Outcast - Episode 16

In school, we were meant to write common entrance the upper week. Some primary five students who were taking common entrance with us, had to join us. Government paid for only primary six students, but those that came from primary five, took care of their fees. We had a white female teacher who took us in primary six. Her name was Miss Alfred as we addressed her. She had a flawless skin that glistened. She was always on the mouth of every students when they want to mention the most beautiful teachers in our school. Those who joined us from primary five found it hard grasping her accent, but it was easy ride for us. Ifenyinwa never had a problem with it.

After so many weeks, Ifenyinwa became one of the best in the class. She would score high whenever the test result was out. One day, our teacher said she will separate us because our classmates reported that I always opened my book for her to copy during our tests. She did, but at the end of the term, I came first, Ebuka came second and she was third. Adaku was sidelined from her usual top three. She cried a lot and I saw her clique consoled her.

The next term, her parents came to school to inquire what happened to their once brilliant daughter. The teacher said maybe she relaxed

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. But during the break time, I saw her parents warning her under the mango tree not to be friends with Adaeze again because she was a bad influence. I could perceive her pain that she will abandon Adaeze, as she squeezed her face. She did as her parents advised and started ignoring Adaeze.

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On the day of our examinations, all the primary school in Ukpor assembled at the school located at the centre of the town. It had a boisterous market square and there were no bushes around compared to its villages. Everywhere looked posh. Ifenyinwa's aunt took us to the venue. Like our teacher told us to dress neat, we washed our cloths and ironed it very well. Ifenyinwa's aunt followed us inside the school compound. It has a big field with lush green grasses. There were lot of students from different schools, before we started seeing our classmates. Not long after, our teacher arrived. She assembled and counted us before she handed us over to invigilators, and we were led into the examinations hall. The examinations was so easy; English language, Mathematics, Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning, and General paper . After we were done, I asked Ifenyinwa how it was and she said it was interesting, she reciprocated. Immediately, Ifenyinwa's aunt arrived, she must have seen that students were done with examinations.

"How are you? How was the examinations", she asked.

"It was fine, we enjoyed it", Ifenyinwa said and I nodded in reaffirmation. She took us to a man that sold ice cream with a bicycle and bought two for each of us. We thanked her and was about to leave.

"Hey!", it was a call.

We looked back, it was Miss Alfred. 

"That's our teacher", Ifenyinwa told her aunt.

"Awwww. She is so cute", she blushed. Miss Alfred came close and Ifenyinwa aunt greeted her. They exchanged pleasantries.

"Hey, children, how was the examinations?", she asked us.

"It was fine, MA", we chorused. She rubbed our heads and left. Ifenyinwa's aunt, said we should all trek home instead of taking motorcycle, and we did. We got to my house first, I waved goodbye to them, before they left to their house.

I entered the compound, it looked scanty. I could hear the whistling of owls. 

"Mama", I called out. Nobody answered. Maybe she went to the farm, and most times she did, Nwakaego would be at the compound playing with sands. I moved to the backyard where our kitchen was located, it was unusually calm. I looked at the wall, there was an owl perched on the fence.

Read " The Odds Are Against Me " by the same author ( Obinna Tony )

. I ignored it and it made another scary sound. I looked at it again, immediately, I heard a noise as if the zinc of our house wanted to pull off. I screamed, "Mama Nnukwu!".

Immediately, I heard a loud sound and it echoed back, "Mama Nnukwu". There was a heavy breeze, I ran to her hut, and saw her with a broken calabash while Nwakaego was lying on the floor. I bent down and carried Nwakaego up. She was breathing so fast. The broken calabash was in Mama Nnukwu hands and blood were all over the floor. Adaeze's grandmother was beside her with frowns written all over her face. I carried Ifenyinwa outside and as I was about to come down from the entrance of the hut, I tripped and fell down. 

I woke up immediately, sweating profusely and panting like a dog. I was still on my school uniform sleeping on the wooden long chair outside the house. I looked outside and saw Nwakaego coming back from the farm with Mama.