Five years ago,752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7ASoT8SRQ
February 13th, 2010.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8dzZzM4mX
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtjvPmOdik
Zambia.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENBEL0DsBV
I gasped for air as I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcrYNS6Szm
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjk4xPHb8K
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNWCy5tOjY
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxPK5YWLzO
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6yWQPX5o8
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHvvNyw1U6
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHyniMW6ka
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1P8nf7Mxt
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAexMKn20OZ
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjHHPzBbGT
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgdpJeuIll
was the only one left in the dorm.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmy2dsTy8I
I quickly grabbed my 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqiWDkvBLN
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2u8q10x7k
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqIxd3HKfR
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqzKvIaacD
in frustration.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau1ICM1ixF
Obviously because I knew752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrmkYMUMGz
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBeo8phbur
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3U5rTMf7Il
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt5ip9a206
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KZsxWfOjF
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4lODtar1r
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDgPEN5FfH
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDJigSMqbB
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinFOYMWlOt
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLzzyXPQ9y
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5lhN6u8MK
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAk5wBO2bH6
thought it ought to be.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAtLmTG508
On either side of the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeP5JaVlaYK
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkqVu95hnt
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48qrcDovNC
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijj01PKmFu
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnY9jN9dvq
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdrKfwUVPX
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUspuOzLku
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwSKLqU1Ra
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lRDALVArJ
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHzWx0Gu3Q
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp7Fc6sszq
materials for the ablution.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIbQhrP5Ia
I stood by the door of 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGrMrbXmk5
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWGKkkX3QP
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVriOJ3agFh
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdsd2cjgmu
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKqOIVIhgF
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdlUpcKXA7
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s22kJdVLw
When I finally got to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5W4tqoTnK
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf9TyxJ4Jt
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFtCW2VV7m
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgQVbCPoyW
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAAwtUWvWi
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WjdYijlwl
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCTOK605IA
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGyyajltmG
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ66QYUZB6
maybe I was being delirious.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNonJX7InU
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxp9IxnO28
I turned to the last 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz6DsjnQPD
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaX7alKxPp9
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo3bY06Pvq
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiQGyjzkLF
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFrxFYiWg5
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFa5sUXu47
“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.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoofnj00tzf
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ6m0A1HS4
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbHcW1UHOG
“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.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHpRaKPq7f
“What happened to you 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IXJM3Fc42
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94mjurAHY4
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMpSHJNlAc
there was a concerned tone in her voice.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHHaJawoE6
It hadn’t occurred to me752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M3ahmZOBD
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w7YlpCDrt
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTfK9CENpE
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsUNzm49tG
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzytBmBPQaT
dorm.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNW5zx6V6jx
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoRdIYaSJc
“Well, you better hurry 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C6vIwCzIF
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuz0b9kMdb
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJbk61KfmT
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQLB5piJOx
I scowled again as I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBcPxo029Y
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D9wynzOyr
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4UqRyczQB
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzxaZIhmGl
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXzrUXpf5P
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeQH0EvAOh
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25l23n9Kmd
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtlIDKONgA
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAzWfKXEni
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyL67K4aw8
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ90TxZZudq
water outside.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6QDNfTj7j
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEqUFk1Dpo
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DNyK7FDY9
After getting cleaned 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvosOZtgXfc
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbKDN1fJ4w
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi56urxYkt
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qj6Mqvqxz
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dVBXyltwR
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkg9o3TUtPW
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGC2IyDKQe
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPFAlx7xrc
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnwBPYg4Te
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4mncA0aJX
found amusing in this school.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C9uvYrdzM
Mpunde Girls Secondary 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArRLcFGbqb
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDdYXWw1s1
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTr9DT23IU
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTvJ3b04eJ
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5uez6hZFl
rural part of Kabwe.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLTJqY8soR
When I first came to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2mlid5b5V
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsRZM8L5ap
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IHSGQOWvR
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQheIFrWT3k
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqJNcLZ1mh
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxzgXcvq85
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9FU1QBD5X
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWAMV2jIqj
It looked more like art in my eyes.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZfm8faLPH
At that moment, I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPhh5QseHy
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFevTKymzkB
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXfpTb1xAn
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJT5PsMmS7
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHC3PyrdLE
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsM2YPFAuba
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnPKXmftOJ
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7GsBbEMms
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo1DFIf1kW
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VTQxwh3fl
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GtAHwTz7q
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBiVS95Q8w
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnEbikTwtf
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvU1JUDSHRe
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOlqNGpsyp
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdqCgrJNZ7
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0meQiZONo
time.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXhUHFvLdF
The school was strict 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDFvJzbQTK
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wzzIQEdJ4
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcagn49kH2
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSy7ItkvyY4
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdDcseGok9
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodjPEmWjbZ
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0r65q5Rm7
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98DlsaObf6
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYrD546LS6
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK9t3yJf4u
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7F8D3aI8zC
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYyOsrw3Ar
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtnYm96SBb
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXSTbKKvrx
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaEpmPuKBb
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwuO8nprhp
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaA4qqmsIO
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeiTZ1jtkS
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6C7vhzjW4
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiSpHxU8pK
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobkQ7u7ELF
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsEgJdBJrQ
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZc5OAK0VjV
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMWvoktHyL
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtGMndUQJR
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljgWoRHgkP
Enough about what ticks 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoSH10kl6B
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgY0JjGUdt
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrTMJjBbJq
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQtPfTlIsx
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8VTVtYhhv
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMd8802Z7gY
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQVIIhWx1W
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMZd6zauTp
It was time to go to the752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLSZRfXmo6
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6m90yAxL8m
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiOYUzTHUv
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcUOIsJi4c
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApaqbrSNv4
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsT3lKgNmd
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh7d3c4Uja
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0O0DTuDlpW
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2jaKmx3M6
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZTzfJuhL6
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlhWRG2nIV
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEFrCptRia
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DpHEwge5p
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoK2e4Lsh5
“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.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IM0KuW9xV
I shook my head. This 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2drtcUJHs2
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYLsgr5Wlc
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6DvuUociI
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNen1Escry
trouble.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIijq3J0oab
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIg0yc6ad3v
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCaIWsIrsU
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInse53WQsK
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxrEzgXvD9
I grew startled by what 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sCYVOaDkn
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvi91JfzLB
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExK2gJGbp4
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSR2rijKVr
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzMIzddziH
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmn807IHA8
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Gk7oGCr8e
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTsuYW5CwQ
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICSsCeoPQs
Amanda came to stand 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuLXDRYJbf
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh5mAgwOX8
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabLkwPijPo
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLX0ZKWddh
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7X47o8zfl
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xPgyKx2CD
was more than enough.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHFxcY7umm
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynjf2q8VWZ
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQVugmyvAA
Amanda folded her arms 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb1Z6fZ1Dn
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡertoxGdiKf
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJSQLpDQsF
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ461GjIQla
As far as I had known 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGB2UVFWqO2
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwJw1B6FJ1
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D0KROJhVL
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy1tM7JhST
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOUSGJo1AE
had just told me.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbuDETQXuU
“If I was like that, why752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxj0elgxes
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE6zXc4nIi
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrDITUvue5
“Christine was scared 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvur9IKvwkC
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3y2rviESB
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjgaitHSrB
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqX4jic7Xt
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvxrpC9ah3
sure you were okay.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhaa6cGBrR
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNlZpheDV3
“I was standing by the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaRj1MSInK
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtfXgbygG2
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZiYwy0dUn
revived.”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ5h6mYYeQ
Now that Amanda had 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSlaJday3D
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFweSNCrpnA
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgF8CQ8txC
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJaPTBm43G
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPBT65jLyW
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJ6Jn4BCyR
“You know I couldn’t lie752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR93tIc6Qy
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID4aVP2u1K
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtwPnLD93O
happened if you had died in your sleep?”752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITs3vmq7ZH
I took in Amanda’s 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kgUUYbCJd
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDdJTqowTR
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsYqesyao3
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Jf08X2W5p
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxftFBxsmEw
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6TWcredNH
It was now my turn to go752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ysMQu3tzI
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78v7UDPvOz
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzpXUEpHN6
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tTw4msJwO
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIl5KciUvM
aloud as I held my head.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHxOckZuHm
As I looked around the 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE2YKh6rOZ
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilx32SCTO1
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAE6p12YAT
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VlJaewqnS
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9doUVN0HfU
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMClIKpsg6
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBiyKzFqt3
My vision was still 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsiXe19yyO
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4u7IgV1K2
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKn0fabwYIk
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAU3vILmFMI
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSqJVeJJYH
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXQLXnvQEJ
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRm9OZsr5Ix
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAdWxAqUUb
behind her.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluzi2lR71t
At that moment, my 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzQC1DSCSN
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXidg333iu
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3x1FGENb9u
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuC9saEwdb
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQWQak0jBd
flash.752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA434gvXiB
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
752Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSJn2rXXlK
