Rita opened her eyes and saw herself in the middle of no where. She jerked up immediately and started running, to no where in particular. She reached theroadside about an hour later of runningans stopped. The last thing she remembered was a man coming out from a bus and covering her mouth and nose with his large palm. He took her into the bus and someone hit with something and she fainted. How she escaped, she couldn't remember.She waved at the on coming car but but it didn't stop. Four other cars and amotorcycle passed and non gave her alook least stop. Something is definitelywrong. She started walking by the roadside. Her parents must be worried by now, night has began to fall. She needs to get home before seven o'clock or else the gate will be closed.She has once returned home ten minutes late and her father refused to open the gate for her. She had to sleepat a neighbor's house and she received the beating of her life life the next morning for not sleeping at home.She don't want the incident to happen again.She looked at the tiny watch on her wrist, it was ten minutes pass six. Her heart skipped a beat. She started running in order to catch up with time. She arrived at their street few minutes to seven. The gate of their house was wide open and people were trooping in. Wait! What is happening? Why are people entering their house like that? Has her father beaten her mother again? Oh dear God, let it not be that! She increased her speed and soon shewas at the gate of their house.She saw her mother crying and two women were holding her. Her father stood at a corner arms folded. He too was crying. Has anythings happened to her brother? Oh dear Segun let nothing happen to him! But then she saw him near the door. What the heck is going on? She ran into the sitting room and saw nothing. Why is anyone not noticing her? She is a member of the family and deserve to be consoled also. A group of of youth entered caring a body, covered with a blood stained yard on top of a wide plank. Her heart started beating fast and she began to sweat. Someone has died butwho was it? Her question got answered immediately. Her mother ranand yanked off the yard from the body.She stood dump-folded. Lying on the plank is no one but her headless body. She was wearing the same pink gown. That mean one thing, she is dead! But how?

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Three days ago.

She woke up and slowly opened her eyes then yawned. She stretched her hands and sat up. She adjusted the wrapper around her chest and stood up. It was already morning. She wanted to sleep more but her mother's continuous pounding on her door wouldn't allow her. She slides into the slippers beside the reading table and shuffled to the door. She unlocked the door then opened it slowly. Her eyes met with her mother's immediately.


"Good morning Mama." She greeted, rubbing her eyes.
"What is good about the morning Rita?" Her mother Iya Pelumi asked her hands akimbo, "Don't you want to to wake up again? Or are you want to be late?"

Exams? Oh my God! She has totally forgotten about the exams. She is suppose to write the joint admission and matriculation exams (JAMB) today. She rushed out of the room, pushing her mother from the door. She ran to the bathroom which is combined with the toilet and ran out with a plastic bucket to the tap. Iya Pelumi shook her head and returned to the kitchen to check on the "moi-moi"  that is on fire.

She was ready thirty minutes later. She stood in front of the large mirror admiring her fine structure. She was wearing the pink gown her mother had bought for her from Ibadan while she went to visit her elder sister Pelumi. Her father had told her she will be living with Pelumi when she get admission to the university of Ibadan. About that, she was excited that she will finally be leaving home. She had live all her nineteen years under the watchful eyes of her father, Chief Jide.

She rushed out of the room and went to the kitchen.She hurriedly rushed her break fast of hot "moi-moi" and pap. She bid her mother farewell then left the house. Only few people were out. She greeted Iya Sodiq and Mama John, the bake beans seller and started walking toward the road to get a bus that will take her to Alpha grammar school.

After twenty minutes of walking, she didn't find a bus going her way. Time was going and she needs to be at the venue latest thirty minutes before the exam start. Out of the blues a bus pulled over near her and a giant looking man jumped down and rushed towards her. He grabbed her before she could think of anything and covered her mouth and nose with his big palm. He took her into the bus and closed the door. She started struggling as the bus zoomed off. A hit on the back of her neck make her faint immediately. The men stopped near a bus around the suburb of the town and took her down. One of them brought out a sharp cutlass and chopped off her head. He entered the bus with the head, leaving behind the rest of the body.

Iya Pelumi became worried when after seven hours Rita didn't returned home. All the people that had gone for the exams were back. She alerted her husband who quickly went and lay a complain at the station. Her headless body was found three days later by a group of hunters.

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