Five years ago,764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtMTa2gzPS
February 13th, 2010.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskTH0BQsaO
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SE8Em2l4Y
Zambia.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fXvRbMVOc
I gasped for air as I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycUL5Y4Rgh
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2HGzGQDRB
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynxD5lfp1P
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IS6xT6EUz
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicCxAVjMhG
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ot8xBorXT
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1mZVUiwVM
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6m6PFoWlh
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYO8zOnrgN7
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT7xQI6jUE
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7YlVkHPeG
was the only one left in the dorm.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Fhwxj1RmL
I quickly grabbed my 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1lr67ZvLn
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCoIJ9vLQF
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrqeFbe3Ev
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡga1IMLF0U0
in frustration.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLuP84uNgA
Obviously because I knew764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOjpK41H0S
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAZaGJM4J1
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMPAPTzsBi
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvhjk107n0
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp75R7GXzwR
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY58Bm6SdZ
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSe4Cb6k30
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXO7Vz2Hx5X
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON6bmVwev7
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5fOtzg7l2
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfev1LjVz1N
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegXIwqQi1O
thought it ought to be.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EnJ2QcyVS
On either side of the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbdR8bWJ0A
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTOUm69rkf
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFx5OMsMW0
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxw09CyofqG
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo4SDPWEE1
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zqsLDZwhB
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp323SgSknN
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t4mf5jDIi
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvG2i7Yo9Qu
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTltZmsyDD
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyyOHDfhZt
materials for the ablution.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQclEYL2RaA
I stood by the door of 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPshhI0n3oK
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayschgLs4x
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEJoCbYqI2
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB27hDwYeba
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLqdn8ngr9
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ5vDTLBNH
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRVLZIOk7w
When I finally got to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiq0MW7Uxy
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqHcrUzK71
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW779ndoaz3
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwV0PUMswMH
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokCnEJ00kS
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTfzF5GdFC
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkGGYfOGPh
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PTTkwDclG
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWU2DSuE9lz
maybe I was being delirious.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIb6PjKRM1
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQPs6K2w6S
I turned to the last 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk4Wq0dnAO
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTpj9ZUxmG
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgt5GGsgnq
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGa8lVX2Nn
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WSi1vDmUE
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVmvzLfJ5F
“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.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Bh3llgpxB
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7F2kYUJgWg
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUazyczgOjy
“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.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeqWi12ZDm
“What happened to you 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcP89VAfFj
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AjiyFqavZ
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXYis9z8zZ
there was a concerned tone in her voice.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfr8I4JOHX
It hadn’t occurred to me764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhYAO26Rtr
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFM2TBNpktg
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK26oj6tIA
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMTXdsljRc
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gtzNsSsLQ
dorm.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WaSthUFJB
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJU3dR2EFvz
“Well, you better hurry 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF38FVZxyo
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnvg9XwqaR
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzWhc1yjA5
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G0avBvos5
I scowled again as I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBj9avX4s2
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9zVlPF4G1
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohNtF17nn8
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6AjbYVB7Z
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNKAXVJmSr
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡam8fgcTHGX
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVtmxuHeUE
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjgO6b5SVc
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiqDE2kGCq
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraFaPpFbud
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0s0LT8CJb
water outside.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ec5g0kCtF
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoShiW9k2yv
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4ery9vAZa
After getting cleaned 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGQmp9XE8J
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm7PKA6jWn
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYMM27UUw9
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sv8e39V2Y
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIjcU02vit
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfZ593d0ix
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEUa1d06M3
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8FzfsZJfL
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1R4svj2JN
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEO8fCO5LB
found amusing in this school.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfHciqpblM
Mpunde Girls Secondary 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABReo9pbDv
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmLeiEifR2
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobgl5GcIBe
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUu84tlO1a
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGeLON6zeO
rural part of Kabwe.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezBdNqUHFi
When I first came to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6sGeTbLbf
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXZmyg4BYF
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24UKPBKAkv
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9J1bahf9j
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcgUotsD2D
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFtqcZCBSi
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56uRM5UmWZ
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxarsowQgN
It looked more like art in my eyes.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50BPavyBbt
At that moment, I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5nHmWAd3d
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeFNleD5sP
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa0ZViDdzs
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyRtMH4TUJ
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6uKxINfFl
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmpdLmHEeE
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwF7rItNecu
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4RBifumu6
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lN3xs5l1k
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgQyby5P1H
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6x5eOJ9oc
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvE6R6MWYx
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiViCeEhZdz
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcQMITc1gt
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHkXnCZvKf
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Nf44CQhoL
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpRKqo812C
time.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYx7MJZ6SBD
The school was strict 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTXpFfYRx1
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo2BJkzKJ0
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOSEucgTuQ
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7bDLyN71k
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4C5FEfxuad
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjAT3euaqL
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzHK8GKgvj
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWMexKqAtP
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILm0oLnbrs
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC86KWf7RQA
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPUz03Uz35
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vgtlbN6P2
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQP9gMvWG88
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuHyK3onO4
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW08gwuIeh
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGROGjOBKQA
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgoInVGVAg
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25W96ZHx1a
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6csSvmZNXZ
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGboB2fcu4N
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3870RWHIYM
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj79iIuIvF
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGnArt0j3S
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G1iI21M6q
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3tgcrpNS2
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5DnDvkXQl
Enough about what ticks 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMKh4vdHf7
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2TjI396Gj
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Io9EZmsUG
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2mSS99QEA
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg08vlM2EWx
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeuCRjUx1h
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOysPR5TWNT
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8npxRVdRbm
It was time to go to the764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMs9BkYCzsE
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsw3cSrFeDm
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83wOAoQMl9
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPP10Tom2uf
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EqH1NiYaN
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpp8llS8mL9
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDU48Nf8l7
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD26a0OAN9X
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOtHAhWi96
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpNqbbyQcr
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1bmfVppWe
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpLvYwYUGM
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFMu7Z8qkv
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrLPASRCso
“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.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVIF9zc9Pz
I shook my head. This 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDppaM29fL8
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7vHHB4Ob0
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33om9bhybH
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyTWKkvgyz
trouble.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLffFacF42j
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorHUt5EEma
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnQBFwwp6e
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8lqRALuCe
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLHJh87Xnd
I grew startled by what 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTacgdpViNt
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCXbPU1n81
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5pIEiHDJo
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmhjuX1QGG
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GLfBgCQx9
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uCJFNMeDn
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpykx6kLsT
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpxp2QCI1o
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2hYOoD7Xa
Amanda came to stand 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8HGf5gT9T
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycK3whktc8
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfW9Ygm4MC
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRrMkZtOcC
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrST9L3PRh
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJIEv2gYfM
was more than enough.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPgUhsEiVL
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzCebCAi8W
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC93Vbz7szi
Amanda folded her arms 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2Zuxe5UtV
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVggxSGEfbX
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdY8I0CCkJ
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqf98g36aI
As far as I had known 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2I5H404Iok
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q1cb2TLwm
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIwk5NAaju
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDvDBFircr
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKIsHQxvTk
had just told me.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10imhBIx2a
“If I was like that, why764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflYf9vHJoc
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg48oI1QyJ5
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3qJq9Wx6Z
“Christine was scared 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjZiRItExc
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJdwZblWw9
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBhd0XndNV
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvwFDcjIL8
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrayYiTR5AM
sure you were okay.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdrMOAUHss
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMfh8xiQhF
“I was standing by the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxzqG6VnA2
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIledDkgnp
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6Evpf8F5c
revived.”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcSxg55yni
Now that Amanda had 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Qxr0qnpJl
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0Mn47axpL
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBT7qMdzIla
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKJOn8dhkp
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMm49osAcqC
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXEy9jUE78
“You know I couldn’t lie764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5TZFxMK2s
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiPWKqV4lG
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32sVXLRa07
happened if you had died in your sleep?”764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdRB9akhzx
I took in Amanda’s 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6rrX3zuoO
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8em47ZVEdq
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFZMefrsAr
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMsbUOeMjK
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEwtG2CGIK
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcJGwz0gF7
It was now my turn to go764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VZN3XtOF8
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZSfN86Twe
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmGZyAmM7S
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15W4y5LTD5
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKX8lMztsy
aloud as I held my head.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHceSIWPcE7
As I looked around the 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnESQJaSExF
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNb4LCdkxJ
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bpy8afqJm
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54dp3hEZpL
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheLRmjDRCL
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfrjdqBCdp
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWk7x91L1N
My vision was still 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3CgIwN2Gw
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivlzFWPMCl
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbfyRDrXgC
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPu98UEGNv
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHmE3u1Gng
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFZvFjLLNF
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hFeAWCnjG
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0p0IpwOJz
behind her.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8b62x8xdN
At that moment, my 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJPs2a62ru
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmmlq1pwcn
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuR7LfcoNX
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhwcC7poI8
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8KVlcSY1U8
flash.764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY66U5XiKin
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
764Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiByeR3wjYA
