*AMAYA’S DESTINY*
(NIGHT RAIN)
Episode 4
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“Amaya’s destiny is mine!” a voice came from the wall. Kris screamed and fell on the floor. The fallen torchlight inside the dark room shown at the wall like a projector. Kris didn’t see only one shadow again but two as he was screaming. The shadows displa-yed the exact act of the kizz with him and Rachael the previous day at school. The scenario was clear and scary. Suddenly, the shadow left the wall, walking towards the young boy like a tormentingl ghost. Lightning and thun-der that struck as a result of the night rain, terrified him the more. So he closed his eyes not to see his own death.
“Dad!” he screamed. “Help me! Help…” he began to lose his breath.
Light from electric bulbs came back, his father barged in like a supper hero to see Kris screaming at the window. He held him “Kris!”
“Don’t kill me!”
“It’s me, your father!”
Kris reluctantly opened his eyes. Horrible sweat of an untimely death had formed on his forehead, breathing hastily and staring at the wall which had become beautiful like nothing happened.
“Kris, what happened?” Mr. H., the father, as his name was abbreviated, derived from Henry, asked the son.
Kris couldn’t respond. The relentless gaze at the wall got the father worried, so he also looked at the wall to see nothing but pictures. He comprehended distinctively whatever that must had happened to be spiritual.
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As early as 5:55a.m, Rachael hurried down their front staircase with a bag of refuge in her hand. She was anxious to be in school regarding the kizz from Kris, wanting to have a well define relationship with him. Therefore the day which was Friday was a joyful anticipating day. “I hope he asks me out.” She concluded thoughtfully.
The public refuse-bin was not far from the residence of Mr Ojile. Rachael hurried along the road, wearing a black leggings, stockings and sli-ppers which she kept fli-pping on the ground, thus, making an irritating sound. Above, from her shoulders was a short white crop-top throu-ghwhich you can imagine the size of her bre-ast and Nip-ples because she was br-a-less. She could see young men jugging on the road as a form of exercise, and the morning dew saturating the air. Getting to the bin, she sighted a young boy also dumbing a refuse but due to the morning dew, she didn’t have a clear view of his face until she went to a close proximity. She hissed when he noticed who the boy was–Jimmy.
The boy turned when he heard it coz he had already dumbed his own refuse about to leave. “What was that for?” he approached.
Rachael ignored him, wanting to leave but Jimmy blocked her in a way both glared.
“I said what was that for?!”
“It’s for being the first person I set my eyes on this morning coz you’re such a bad luck!” Rachael replied disdainfully.
“You’re the definition bad luck! you disgust me!” Jimmy retaliated, pushing her very ha-rd. The for-ce hit Rachael down to the metal refuse-bin. Luckily, her head didn’t experience the pains her wa-ist of battling with. Nonetheless, she hurried up to fight back, but Jimmy carried her up and threw her inside the bin just the way he dumbs his refuse.
Rachael struggled inside the bin, while Jimmy began to walk away. “I hate you, Jimmy!” he heard her voice from the bin.
“Who likes you, disgusting thing?!” he replied, briskly leaving the place. Strangely, a paper staggered from the sky to his head. He stopped, brou-ght down the paper which unbelievably has a statement that says, “With a yoke, the yolk is broken. Her name is Amaya.” Jimmy stared at the statement, glanced back then put it in his pocket.
On the other hand, Rachael struggled to climb out of the bin. Already she had been stained with decomposing refuse, and her nose couldn’t bear the stinking smell of it. Finally, she made it out, but to see Jimmy already gone. Sadly, her face changed, wanting to shed tears. “I must take revenge.” She angrily left.
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Ghene High School (GHS), once again filled with students of different grades. All @$$embled for an @$$embly, glowing in white shirt, check skirts and trousers as they waited for the @$$embly to kick off. One could see Antonia and Rachael on the queue of the final grade. Of course, Kris joined the male queue of the same grade, quiet and thoughtful, still terrified by the horrible incident that happened the previous night. He slightly turned to see Rachael gazing at him from another line which she averted her eyes immediately with a smile.
“He has cought you staring, hasn’t he?” Antonia whispered behind her.
“He was the one staring.” Rachael lied.
“I doubt that, babe.”
She smiled, trying to steal another glance at the young boy, but saw Jimmy, aggressively arguing with him. Before she knew it, the two boys had started exchanging blows thereby generating tension and noise among the students. Rachael wanted to go defend her crush. She also saw that as an opportunity to take her revenge, but Antonia held her back saying, “Where do you think you’re going to?”
“I nee-d to help Kris.” She replied.
“That’s not a good idea.”
“You and I know who Jimmy is. And i have not told you what he did to me early this morning.” She finally left.
Meanwhile, the boys were still exchanging blows when Rachael arrived from behind. Unfortunately, Kris dodged a blow which she received on one of her eyes.
“Heeyy!” Students shouted.
Kris used that opportunity to hit Jimmy down, escalating more fight and making the paper fall off from Jimmy’s pocket which a student picked up. However, Rachael was on the ground with a hand on her eyes when Mr Kim arrived in his hu-geness.
Meanwhile, Antonia had met her friend on the floor. “Rachael, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” She stood up with the help of Antonia.
“Both of you, into my office now!” Mr Kim instructed the boys who obeyed. He met Rachael too saying, “Are you okay, miss Ojile?”
Just then, a male student brou-ght the paper to Mr Kim who, bemused, read the statement: WITH A YOKE, THE YOLK IS BROKEN. HER NAME IS AMAYA. It was coincidentally related to his previous encounter with his radio without battery.
“Where is this from?” he asked the student.
“It fell from Jimmy’s pocket” he replied.
“Jimmy?” he repeated thoughtfully then began to walk towards his office…..
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AMAYA’S DESTINY
(NIGHT RAIN)
Episode 5
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Like an angry soldier, Mr Kim walked towards his office with the paper in his hand. In another hand, rested a long cane as angry as himself. Students who saw him gave way or ran for their dear lives because his movement alone can kill. Inside the office, Kris and Jimmy stood before his table, listening to the radio that broadcasted on the nearest frequency. Suddenly, Kris startled at the sound of the door that Mr Kim opened. He was a gentle, quiet and fragile boy. As the writer of this story, I wonder what he could have done to Jimmy, regarding his meekness. He can’t hurt a fly.
Mr Kim placed the cane and the paper on the table, turned off the radio then leaned back on the chair, staring at the two students like an inspector to criminal suspects. Kris swallowed ha-rd, scared of the angry cane. While Jimmy cared less, frowned like a street tout, staring at the paper. The quietness observed inside the office enabled them to hear the senior prefect kick off the @$$embly with a hyme. Just then, Mr Kim leaned forward.
“I do not want to hear your explanations because I know Jimmy is the cause of the fight. True or false, master Henry?” he asked Kris.
“True. He wanted to stand before me while he should be at the back of the queue, I refuse. That started the fight” the boy explained sincerely.
Mr Kim looked at Jimmy. “True or false, master Okenagba.”
Jimmy kept quiet.
The black man exhaled. His mind really wasn’t on the matter at hand but on the mystery behind the paper told to had fallen from Jimmy’s pocket. Before he could speak up, Kris narrowed his vision to see the name, ‘Amaya’ on the paper. His heart skipped at the sight like one who saw his death. Of course it reminded him of the horrible incident that happened in his room. Therefore he pointed at the paper saying, “Sir the name on the paper sounds familiar.”
Jimmy looked at him while Mr Kim sat up, looking at him to continue his explanation. Kris explained to him the horrible experience. “I heard the voice. It says, “Amaya’s destiny is mine.”” He concluded. His story drew tension among three of them who began to look at one another.
“But you didn’t hear anything like yoke or yolk?” Mr Kim asked.
“No sir.” Kris replied. Jimmy suddenly became surprise the way the master picked interest on the statement on an ordinary piece of paper. He was beginning to draw to conclusion that Mr Kim must have been the one to send the paper to him.
“Master Henry,” Mr Kim broke the silence again. “Did you say the displa-y of the shadows was like the displa-y of the kizz between you and miss Ojile?”
“Yes, sir.” he replied, seeing how interested the black man seemed on the topic, forgetting the issue that brou-ght them into the office. So Kris and Jimmy glanced at each other, wondering what came over him.
The man looked at Jimmy, “Where did you get this paper?” he asked him.
“It fell from the sky, sir.”
“Sky where?”
“At the public refuse-bin where I also met Rachael.”
Hearing that, another goose bumps escalated from the body of the disciplinary master. He stood up! Walked out from his chair and ru-b-bing his head like one about to get mad. Jimmy and Kris glanced at each other again as they watched the man displa-y woozily.
“Is anything the matter?” Jimmy asked him.
Mr Kim swiftly turned, pointed at his table saying, “Right on this table yesterday, my radio spoke without battery and it said, “Isaiah 58:6. When I check the bible, it was something that has to do with yoke. And do you know the most obnoxious thing? It happen after I also met miss Ojile and miss Frank.”
“Sir, I’m so scared right now” Kris folded his arms.
“It seems like God wants to send us a message about Rachael!” Jimmy substantiated.
“But Rachael’s name isn’t Amaya neither is Antonia’s.” Kris objected.
“And to me, God doesn’t exist.” Mr Kim concluded, making the students realize who he was: an atheist.
“Then who’s sending this message if it’s not God? And who is Amaya?” Jimmy asked.
“That’s a good question” Mr Kim brou-ght out his phone in a hurry. The boys could see his hand quivering as he was operating it.
“Sir, what are you doing?” Kris asked him.
“Serching on Google the meaning of Amaya.” He replied. The boys waited, hearing the principal of the school, who had taken over on the @$$embly ground, addressing the students. They could also hear distant vehicles, running on the main road. They had forgotten about the fight, clug their arms on their bodies terrifyingly.
“I’ve seen it” Mr Kim brou-ght their attentions back. “The name Amaya means Night Rain and is of Arabic origin.” he read from the phone then looked at the boys. “Master Henry, the incident happened at night while the rain was falling, right?”
“Yes, sir” Kris responded.
“What is going on?” Jimmy threw the question in the air. “Because this thing is becoming creepy and scary.” He added..
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Students had entered into their cl@$$rooms. There were three buildings, longer than the length of a hall, each with two sto-rey, populated with students. One could see Antonia, Rachael and Festus at the last floor of one building, standing at the corridor and supporting their bodies on the metal frame. Antonia looked into her friend’s eye to see it red in colour due to the unexpected blow.
“See what you’ve done to yourself, fighting a fight of love.” She mocked, giggling. While Festus smiled.
“Jimmy must have caused the fight. He threw me into a public refuse-bin early this morning. He’s so annoying! I hate him!” Rachael said. Her statement got others laughing ha-rd. Just then, Jimmy appeared before them. All stared at him to know what he wanted.
“Have you come to throw her into a bin again?” Festus broke the silence with a smile. “But unfortunately the school dustbin is small. It won’t contain her.” He hilariously added.
Jimmy ignored him. He looked at Rachael to see the red eye, as if the red colour was a charm, he began to fall in love with her which was impossible regarding Rachael’s mysterious life. That was a clear sign that he was the solution of her problem. But how when Rachael herself doesn’t know that her name is Amaya or even comprehend that her parents aren’t her biological parents?
“Rachael, Mr Kim wants to see you.” the boy delivered his m@$$age in a meek innocent voice. Rachael hissed, p@$$ed him while Jimmy followed her back to the office.
From the building, Antonia and Festus could see them still walking towards the office like young lovers.
“It fit both of them.” Festus told Antonia.
“Jimmy fits nobody. Rachael hates him as anything you can think of” she objected. Festus glanced at her to admire her a little.
Just before they entered into the office, Jimmy stopped Rachael in a way he looked into her eyes again.
“What is it?” Rachael charged.
“I just want to say I’m sorry for everything.” He apologized.
Rachael hissed again, then entered into the office…..
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TO BE CONTINUED