Five years ago,840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD9RfE5tXL
February 13th, 2010.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcKLkXKHWE
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHST3RoQRP
Zambia.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLirOGiZMGm
I gasped for air as I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvxuhpa7Fu
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JTEPksTid
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOSL74ERtI
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtc9eyxvI9
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUlageaDqS
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi0JuJw5CL
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2riaFzxUG
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iOdkbY6kO
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRf5IVDNfn
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZLE3uZOyf
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wJeaXTvFl
was the only one left in the dorm.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsl3wY1LJS
I quickly grabbed my 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVU3UvfCN8
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsoFdt6lnd
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3QIv7pIuo
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVN3d8VatNb
in frustration.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6AcKJPA9X
Obviously because I knew840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIxHyZOVvj
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSfXNYIEhk
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGNInyoOIZ
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbadkRTkknt
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOGZXM5u0b
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRV3Rqx2J3
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhJAjSWbkx
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0l07ilEA3
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kslH5Kzqj
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4Px48dmWw
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh84MTUT6NU
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Wiqj9aEat
thought it ought to be.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoWh46JHpn
On either side of the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUxBphWDKR
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn31Omh97Tk
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRnaReo322
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡog3LqEOfDb
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ035vok4KB8
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wYb0fz4a1
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRMv6Zr41T
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWmX9UlfMq
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYKcXYTRss
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kJ1qdjVez
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCXH6lWlRb
materials for the ablution.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkAI1aNQhq
I stood by the door of 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0k2Ekdk7f
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILbMPyAlGv
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsr05jj6m1
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyBVkot6Ub
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHiP9IEZXH
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk56LX6lAHA
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8csndJVtE
When I finally got to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYdW98JOyj
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykxJh83puy
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFY4PiAr0N
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExVau3EmSi
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iHNzhEOFU
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUodqNUCpd
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq75zglCB5B
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48eYPLR11J
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eRd8lruau
maybe I was being delirious.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx3O2cKgRg
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrW573b21CC
I turned to the last 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwlbtlYEWZ
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrsC6aINTo
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5Q9rHTUFO
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJn45eYm3S
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vbgKzQhjY
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZneBxVpVnV
“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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CtWTSlcqz
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQUoTi40b0
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdwvSTDNRt
“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.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse8sFTBVYW
“What happened to you 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccvmoeiicI
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOJj8j77Qp
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddSjd5wM8N
there was a concerned tone in her voice.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDqwojwiH0
It hadn’t occurred to me840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6D5VRJQ34
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVRVSyBz6J
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ241qcilTYk
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfekzltwIY
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrpWM9HGIa
dorm.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabH7jjUPG0
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQKGRBiaRL
“Well, you better hurry 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpfRVHbOYF
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5da3OyoeT
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvrZCypWZh
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqW0uKlJn0h
I scowled again as I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcRnyWtcCv
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOocPbqHhXf
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyLtVgAtym
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0AxMXLGLW
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvo3BYupuQ
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV4sB9JXph
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaFjpWub0a
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYudpzeRoz
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7zqb4e6mW
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLPdu96zFA
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNhQ3lUDIZ
water outside.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7BDd2lne3
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zK5sJC6L0
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz8dxx9UF1
After getting cleaned 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboMKO3ZSa4
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7CIxpaWgM
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBlVFDa4tU
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1uD3bwL0K
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17YC7N6Ioj
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡameFoLjMS5
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLVSteQEoJ
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpZ0lK2uHv
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXxAAZGqWc
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOvhbsQ7Vk
found amusing in this school.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmiEUnPqp3
Mpunde Girls Secondary 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡac46yGd6uO
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3sy1JpzeY
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9giGunG15
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZGpkxeqWW
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3bbPZo3H8
rural part of Kabwe.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUX7iRomj1
When I first came to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa6n5n4uKo
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlmQgRrTwa
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjyVU23ONe
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGSjSqxvOp
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemXVwbGis7
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqu61vkpU8
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ963H2ShM8V
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhSNHfKRN1
It looked more like art in my eyes.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPKrZMbjjs
At that moment, I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77LKCgu8af
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy46vNrIUe4
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACfOhmJMpY
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tfvAjWi1Q
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4VQlKh3Gl
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKALdCeaRX
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ3tqunP8v
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6uqDcZoDR
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWTgnpRYkL
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwqZyeuqu2
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45ruF1DMBl
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECXG8yODEo
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNOIVgUzma
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FBsEF7m4L
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfG1avTkm4F
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2qZb4RcfL
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjOtlYLHzm
time.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAqPYUJezA
The school was strict 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqE47elmr3D
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDevFLYjgOE
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6gOXAFuNy
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijWBzaND3X
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkDbHEMOPo
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUWXKxhzIK
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsVUD02Fz6
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmlePGLC1I
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZ07CZuFry
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzglsXEcn8
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVhlZvpBpY
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMrITsP5A9
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5XJtqaWre
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXsIp0IW1Z
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4g6BVc58i6
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhA309UBVV
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaFgg96C5k
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TtyDAYkoL
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMb2zMsHMWf
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvE6P4o48D
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyAVHSerwN
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61a74XAABh
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw20OP8F2BI
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ39Z5FJmgL
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8AGlwRewB
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xHWMYrVAv
Enough about what ticks 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvCXCLrdmk
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAihIAIKQV8
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XgIRGIu3v
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT92U2NXWG
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAWTP1uTfs
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TFtItSZXH
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqu1gnTgVU
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIDuNLmTif
It was time to go to the840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM55IiDqD14
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vpRGB6U6q
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqZuW4i1IF
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpi2KiOdQR0
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCYP1iOn1c
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDVBOC0mjN
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgMKtE3i7Z
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5bHhg4T4l
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOn4CPfHBN
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3nJdSmCwG
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGphcPiXlZN
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5nDwzALPW
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcux3sV9XFU
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DXq2MCZuJ
“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.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVJ9v2SiJA
I shook my head. This 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik0XTr4Wul
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbTLGptLUR
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7jlyrIhla
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3qXGOBjnF
trouble.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HjMHVu0z9
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVa8ocpnl5
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99CqIPouQ5
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRAgwcesC0
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9QMYcyLO7
I grew startled by what 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoaHn5AzHt
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgRTupRdWy
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdrlkb4oLd
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I6iQPwVkJ
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6oO6e9E9C
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwJogcxfbZ
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTxf4WPJ4O
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmsCho4F6x
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTLa06Vszq
Amanda came to stand 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHw3oVc7IO
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2RWFQOamk
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡll4mvWDMbC
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvDEjqQx2V
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsugbsbnJW
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuogJTFUm6c
was more than enough.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB5frVlyoP
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQvsYGZy0M
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUyaFNHlQN
Amanda folded her arms 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxHOa2dh2Y
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6hNQNMqRK
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7etyqQfRe9
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhIJ7agnNI
As far as I had known 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMSWHV9ZNr
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8bSp2lgrD
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOGUNKGFg5
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeooGH84Xu
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdNAqKQb8E
had just told me.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbz33TswAzs
“If I was like that, why840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YlcLYpniz
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDysgbDctm
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmPXvhVGuZ
“Christine was scared 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidTC9PrDbQ
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhy35kc1Nd
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1Nhw3oEBG
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHSR6FivHp
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAki2eR7jTo
sure you were okay.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ervVDCEEx
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFJRfrRhW2
“I was standing by the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYEw43qhYo
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMsBmYT2m6
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4S05ED5v8k
revived.”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTyOuSiAQk
Now that Amanda had 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGtkYl4jYh
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctj4276nyL
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhimnYO9Lt1
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjsVYsyZl5
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXri1rQbS8a
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyAAEqpEIU
“You know I couldn’t lie840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym78UXgrmm
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3MNFxY3vf
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiaElZxv6G
happened if you had died in your sleep?”840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JHp3PQPhY
I took in Amanda’s 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnOwZiAhTk
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMI4Brual2h
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtoJae0Vyn
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BQQtDjZGQ
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVy6XhzjuTg
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9W2LLHqq4
It was now my turn to go840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8o7FHeH4iK
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhjlCHkEs0
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQuviJeqXC
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6AXSDaIpY
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYfjzlUO1C
aloud as I held my head.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡithpvW8k6t
As I looked around the 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsccI1BnBfH
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4cWSt0vtM
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQf3mOOUJ2
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlHvsOf7wm
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CT0j3SqD4
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUcpVTW9dz
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqk6CZve9jl
My vision was still 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9W1QPxjt0
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSF0ffNf3IF
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxa3s3RWsi
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡni2bBLiqOS
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhOhwNbygG
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzbxszVsNM
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZz10nzYKU
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrjh1U6FtH
behind her.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEk9Hulfg1
At that moment, my 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gHlBFgMM9
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNZahlwyeI
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GQiMYIuAQ
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0fn5wU9JY
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJK2sPgPfH
flash.840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fhIN1vABJ
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
840Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnjttQLar7
