Five years ago,805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaEuDG27dO
February 13th, 2010.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMKUskWQ5f
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbS6PcwTod
Zambia.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhm5A6oDLQI
I gasped for air as I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPpM1khsWH
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8MNAH4gCk
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxczazJhvO
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSmBEAlr4P
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HA5aUdUpx
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdk0uXuQxZX
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuD3EPXde1e
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQmkFk9Q0s
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3QykuWVf6
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7llaTlgc46
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPBz1Gp4LT
was the only one left in the dorm.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeVr5k8p9S
I quickly grabbed my 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1RciOuvTX
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvVfV95vl0
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbq8w7iJrqV
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnoDZNDnDz
in frustration.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqzFlxx71W
Obviously because I knew805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkFNo9tJKV
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzDGbcrH8M
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63K8eyMGKt
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp9pDulwNv
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoiXnLyeV6
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNQavMkvps
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0CCLtHKQl
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sB258ObJr
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2sKZmeWTu
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2EpRWglCv
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbEwCmSvBM
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2O2o6DcIP
thought it ought to be.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlqPc0fbfA
On either side of the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqcGyNmK3u
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡag0u5kfyvC
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvqDDZFEJy
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywIVEHVv7K
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmadDuQ8fem
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzmi31urvQ
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykUZ2g67bh
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aUl6mrFiE
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs7wEsKN8f
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xOJwwJ2bv
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIURfjVdQ4K
materials for the ablution.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoc7hIioHyf
I stood by the door of 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zi4UvFq3k
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6Okq839Nv
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrOOUz7asF
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatrH8hQUTW
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7ik6orB0q
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsp77xwcxm
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZYIlOhiL7
When I finally got to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWn3PaEm3DL
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OI1L81t45
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGXQyWQrLS
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQxS1GAixo
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Vi2BYUY1O
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUS1zpeXTEc
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pV1sef9UH
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vbAkOMrGA
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bh0fPxE60
maybe I was being delirious.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjR9KF0bUg
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNjVLZ1wmX
I turned to the last 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUQ5eki1qp
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VCbJc875i
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUdBSvOqO9
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKsnQrsb4T
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBpG3uAKEi
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHOLz4M59P
“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.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mzCGecjQJ
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuJ22vIIxt
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjRiRTupSJ
“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.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9v4xUedo2I
“What happened to you 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMdgiDhr4m
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9nPg1QtC7
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw4O7TT98K
there was a concerned tone in her voice.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtDEDhyYv5
It hadn’t occurred to me805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlTLTlUNml
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiMMFSkAc7
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0wrR4EngL
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHTxVyHcbI
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9jk5EpGq8
dorm.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cf3x5gqnL
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHz1ppR2Kz
“Well, you better hurry 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg788Pab2Lb
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6B4nPHk8z
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8DoVe2YG9
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBYFCa0UIF
I scowled again as I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Oiq1ZalPH
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVDBPVuvK2
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoIC15XnXN
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY8CTuGjgd
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkPDNCZ3Kf
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyXraBBsQm
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvun1t9CcUa
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkG7jNFc56S
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9z9roSQCj
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5DyVGe67w
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmtTo7gy3T
water outside.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgTaGklGyM
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lZK6YSOAf
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdMr1kfS7m
After getting cleaned 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICNZuOhrnB
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeCAjW2fkf
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHZFKZOYP2
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOmyHaKHE3
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvj8GkSOFuC
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIsA1PHjwM
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPosKzLzRWS
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IJWYOe0Ed
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWYXGDZQuN
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8oO0nBopm
found amusing in this school.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rRrR0jCXh
Mpunde Girls Secondary 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzohlJ3j2K
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykxwI2uyQS
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbqafBMZb5
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRKIfGfHEz
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5wS73Ob1z
rural part of Kabwe.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQ789NsxSb
When I first came to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyJIucRyOt
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mbHwTBBZu
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lb7N0vhnF
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQhyQYXQGQ
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIXQLTCttt
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMZkUnAzVQ
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbsmLadhms
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTM6vnPX8w
It looked more like art in my eyes.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYqAlZTGGP
At that moment, I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4www9AI6j
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdP1QI7kcw
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRDM11aEx9
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVDQ681Yp3
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4oDVCPSL0
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZQS5RjU95
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15KycZM1g7
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsakcBhoCb
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF131Hlrou
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74B5EvJXiC
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0rPqyym3d
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUmKDJSr0R
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2IHRUxusR
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ycmZBLa9q
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLykHsv0J8D
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu3lvHGLhd
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JoWTz64aE
time.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxC49agDKjX
The school was strict 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxP65YHYZA
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnH1ymRq2C
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52SeYB0eDo
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGabYX2IXt
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvaD1R6prj
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTKBsL6HeK
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2bglsitCu
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaRKylywUU
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdTZbK1V28
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dtSIZ5Bi5
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HsrGuzUsx
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOIJkXkTav
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo7osvk1lj
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEkLqVuybJ
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgT395u37n
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVYqww5oZJ
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZj5kmdfmq
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNb2FaKS0i
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAwrxl24IG
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiFRAlXv9D
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6nalXLExb
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aMLprSig1
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoKeb8HYSK
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Mgoe452fh
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqYOnVbQ7i
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpDNWTHNgq
Enough about what ticks 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDu4ov0K4p
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhDValeBR7
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgF2SyB4P4
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSefA9Rbk5L
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9aXbqq7lW
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuLj2Bhfb5
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUqr7fT6sQ
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VXeINThcR
It was time to go to the805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAE3lLow0YI
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jwHNFDasc
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2250Cxu5Z
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFedinV5GD
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MJehnEKKV
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYPpk8cHx1
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyNpqx7I6V
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDbvPlsnQN
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTY00ulG5De
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYncmwtP7IK
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlimZS1eDW7
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gLhzc0M75
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzixJyLm9e
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKA2pYGpuO0
“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.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuf3VJL31E
I shook my head. This 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbCdI7Jx6M
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdUryDzGip
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d73PLe56X
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgj8Al2OSo
trouble.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1YNBRJh7A
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LOsf2qSMM
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk1oEGNEHq
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe28mU2Hko
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCB2RBzrol
I grew startled by what 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YxiSKb53b
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7fWi5eejv
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSXHCfa0EW
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsN5sYAlIqP
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5ntwtNnjV
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzgZpik3A6
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6cGRgar9W
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Pz5pern9A
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTdeVjocgT
Amanda came to stand 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2fQL3R2zg
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2H0bQlrfl8
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4xxyQef2j
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmFP0tUD01
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIE3MpaJZ9
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2WBpB7ozS
was more than enough.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uPP05sCkR
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpSryuOqvR
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmksFgUATue
Amanda folded her arms 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJJpzsXReo
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5lPGUS15F
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlc2cliHcl
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8isy8B7zWT
As far as I had known 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWfFZjw3FD
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxIo1TVfyJ
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4HhfYgA0t
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4jqPsnhqU
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CcBqIt70t
had just told me.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6mq5HVxuT
“If I was like that, why805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI2MAYBzOR
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmUrRGdITt
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8xws2Pl0j
“Christine was scared 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRn6QrxlzE
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uZOEKjJr6
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30MyYUsFPz
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCYdNtNtM8
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACynmrnXGU
sure you were okay.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDt3Iz2aA2
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8WGX0U2cR
“I was standing by the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagV0CIO7IE
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHn9MXpRow
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ5wjC3G4x
revived.”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgy8Fbcr53
Now that Amanda had 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDgwrsxNIr
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxphTirppkd
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LaejB3N2y
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHdw1fn653
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ocs1zcuvB
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxKiylqPIF
“You know I couldn’t lie805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstG4Wfd7Dr
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5x7W9dKwmd
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWAxoEUyRn
happened if you had died in your sleep?”805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuC3b3zCYAk
I took in Amanda’s 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD9q6V3mR7
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS53gR2rs3Q
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HMAZMtjsg
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySrf8egmJU
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAws5qatVla
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5xyyaYrLs
It was now my turn to go805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYWSDOHNZk
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqU5RPqJI1
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutrHvmwToB
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhzfBgRsWS
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJ54ouWZpi
aloud as I held my head.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOLh9Iwf01
As I looked around the 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhh3XzO5vL7
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQl0bd8Jmli
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtW4zkejpQy
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz8dlCn2S6
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZItC8OEAEf
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UblDMjNPg
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJptcJY9NH5
My vision was still 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJOdN3k12o
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkDsTm8zOB
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStFmY3bvv0
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA03iqyNQ5h
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9DSnlxgH0
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrcp5LcJO1
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NNSFcoTNy
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufWrIN9H6R
behind her.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiEF9arIhL
At that moment, my 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ038q0NW1Fy
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN9PtYQEYo
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bkpdaSWZj
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmdKR4lwmN
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKMQP2iJ3G
flash.805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcPCrwFevp
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
805Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfJKKvRtYX
