Five years ago,829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHhWyV1P0Y
February 13th, 2010.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eYhAcfGBb
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuo2pDRJQtH
Zambia.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzZESAB6GC
I gasped for air as I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkt9yMTl8H5
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7hhaCLfd2
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOsQZJz4dk
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7u4G9gmvHQ
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd5gtb1Z4J
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEzKcaDDwr
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30kUMTSx3P
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNvbs9gfs2
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrceXsHWoGP
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnR3i73zULt
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lDifctKUI
was the only one left in the dorm.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF65s87nDo9
I quickly grabbed my 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlAgPkae9c
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs48pbRG4Rw
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7AVgHLnEp
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhs0yxJWOAJ
in frustration.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHnnkJfHHh
Obviously because I knew829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkckDo16bs
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CrwkqgrMS
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgp3FDjW3ll
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteNt7Ztc1U
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav2CXBxB1S
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqsxtICALJ
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZur5uhTn4
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1cjLtsEM3
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzMcTvxcyX
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZMBJMpj4G
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBoUnMLFzkX
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYquckB70E9
thought it ought to be.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIguY8smvXb
On either side of the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0U66khCZ9
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ohJKPTcpa
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWUkIsU33r
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfI3b8liPf4
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Jt9waVOkg
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgjmT84QRc
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjsL7vAsmd
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCq1XoQcl4
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUs3tiDNYP
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqjO1sVlSE
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4nEk9tGkz
materials for the ablution.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhqAtfHbTf
I stood by the door of 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjxrOWPpEe
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bBEeVtuQp
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeA2AeVt2x
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrb5z3TWaH
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKvquhvk5l
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnx1laAdRb
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgC1RM65Pk
When I finally got to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24wu7Hu9xY
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt2vcQyQ7h
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡha7TmtualD
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduo4b47Mfe
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AgbJDICKY
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ompYfibYm
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yEZcgW0ig
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiWeCUjnAw
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKsC8XWpvm
maybe I was being delirious.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKJz3S1gDy
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EnYArffSx
I turned to the last 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYALFX0qVWh
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjYgglTgkH
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXqUJR22uE
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfU7u6Egx0G
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDU4Isw9ZOT
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwKrKDKFaj
“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.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qj2oJFJVg
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHcb8Ctfjr
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeXE5W5drv
“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.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiE1quHM71
“What happened to you 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXhMJQ9yfz
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOZ5uccfVN
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZx2V3KpmV2
there was a concerned tone in her voice.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCsZaT1n2O
It hadn’t occurred to me829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdnsGPw2Tj
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhyNYFxrYe
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTKn3tkvSp
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8Aq2qwhKs
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfMeGlBQTf
dorm.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyirwbVJ6y
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzegBVoq2n7
“Well, you better hurry 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuBuuPCfLY
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gogqEtRi1
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIg5uzwRefl
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLWNndZ4mI
I scowled again as I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzIe5a8pSm
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOWiQe2DTa
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSeycmhaj8
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsZlyEKs1M
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ueGLcd5bb
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0k48ch0cl
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDID07o0pIi
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrYb5Vblkm
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdUjwOwt7N
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlfiECofKf
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCKbWOenHk
water outside.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3hfPjQn00
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpMU9YCjEn
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj56qtACpnC
After getting cleaned 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6SUyLop4i
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUpjzT3LUm
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX16jFtwpds
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc5bGAdML6
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHVwWr9k4S
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcQg4Z1LFK
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ngBRbPLPU
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuAR7UIlWh
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7noeQwpGjv
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtsAB4R1bs
found amusing in this school.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsosenNaJ6T
Mpunde Girls Secondary 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ041oMgI3pn
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqttRLhkSv
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgsTXMCR0t
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWewEqPbz5
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCKNcQAV8O
rural part of Kabwe.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSY3pTh7Du7
When I first came to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9qANQQB0I
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT97P5p3IQ
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMlZFhjmZH
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDtcwx9lp3
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1M9KTPTQv7
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0QkwGUdbH
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oJYQcujvs
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuw2Bw80Fk
It looked more like art in my eyes.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ez44Ke8wi
At that moment, I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpneP0eeQ6y
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQZ46hwPW1
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5LHOPdPmi
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMEaiWqO7u
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoPBjYq66n
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP7E0RP3g1
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHT9fIwodL2
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmo4YR8IGc
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPA2iMBeOf
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GWTFGG1wN
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaBp40VYK7
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQi6tcm4quP
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1wYemdxV6
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVoTOtoTmc
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHvTtcVYWm
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSVHxcMWd9
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KqBwXBwj8
time.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6EZGY0uPc
The school was strict 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7MDlw2rxF
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UEqclQumX
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5fBE1JCuN
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡps9gUkM1J9
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxPP7hzUqR
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZJtZueWfL
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtnJRojCka
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULU7LOJhMn
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCtrAEklB4
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAsl6BqsMY
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZFmYAKYGk
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MpmoW9AaE
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIKd9o3sVn
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemCorHQULi
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzSED9pAae
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeUWeK8GpL
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikfyBDZKe1
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMccIHIygf
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7adkScS5hs
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47X5oDp0b1
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrsPy3cXD9
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiJ4OvtrAB
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RthZB9VGx
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPu1Le3K7f
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0g9UWooGi6
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fIroirTQS
Enough about what ticks 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmVhSZNQ3j
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BYX33CFdf
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0q5nyYgb8
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwX3Pw29YF
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemT7hl7IhQ
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OVS32hIMu
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtTRhd9XhL
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsJDfbnoEg
It was time to go to the829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDU1mWGKvh
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3DEQ4zuJH
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImOBkD0rob
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A6ARGl5rW
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0tqLf8Z6C
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTRoqMHM72
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOccUxY98HT
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0xCIHmEqb
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8C899PJeN
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7wI4ddHjy
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbePrmKWQWj
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzBwsl0zWg
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSS92U7eke
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRO3WiH7uoL
“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.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhz0v2aySCM
I shook my head. This 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmr0MhqH9V
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMP9itLApp
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOKPcS1ia1
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacc9M18MFF
trouble.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4riE2jLJna
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QB5F9k1V7
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY3NDXJrT3
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXezofqi1m
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFE694eSZuZ
I grew startled by what 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1mvvLtELi
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSg672fs0f
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTWtbk1hGo
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i6LkS77b9
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMB3UcRiPlo
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CBRHuXaFR
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwCVLkfGkC
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCEC9zri1e
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7SOCoUErc
Amanda came to stand 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOF8gNcIbU
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4bzvoHggr
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4waOOtx1M
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOkQ5FESNy
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLL4enZkwqX
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw6kobMeGx
was more than enough.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJkdej0mdg
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7obUJCboRP
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHLZWbl23U
Amanda folded her arms 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDcEX66cTX
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PhesbO3FA
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKATnMAWwQ7
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjlNnfpERD
As far as I had known 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY79Vqb6oSu
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38m4LOTUwg
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSjYPStWHm
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyP6nn0VPt1
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKDqhv0err
had just told me.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Kq8WBywrd
“If I was like that, why829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6c9EdKkzv
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugxg53MMP6
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDt2tXk6Ks
“Christine was scared 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7Nnc3hLOM
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsczioHWhC
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YNcukdEyL
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvSyJpOc2p
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJYkdZiNYX
sure you were okay.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlHJHqzviD
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgcfRLmfsP
“I was standing by the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3x5KfgLby2
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0vDU0wPsJ
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbHL0UuDgg
revived.”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHarmhKeJQf
Now that Amanda had 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeDsAWrQEZ
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPveEvs1gAu
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaq4Banm0e
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBtHEYb0I6
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmi12XOp2ot
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPDsIRkHsF
“You know I couldn’t lie829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9b9B3iU25
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQsITYeDuV
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmCfJKNiQo
happened if you had died in your sleep?”829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoTVBkSaFK
I took in Amanda’s 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QRBi1wq2u
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ijSAiH3CU
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpe386nlyl
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPf9T6NztN
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJrElffhwt
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwradZrG2AY
It was now my turn to go829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPOJjbcfgI
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHKQnyYhRu
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQI3QPBFuZ
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfquwq7IDh
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLYLnB9qSS
aloud as I held my head.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO87md4iHM5
As I looked around the 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorF57whgdE
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLR0EPKksx
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfe3Pl3Ec4p
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3tvQZMWKa
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEDHRcmfOn
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDUhRmG5Wb
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4Ss0xVhzM
My vision was still 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRZsU6Ltto
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoHy8bkOFV
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxy34dRiSV
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5vlCfkMUj
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAr3ASfAwk
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP3vcz287k
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHF3Z55UM1
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDExFknTRW
behind her.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Miqz9ORFz
At that moment, my 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUA887hERO
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQEfXrVBW0
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdQdh5KUvX
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkWDh8FEWp
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWb9I0oREc
flash.829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZChwZXLCz
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
829Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmy2ZEZpaV
