Five years ago,670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ125EO5BFho
February 13th, 2010.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgGgekdDbO
Mpunde Girls Secondary School,670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nOro8y1HC
Zambia.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBR2PJrguBt
I gasped for air as I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67GVKnQKz1
quickly sat up on my bed, holding my burning throat and feeling my lungs670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1292SiGAs
ache as air quickly flooded in. For a moment, I thought I was drowning 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTRfqemx9U
in water, but I was actually taking in air. I coughed out a little and 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8HWhHp6Pv
opened my eyes. The lights in the dorm were all turned on and the bunker670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h7NXtjxOr
beds were all empty. For a moment, I panicked as I quickly got out of 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMOpYary9p
bed on the bunker bed below, looking around the dorm. There was no one 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qHtSdMb67
and I felt scared and worried. I quickly looked out of the window and I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGYaExdFCY
realised that the sun was rising up from the east. I couldn’t help but 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4rsruiDD0
sigh in relief, but then again, I realised that I was running late and 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjGG1KNhou
my dorm mates were obviously hitting the showers in the ablution. And I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtRWpc8tHA
was the only one left in the dorm.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPSyUtv9Bx
I quickly grabbed my 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvxXKWDj9Y
toothbrush, toothpaste, my bath towel and cloth. Quickly slipped my feet670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCdsy8lUYV
into my bath slippers and when I turned around the corner of my bunker 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDizPkoy1B
bed to grab my bucket, I realised it wasn’t there. I sighed, this time 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymhE28F2BK
in frustration.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ275yWezHOs
Obviously because I knew670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3SRYIUnyT
who took it. If it wasn’t my bunker mate, then it was probably one of 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JA9Vig62C
the dorm mates. In my nightdress, I rushed out of the dorm and headed 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03CrZYAUIT
for the ablution. The ablution was one place where I found it so 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkNMc8kKcN
repulsive to be in. Despite it being cleaned every day, it was always a 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZNCT4pzRE
surprise how it gets messed up and flooded afterwards. When I mean 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTE3WwN7NYp
messed up, I mean the toilets is one thing you wouldn’t like to see 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn2pOAcIDt
first after you eat a meal. For a moment, I wonder if we really are 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A4ICj3qwx
girls or sometimes we act like boys who like to leave a mess. We are 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQgfLbgV9I
“GIRLS” for crying out loud. And as far as I know, we need to take care 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLUWH1ucIL
of ourselves and the environment around us. Looks like being in boarding670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhx1yrioAQw
school, you get to know that sometimes things aren’t always what you 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprH9NfkhUo
thought it ought to be.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGRznBdNtH
On either side of the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4bhl60Spo
ablution were the shower side and the toilet side. In between was a 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxy6dwvon5
passage where people could move around and line up their buckets to get 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFBAqNsihr
into the shower cubicles. When it gets flooded, it’s pretty hard to move670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WWjR0xkbh
around and many people have slipped and fallen. Trust me; it’s not a 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaRdXC6JWv
pretty sight when you see someone falling on their back into the water, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYRYuhrr8P
which was probably dirty. Luckily for me, that hasn’t happened, yet. I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP74aY5QDtc
wasn’t pushing my luck on that one. One day, I would probably fall and 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJe0oU386Zv
hopefully I wouldn’t break my bones in the process. At the far end of 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwncsHzzuYQ
the ablution were sinks where you can go and brush your teeth and wash 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVq7qR92Xu
your face. And by the corner was a store room where we kept the cleaning670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3QK9lspS6
materials for the ablution.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoRJFdaYhg
I stood by the door of 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCRbNtQYSB
the ablution, and as usual, there were queues of buckets all lined up, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWu6JIkbLp
their owners standing beside them waiting for the shower cubicles to be 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vS3383Elb
vacant. I looked around for my bunker mate and I couldn’t see her on any670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuG6AEey9h
of the queues. I considered her to be in the shower and so I went by 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMcKyAe2MP
the sink to brush my teeth. The ablution was flooded again and so as 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkDRJ6Ojtx
always I had to be careful, taking a step at a time.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAPI1Nq1D8
When I finally got to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWv4pnyKZe
the sinks, all in one peace, I suddenly felt a jolt of pain in my head 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik9UXwHDSE
as though I was just struck by lightning. It felt more like a migraine 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej4ve4iQ1t
and I held my head, almost screaming out in pain. I saw a dark image 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjyw5YpyjP
flash before my eyes and for a moment, I thought the lights went off and670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAvxKS0jKp
come back on. But when I looked around everything around the ablution 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKEd9ZdyrA
seemed to be normal. Usually when the power cuts, we girls like to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLKssqDO7I
scream, a lot, except for a few of us who are already used to the dark. 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrw8LyOswm
This time, that wasn’t the case. Everything seemed normal and I felt 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyrUUDTvRG
maybe I was being delirious.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWgt9vbshJ
“Hey, Diana, are you okay?”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUTDrdCUao
I turned to the last 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJNUeyPCSD
shower cubicle which was closer to the sinks, and there wrapped up in a 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVxPFXLgje
pink towel stood my bunker mate, Christine. And just as I expected, she 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Xyquenyll
was holding my bucket. She slowly walked over to me, trying to avoid the670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOVQngHEbu
dirty ablution water from flowing into her bath slippers.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY19cJbMDv
“Are you okay? It looks like you just saw a ghost,” Christine had a worrying look on her face.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmQ6Cisx9B
“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.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe61MM3m5Rd
“You had me worried, I thought you saw something like a ghost.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8jwFZQLmc
“You know I don’t believe in such things as the ghosts that haunt people around school.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbBKLAx6ZP
“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.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVJet3Yr5x
“What happened to you 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWymQYjI8z
today, anyway? You’re usually the first to wake up when the morning bell670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14uYDmw8NK
rings. But today you slept like a rock,” Christine added on, this time 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZCOdXVWEh
there was a concerned tone in her voice.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaj4eSJmNS
It hadn’t occurred to me670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlRHuZUNMm
that I had never heard the morning bell in the first place. I was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ok0n8X5JQ
always the early bird and I was never a heavy sleeper. I was always 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeifiCDFt8v
sensitive with whatever sounds I get to hear. But today, I hadn’t even 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaVYxP9oVy
heard my own dorm mates’ footsteps as they always rush out and into the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQ5gonoIKx
dorm.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE7sVPWXA2
“I guess today just wasn’t my day,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ348TEA9GEg
“Well, you better hurry 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGixouxcMu
up then,” said Christine, handling the bucket over to me, “you don’t 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhFag9STED
want to be caught by the prefects when it’s time to clean up the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWWZCt9hcz
ablution. And that’s not how you want to start the day.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyLGpJi9d6
I scowled again as I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbjStNiuqE
took the bucket away from Christine. As I mentioned earlier, the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdgm7Djbkg
ablution always get cleaned. And we the pupils clean it with the senior 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZbXEsaQZs
prefects as our supervisors. At 6:30 AM, everyone should vacate the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6obQM1hbq
ablutions so that the assigned group of pupils put to clean up the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65kci5SCrj
ablution should do their work. If you’re caught still in the showers, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnpw2QFGq1
you would obviously have to join in the cleaning process. And that 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLQ41dHWrr
proves to be twice as difficult when you know you’re also assigned to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKFGM8zoph
another area to clean in school. As soon as I finished brushing my 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtafH5hFhuh
teeth, I quickly got out of the ablution to fetch water by a nearby tap.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqCKLbete4
Most of the showers never worked in the ablution, henceforth, fetching 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmVPSSWRaK
water outside.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR6uT6TRip
Luckily, for me, there was no queue and I did things as fast as I could.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZJBVnq2Hx
Afterwards, I went back into the ablution and quickly found a vacant cubicle.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzPta01Nsy
After getting cleaned 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsKPU42ezN
up, I wore my beige school uniform, clean white stockings and I had my 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPeEPoAbGX
black shoes, neatly clean and polished. I looked at myself in the mirror670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBryA4WOkKs
and made sure my short afro hair was neatly combed. I had cut my long 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU3RdHMEtG
hair a year ago before coming to this missionary school. As usual, one 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIAjxhpePn
of the rules was not to come with long hair, especially if was it was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0MjPzunlP
permed. They strongly insisted on natural hair. I had to cut my hair 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW7pISgIrd
when I was going into grade 8 and I felt it was pretty unfair. But after670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCP0vyByTyB
that year, I kind of got used to it. Surly they were just trying to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYB6NMqfQX
promote equality amongst us, but there were a lot of things I never 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3nJgjMY0j
found amusing in this school.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3xNtXKN4e
Mpunde Girls Secondary 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKPrHQAYbY
School, a Catholic school run by the Hand Maid Sisters. Located in the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ASzi5M0dz
Central Province of Zambia in the town of Kabwe, but pretty much away 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt76YahX4VJ
from civilisation. When I say that, I mean the school is located far 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFJtKxL6x1
away from town and deep into the bush. It’s located in the farthest 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmvjC7ALmc
rural part of Kabwe.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFa7EL9LLlP
When I first came to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdenL5SjqfZ
this school to write an aptitude test to go into grade 8, I was greeted 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb48OHq0Px
by the lovely surroundings of the school. The lawns of the school were 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnxotbqw0R
properly well cared for, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere. A 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rtOHoloJP
beautiful Catholic church was situated right outside the school grounds,670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8EDY6C1Aw
meant for the local people that lived around that area and for us 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡux3t4l3mlU
pupils. The attractive colours painted in different Catholic symbols, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8m0O6B6vP
inside and outside the walls of the church were astonishing to look at. 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRwb5bbc2s
It looked more like art in my eyes.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3CBU02wad
At that moment, I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aamQYHlNT
thought things were going to get better in my life. The school was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTldEBlRBd
beautiful and the Catholic sisters and teachers who introduced 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFY2e2pM1u
themselves to us girls and our parents, seemed so kind. And I was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdJ5uPcyfE
Catholic, so attending mass wasn’t much of a big deal. I thought I was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0j8dxVfI8
going to love this place and make it more like my second home. But 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vcZ3yorJP
things weren’t the case when I got to know the school a whole lot 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbxiqd5D8A
better. I remember a certain friend of mine back home tell me that,670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIpDdtZt9W
most Catholic girl schools in Zambia were highly recommended because 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ibJaumbGD
the Sisters were strict and pupils are disciplined. As far as I had 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy5Ea4x7kZ
known, most Sisters were meant to be kind and loving, not strict and 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0bhAeRVrh
mean. It looked like I had been stuck in oblivion for quite a while in 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbhPk09CK3
my life, that when I got to know what my friend truly meant, it was like670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP8NUZcfxt
a hammer blow to the head. One's thing for sure, I didn’t like this 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYfNJfWBsl
school. Every time we begun a new term, I would pray for the three 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrpIDPNC2d
months to pass by quickly. Whenever I came back home, it felt like I had670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj88oyrZMKF
just come back from a beat-down, and as usual, losing the match every 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpsHTFqpt2
time.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sZCjJQOpB
The school was strict 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7SAXK4lj8
and on point with their rules, I felt like a minion under their control.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIJTQQ9T63
Any little offense you make, they will take you as an offender. They 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKNqveJzEX
were strict with how you kept the rooms and the surrounding areas clean.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Zhp1DDYlU
If they found that nothing was clean or things were out of place, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDEJj4hVSR
whether in the dorms or in the surrounding areas, either one of the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt6gP59TwX
sisters or one of the teachers on duty, would call the pupils assigned 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDRHxDcaHR
to cleaning the area or the dorm, out of class to go back and do their 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbhO1QpPqU
work properly. And by the end of the day they are given a punishment, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrWjRj4yb3
which was usually to weed the garden, clean the poultry shack or sweep 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7H50uyD0r
up the leaves in the orchard. To me, that’s like working twice as hard 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpgVMW8UR1
as you usually do on a daily basis. There was nothing you could do about670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqfFIrrc6S
that anyway. That wasn’t the only that ticked me off sometimes. Most 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCgM7uw4Ek
prefects were mean and complete jerks towards us. It’s even much worse 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrkz5ZXp53
when you were in a lower grade. That meant more work, and if things 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvydttLdBJs
weren’t done right, punishment in the worst way, cleaning up the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZvpKXVP18
disgusting ablution or weeding the entire garden, with your hands. And 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfS932Zy8VK
they always had a special day to punish offenders. If you know you were 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zEhTAKwsL
late for classes or attending meals and your name was written in any of 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5zb8VHlqb
the prefect’s books, just know you will find yourself on the offender’s 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu1gxUrZmb
list which is always stuck on Thursdays. That means after classes on 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipB9D70uFY
Thursdays, the first thing you would want to see first is if you’re on 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WisMwsoDx
the offender’s list. If you aren’t, then it’s just a time to relax. If 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym6ez2l2Hu
you are on the list, get ready to thoroughly clean up the whole school, 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLwQGHx9jK
you aren’t going to get off that list so easily if you didn’t work. 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaIlVYZv9b
You’ll just find yourself on the other week’s offenders list.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnN5FO2JonJ
Enough about what ticks 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0M5rP4op3
me off in this place. It was 7:00 AM and that meant it was time to get 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQje6LRMLdG
to work. The way we were allocated to our places of work is according to670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3S7EeYyq9
dorms. There are 10 dorms in school. The size of the dorm also depends 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQY9BxuLY5
where you’re allocated to work. For example, the second biggest dorm 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjooRBklrH
called Dolores, which I’m in, usually worked in big places like the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7kjsDJbiU
orchard. And smaller dorms like Xavier A, usually worked in smaller 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyQEiv1CfT
areas like the kitchen area or the ablutions.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwS4xG0YSYn
It was time to go to the670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT4JlbaVQP
orchard, and as usual, we were always greeted by the sight of leaves 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHQma66P3v
everywhere in the morning. Most of the time, people would usually sweep 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspy2S0Byao
up the leaves with a rake, but here, we would use brooms made up for the670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlB42ttz44
strongest tree branches. It was more than enough to sweep up the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRfvR8ZIMt
leaves. So, we got to work with the brooms. Since there weren’t enough 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JxeUfXR01
brooms, most of us had to wait until one finishes her potion and gave it670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RpABuD6HB
you. I was one of those waiting today and I stood under a tree. 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj09l4wIdhT
Christine came up to stand beside me. Our dorm prefect, Chileshe, stood 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4VfJWPN0D
in front of us, doing her duty, to supervise.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfJUq7SAdm
“Hey, are you going to tell me why you couldn’t wake up today?” Christine asked, nudging her elbow to my side.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4sqW53GuX
“I don’t know,” I replied. “And you are such a bad bunker mate. You couldn’t even wake me up.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzVCb30WSY
“Huh?” Christine looked confused as she looked at me. “I tried to wake you up, but you were as still as a rock.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1FVir2E7A
I now stared back at Christine with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t hear you at all.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHtqWMyZwO
“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.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWO7p4orRc
I shook my head. This 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumfixKf4fS
was ridiculous and Christine was taking it like it was one big deal. If 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMg5dySam0
she was going to start talking about ghosts again, like she usually 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiJaHTOawe
does, I didn’t know what I would do to her that would land me in serious670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWlwsD9zhV
trouble.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC16pOVzowJ
“Christine, all that just happened to me today. It’s not like it’s going to happen again,” I said.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyd8TRzuPm4
“Diana, you had me worried,” said Christine. “What if you didn’t wake up?”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xkKhxe6kQ
“But I woke up, didn’t I?”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSa9w87ruB
“Somehow I feel that there is something you aren’t telling me.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWIt3Wcy51
I grew startled by what 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpZRrUU9bY
Christine said. I was just about to ask what she meant by that when 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCu74bDIHG6
Amanda came back from sweeping her potion and Christine was quick enough670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLpC4iRs6E
to get the broom before anyone else. I could feel that Christine was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNj0R1jnpX
really mad at me and the confusing part about it was why she was taking 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAllsZ4hG0
all of this seriously. If I wanted an answer, I was so not ready to get a670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72Gq4XUCPW
ridiculous one from Christine. She was so superstitious about things 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse5vUFu1R7
and I wasn’t coping with all of that ever since I first came to school 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMCQFyv1Tf
and learnt mysterious things that I wasn’t even willing to know.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHx2WB40hDK
Amanda came to stand 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1WAHqz6Lc
beside me as we watched Christine head towards her portion of the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUxxWHtAGH
orchard. I drew out a breath of air. Amanda who had a bunker bed right 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvZ54bvv0F
next to Christine’s and mine, looked over at me. By the look on her 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCxBOeTitd
face, I could tell she knew what Christine and I were arguing about. I 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EhGAVzAYU
wasn’t even ready to hear what she had to say. Hearing from Christine 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhIOSUwvuN
was more than enough.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizRV6LNFa3
“I wouldn’t be so mad at Christine if I were you,” said Amanda.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Zdhen57Zb
“I’m not mad at her,” I said, “I just feel that she is making a mountain out of a mole hill.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLGM4iVr5O
Amanda folded her arms 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJT42PWljNf
across her chest and leaned in closer to me so that people wouldn’t hear670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSJ2HXmIqd
us. “I was there when Christine tried to wake you up. You didn’t even 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerJWlmuDTq
move an inch. You just laid there. And you looked, I don’t know, dead.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrEO5MXofg
As far as I had known 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncZ9l97393
Amanda, she was one person who always aired out her honest opinions 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TImKVHtQw
about things and she was one who wouldn’t even lie. She was quite 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4uMxzOpZB
terrible at it if you ask me. I knew what she was telling me right now 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXTIE0Cxwr
was the truth. I swallowed, still finding it hard to believe what Amanda670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3GjKGhiYX
had just told me.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa4Z09P6mG
“If I was like that, why670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHdvgLZ9W0
didn’t you call the nurse or inform one of the prefects?” I turned to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPXnPcc8jo
face Amanda, her brown innocent eyes staring back at me.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnas4Wxp8cU
“Christine was scared 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcqDs9oXV7
when she couldn’t wake you. She almost freaked out and I told her that 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoNnR0idJR
you would be fine, that you were just in a deep sleep. I told her to 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwti9ACyVgv
leave the dorm and that I would watch over you until you woke up. We 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldTndWNX3g
didn’t want to attract any attention among the dorm mates until we were 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOi2uZQwCN
sure you were okay.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoROT8yEmEr
“Where were you when I woke up? I didn’t see you and the whole dorm was empty.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3EngU4II5
“I was standing by the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QWs4ZADrH
door of the dorm when you woke up. And to be honest, you woke up in the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPdkQpcQJy
weirdest way possible. It was like you were given CPR and was suddenly 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoFSmFxdOF
revived.”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmjm0ZChHj
Now that Amanda had 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP6Xth2Q99
mentioned it, I did wake up in the weirdest way today. I felt like 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdmjiEsdeK
someone had pumped in water into my nostrils when it was actually air. I670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpSTRPckzO
could still remember my throat burn and I held it again without even 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o3maoPDQ5
realising it. I looked up at Amanda and she gave me a sad smile.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstANe39QbM
“And you told Christine?” I asked when I obviously knew the answer.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K1ei5kRnl
“You know I couldn’t lie670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QDyqXgJXW
to her. She was worried and she has every right to. And so was I. What 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaFswRnIBV
if you never did wake up? Have you ever thought of what would have 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3XzAN3Y11
happened if you had died in your sleep?”670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSypizALOTl
I took in Amanda’s 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYm8jej3Mc
questions into consideration and I looked at Christine who was busy at 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKWeDRBcxe
work. It was obvious that she was avoiding me. I swallowed hard and 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9zuZqeyeQ
stared off in a distance. All Christine was trying to do was help me out670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVQIw6dmgt
and I was acting like a complete jerk. But she couldn’t blame me for 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zxfdi7Yun
it. I didn’t even know what had happened to me in the first place.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbRBVmgrIX
It was now my turn to go670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGh2iYOla2B
and sweep as I took the broom from my fellow dorm mate, Chilufya who 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEH1pQUb4A
was a grade ahead of me. I went to my portion under a few guava trees. 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47D175oVre
Before I could bend down to start sweeping, a sudden wave of pain gushed670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU2kXhewph
down upon my head. The pain was so unbearable, that I almost screamed 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEVaKOYLXV
aloud as I held my head.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45Maw92Ww4
As I looked around the 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5bQsB2EtK
place, everything seemed blurry. I tried blinking my eyes a few times to670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4hm6P1ZVZ
refocus my sight, but that didn’t seem to work. I leaned onto a tree 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarb7YLuk4j
for support and I soon felt a jolt of dizziness and I felt like I would 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8f0ZQ2TJ0
throw up at any moment. Soon, voices of concern surrounded me and I felt670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlPNiQ1XHd
a warm familiar hand hold my shoulder. I saw Christine looking at me 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkiJRIcZ1j
and with our other dorm mates surrounding me.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YRG2BWNCM
My vision was still 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXpx69qEoF
blurry and my head ached like hell. What was even worse was the fact 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6KXYp3rZy
that everyone was talking and I couldn’t get a thing they said, not even670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiONuJLrBXq
Christine who was right next to me. I felt so confused that I was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSXvaEBWDX
afraid of running mad with all the noise. I looked around and I noticed 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aLRQsbdN7
that my vision was getting worse. I could notice a few of my dorm mates’670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwiLIj1dHF
faces including the dorm prefect, Chileshe. I saw Amanda at the far end670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1XPa45Pyx
of the crowd, looking scared. And I noticed someone standing right 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Bu2oU96Gs
behind her.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH9jpZVmmu
At that moment, my 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1Th4Wannk
vision cleared when I saw the tall person who was standing behind 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqG2rYqjNjx
Amanda. I felt a burning sensation run through my body, but I was 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJRIEzxDgA
sensible enough not to scream. I continued to look at the tall figure 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsQegh8PM4
and out of nowhere, a flood of images rushed through my head in a quick 670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTta2WMNBFT
flash.670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79mK3tVNYG
Right before I could figure out what had just happened; I was falling into a pit of darkness, right into oblivion.
670Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgtxt7Hh9s
