chapter two
We graduated from this college.chris added.
Ex students ,why are you back then?I asked
Don't get me wrong,we were junior students then, now returning as senior students.he explained.
While chatting we arrived at the admin block, registered our names and headed for the dormitory.
Me I don't know why this woman gave us separate rooms.emeka said sadly.
In this school we all know its five to one.I mean we're already five,so just scare the rest away. Fred said.
Chai! Nah house master be that. Max said pointing to a bald man who was sitting under the mango tree.
Good evening,sir we greeted him.
So you are back, welcome he said with a smile that wasn't really a smile.
That man nah which . My friends concluded.
.....
Knights college male dinning hall.
Attention everyone,a senior student shout-out as we all know. Wings and tail cutting is a tradition in this school. I am very happy to announce to you all that the ceremony will be officially opened today.for a moment there was absolute silence.
My god, sorry , sorry today is your turn the sss2 students show sympathy.
Emeka; guy lets go he whispered.
Before we reached the door it was already seized by the seniors . My friend get back , one of yelled and continue . All sss2 students over there,he pointed to a corner, All new bees to my left,he said.
They packed all the food then said, shift to that angle.we all compromised.
Hey you boy, come here the senior student point at me .
I swallowed,then moved closer.marry the table.he ordered.i held the table, tighten my grip .next I heard whop , the whip landed on my back.receiving lashes was one thing I despise so much.the pain was so much that I almost fainted.tab-tab-tab the flashing continued .I could no longer count ,my back was stained with blood allover. The good news was ,I was not the only one lashed.almost five hundred students went to bed with a bloody back.
We returned to our cabin hungry and bloody.it was a good thing we had student companion A.K.A. garri(cassava flakes) in our lockers.after soaking garri we laughed at each other.
John,I called out this your school nah soldier get am I said pointing to my back.
You don't know before!he said laughing ,see the way Timothy dey cry like goat .
So I cry like goat, don't forget you roared like a lion. Timothy said.
Him better nah, John said.
Timothy: John are you even serious ,stop that
Hey William Shakespeare of our time may you speak what we understand.i interjected, and we all laughed so that a senior over heard us.
Will you all shut up or give you more the senior threatened,we all fell silent for almost ten minutes.
I will kill this senior if he continues this way .Fred said jokingly.
Let us all be patient.you know what they say "the patient dog eats the fattest bone.Chris said.
The patient dog died hungry yesterday.john reminded.
There was a round of laughter again.the following weeks were filled with beating and punishment,. I had one feeling at that time,i want to go home.
...
Second term
Good morning students, Mrs harret our principal,was addressing us.
Morning ma.
I hope you have a nice time at home during the holidays.this morning I want to chip in some things In addition to what Mr okoye has said.we learnt that you boys always sneak into the girls hostel.....
John so girls dey this school .I asked looking surprised.
So don't know?He said
Hey boy a senior behind us said and I immediately muted my mouth.
Principal: Collins Matthew is one of those boys after the girls,due to the violation of our rules of conduct .he will be severely punished.she hands him a suspension letter and walked out shaking her head in disappointment.
Just then a soldier man moved forward with a whip in his hand.remove that cloth and on the floor he said, next we heard whop whop whoop the boy was whipped.bloody civilian,shagen bunsuru (bastard he goat) he said before dismissing the rest of us.the rest of the session went from beating, hard labour with the senior snatching our food stuff it was like a war.
....
Sweet holiday
I entered the house, seeing nobody my mind went wild at first were they raided was my first thought.no I looked at the kitchen it seems like they just finished cooking,so I stepped into the sitting room, it was peach black.suddenly I heard happy come back, the lights came on and people surounded me.welcome kel they said in unison.within me this was the life, you will be celebrated regardless of what ever,it was interesting.
Kelvin ,my son welcome my uncle embraced me .let's eat.
We ate and talked from time to time he would say sorry about the school ,I didn't know they were so harsh.at night we will talk about the wings and tales cutting stupidity with my siblings of sort .I am a only child adopted by uncle, his children are my siblings naturally.
Ah! Bro so all that mark is from school?joyce one of the girls asked in amusement.
Where else .I replied.
Before I wanted to go to the boarding house because of the pocket money but now , I'll manage day school.gloria said
Everyone laughed at her.
.....
Its past eight in the evening, the story telling was about to begin.i rushed to the mango so as not to miss today's story.
Shortly the story began.
It was a beautiful day.the weather was calm and severe.A playful Sun appeared over the blue sky.
The first rain of the year had come during the night,wild torrents had clattered on the straw roofs, while clouds rumbled away.the whole world seem to have woken up again after an in easy sleep.
His light figure seems to be dancing in the heavy wind, lugged up in the sandy Parth towards the house of his friend,Abu. His face appeared to have lost its mischievous ebullience, lines of misery agony appeared immediately above his brows.
It was three weeks now since the burial of this beloved friend, it was as if an essential part of his soul had been buried with him.doubts hung over the future.life for him has always been a simple business.though not amoral,he had always had an instinctive dislike for ethics and protagonist of the people.for the best form of living,let the fools contend.he would live, but his friend death change all of that.millions of questions had sprung up and stabbed his soul with merciless cruelty.he was wrong,and they were right.it was not living that mattered, but how one lived .he would never be the same man again .Slowly his mind went back to the funeral ,it was a simple yet moving affair.six of them had borne the coffin to its resting place in the cemetery.a huge crowd of murners and sympathizers were at the grave side,women wept openly .men who admired his intellect broke,as the coffin was being lowered.everyone was stunned, even his worst enemies conceded his integrity and force of character.
Brother kelvin Gloria called out i don't know why she is talking about death today, she always talk about more interesting things . she comforted .
Don't worry just listen i said.
A short grave side oration was made in his bewildering circumstances of his last hours,it was dignified and devoid of homilies.to conclude,he had quoted the grand lines of Tennyson.
"Death closes all; but something ere in the end".
"Some work of noble note,may yet be done".
"Not unbecoming Men that strove with gods".
As circumstances sorrounding his death became wildly known,he was transformed overnight into those super man that comes once in a while.one of those that illuminated life and living.
Good night every one this is our story for today, the old lady said and left.