Five years ago,834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqPABC5Vhc
February 13th, 2010.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ95djdKY77
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jY9IwiNZY
Zambia.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipxgw2AZf6
I gasped for air as I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6hTSILIbp
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngi0vB3IoZ
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡascx0Pv6cv
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSNw9uffM4
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5NL8lSdYA
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbmgkPwIDB
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcHyoCjYKw
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsKrl203YN
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzYJBG82LQ
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XNgD3zuI6
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4w2Ap1lIC
was the only one left in the dorm.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9ekFzVVoM
I quickly grabbed my 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9BNJCeGiO
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepSFmhWKRI
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7CtAJNMsH
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HVSfrmXnY
in frustration.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gKf05Zb32
Obviously because I knew834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBU8yp8edW
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK0HXeQhYo
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDr1gA9qMa
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUI7L6QZoBR
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7zAZxeuw6
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsLTXmGNcl
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUH5U1ea6S3
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4K6zRfvSj
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrogryVRz1
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDp99S6hFx
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkumPUkAWy
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6X8mftB30d
thought it ought to be.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt0k3tpiP2
On either side of the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZckVh6nraq
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPOFBZZHhZ
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxSQ0NcTy9
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK98JfnAKA8
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOwS6BLnLo
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHzZJeWLij
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAFG6LRudo
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkqEHpUs0T
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fFBSjucVs
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb3v0lj5fG
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTt04egoJhR
materials for the ablution.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rCHOCWJyX
I stood by the door of 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CpnWcYQV5
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS51nmAlj2t
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeanZGKkQV1
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktxvmyd7so
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkU1r5Izua1
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocd8FieUj8
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR0LYtHvKH
When I finally got to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdqpTgFuIk
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ728fRlnaQz
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVOusnLLAg
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYERtzmchf
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsGDd7VAjr
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxisY8PUHD
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDLzhuFN7j
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oBUmyoxEQ
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjV1WHvZR0u
maybe I was being delirious.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw9USoa9AJ
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKgdkiwvSp
I turned to the last 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflHntwUjPs
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhZhhBM8mA
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeZ1jc2ksE
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTxxg2b8fc
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLRePSwJHe
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ01ZV85JEV
“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.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg9AiBG07Z
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyv0uQE0Z0u
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe6IWBINZY
“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.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeeOqVDijP
“What happened to you 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegvZ15qXIN
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSkLw9QbEj
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjcBryQgvh
there was a concerned tone in her voice.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0TQofuv2P
It hadn’t occurred to me834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmciWuuDxz
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s184iOZNH
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23jJsMkgNS
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIfYHThJo9
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxUlxXQMLh
dorm.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzZ3scbd3B
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCG2Xd4Jvc
“Well, you better hurry 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqwXXSGdP3
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiCKt6zrgl
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjr3qjcJToa
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZMXA5o6IE
I scowled again as I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19Ujmcs3hW
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1QCB12NDm
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UN3g8H4lJ
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyjhVbFpho
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DyAxFIyMa
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5x2AIolffy
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPKZl1o01M
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SZpiJCUZI
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwExkhmWNXa
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1xgdbGStF
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpJCYjkcYh
water outside.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAJ6VAOCKk
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnqCVR1yFu
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4C9knAvf9L
After getting cleaned 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37uvEmm1IN
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJoyyGLgDN
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSm12jANUr
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6zLdR6ZaG
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2qA9cLAEM
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGHUXvd7G7
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccFz1aWJnX
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQh9mClzYOW
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnroPjTfu7
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87jpPrVXBJ
found amusing in this school.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5BqoglblA
Mpunde Girls Secondary 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTh7GbN1nl
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlyTAtKgMA
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJs5HTOa9Ht
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhQsDbTxAk
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjsdXaIZ0h
rural part of Kabwe.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ks5KThuZA
When I first came to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXsZvcTqON
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pjWW2AoOG
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnODSwl0B89
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBack5q70x
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5Ic13YeVn
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90IQ8sFj7d
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJS050AlTq
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TVUDqBSf0
It looked more like art in my eyes.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTw98BZlN3
At that moment, I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSM52kqNKu6
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAzudUGlQG
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCkrFrtBof
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0ScBKgyYm
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEebvlzMejw
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3DgzreVxA
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8MNpiqVyQ
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfTadjDZyc
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKFS31eO5A
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRblSYaBuV
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatrY0wUVxm
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEi8thjhqA
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddL7ZuSUV0
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcXdyMMZvG
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwATCmEhoW9
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Bi52IKLYR
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01bn2mkcrw
time.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KI95snp6m
The school was strict 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WeMpKbDst
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHL4znBira
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFsP7lrzYk
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEO0dTsTu6
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMYqYT3dqL
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLzVQFMRTX
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyn92vEbCBf
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRc03U7uzu
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwaAPiKiUu
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUV0YgAk1A
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAokIs77Syg
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqayro8NO0O
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWCb9yUQdc
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauHixb7oCj
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNNWk0wRWG
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqeF0ARdQR
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lzkgF62ow
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHpe4cIpFV
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObJXsoHxyl
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIspPnmTcCn
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRkbMeyJO5
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwop1OvVE8
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WbKmZkhUC
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0thk5xvOo9
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQws3jBRBE
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlhe0c5vLK
Enough about what ticks 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfA5kcAoBj
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOIvgdedaK
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUtiZZHgVx
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnHUEIanGb
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8MTfMXgad
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlF8oMXucm
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiPiZQFGFi
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DXAZu7kfp
It was time to go to the834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe051SrQbJS
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImmG7Ufbgx
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSJwAwAuJ5
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5kngtNTJB
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSox22LYXA
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Rgu9UFF2H
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdhXqQt3sx
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9KvsOCtP0
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rXFRv8j0T
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaCoTywgRw
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRLWGVR1OG
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY38dWkErv
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4gqBnhuOp
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4G6dVwEf38
“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.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jn3FzcURL
I shook my head. This 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75bVe8EyBB
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDublkXxZV
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw77sZ9GA60
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBiVpVeoNQ
trouble.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAL9rjtQwV
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhH6h4GzPRR
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYdu91z4ca
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMesyZbAkp
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHfUjWriLw
I grew startled by what 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgVJliwqEK
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrdaGOqnok
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52TnpGff1w
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZeuLNY0g2
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn72TG8Zw8
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZxBlgJtNl
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSYpNBrExe
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEtFQSgm2q
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzuDTNc7oW
Amanda came to stand 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk42kakYPIV
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTfubioni6
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9Nyshf9q9
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBH7FpZ54Lx
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49YbBslJdj
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneIKstaURO
was more than enough.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0pTYnxO3X
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NZMw9IoH2
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBuyEIKaLO
Amanda folded her arms 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Gl5WZI3O4
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGi3RgOsPyu
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqJsgv2tkH
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAsRPRxg9j
As far as I had known 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlD9xmSp7hA
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOB94NLdGY
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5OkDWeUUr
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlxN2b7bWk
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EyK241fW9
had just told me.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoiH77xMm8
“If I was like that, why834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJxvbCyBpt
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUN6XooO6Vp
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO2FmU9RHL
“Christine was scared 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDUV3E0ZE4
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHkkbXGj9i
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEEbbbRUoz
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47Ygq0zt8y
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJsAVNIF5D
sure you were okay.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQSuPQbBdH
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPX2jmT6Ti
“I was standing by the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEombFyIN9
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhwB5kBieU
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7oV4JRmWa
revived.”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWiyqFiDp9
Now that Amanda had 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrG7BicO8o
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJNZSH0Biu
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoddKw9jauk
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq39lfTDC5
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPcvn6UZ7a
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3UcxDCzEQ
“You know I couldn’t lie834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxL8mETfSs
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWIKp7bHuf
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i3EWg0uf6
happened if you had died in your sleep?”834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyDGGKNOie
I took in Amanda’s 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiweVdmauW
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Qv2zZdjcV
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiWVIpdkkb
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0iDXRH14z
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9h9ifwlzd
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikbzDTtMDc
It was now my turn to go834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGoOeO1iEw
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7EpBaqwKq
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxzwsMEthA
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXMsSOydLm
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBddeSUM5OV
aloud as I held my head.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouxfm3Y3c2
As I looked around the 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5BfRMFb6l
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6A9R01tJz
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZvwvZevzQ
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhRsCPkdAt
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yK9aKjUd4
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSQDi6wmzN
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdUcgLw9ug
My vision was still 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmidzCQAJHM
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCxqy0dbHq
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudg4LixH2f
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCx0qNI9eqB
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4d0RHLGxPq
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcxWJw02Yr
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlDNl9KOkN
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLc2CTmQlj
behind her.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRf8jGghYi
At that moment, my 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrirTj7izTM
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17YxvLGj4L
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmlmWh4a2P
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFcdhgrsVm
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0m2AHCPPs
flash.834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wxi9jmHiz
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
834Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBHOBLQIfG
