Chapter one

Ugomma is a girl of twelve years old who lost her parents at the age nine. She had no other choice than to live with under the roof of her only surviving uncle who is very nice and good but his wife is something else . Ugomma being a beautiful girl was loved and adored by other kids in her neighbourhood which always got her aunt obiageri jealous and angry due to her barreness. She lived under the ugly circumstance of her aunt who maltreated her and caused her sorrow . She keeps calling her an orphan that she was responsible for her parent's death. Ugomma when told those words, remembered how her parents loved and cared for her being the only child they had; she was always showered with gifts and lacked nothing.

The tragic memory of her parent's death kept coming into her mind, how her father who was a palmwine tapper fell off from the palmtree and how she was the only witness to her father's death.

Ugomma got home and explained to the mother that the father asked her to pick the palmfruits on the ground while he climbs up to cuts down those at the peak of the tree but all she heard was a heavy sound on the ground but when she looked up it was her father who fell down heavily from the tree top. After narrating the whole story, the mother collapsed.

Circumstances around her began to change when her mum died just three weeks after her father's burial because she couldn't cope with the trauma of being a widow and had no male child to succeed her husband as the traditional entails.

Ugomma been a child and the only surviving child of her parents had to stay with her only surviving relation; uncle uzondu who loved and cared for her just like her parents did.

As time went on, uncle uzondu got her registered into a school and paid her fees termly. Obiageri would always get jealous of her husband's fair actions towards Ugoma and sometimes tried to turn the heart of her husband against ugomma but he would always reply her:

" Obii my dear,you know we are childless and she is the only surviving relation I have left. Her father was a good elder brother to me and maybe God will use her to open doors for us".

As usual she would get angry and leave.

Obiageri knowing that all her plans were in vain plans to over-work ugomma every morning. She get fetches water every morning even when there was enough left.she would wash both clean and unclean plates,sweep the house,wash her clothes and would leave her with little or no food to eat. she always warned her never to tell her uncle.

Ugomma while reaching to school will always get flogged for been late. Her aunt made sure she doesn't wash her school uniform always and doesn't do her assignments too. Obiageri enjoyed the punishment and suffering ugomma got from both her and that of her teachers.