Five years ago,860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlcOuhuPFS
February 13th, 2010.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48foZVGQFb
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQvYuWyXey
Zambia.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzx7Hpv0W9r
I gasped for air as I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJotqWLXWX
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ObUL26cHh
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDPI4tFV82
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaFnhVmPKu
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCHolYysNF
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg8C1IqER2
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLWmzJsq9F
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9vXqn0HJ0
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DwwTBuPxN
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB30CcMShV
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO80NmLtbnK
was the only one left in the dorm.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wZ4YtTHTd
I quickly grabbed my 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQHKKdl7dO
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBjb1xD9RQ
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WKNVvKprM
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO2SMB2YQr
in frustration.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS08RR9kqSh
Obviously because I knew860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtzFYQtQG5
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GvAirpWxo
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7bSFMMkr8
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vYJvqHV1o
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcmio82ete
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCPGEktZ35
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MU6DA04u1
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMzE3nM7PB
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIsR3RGSym
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksNBYSpdnT
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv49OSVpi6Z
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRwKi0yXYz
thought it ought to be.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wkYX7N33d
On either side of the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrbn29JzZU
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLPZMj1xp7
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprT7jqrimr
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4sQxxBn2D
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dkFir4NKb
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjxJnbo2V0
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4KQUY5zoh
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ832bhyL9bl
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQSs61XMaN
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdPV13whW2
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgpPCMtv5x
materials for the ablution.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28UyZiR9a4
I stood by the door of 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCewglNvNBa
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCksi57vTtu
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiBX2coepu
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6ANzx0aGV
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxL8W3dhXR
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQZYyvv5ZF
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasPt0ONUaV
When I finally got to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhN0dBnAlU
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwBOO8CTdm
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ2mhkkVQ8
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2skhvhAag
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG42JkAJQ6j
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcneVBlum6
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKasl1uo2G1
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnI8v3GA4h
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRsmPnG5oF
maybe I was being delirious.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYmbwBS6xF
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6YFM4li4n
I turned to the last 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiC1iXvwPX
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjWC7famDU
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvt5Z60FCn
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUeiJPKc69
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSCUcrBuxI
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjjp7zFx3E
“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.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUO8hDUAp5
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGg3PogJErT
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7GRLd2tol
“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.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0PWDBy16h
“What happened to you 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTVtUK6Xuz
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR3eHd4lHZ
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwq9K0G6gHl
there was a concerned tone in her voice.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRalCnQsfU
It hadn’t occurred to me860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEj6roaREv
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUtdq5DMzp
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDeC4vEyf9
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW72kl64rBV
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0tPuc2838
dorm.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrmhjbLGeL
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRJh088uwe
“Well, you better hurry 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBHZAEhvgF
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvf59io3G1
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsHvPBNMOg
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvLLflXfET
I scowled again as I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYeXk6HUPT
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhKdaXiCrO
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmG98VbKlGs
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ObJBv3sWU
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY6ancW2Tt
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KFYv70o71
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNB4XPaqCg
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqIVyAVRjr
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJtib9EOlN
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubCUeMXf9a
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05B6RGiJxq
water outside.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jRkUm5ylE
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EAM811HiD
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMTO85HoQ9
After getting cleaned 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHIRe9VbAo
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRd7Qwy9BGI
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWa0MTO6gD
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lJRui5f5J
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zBfzOADTS
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3oRHvCwui
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZd1AiB2p2C
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNhGN5dpHq
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5f3QLGLvm
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGn7ZWMYZ2r
found amusing in this school.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SZhWbVhir
Mpunde Girls Secondary 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfReVe2Gz0
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrRkl2pslV
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKPA3X0rUb
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIqmDyw11t
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiojXHUpWWV
rural part of Kabwe.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJks3we5Es
When I first came to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bJvik50Wr
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuqf3tdbV6
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZlHzsENAz
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4r5VkEz9KP
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUqEBUjshb
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVAE3oVXXse
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ay9LzqBCD
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHmHZU0f1z
It looked more like art in my eyes.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J51igRAfr
At that moment, I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP2vcjb8Wx
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpmWk8gD08
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yktoHj6Ch
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWmc5YEP1K
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvQuUq37ih
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYSV57lRQ5
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7quoXeWP0
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8cq0Mctg3
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyirWvKvhJJ
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rWaPZIugn
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimaK9dGjHw
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMvotVXt7x
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ074oNsAufL
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wT5sVil3M
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVPCYv99wY
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasw56IbwmQ
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZIeU6jRXV
time.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiBKMGSRKu
The school was strict 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgT9KEvm29O
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPpzlluFS2
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqygcHu6M1a
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkoGH8xqiy
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcxTspUx55
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDC2ewNACx
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwk6ZfjZXk
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyT6vqdxTz
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumdUfuY9vc
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Zc9ICLtgd
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOzt6GTKZD
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3GePbQgmo
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnC6O44sez
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzueRPcb4cH
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoRAZbpAcj
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24XntAXExj
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9Qk1hffHo
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIzDmvT57W
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKlL3MAGgZ
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBgpBYI8pZ
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmU2yGMBLwk
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIONaiRYdXx
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfppaTliDfy
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1Pb79QCZp
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7hJyNc8uq
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97OHLsucKN
Enough about what ticks 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfy71Csg8oC
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOElqs56jOk
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVjPDb51Jf
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeREgWV4OX
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBik3j2wPx4
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNzZdiHJU1
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jMTwVfEHG
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7NovVXMJh
It was time to go to the860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lcYDLS4F2
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAru1So6TRZ
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXvFF5ZMss
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JaYLCkejN
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3SgXbxQ4G
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9AxDnhIGN
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxLnVgEiQq
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9jaCpbvOZ
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdr49MNMRo
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0R7jk35rlG
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KRvKkGxJF
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5AsKPCRa1
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT3ZqqnLs3
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOJwb0aWqL
“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.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzBQtGqNgS
I shook my head. This 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDFtkTsfeT
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJwcl2RQlp
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY46wCPol6
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqtdGHqK7J
trouble.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRiJwJRQTS
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5i5RJ4lJx
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eEAYVWP3l
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzA6dZtsx9
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAQShtQe9M
I grew startled by what 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRXJEDL8PP
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYWGcuBYI6
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbSjclSTbW
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bni0xLrkn
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho39p2rh10
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDiHuz7Lrw
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhlyNH9QiV
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHxkUOcYsI
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3gOOaE1mo
Amanda came to stand 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFLJGsKhhp
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHtAhIu4rV
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuJoX2QFYp
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJAYoZZxAl
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluESztpsh1
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y4S5RjUO5
was more than enough.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SsfbpDauY
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvYgx6yAs5
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxgzy2xnY3
Amanda folded her arms 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD3FsZgdn2
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8PMYsGMEu
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv82RZYnTI
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnEDQDhlwY
As far as I had known 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDbFphR3sv
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJejUmVWAF
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXmgRZ4gGK
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDEfuoMiOC
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H1yDmT9UR
had just told me.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJK5Iedsw7
“If I was like that, why860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj96ppJIFbH
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxFOfx50Da
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDXMHkRydL
“Christine was scared 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnqWsCxZ8w
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA88983p5NX
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMeNAWL7kT
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagwrapiHQd
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHGQxuCR39
sure you were okay.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BDiPOiFA6
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwfkJr7gCB
“I was standing by the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIsU2dMf0I
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvsCLvDRYT
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jfaFjnsqc
revived.”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw7VfqZ71f
Now that Amanda had 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJpD4a3QEf
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUdOsH4ewi
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BBotcU3t6
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlojJGUuoT
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnIk6F2QIg
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RIUjKhvpj
“You know I couldn’t lie860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66V8aIt2sa
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ8D8jCSnd
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GL8TFCOkt
happened if you had died in your sleep?”860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfkeQL0JI1
I took in Amanda’s 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi715mX1Php
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMKemy1B8q
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3gUofqGEu
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ehE1isipI
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjy1rqD9nG
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfB600pnGm
It was now my turn to go860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK57ojlETpR
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIE7irBi12
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnwp3FwAt3
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9luk69vEVE
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5juQ3vS04
aloud as I held my head.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QTAJXWxPS
As I looked around the 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUyjAP1fpn
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfNp3zyGp4
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAi5VvQS3zX
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHwv1N0ZBM
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiafPiFjMt
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxuZxRRsc2
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZs4EIQ8KIz
My vision was still 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwAh0TkDRi
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡls7Oxm0EJP
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MrQ2XXfHX
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDapRbZhAC
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bce1z5pfN
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqhcXCgCBM
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp7uYZbrbi
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5Jg7dcNM1
behind her.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4C2cECNs00
At that moment, my 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGNmsVcpzD
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW5YRi9Jpx
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6TI6qwP5e
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWnih9dth8
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyHXeQ5K1X
flash.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWQfLYOECa
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7h4sc6Wt5Y
