Five years ago,839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbubpZiKu4
February 13th, 2010.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfh7dmanDOQ
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfmCGcenUl
Zambia.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgNy8jEBbD
I gasped for air as I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6akrdY3FR
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhJ9dW1aJc
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4lzmNMoN1
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwuL8gGbwc
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSVN7zWfr1
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLrsgN33NP
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKrIm7Zkjm
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilCDSV1hh0
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rD1GPDQ7o
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGzKiQWbbT
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZEdLe5NXc
was the only one left in the dorm.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6P59Ey934
I quickly grabbed my 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJu0LCxNzxO
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdkanheMtD
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oF2QWCrgJ
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHAcF4Z7kG
in frustration.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek95jjiNWk
Obviously because I knew839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfHN0t8FIU
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCMb0dmnMQ
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMreObtuFz6
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIIs6I4Pki
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvRbsxEaHo
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQPauCppM2
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZPI66q8bN
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXOvJmfWgp
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pWX4sqS4n
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yGgwSznvc
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4fEbUAO0e
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbli4wLAV7X
thought it ought to be.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIIqiUSLNL
On either side of the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhCkPpuwP5
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0uDEEjls6
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkUlVBpJcq
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUB9eQY5Tpa
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4IfXO2sxQ
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEeBC5mZHf
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO1maq0WBu
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZs5LOe1E5S
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu9qLTuqiN
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtr893KQoRv
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcflAvnJcMd
materials for the ablution.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WTA7PGZOH
I stood by the door of 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrZWYHipH3
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAbhDBYEei
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnHIOwpuEg
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36jfrRKWRn
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQHzuuXgu2
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jCDpYDltb
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRROX5NKubm
When I finally got to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHRcGfX3No
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNL8m2EZ5w2
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9qubj6cEd
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMS4SfGUHeP
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgGCkzXMG8
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDL4k0X5SZK
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVVOXKqP01
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaYwPyRL2g
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlBNI4tX3w
maybe I was being delirious.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5OlF6anmg
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAYY0l8mJ8
I turned to the last 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlByjfMyxES
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJF4b5tuAy
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sfF4fVZBI
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sKn7aKUny
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNUV17lz1J
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNWlUuvnOh
“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.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNt49PEVgP
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw1HQ642D3
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEwAxzbMuo
“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.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCB15c0Pyk
“What happened to you 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSsDnXm6Te
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeci3OVsfOC
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPRrxyeYn0
there was a concerned tone in her voice.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkrTcfiVIe
It hadn’t occurred to me839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaSCy8iCez
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLQiA2H8hu
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70W0Bk1cmf
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjG3Gw7otH7
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFzqTBY7FX
dorm.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOtmURDA9N
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPUBBlUPLf
“Well, you better hurry 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXT2efBmvM
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0NEK7JPNI
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqxpMKK6EZ
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgkNwNBPz7
I scowled again as I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQKZzgwmLY
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03IL0B7Nx6
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolnZBOb7iO
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVHyK9awFP
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10XxGyMasT
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlY8KjYNzM
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpPAt2cILS
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdxWlbLnII
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz929pFS22Q
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb0D1OC0aO
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDr1eOYZSaj
water outside.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygaGuOA3TQ
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8X8u59Xof
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ8YYFJdQT
After getting cleaned 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSQwD94o0h
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHZXfpKNhJ
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O3jFIPV9t
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RSXgGLnml
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0y3cdZfKHA
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwU9HPqqKR7
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpUwWQLjm7
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtPe8c4sqb
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5rxzK0ryW
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7WP3Mfl73
found amusing in this school.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvhkK5leT8
Mpunde Girls Secondary 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEODsk5gHJ
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXFnYCtedo
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLSiE7JKw4
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBG3iNWD1n
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxASxlarWyu
rural part of Kabwe.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUV3cm5941R
When I first came to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPGAfWew0u
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xvAZxSycQ
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpFIhTucYl
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1S6X834r3r
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpmmoRBK3h
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywaUFBAGg3
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXJjHPzqJk
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPDkvFlKCL
It looked more like art in my eyes.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH7Wtz4DjB
At that moment, I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9wRFOENBW
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1jrkJrEZ9
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0a7aGS6LY
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEnPEyFkjO
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEatmMbgnbq
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOv1nTntZp
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbZMtvzSBd
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXOQquTTP8
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGRFp8Um6n
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡry8DMC7nhN
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdL1FF0PnO
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN7095XRF7
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYpaJXm8ri
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnYTisqvnT
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePqG7DHgE7
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcicx84AEfS
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuU09zdNuHr
time.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SEaS8AvSj
The school was strict 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2COmlOAiIL
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNfWXnTrIf
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3yXLpobYk
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DY9V9A6Pb
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37haSGdmkB
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwcq1ANaSx
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJ1zmbLHJ3
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7x5Om4drAq
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHbuxeJ2OE
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUFR4M2wZb
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4H88nF9Be
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7EHQcS1Ek
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9PWgomdFz
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvFrJIsqZX
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJU9pJo4lp
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjV88L1rbB
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3InxpCWMt
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4oytqaFEP
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIzJcVRRCM
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yu5uOPo4U
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflNdQLDlUU
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbP3KtdYHWo
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS2HZ16Zqe
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBffCSTJzn
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYuqbdjiND
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0dAlTv8l7
Enough about what ticks 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSNfVyFdVH
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zVVLX5dyq
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K3EAPtzFV
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWUIoazj4m
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnX4zBG3TQ
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWeNdXz1E7
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrtbWddRwg
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWHdMmn5Qa
It was time to go to the839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YmJYi6vDW
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPWdkKVncr
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPQy8OEva8
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbGsMdBkiG
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPo3fTX3Tx
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjgvRh8aZv
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO4yMARHRd
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90lkXUk031
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWmOEnORY7
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMJS0y9eLF
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKR0lZgnD4L
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvEh4IGIyE
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE6go0jl1k
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0VCpqTTw5
“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.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzRCJP20Xb
I shook my head. This 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFcCD4XlBy
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjdYn7eOC1
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYpIB6CYFq
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoJUBYdGrR
trouble.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKsi8Ji4s2
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRWE1kWRMu
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ipjS7Z0Qs
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwhk2xSXmv
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPThOxnknc
I grew startled by what 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVFpj2HrM0
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6n3vW0m9IK
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvmjiVv7X9
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP20urQWcFR
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrVPHdBIvK
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDybXKdZySk
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1hZ2Xv4If
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcOkkvtjxk
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuECsOKOSd
Amanda came to stand 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjAiwJ9gX6
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZcSnPnIs5
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13mzEpL8Qo
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfD8pfXaif
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrYo4ifSqe
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGMGnqJmfY
was more than enough.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLOWAqzPmi
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RK6JnwI7U
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrrSaqjOtG
Amanda folded her arms 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTrnX6kZbG
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5HVbeIKCs
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy0aK1UFVA
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XdBWTYcLR
As far as I had known 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8D8y4ss1O
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UVnTiQ0zU
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkkne0tRsl
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKZTU4VyOb
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0KtjjIkiz
had just told me.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgAISLrInQ
“If I was like that, why839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8U42zUxP1J
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6vjio14Tz
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyNcPdz3jo
“Christine was scared 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYDO7GBSjW
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijwsfxfGEa
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGTHIjLCXj
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgWpOkeMxZ
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CaqJ6JOT7
sure you were okay.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9F0nfLJmJ
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUO3McBsPH
“I was standing by the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vQJbZhXN2
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0bYpUTDpT
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrEFePs6jU
revived.”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92X3GqDihG
Now that Amanda had 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRItb4xYXl
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm7JPtjGMp
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNgOZ3ILLV
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZObVzspy1
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwAWeIh38Y
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvO09cQclI
“You know I couldn’t lie839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUHUs7Bbc9
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWLcdXSlvZ
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFsFAh0Xwc
happened if you had died in your sleep?”839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCItoPpdu8k
I took in Amanda’s 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrsi6tjYTm
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CUm4BOBVk
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzOGK3ZCH3
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4uKiJ21XC
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zXG1cGeT9
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWNnd5JMOr
It was now my turn to go839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz57rpvllX4
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozbRk3JF6C
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaRKx79jpU
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQ3k0frZVH
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0fTRAc2IU
aloud as I held my head.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ347X6YjLZq
As I looked around the 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRcI2A2tzY
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcwkwzqOu3
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrBRwUYhwX
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CzyJP4Q43
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5BFACNFQ2
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajxjIWTkE1
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4ed33QPNp
My vision was still 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr67AliLyxm
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQO6q0Hu6O
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWkSUbuXyQ
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuJIr9is4D
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxRQszKbSm
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BybSDLuxD
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkLUlLFNMM
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXYZ8Qk3Bo
behind her.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMTXqqHSEx
At that moment, my 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8K1sBnUykq
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5P4AvgiYc
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4T28yg2SY
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDXPfqV2pd
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvrH0Y6Dqt
flash.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUq8AfEkgUP
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfALu8TMN81
