Five years ago,895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWYtj0kgeB
February 13th, 2010.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4UVmqQSC6
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPKCuiaZgR
Zambia.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLrkdPXZPh
I gasped for air as I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMvn11OTEA
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTXMwus6ex
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nrZGa7tcZ
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP6plq2eDK
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0oSvrefCl
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDavzvby1V
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1QPlh4CF7
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRe5IEBpxj
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAD4vdxPseg
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjT0BJNfLk
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhDO5u0E3i
was the only one left in the dorm.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcQZmU4sdI
I quickly grabbed my 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82hn3tCxf9
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSC7ri2AVn
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3q8r4zhMKg
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVit52LPc6
in frustration.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYXnpKMYjy
Obviously because I knew895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPV75CNPrq
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVYbzTHW0C
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsn8HYgugB
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QwHRT6pXV
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjVIEW6J8k
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH02Lo7kYi
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPkkqX5xyE
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGADw0Kk3O
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2Uy0kQ80T
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4Ycn0628R
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMSeJUyW8b
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruzrbPvJWS
thought it ought to be.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7PuNEYhCE
On either side of the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPktvYLo5pI
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFeE1roNce
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUB8bjoVId
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaqU6v9T4y
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY0akZmrpS
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUBvHiSOAy
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4MYmRKJ1o
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbVtzMwXMV
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv83jEcaxU9
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9sTgLVPLG
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFXnH4t8RX
materials for the ablution.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKu6XSybhK
I stood by the door of 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHOsA2UxwF
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPGDVK5KAB
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ8sKJf2F1
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwRKm1BSyg
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17YVZw3WHn
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhtYOCdXAI
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWGIqQ8zeE
When I finally got to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJeh1yeTcl
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdREwQXVvV
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtFQSVypxd
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuXL22ITv6
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqBl4dyroA
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQg9TsHDgR
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxV4iUgnxkb
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzDduGPM4f
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi90m1qPsWV
maybe I was being delirious.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y5MDndnip
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVnHpUY7iA
I turned to the last 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNYSK6brEo
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6TBcOSE4U
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuKjUqFUmu
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfp4h8Lo2ZO
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqORWdTedG
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6DNedrjtG
“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.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq5hVeSXVn
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOiQcb2fJ2
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6bRGEt6wN
“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.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ0okP7T7g
“What happened to you 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4BwztJ1ol
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrCNNwRAkl
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LSZe3tYJ0
there was a concerned tone in her voice.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRImIZIjW4
It hadn’t occurred to me895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhflMN4HX5O
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOTXsbkXDp
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDLgAJa0QZ
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJoCicjCrG
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlojocUA8yy
dorm.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MfFV9CKk2
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4YkSbWDor
“Well, you better hurry 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEdBbSBa1j
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EKRC5xh2f
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxGtEisBDx
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67JJ4GexIL
I scowled again as I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniOsREC1jv
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmu4JF63jF
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbI2fuwnHx
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwR4kTBwqx
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0dd35gUQu
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIymrDTTnQ
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZe1yvvMAS
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyj3hcWIDDJ
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuxHTZzTJg
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB69JN14vz
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC3jUQQm5d
water outside.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNe9krLd6U
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWz9YmCiozg
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZF6jCsmFDS
After getting cleaned 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4fLu4QNMk
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1hrEG1KTL
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0wcnrL2bi
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqXuDDdlso
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdT3uvqAFA
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjTNMxu28R
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScAyQNtFTP
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdXH4KCdjA
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWucxEXl8l
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBG7SPYIEI
found amusing in this school.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonLMUs80SL
Mpunde Girls Secondary 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBl4qJrH1A
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ODITRjqdN
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7RkCWlDVC
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDeeN6JpIT
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0M1GYi5m4F
rural part of Kabwe.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fkOsRD5pd
When I first came to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzr1HbMslMd
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9UCFVCXLk
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaWsLD9SGM
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkL9XwdEQ7j
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VPyfywtiH
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nJVJvj7nK
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRMojLbtpa
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4A5yjFiLm
It looked more like art in my eyes.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRs0qzEtja
At that moment, I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9S8Bp6xPDm
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpmrpVl2ph
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiKuHwJwrm
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobYILW6SZJ
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYypuKQNNAO
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAEVWYONB1
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakfsksBb9W
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoy8O7LKsP
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4tDe0pR0E
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZuTg5VFv5
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEH7pIQtBNh
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbxML8Ium6
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJis2mZRkl
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxxD8G1VS2
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXptIGqvML
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwaKCW3TSw
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTo2US2xu1
time.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPN3WflD5ji
The school was strict 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VLTKMX9Sj
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vfcjMWMpC
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A0zlfN4ZA
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRPF2OsByV
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhFskkLzCY
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3hBsiR2dN
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRgjpwn9YS
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrvIbKJn6s
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JRoBAolKr
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYVBInIabc
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ypiEDuVCt
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgcz5AzavO
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEvPmQYgJu
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpUMmrZBVu
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrKFsKVrly
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4lbfOvzCu
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoIJgWUb4g
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMwz6YS1e1
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd1HTaMfI7
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VIx0wgSkA
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV69h5Pgh6l
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiQ9HOnO4l
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9RE5ROgVx
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFT482rmeZA
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEyB6lOVNI
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIY43AR4pn
Enough about what ticks 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6P7uKoV9t
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqa91RKOqM
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK308vyW1A
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHzC1MBhI2
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJyGIb7p6a
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPK1NENUFc
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADpDH6wRyj
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MPjIU3eMa
It was time to go to the895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lsHHiDX1S
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUjZIIO26m
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7VAnzrXBB
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8h1kIUp86G
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZQkkeq4iT
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHut2vBFTW
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRD1oyGCcCA
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuodpt7tdGP
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMWGB3yc1V
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YVuqONoD3
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL2089Aykx
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAossqsPic
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFKwkw5HuT
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQyLjn4q85
“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.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRxioogpw6
I shook my head. This 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSxm783UtD
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0qF3Kpm9T
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFE3sogh5b
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoC0Gp4OdCw
trouble.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9V77Bfe6MX
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqdy1oYtC0
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbry57geivS
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5zqYfLZe1
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKJv0DP1gi
I grew startled by what 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEr5muziB0g
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpCi9u22AG
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8KcAJaV3r
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1MDJobLlZ
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYWpQIdRs2
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7urdCErX9
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzPh3PBylP
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBDD3rXLG1
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZXmYiZ8Uh
Amanda came to stand 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSi8P8ayvm
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48TG9uvnWQ
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiS05pQjUaZ
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8Dsod4hoV
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCEgHOqz5X
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sPZpMFqM0
was more than enough.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyeyTtAcod0
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Npuy81K3o
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsj8tM17KEg
Amanda folded her arms 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tbDHJbE2i
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvNYFKaZSt
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxsqz4z3Cm
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUToy2vwcx3
As far as I had known 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkPj94tohs
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iXyrpCyHW
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQD0tROvSsn
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJ1eSd5mS4
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuZmmgCtdU
had just told me.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihtJVklZUk
“If I was like that, why895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iw1vcXobg
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lnU9MAc6f
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlilVgeSAy
“Christine was scared 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy5fCT9ufz
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKjgbwgSgM
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOOP6lax3u
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJR8ZpA5rRj
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvXuiSASlT
sure you were okay.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezK4b9E3Xq
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg7vSXLUQO
“I was standing by the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4d2Y65bmb
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNqZUipPZi
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4Wn9w2iAw
revived.”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtumdylwDiz
Now that Amanda had 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWZyqhCNwS
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7oSJkiS5i
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuhLz5sr2O
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVYzCKwT3i
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgASyemScIk
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqN21GneXWI
“You know I couldn’t lie895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rjDRVIKgz
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSD8g6noL4M
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKltr2r5RW
happened if you had died in your sleep?”895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxXlLrFrM0
I took in Amanda’s 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6olvEGTosG
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld3qIw3mg7
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusxQZSSGSn
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5cs0RUo0H
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOKE6c8RUI
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVcVu9YW1v
It was now my turn to go895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtj6RdFQa41
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwHoQV25wN
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkxyolUJrA
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdT3b5Iq9R
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExzLpCq3t9
aloud as I held my head.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA9FpDMKcH
As I looked around the 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6wlih0vKA
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQ3mcDuY3s
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyVVSCEAWJ
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjs3viPwUDu
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFTRCbXwMz
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjGN0GxHRr
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpOBQoLkOp
My vision was still 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl108gxluSk
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxbihdCWE0
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VcfaeQZKV
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdfrCbzQgZ
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WsUdlkTR9
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvBKjYjlB0
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6HQORM7AL
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIDGRJ5GtF
behind her.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr58UWX3Tsb
At that moment, my 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAg0PEv7XWq
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWYKFF97t1
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47Lh12hYnV
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmor5NyrAWv
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TChh6hn4q
flash.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsdlihiawp
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FIla24dxW
