and saying “one love” in
imitation of reggae music culture. This same messenger has the initials
RUF carved into his body to mark him as belonging to the rebels HOPE IT HELPS
In the novel A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Beah receives some news while he is staying at Khalilou's house in Mattru Jong. Beah learns that the rebels had attacked the mining areas and started a gunfire. He also learns from a messenger that Mattru Jong is likely to be next. This is one of the first experiences that Beah will have with the war.
