Five years ago,797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Lp3rLuJyO
February 13th, 2010.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrULlh4BW3X
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CMa1ZaIRL
Zambia.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMyn6bJ4h9
I gasped for air as I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprgaF64Qtv
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WSpoFWb1Y
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HpcRqJnVU
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhkgTI0Txx
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydTlwHL1Vq
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5uGjF7NCO
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEmCqOu3RP
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOGabbgqOD
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pE8lc2Tan
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfWJgVKhf6
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40xYR0A8Go
was the only one left in the dorm.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8pAFs23mT
I quickly grabbed my 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrgJH1sove
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlil0ev4Cps
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtG7uaW11s7
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOvoeIdnmX
in frustration.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMRCmKf4qD
Obviously because I knew797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdpzr5ZE1Z
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgjfDXFPFM
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlZtOEbIZx
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLKFHSkcEj
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaAaBlNZFs
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vvw2yuecL
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfuFiGwx1q
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6L4cMQV3xg
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡca32s3oj9i
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEZp8hJY02
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbpHCRMWgU
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZecUb9pQj
thought it ought to be.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScHBIaWrFS
On either side of the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbphVaJ4TY
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrd6HEqlRV
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNBFUu9p8j
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPORzFektwt
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUH2GSNHhg
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTsjpuEBjM
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGGIanpw8S
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuToYsSUaM
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtc25BEe8B7
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKPDvDjOjC
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IAlxOoHjt
materials for the ablution.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RUo6KOLat
I stood by the door of 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JOAj516ep
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7yBMlitkh
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nI89GRX7x
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkFQ369hpk
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzIp920mXV
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjRK9Ln5Fx
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kw7aex06Y
When I finally got to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJ7xODI4ic
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmnNiGqlQZ
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeTACulz9i
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVA2VKq1H1o
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaheREIrex
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55SKfyWlZO
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnx0mah3Z2O
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorkhaFjzEv
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSfJZAHDC2
maybe I was being delirious.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vkNPKnXOn
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgGlc6wnd2
I turned to the last 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4qZdDgUix
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASi6Am6vHZ
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpv4l1AYIHK
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAV4UDKhg5
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhAuPRFrix
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3yM1xxUOW
“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.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA4HTdgefU
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTSdFU5TFc
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sroUM8ECA
“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.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BcjQMgyy2
“What happened to you 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4qQsHeEjf
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlPALLEStv
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIpyOp37IP
there was a concerned tone in her voice.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoOcaPOHdS
It hadn’t occurred to me797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp0dKLRyMy
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckpHUTglMv
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2T0KwOIJO
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjJlqIysFU
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtWbkR6s3S
dorm.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3mtt4VBqY
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88zYCN0TcQ
“Well, you better hurry 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm0Tigogz0
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdjoebpr1l
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cROr2yXJG
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniDWPEEfLv
I scowled again as I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1VmisSkWp
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQ7p7E9Ynw
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNJAbPcMmf
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FhOiKNWZz
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uS3WhhXC8
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimy9gNTbHe
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPey5aAHS6u
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKy9KMAMpi
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupXDhsubBc
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoA6xtoBhcW
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuonnHwm68g
water outside.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xtVAgjiLF
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1PSCN9zpO
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcISDJnJvV
After getting cleaned 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnK69SVwu6o
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QENmvCncL
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMNftFAciK
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsccTVS6Usb
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJL4qGR8iP
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQTQY0YOUo
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ruAcTIiVR
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPU9UnWQbF
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52sucoIusT
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtWRma5xKt
found amusing in this school.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Hnyhs88Va
Mpunde Girls Secondary 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuNKilF65B
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaceVFf02iH
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpCzYBoJpV
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jXOw0Ee4g
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcW39YN7Bf
rural part of Kabwe.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsJ0Knifdx
When I first came to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qsQH58QSS
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe064O1NCZL
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCIm7SyAtU
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFQIZdQktG
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zShFIXYRP
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKQRDIzOYi
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rwV3n8G4Q
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeg9KWAWXt
It looked more like art in my eyes.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTBtdS9vMJ
At that moment, I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2dcYDBWOY
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBqsX1K5zp
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOARZl8ip6
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNikpf16LFE
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9XCgXluYV
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TAOhT5vhJ
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwvR4ohFXd
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlOOY12sdO
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUFPsCBVFa
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyNcLOProl
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqPLAzaveR
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeZErUzPkc
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjKezusrLk
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9sxKTTiI2
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RBUcMQWve
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVuDfUoNEm
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz30rvAyGqz
time.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfbMI8e7pn
The school was strict 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHXDUs5y0d
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MfjkY4iKD
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXLgKAQWXh
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8FQoS71xR
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHM75ObpqcS
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqopVAQeNsc
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxjK6Ao4ls
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ1oJ7KtFS
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKIY767pRc
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNw7lOS7Sb
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgwrd49R0W
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYL2lHuNtv
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMPLct16nM
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYeCO3GcMI
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoLGb89UF5
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DjF84OM4Y
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoCNbVDSfS
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3X0sOoBDuK
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8lY9iXEBF
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡne6Bh9tEFz
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtEXuHLIMX
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqtwoPW1Jv
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmytUeVxQQ
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFAiqRtXom
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikgOhN5jpR
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5fkYrqb3a
Enough about what ticks 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigKu46449a
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWpu1xCRLW
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCyOFTGB1p
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQiiV3VePv
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumW7Dvr6mx
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyaO4khcRQ
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERyYB5Wk1C
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkDVedzAsR
It was time to go to the797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhNkiFytSJ
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMsfuwVzIU
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXAwUMBYlF
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPeFgxtUFi
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9LOUVsOMA
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRWL7s4LGc
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpfetlaPyz
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5SJVsWaeK
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgeKPWozHv
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcmDFjn6Hh
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurXDhhxD53
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjDqLSQzKI
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsLFHjzWoa
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeblaBERr7g
“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.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHRvw58T5u
I shook my head. This 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSkb44ZG6I
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFjAXdkGsW
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFvduWuJje
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAt1iOYeCk
trouble.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhdQdOcezS
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOa31Nlb2b
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjzPAqNsYv
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLObXYLT2ke
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH9LEg8Ujr
I grew startled by what 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEI86Qn1if6
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs74Zoh7T48
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZerUB8Fvj
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOmvnvHpdR
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTWyeBpJly
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtV8nV0Sgk
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajCzIMOGxP
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07xisEGiYJ
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZhGpMZYe5
Amanda came to stand 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejUc5dtgZZ
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1qrUeELlj
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bhUb9CMVV
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp4DWrlW4y
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡic8oKFoD8V
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAhN0IJJzN
was more than enough.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRHt441unX
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlMHolXB8Z
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6EJwgjVe0
Amanda folded her arms 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvjDVfzTXf
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuXKszjsAy
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwY56eXoReE
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2tQRekjRK
As far as I had known 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvr4H90pN5
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjv9D6ayDX
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKQgWdfAPV
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn228f6xEMp
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi0PZuszmy
had just told me.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCUknCGDoq
“If I was like that, why797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeC89pBnxY
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO08pZk4ySf
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2SbNqkltn
“Christine was scared 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFcaXEUX33
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSHHmiW6td
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcoIbij0YA
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4690fevWI
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6dRUNgBgn
sure you were okay.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm88W3ADQYt
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkTvJTHASb
“I was standing by the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLJpADrBTY
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXWiVyXvom
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SBpfrj5D6
revived.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp7G41SJyh
Now that Amanda had 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1zCnTBg9s
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjFkXbGPAK
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimOeiggePD
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7JTFKblSC
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsAjVx0xSy
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cftxdNwXt
“You know I couldn’t lie797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VR7oYw4ni
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjLYr1BLjX
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdc9Zi0C2uc
happened if you had died in your sleep?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkOVVrnnXS
I took in Amanda’s 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlRwhzP9dE
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzMiPEnNrl
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgxmwb9Edd
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqN1rYgSYva
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv4auaBE2Q
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbZ097BVkP
It was now my turn to go797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEg9WQlr1oO
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIQ6VY4LlG
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyaT0M14Ls
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOU3oy4j7CB
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURWeXHaqWQ
aloud as I held my head.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbvzj5PC42
As I looked around the 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTiX02ahal
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIh44GRx7j
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTCGbO2SPw
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8397mbDAj
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mJV3WnpK0
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiAlOeNdQ0
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9ac7Qon0I
My vision was still 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7Ew7kxulT
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CEBdFwoMP
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKeJASqZPN
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonZG2sYnkQ
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBI9jhqbEr
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEhxFnQOyw
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0COqPVGEl
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9s0tD8Fx2
behind her.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5WhzONONM
At that moment, my 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiaB7rpad2A
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqlr6Ra4to
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1APbbr6y9R
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuNELuqUgK
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ100bfrb5Ja
flash.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5gYGMn0UY
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDuXi9TiF6
