Five years ago,898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRxy4Th6YF
February 13th, 2010.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPYEovdx78
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgYwipbTVF
Zambia.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtuAjCDkYk
I gasped for air as I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1wxmqQdn0
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gj8u8KqOs
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzhuvU5uEC
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTJOzA0xaT
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv497BvlvUm
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsMJBx9BxB
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QTihAaKBs
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oDO6BfTA4
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5Z86IOzGY
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7tbsYYV6W
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LozpjtACj
was the only one left in the dorm.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6kmuRzJBS
I quickly grabbed my 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1PHd7tJAS
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUgy6kuWgd
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHMIiwxpOF
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAH9z7RbMd
in frustration.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhsWBxKQ9k
Obviously because I knew898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykkLGCamWJ
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb6ZExGguL
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7csr3fiKI
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHmo3TNvxq
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0zvb40W8x
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqndh3nHPDH
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzR26fzGlt
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iYJobrLnr
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv81sAB37Lb
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDHLQSXUYh
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzniWnr35fQ
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi98Y5QEKdh
thought it ought to be.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76vqbVWsnq
On either side of the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusYDRGo6xq
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkHVLWHmpX
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvSdDR5wd5
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAmgTxK6l8
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2btLRQ4WLF
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xRlnoutgM
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK3se4YVhs
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A8gG5VJQX
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskZi6KpCkZ
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjML5U0ycMP
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3H24pN7nwu
materials for the ablution.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvrXsNhVVp
I stood by the door of 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8i9pJAcA5
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cE6VXLGRE
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAg0yjglOM
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVOuoTdvKG
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYftGhi69P
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGckZ3XG67U
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaisJvuGZ5
When I finally got to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmVIhW4jhk
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6nhsEhlw0
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxKOFj9pK1
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSFlgwB5a6
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1iq0HI0LH
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fhVhF1H4I
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8VwlZImdA
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93wmIBnLj9
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHUbhA9d7X
maybe I was being delirious.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdKm58go0H
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvIm2DNRA6
I turned to the last 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B2yxpKQpZ
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjDBQj0wE2
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE91zEUd8Da
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljVz8XvED7
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3hADo4Tnh
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27P5lOVEwb
“No, I’m fine, just a little ache in the head, that’s all,” I replied, trying to act normal when I really wasn’t.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRlgFhyfnF
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBWP5mzV0P
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77Pnds10bq
“Well, you better believe. One day it might just visit you,” Christine said that with a laugh. All I did was scowl back at her.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieRshj1Val
“What happened to you 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdGj9uXqKV
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJrSzScZ5t
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtWDgEpAvb
there was a concerned tone in her voice.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXB8k6fabs
It hadn’t occurred to me898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIk3Lr3ryr
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM8VfZPLMC
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ588z5YW8PH
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUB2ReGR7H
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhDLMM8oY3
dorm.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVNrSmxE5i
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHi2DaxKSp
“Well, you better hurry 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenExUhJopF
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNRz0jmQvd
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d2bvIqeOe
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0Y1l7lkwc
I scowled again as I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFb1N9TODc
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvgHTUC03N
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fTWj8xshk
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Fm2cdPjQ5
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOjiu4dfXf
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwKclpzwDu
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjuJHDT7Js
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9VWNph324
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3loVgS67EP
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhudRSezbX
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc89baXYXY1
water outside.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZxQnh8jSg
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kOp48knG8
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZabNFknt8y
After getting cleaned 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBU8WHgNXu
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRKTPzHwtS
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKrX4Vg4JG
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslf7L4EeVb
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekgP71C1vq
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu91jnsE50
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxGYyHQNvP
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yno91fMPW
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4tc2DqNTP
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN0lCBo12e
found amusing in this school.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkFzT6dQM8
Mpunde Girls Secondary 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKiu1vH0hZ
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg5nXvZiSv
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUjgHG7khT
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrL2rzR6RW8
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZpKkp69vT
rural part of Kabwe.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkNVXYDvD4
When I first came to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4W3LGJTLpi
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLCyLfsF2X
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX7rS14A1u
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDqYf30C3j
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYGJ86iL8i
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaOOjrrYQW
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCegLtCAKc7
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5QvW4Wxmk
It looked more like art in my eyes.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEAa8XdT0W
At that moment, I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUg59Na5TU
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE4hrspHjs
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UUVWs8cEb
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8JOnyKvTc
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD6pV6krfa
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Sc4UOWmkl
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xjPxKF5B9
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqBfkj1lM6
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkIxIoA7ly
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQ94axXaR5
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBkopZ3Qqn
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoS6PosOBr
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYXqHBTI59
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuX1ERzyg5
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0JqzWrDSd
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLYgWTL85g
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AFYEZYvnV
time.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXm8W3Jgdk
The school was strict 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XvgepUj7j
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQMPknztcP
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ccl0X1QcF
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGZKGV1wRg
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOm6qtd8WV
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1snJaLPka
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7X8WDeQqYn
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMCSc3fJh2
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKShL7bRCqG
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgF2kJafyw
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoC2NwE9gp
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFQhASBNCr
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYjOelqNuN
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNX4rJHaan
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwIIDSmXrv
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUkl98E5TX
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO0rd2pfN5
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1fJPoskbO
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdv6Gk4BMM
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2wcL5BhHx
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAeqOyjmLC
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYUTndUPtM
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCad2RqqBx
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wWiYZxHuc
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaymUasim2
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwwjxbefRB
Enough about what ticks 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQXv8tZUNf
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4QzDYQF6q
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOMTKUoQzS
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaMrAzc4P1
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8WTX31Kwc
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0T7GMtTra
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABASVGWpMt
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXKhnowXif
It was time to go to the898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgq3KeJRzUK
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShwjCwnYwr
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQjZDn4cjG
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEca5t774M
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6bW9N4ZKZ
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtd9xMvV73d
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdaoNY9bSD
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzCNc7Re8A
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR8uKhZAaF
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY5dHZotDD
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIF2U1BsG5
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JlqbFMgC4
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fLOmxYyri
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEzHxbtFWu
“Not only did I call out to you, but I shook you too. You didn’t even budge at all. It was like you were dead or something.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1EZsyBHvp
I shook my head. This 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXE4HaBymA
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHwVYUZuH5
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hRBodsOQe
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgIW1pGBve
trouble.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1dEkq7pT7
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUrNpVeaVe
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczXc80riEs
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeR9hcPpdiV
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzyk2zLKfT
I grew startled by what 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAXvSV68lg
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0JCJ6DG2A
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYyBF5nlTe
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZkee2suWz
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyKrpIHoKG
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhig4gUZgrp
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2gxPZu0ea
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7BWLqqJsI
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9kIqMvyBC
Amanda came to stand 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVDuK5ka7b
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEghVZx37Ep
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLwE3rstSV
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbMCfHCt4A
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqZPFMDvae
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGs36JTvbZs
was more than enough.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dpFZpOMLA
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsINcGbThLs
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlhk7BJrXN
Amanda folded her arms 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSFZWdzv6X
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5J2s0oFfuj
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3opyVvH24F
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ALj0bfAqI
As far as I had known 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25YiwSJiP8
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYoDs79mUB
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTmwopXkTE
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxacruoJCOU
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaTBwR0MO8
had just told me.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIBF0iuSRf
“If I was like that, why898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK18UuVnpU8
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYnuoCh3ni
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP774s9UIkV
“Christine was scared 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9haAkV0II
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivORipEvEp
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDJT5s6XPj
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxJKvC5oNs
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJvM07HSrx
sure you were okay.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg1GOgdXiC
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIQSiETz3c
“I was standing by the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzM7i8kC5V
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vtZTd0QNC
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AQjQNy1qS
revived.”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVTW2JhQOp
Now that Amanda had 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEFnP2IJ8S
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMy2n7fuhq
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLFBrGHMYF
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqPHCQcvZ5
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaeVh4DUSm
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQr0Nu1NUR
“You know I couldn’t lie898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbJZG9S5XW
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVva0jC569p
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfk7IWT7bV
happened if you had died in your sleep?”898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiz8J6hN9c
I took in Amanda’s 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdEqfHQxTT
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0PySsXzJe
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz53S4YOHpL
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETOdovCeYQ
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtdt5vCEhe
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2VNclXEyt
It was now my turn to go898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAQ2QuxQto
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9SY6pWaFW
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxssQB1hrL1
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ey0AigTtQ
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65evQakA3E
aloud as I held my head.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWIwjzFXvI
As I looked around the 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpYXpzwZ3s
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0P1jH48iYO
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0nI6LCaR7
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBXSUUcOk4
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i6tIOB61J
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgFvqaHqEl
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaWNZTeY5n
My vision was still 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANzTesjo94
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR9XsIokvA
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNQxAYSGWS
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzz6jE57EH
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjoVNxTQDO
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdavvVq66s
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTumc1fEg0H
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOCrPNb84o
behind her.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOR8957tKv
At that moment, my 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCgtrXqDy9
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nCRiBmtGW
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwpKvzf7yo
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM43LAVHF1B
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZGOEP3lCr
flash.898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonP2vykRLt
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
898Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRg8O4xu87
