Freeman

YEAR: 2016

Ever wondered what it would feel like flying? Spreading one's wings and soar high into the sky, being weightless and floating towards no specific direction, at least away from your current position, I smiled in envious of 'freeman' as it flapped both wings, circled a huge Baobab tree not very far to our location and nose-dived further into the bushes, how lucky could some get. My troubles resurfaced, presenting it's ugly face before my very eyes in a sneer, while I hated all of it with disdain, I knew I would get out of this, that I was sure of, how I would was what I knew nothing about.

I was itching to speak to one of us but thought against it, because, when I abscond, the person I spoke to must provide me to save his neck, nevertheless, a diversion plan had reared its head and we ought to take the advantage. 6 of us against 3 of them should be in our favour if only we worked together, perfecting a plan. We were asked not to look behind and i knew why, one of them, the meanest probably, had gone in search of more ‘J Boys’, leaving the other 2 who seemed weaklings to watch over us of which I was certain that the one behind us wanted to excrete too. I had listened attentively to his footfall as the sound of dried plants getting

stepped on cried out for justice till they stopped, meaning he had gotten his pick location for his deposit. As the other in front of us turned towards the North like the 6 of us in our sitting position so that he won't seem to be looking at his colleague doing his thing, I whispered "saakpa" to the left and right to enable everyone get the message and made for the East towards SS2 block.

“Scoror! Scoror! Catch that one in red” The one doing his thing behind yelled and he was referring to me because I made sure the rest of us got up and ran before I did, reason being if any was caught, he would provide the rest and since I started the escape, only God knows if I would finish my second term exams in good health. I never bothered gunning away since I knew none of them could and even would catch me. I might not be intelligent enough, not social, not getting all the attentions from my fellow JSS 3 girls, I might not be counted amongst the big boys in JSS 3 block, but I'm certain I was the fastest runner in FGC Kwali Abuja, no doubt, and i brag about it. The other 3 had ran further into ‘Bombay’ probably to burst out from Staff quarters and proceed to Ladi Kwali house while we that ran towards SS2 Block dispersed thereafter to other directions and i proceeded to King Jaja House, metamorphosing into a cluster of other students that had just returned from Labour and was preparing for dinner. I burst into King Jaja Jss 3 hostel and went straight

to Emmanuel's corner who seemed glad to see me.

"Aha! See this bad guy, I'm just returning from your hostel, where you go?"

"Forget that one joor, did they take attendance?"

"Yes they did but I wrote your name"

"Correct! You're the best friend ever, we go act action film for Bombay" Emmanuel was shocked at this statement

"Bombay? You and who?"

"Some SS3 boys wey want show themselves"

This information seemed to startle Emmanuel who asked in a panic

"Hassan! Hope you weren't caught because they will know who wrote your name and…"

Hassan interrupted irritatingly

"Shut up abeg, if they catch me I go de here? You go just de shake unnecessarily.... meet me in my hostel when you're done lets go to dinning from there"

Hassan left the room leaving Emmanuel staring after him in bewilderment.

Back in my corner, my bunk mate was still hailing me for my escape which I shared the details with him. He kept wishing he could sprint like

me whereas I, like the boss that I am, laid down there with eyes closed, smiling to myself and enjoying the accolades as we awaited the bell for dinning. Except I didn't know better, news will get around and I'm pretty sure I would become the talk of Danfodio house after dinning amongst my mates. My bunk mate suddenly stopped hailing me and i assumed he had ran out of adjectives until a familiar 'woosh' sound sent this chill up my spine, circulating electric like currents through my body for a while before the combination of fear and pain formed a stimuli which influenced my 'scamper for safety' response. I opened my eyes to a blurred sight of horror, which gradually became focused at the evil grin of Senior Scoror and his team all holding belts ready to devour me in turns and probably leave me with a tattooed skin of strokes. At this instance, all I could think of was 'Freeman'.

Guilt

YEAR: 2016

I looked from mine to his and felt bad, this was pure injustice yet no one seemed to care. I looked him in the face and felt even worse, he was Shedrach Kuru, brother to Josiah Kuru the then Labour prefect. I was a Senior to Shedrach and the Dinning hall prefect was my mate, how dare he wound me? I scowled at him while he made a face "will you pass that plate" I said a little louder. His brother suddenly appeared from God knows where, giving me that usual sardonic smile of his, that evil smile that haven't seized haunting me since the first day I was confronted with it. He said it again "no rigimality is banzality!", I woke abruptly at the sound of those words, words that had no meaning as far as English language was concerned, words I could only associate with the punishment I received in my third term in JSS 2, when we were caught dodging MSS at homesick lab.

Josiah Kuru had graduated 4 years back and yet I still dreaded those words, they haunted my imaginations for a while till they found their way to my thoughts, now they occasionally resound in my dreams, making a nightmare of it. "May God punish the Kuru's" I muttered and groped for my sport wristwatch on the window frame in the dusk of the night, '4:34 am', I then frowned, my SSCE was fast approaching and i wasn't taking my studies seriously. I had planned to have a nap till 1 or 2 am then wake to read my books till probably 5 am. My mock result which was released a day before hadn't been an impressive one and had most definitely contributed to my nightmares. 'Another wasted night' i concluded and laid down again, trying to take my mind off my result and doze off. 'No rigimality is banzality!' resounded in my head again, making me shiver a bit and i frowned. I wondered how an SS 3 boy like me will still be haunted by such memories, I suddenly wanted to go fetch Shedrach from wherever he was and punish him, flogged hell out of him, make him suffer what I suffered and still suffering in the hands of his Elder brother, revenge suddenly clouded my thoughts, I was an SS3 student, any reason would sell anywhere for punishing any junior student. I got up in annoyance and jumped down from my bunk, fetched my flashlight from beneath my pillow and pushed the knob to 'on', nothing happened, just then I realized with a sick feeling of despair that there wasn't any battery in the flashlight.

My mouth turned dry and i suddenly felt too old for my age, the realization that I had called 'one boy!' after evening prep the previous day and asked for battery from all the junior students made me shiver again. I had asked everyone without battery to lie flat faced down on the bare

floor, the fact that my flashlight stayed off meant none of them had battery which automatically translated to all of them still on the bare floor. I left my corner very slowly, tiptoeing towards the light switch of the room, and was stunned when I switched it on. All the junior students in my room still laid there on the bare floor, deep asleep in their innocence, I felt bad.

I located Shedrach Kuru, lifted his smallish frame off the bare floor and laid him on his bed, I went further with the rest small statured students in the room and hated myself for my irrational attitudes.