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tfabu: Nice story royver,ur story always keeps me at d edge of my seat,but pls we need more regular and longer updates

updating aint easy, moreso as its not my story

I want to thank all those who voted for me in the "Writer of the month" thread. You votes mean a lot to me. Your comments, criticisms and encouragement are the fuel I need to do more. I will definitely try my best to wow you in the coming month. Once again, Thanks and God bless.

Alright people, That's it for the night. Next update by midweek

Eventually some people were able to gather bits of wood and dried leaves. A long stick was put into one of the still burning car wrecks until the tip caught fire then we used it to start a small bonfire at the centre of where we were all seated. Arnold and his boys had come back from the farm with oranges, pineapples, watermelon, bananas, plantain and yams; more than enough for our group of twenty seven. The yams and some plantain were placed at strategic points in or near the fire to roast while we ate the rest raw. Mr. Abel kept us entertained with his quick wit and brave humor and for a moment it seemed we were indeed out camping instead of being stranded at the edge of a crevice in the aftermath of a great earthquake that had torn the world into two.


By nine-thirty our little group had quietened down as some people started to fall asleep on their make-shift plantain leaf beds. Arnold had been darting around, making sure this was okay and that was well in place, not really coming to see us but always at the edge of our field of vision. Mr. Abel had stopped talking a while back and had put on the portable radio he had carried along with him from his office. There was some news on the local stations about an earthquake hitting the nation, some stations carried that it was a massive bomb that had been set off, other stations blamed the ruling party for not paying attention to tell tale signs the Americans had warned us about weeks ago. Numerous mentions of ‘Rescue operations’ being underway and ‘committees being set up’ were voiced. The Federal government had already released N12billion for the relief aid to places that had been affected. We wondered if we were on that list as we were yet to see any sign of life or rescue on the expressway.


“At least there should be dead bodies.” Sola said quietly, echoing what a teacher had previously voiced.

“Why are you trying to scare us na?” Bimpe replied, hugging herself by the fire. “What are you trying to say?”

“Maybe the emergency people have already come and carried everybody away.” I offered.

“But there’s no sign of life or death at all.” Sola persisted. “No blood, no torn clothes, no shoes from people running…”

“What are you girls talking about?” Arnold approached us, washing his grimy hands with a sachet of pure water.

I felt hot around my neck all of a sudden and looked away feeling irritated. What was he doing here?

Sola went straight to the point. “Oh, so now you have finally decided to notice us, abi?”

Arnold raised his hands in defense. “No oh, I’ve…I’ve been busy, and…and…”

“And what?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips. I turned to him to see what he would say and our eyes met.


Arnold let his hands drop. He seemed downcast and for a moment I felt sorry for him. But it quickly passed.


“I’ve been busy with the duties I was assigned to do. And besides, it seems Dare has been keeping you company… so…”


“So you decided to abandon us because Dare has been keeping us company. Is that any way a gentleman should behave?”


“He has never been a gentleman.” I retorted. “More of like a…a…”

“A gorilla?” Arnold said quietly. I stiffened but kept my face straight. “Yeah, maybe I’m not flashy or handsome like wonderboy over there and I guess I have been stalking you somewhat, and I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know it was irritating you so much and so decided to give you some space. I just wanted to see if you girls were okay sha, I have to get back to Mr. Abel, we are planning how to cross this pit tomorrow before we go to sleep.”


He turned and started to walk away.


I just didn’t know how I was feeling anymore. I was angry at him for being so nice but at the same time so annoying, I was angry at myself for treating him badly and I think I was angry at whoever had let it slip that I was calling him gorilla behind his back. My thoughts and feelings were clashing together like an orchestra without a conductor. I suddenly got up and hissed after him


“Coward!”

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Eh?”

“Yes you!” I felt like yelling at him and I wasn’t sure why. I tried to bring my voice down. “Why didn’t you just come out and say what was bothering you instead of hiding it and forming for us? Is that why you have been ignoring us since?”


“Em, technically it’s not us he has been ignoring…” Sola said pointing at herself and Bimpe.


“Sola shut up!” I cried and she held her lips. Bimpe looked very alarmed and confused.


Arnold turned and came back. “You said I was irritating you and so I kept my distance…”


“Even in an emergency situation like this? If Dare had not come nko? We would have been like every other student…”

“Ah so now you acknowledge I’ve been giving you special treatment!” Arnold was getting angry. “I didn’t see you laugh anytime I did anything for you but you have been shining your teeth since wonderboy there started talking to you…”


“That’s because you don’t know the right thing to say!” I countered. “If you say what will make me shine my teeth I will shine my teeth!”

“What do you really want?!” Arnold asked, his voice rising now. A few people were beginning to look in our direction. “I talk to you and you tell people I’m disturbing you. I leave you alone you are angry with me, what do you want me to do?!”


“Just go! Leave me alone, don’t come and be asking how I’m doing if you think you are really disturbing me…”


“He came to ask how ‘we’ were doing.” Sola chipped in and promptly stepped back when I glared at her.

Arnold was looking like he was going to burst a vein. He raised his hand and dropped it and raised it again.

“What are you waiting for? Go!” I shouted.

And he finally erupted.

“Yes I’ll go! I don’t know what I ever saw in you, you vain, selfish, naïve ignorant girl! You think you can talk to people anyhow because you are beautiful? Well beauty isn’t everything! I don’t have time for you self, I just came to check if my ‘friends’ were alright!” Here he pointed at Bimpe and Sola. “At least they don’t think I’m a gorilla! Wait, your prince is coming!”


He stomped off murmuring words like “Nonsense”,” Rubbish”, and “No respect!”


I stood there, wondering what had just happened. I turned to Sola and Bimpe, Bimpe looked as if she was going to cry. Sola was just quiet.

“Which of you told him?”


“What?” Sola asked


“Which of you told him I had been calling him Gorilla?” I fumed. “Sola it was you right? You never mind your own business!”

“Hey, hey, it wasn’t me oh!” Sola replied, “Maybe he overheard you saying it at the assembly or something. Why will I tell him a thing like that?”


I turned to Bimpe. There were tears in her eyes.


“Bimpe? How could you?” I gasped.


“I…I just told him to give you some space.” She squeaked. “I saw the way Dare was getting interested in you and I felt being the gentleman he is he would back off if he thought you were already spoken for.”


“What exactly did you tell him?” I asked now diverting my anger towards her.


“I just said he shouldn’t feel bad but that you didn’t feel the same way about him that he felt about you. He jokingly said we must be calling him policeman if you thought he was monitoring him so closely…”


“You told him I said he was monitoring me closely?!” I almost shouted. She retreated and I held my peace. “Go on.”


“Em, he said we must be calling him policeman and I laughed and said no, that our pet name for him was ‘gorilla’. It wasn’t anything serious, he even laughed at the time. I didn’t know he would take it so seriously…”



“Bimpe as of this night you are officially unfriended. I don’t want to talk to you again till I leave secondary school!” I turned and walked angrily away leaving Sola to comfort the now weeping Bimpe.

We were still laughing and teasing each other when we saw that the people in front had stopped. Mr. Abel was motioning with his hands but the boys with him were not responding.

“What’s going on?” I asked as we came closer. There was silence and their faces looked downcast.

“Shit!” One of the boys cursed.

“Watch your language.” Mr. Abel cautioned, although his voice was very downcast.

And then we saw it.

There was another huge crevice before us, effectively tearing the tarred expressway lengthwise into two.

There was a collective cry of dismay as more people came to see what was causing the holdup. This crevice was just as wide as the first one, although not as deep. Its edges were made up of the split parts of the tarred road that was formerly the express and so was much firmer. As we edged closer we saw plenty of car wreckage at the bottom, some of them mangled beyond recognition, some burnt with others still burning. It was like a scene from hell. I turned away and closed my eyes as I began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Where are the people?” Someone shouted in bewilderment.

I opened my eyes and looked again. We all looked down into the pit, scanning for signs of the living or dead. But there was no one to be seen. People ran towards the few cars and buses that littered the side of the road to search for any sign of life. They found nothing. The vehicles themselves had crashed into each other and none of them seemed capable of functioning. It was obvious the people using the road had panicked when the earthquake struck and crashed into each other. But where was everybody?

“Maybe the government has already reached here and taken everybody away.” One of the teachers suggested hopefully. Others nodded in agreement at the idea although there was a look of uncertainty in their eyes as if they felt something more bizarre had happened.

“There’s a trailer further down!” Dare said running up to the group. He and the other prefects had gone to check the surrounding area and were now coming back. “Half of it is inside and the other half is still leaning on the edge. There’s another one that fell in on the other side of the road. I think we can climb down one and climb up the other side through the other wreckage.”

“In this darkness?” Arnold said. “It’s too dangerous. Maybe we should try walking along the edge for a while. We might get to the end…”

“But we are not all going in the same direction. The express is where we were supposed to split up. I’m not sure it will be a good idea for us to separate now.” Dare countered.

There was loud murmuring as we all started voicing our opinion at once. The expressway led upwards towards the Market and Ilorin, and downwards towards the town and polytechnic. People were going in different directions and the darkness and silence had made the whole atmosphere creepy and dangerous looking. I don’t think anybody wanted our group to be divided into even smaller groups, not on a night like this.
Mr. Abel soon called for silence.


“We are going to stay here for the night.” He said amidst groans and a few grumblings. “It wouldn’t be safe us splitting up at this time of the night, we don’t know what other obstacles awaits. Let’s sleep here tonight then tomorrow morning we continue onwards.”

It was settled. Most people were happy with Mr. Abel’s plan. I for one, although sad that I wouldn’t see my parents tonight, was glad that we weren’t going any further.

Arnold called a group of boys together and set back to the farm to search for fruits we could eat for supper. Mr. Abel and the teachers went scouting around the nearby cars for any food but most especially for water. We hadn’t thought the journey might take so long and nobody had brought any provisions along.

Dare remained behind with three other prefects to watch over the rest of us. We arranged ourselves at the side of the tarred road, using plantain leaves to line the ground where we sat. Sola hit at a mosquito and then another.

“This is just like the girl’s scout camping we used to do.” Bimpe said.

“Except there weren’t so many mosquitoes” Sola replied, slapping at another one.

I sighed. “Maybe we should have stayed behind after all. At least we would have been sure of drinking water and the classroom tables would have made better beds.”

“Which classroom, the ones that collapsed?” Sola sneered. “I don’t think the principal will allow anybody sleep in those classrooms oh. After the quake the foundations will be shaky. It won’t be safe to stay inside.”


“But I’m seriously hungry, and thirsty!” I cried. “What is all this?”


Bimpe and Sola were quiet. Everyone seemed downcast at the recent turn of events. We needed something to cheer us up. Luckily for us it came a moment later.

One of the teachers who had followed Mr. Abel to scout ahead came back shouting triumphantly. We all jumped to our feet as he threw a sack he was carrying down on the floor. Out poured sachets upon sachets of water.


“Pure water!” we shouted with joy as we scrambled for them. Mr. Abel came up behind him.


“No need to rush, we found a lorry conveying plenty of pure water, the others are bringing some more. Don’t worry, there’s plenty for everyone.”

I was able to get some sachets for myself and kept them alongside the ones Sola and Bimpe had obtained. We placed them together on some plantain leaves on our side of the road and gulped one each with gusto.

'Thank goodness, I was really thirsty!” Bimpe said. Sola took some of the water and washed her face with it, being careful not to wet her bandage.

“I think you can remove it now.” I said. “I don’t think it will still be bleeding.”

Sola nodded and we slowly removed the bandage. The cut site bled a little but soon dried off and Sola sighed with relief, glad she wasn’t going to spend the night with a turban round her head. Mr. Abel’s torchlight was beginning to fade and he looked around for something we could set on fire and use as light for the night.

JeffreyJamez: Is that all?!! ...Royver too like rough play ...no do this kind thing o

patience my CSO, still typing...

We were now on the other side of the crevice, and that meant we were closer to going home. It was such a wonderful feeling knowing that I would soon be reunited with my family. Night had fallen and the farm and surrounding bushes were looking scary. We marched along the bush-path in a single file, with Mr. Abel leading the way.

“You seniors remember this path right? It leads right out to the expressway. With any luck we should be there in the next fifteen minutes and then everyone can find their way to their various destinations.”

A few people had some difficulty in crossing the bridge but none were as embarrassing as mine. The only person’s experience which came close was a girl called Shade. She had looked down half way and had become petrified with fear, pointing at something and refusing to go back or forward. Even when the rope around her waist had been tugged she refused to budge. Mr. Abel had to go back across the bridge to get her. She had closed her eyes tightly until she was led across the bridge.


Sola and Bimpe had come across without any problems although there was a time when Bimpe had seemed to lose her balance but she recovered quickly. They were very kind about my experience and didn’t tease me about it, though some of the boys didn’t feel so generous and I caught two of them making faces at me and laughing.


We came to a small stream which had a log of wood thrown across it for walking across. The stream itself had disappeared and what remained was a thick sludge of mud with some trapped fish and frogs struggling inside.


“The earthquake must have diverted the stream into the crevice.” Mr. Abel said. “Everyone move across, be careful so you don’t dirty yourselves in the mud.”

One by one we went across the stream. I was going across when I lost my footing and almost found myself inside the mud puddle if not for a bit of rock jutting out that I used for support to get back on the log. I heard laughter as the boys behind me started jeering.


“Be careful Oh! Don’t hug this one like you did before oh! Fear fear!”


The words stung and I felt like crying but I steeled myself and went on until I crossed. As the boys came across, Dare confronted them.


“Is there any problem, boys?” He asked. They stopped laughing and became quiet.

“You think this thing we are doing is a joke?” he gazed down on them, “Do you realize she nearly lost her life? And the best you can do is making fun of her abi? I feel sorry for you.”

They mumbled their apologies and behaved themselves afterwards. Dare smiled at me kindly and went back to his duties with the promise that he would come back when he was free.

Bimpe sighed as soon as he left “He’ so nice.” She said.

I smiled. “Yeah.”

“Soon all this rubbish will be over.” Sola said. “As for me, I’m not coming to school tomorrow even if they say there’s test.”

“Me neither.” Bimpe squealed. “All this wahala going on, I’m going to pretend I’m sick for the next one week.”

We all laughed and I was so glad to be with these girls. I looked ahead of me where the trees had started thinning out. We were finally reaching the highway. My heart soared at the prospect of finally meeting my family again.

Dare left where he was at the front and strolled back to meet us. Sola and Bimpe seemed to flow away as he walked in step beside me. I concentrated once again at my feet in embarrassment.

“Hope you are still not thinking of that incident with the boys.” He said. I shook my head, no.

“They are just being annoying, nothing new.”

“Good.” He shrugged. “I’m glad you are okay. Soon we’ll reach the expressway; would you like me to see you home?”

“But,” I faltered, “Your house is the other way, towards the market.”

“It’s not a problem; I’ve been home later than this. If I take a bus directly from your place to my street I should be home before eight o’clock.”

“Well…” I still hesitated

“Unless you three want to be by yourselves,” He said, gesturing at Sola and Bimpe who were walking just ahead of us and I’m sure eavesdropping
on every word. “I’ll totally understand. Today has been very stressful and I don’t want to cramp you girls…I guess I’m just worried about you that’s all.”

“Why?” The words escaped my lips before I could stop them. He was silent for a moment.

“Temi, I’ve noticed you since you came into SS1. Even before you did the Miss Cinderella contest I already knew you were a beauty. I wasn’t surprised when you won, if you had lost I would have known the judges were biased…”

He stopped, as if what he wanted to say next was hard for him. I hung on his every breath, waiting for what would come out of his mouth next.

“About Melissa and I, that was a mistake. I know the whole school thinks we went out together but that’s not the case. My dad is a, er…polygamist of sorts and he just found out last year from her mother that she could be his daughter. So I tried getting to know her, finding out about her mom and stuff like that. I wanted to know her as a sister and friend. My dad later ordered some DNA tests and it proved he wasn’t her father but by then she had grown attached to me. I tried to keep the relationship simple but she wanted something more. I didn’t want to take advantage of her and so I called it quits. Better the whole school see me as the bad guy than tarnish her image.”

He looked at me. “And besides, my heart already belongs to another.”

“Who?” I breathed, staring like a simpleton.

He laughed gently and held my hand, “Why, you of course. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. If not that Arnold had already released you that day you came late I would have let you off the hook myself. I care a lot about you Temi and I want you to be my girlfriend.”

I caught my breath. My heart thumped so loudly in my chest I thought he would hear it. Was he really saying what he just said? He was asking me to be his girl? Me, occupying the most envious position of all the SS girls by his side?

It was a few seconds later that I realized I had been staring at him without saying anything. He smiled at me and squeezed my hand gently , then walked away. Sola and Bimpe reappeared as if by magic and started interrogating me.

“What did Prince charming want this time?” Bimpe giggled.

“Adonis.” Sola corrected.

“Same thing!” Bimpe screeched.

“Not so.” Sola said. “Adonis is the Greek god of beauty and desire. Prince charming is just…Prince charming.”

“He wants me to be his girlfriend.” I said quietly.

Both of them stopped their conversation immediately. Bimpe gasped and grabbed my arm.

“And? What did you say?” She asked.

“Nothing.” I said. “I didn’t reply.”

“Why?”

I stared at her stupidly. “Was I supposed to say something? Oh no. Should I go and apologize? Maybe that’s why he walked away, I’ve made him angry…”

Sola grabbed my shoulders hard. “You are in shock! Calm down and relax, take deep breaths.”

I followed her instructions sheepishly and then suddenly burst into laughter. Bimpe laughed along with me and Sola rolled her eyes. The Head boy had actually asked me out! Me, Temitope Richards, I was going to be the Head boy’s girlfriend! I knew a number of girls who would die with envy if they knew. I laughed and danced around with Bimpe as Sola tried to give me some ‘adult’ advice on relationships though we hardly paid her any attention. Today had turned out to be marvelous after all.

Loading 100%. Thanks for your patience

Larrysun
Sammyhoe/ Sammy hoe
Audrey Timm
Princesa
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TiffanyJ
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Divepen(thanks for the list )

This is to formerly invite the above people to my thread. You are welcome sirs and ma's. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

As usual if your name hasn't been mentioned in any of my invites please accept my apologies and feel free to comment nonetheless.
Thanks to everyone who has been following, you guys and ladies make the whole thing worthwhile. God bless.

royjerymaklin@yahoo.com

Taiye4Christ: ermm... more, please

Coming up!

mZsleeq: nice one royver. you rock!

In dbanj's voice "EEEshe!"

xplicity1: Sir, do you have the published version of this story on Amazon?

yes i do but you can also get it on okadabook.com as an app on android, or wait for the paperback which should be out soon by God's grace. Thanks!

RestroFlamez: Not trying to be the ass here , but isn't chucks powers related to the cop in GRIMM just saying,,,,
But I must say, this is classic shiit , real classic brother , I love it, @ rover

just browsed the GRIMM, amazing stuff! Honestly i've never watched it before. I'm not so surprised though, it has happened to me before. Do you know i started a novel on a half man-half vampire who used swords to defeat evil? I was a quarter way through when Blade(Wesley Snipes) came on air. The second one was an animation by indomie, I was about writing about it when the indomitables and "The Incredibles" came out. I was in a hotel room that night and was so frustrated i almost became depressed. However after talking to a friend I decided that I'll keep writing whatever pops into my head and without hesitation because hesistation used to be one of my weak points. Now i just write them out as they come without waiting for any "perfect moment".

I still have a lot of half finished stories and intend to keep reeling them out until I'm satisfied.
Thanks!

St8updiva: roy pls hw cn I get d novel

Sorrrrrrrrry, just seeing your requests, pls check okadabooks.com for the ecopy or send a private message to my email. The Paperback hardcopy will be out soon by God's grace. Thanks!

lenmafon: @royver, pls how can i get ur novels or books esp the lost pages after NL 'rapture'? 2ndly are u or do u have smbody who is a 'deliverance minister'? cos these stories explain what deliverance ministers see spiritually. nice work and more imaginative oil to ur thinking and creative tank

My novels will soon be available on Paperback by God's grace. For the ecopy, Check okadabooks.com
Thanks!

@mumz and jeffery, thanks! hope to continue by the weekend.
mzsleeq, alizenbohr; i see you

Annais: Eyaa...Arnold, I pity him o. That Dare sef seems too slick. Temi should shine her eyes o!
Royver, well done! I had to drop my foreign novel to read this...and it has never happened.
Thanks. Uhmm...when are we expecting another? Hope I don't sound greedy.

Yeah!!
Hope it wasn't a dean koontz novel though? He's my guy
Next update I'm aiming for the weekend.

lenmafon hi, pls send email to royjerymaklin@yahoo.com, my nairaland email isn't working.

We almost missed the entrance to the farm. The school authorities had planted two palm trees with a small gate in between them to mark the entrance but as we approached the palm trees were nowhere to be seen. Not even their felled husks could be traced. All that remained were two large holes in the ground where they had been uprooted and the Iron Gate which miraculously still stood in place although slightly slanted. As we entered we gasped at the destruction. Most of the trees had fallen, exposing the soft earth underneath. There were huge ridges in some places and others had bare rock as if all the soil had been eroded in an instant. The Farm shed which was a wooden house built at the entrance to hold farm equipment and ropes had completely collapsed.


“It looks as if a Landslide occurred here.” Mr. Abel said. He brought out a camera phone and snapped some pictures. Some other people followed suit.


“We are going to use some of these trees. Look around everyone; we need very tall trees so we can use them as a bridge.”


“The man thinks he is Indiana Jones, the great adventurer.” Dare whispered and I grinned even though I had no idea who Indiana Jones was.

There was no hiding the fact that Mr. Abel was thoroughly enjoying himself now. He jumped from one mound of earth to the other, snapping pictures and making comments to his fellow teachers who either nodded in appreciation or shook their head in wonderment. All around us army ants and termites moved about busily, trying to salvage what was left of their upturned nests. Mr. Abel told us to keep a sharp lookout for dangerous animals and snakes but we encountered none. All signs of animal life were gone apart from the insects and a few empty burrows.

A shout from one of the prefects brought Mr. Abel running up. They had found three large palm trees, all of the same height. If they could tie them together and drop them across the crevice, it would make a suitable bridge. Mr. Abel congratulated them and we all went to work. Well, the boys went to work and some of the girls helped but mostly the boys seemed to want to do it themselves. They removed their uniforms and sweated and groaned as they carried and positioned the trees together. Mr. Abel looked through the ruins of the farm shed and carried out some cutlasses and thick rope.


It was getting dark by the time our makeshift bridge was ready. I was beginning to get homesick, wondering what my parents and brothers would be thinking, would they have driven down to the school by now? Would it have been better to wait for them? None of the networks was still working so there was no way to contact anybody. Mr. Abel brought out some torches from the shed to provide extra light as the boys worked quickly to secure the trees tightly together. Dare had since gone to help out and Bimpe and Sola were sitting on a large boulder beside me.


“Maybe we should have waited.” Bimpe said. She was shivering slightly.


“Even if our people had come, there’s no way they would have been able to go across this divide. It would have still amounted to us coming this way in the end. “Sola said. “By the time we are over we should be able to trek to the road and get transport home.”


“Don’t worry, I’m sure the Principal would have told them we came to the farm.” I said. “If not for that small stream and the bushes I’m sure they would have driven up here by now to meet us on the other side.”


We watched as Arnold and some of the other boys carried the make-shift bridge to the edge of the crevice. They stood the trees up on end and there was momentary panic as the trees started toppling over into the crevice but it was immediately straightened by the boys. They shifted and shoved, straightened and shouted, until the trees were held in place.


Mr. Abel came forward and tried to take an estimate of the width of the crevice. He moved back and forth and for a moment it seemed as if he was going to say the trees weren't long enough. But finally he nodded.

“Oya, let it fall. Be careful o, Let it fall straight down! Straight down!”

We all held our breath as the boys holding the trees let go. It stood still for a few seconds then gently began to fall over. As it fell it gathered up speed and there was a terrible groaning noise as the trees pushed against their strains. They finally landed with a huge crash on the other side, wedged deep into the soil, with their other end firmly attached to our side of the gutter. We all cheered and Mr. Abel shook hands with the boys around him. It was an exhilarating moment,a s if we had finally been given the keys to break free from our prison.

Mr. Abel went forward to test the bridge. He stuck his foot out and climbed on top, with one of the boys holding his hand. He walked a few feet, testing the strength of the bridge with his weight, which actually wasn't much. He stamped on the bridge and it held firm.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.” He trumpeted exultantly. “This is the easy part. You are all to walk across this bridge one at a time. The bridge is wide enough but I’m not sure two people entering at the same time would be safe; all you have to do is walk across. For those of you afraid of heights I would advise that you don’t look down.”

I felt my heart skip a beat as I contemplated crossing the bridge. I wasn't quite sure if I was afraid of heights since I hadn’t been put into a situation involving heights before. I looked around to see what the others were doing. Most of the girls were fidgeting while the boys were grinning and laughing.

Arnold hadn't come to see me since. It’s not like I missed him or anything but it seemed somehow odd. I caught him on occasion glancing at us and quickly averting his eyes. I didn't quite know what to make of it. Dare on the other hand kept swaggering over to us to find out how we were doing. I was enjoying the attention, I won’t lie, but it was becoming slightly irritating.

“I’ll be the first to go across.” Mr. Abel announced amidst loud protests from one of the female teachers. “I’ll take Arnold’s suggestion and carry a rope with me. Then when I get to the other side I’ll tie it to something and throw the other end back so the next person can use it as insurance when crossing. Is that okay?”


“Yes!” Most of the girls chorused while the boys continued to laugh. Mr. Abel nodded and then set foot on the bridge.

It creaked a bit but was otherwise stable. Mr. Abel took some tentative steps, then straightened up and walked calmly across, not looking down for an instant. I admired the way he did it, making it look so easy. In a few moments he was on the other side and we were cheering and clapping for him. He gave a little bow.

“See?” He said. “Very simple. Okay, let me tie this to that tree stump over there, the rest of you prepare to come across.”

The prefects arranged us in single line, a boy followed by a girl and so on. The other teachers were to go last. Mr. Abel found a large stump of a tree and tested its strength with his foot, and then he tied the rope to it. He carefully tied a large stone to the other end of the rope and then threw it across the crevice with all his might. The stone landed a few feet near the edge on our side and one of the teachers ran forward to catch it.


The first person to walk across was Arnold. He held on to the rope and walked smartly across the bridge. Apparently fear of heights wasn’t his problem. As he got to the other side he threw the rope across the crevice for the next person. She too walked across without any problems.

One of the boys that had been laughing and jeering at the girls as they crossed began his walk, went half way, then stood still and started shouting for help! We all ran forward but couldn’t see what the problem was, apparently he had looked own and was immobilized with fear. Eventually Mr. Abel had to pull him along with the rope until he reached the other side. The girls couldn’t help laughing while the boys berated him for embarrassing them.

Soon it came to my turn. It had all seemed pretty easy for the others and I didn’t want to be an exception. I waved to Sola and Bimpe who were still waiting their turn and they waved back. I stepped on the bridge and took a few steps. Dare beckoned to me, smiling. Arnold kept looking at my feet.

I didn’t know why that bothered me so much but the more I walked the more the urge came to look at my feet. Was there something wrong with them? Why was he looking so apprehensively? In the end curiosity got the better of me and I looked down. I regretted it immediately.

The valley below me was vast! I couldn’t even see the bottom, it was so dark and the sun had nearly set. The edges were rough with torn trees, roots and very large stones and rock embedded in it. All of a sudden the bridge looked very small and unsafe, as if my weight on it would be too much, would make it break. My head swam as I fought to regain my composure but it was already a lost battle. Fear had taken a hold of me completely. I screamed and found myself falling, grabbed unto the bridge and hugged it with all my strength and letting go of the safety rope in the process. I could hear shouts from both sides of the crevice and I raised my head and saw Mr. Abel pulling up the rope swiftly. As soon as he got the end in his hand he called out to me to catch it and threw it deftly. It landed beside me but for some reason my arm wouldn’t obey my brain and let go of my death grip on the bridge. Mr. Abel yelled at me in frustration but I just couldn’t let go.

“Come on you girl, take the rope!” Mr. Abel said as he withdrew the rope and threw it again.

But I couldn’t do it. Instead I made matters worse by looking down and seeing the yawning mouth of the valley below me waiting to devour me should I let go. As I watched my mind began to play tricks on me as I saw something move along the rocky edges, way, way down just beyond the light. They seemed like huge worms or snakes but extremely big, bigger than any I had ever seen on national geographic. Smaller beings like human beings sat on the head of these huge snakes and steered them like horses. They moved in rhythm to my screams as if drawn to it. I closed my eyes tight and refused to open them again so as not to see any more horrors.

Suddenly I heard more voices as if in argument then someone running forward unto the bridge. It began to shake as our combined weight strained it and I screamed louder as I thought the bridge was about to break. And then someone grabbed a hold of my arm.

“Temi, remove your hand, remove it!”


It was Arnold. He pried my arm lose and helped me to my feet. I saw that he had tied the rope to his waist. He held my hand and started leading me across the bridge.


“Don’t look down just keep looking at me. That’s it.” He said as he led me across.


As soon as we got to the other side he let go and the others came to meet me. Mr. Abel was angry and relieved at the same time and was hurling insults even as he comforted me.


“See this stupid girl oh; you want to give us heart attack abi? Thank goodness you are alright, hope you didn’t injure anywhere…Why didn’t you grab the rope you mumu…?”


Dare grabbed my arm and drew me away from the crowd and I followed him gladly. The others were now made to tie the rope around their waist before proceeding.


“Thank goodness you are alright, you scared me back there!” Dare said and suddenly hugged me. I didn't resist. “Next time we are going together, understand? So sorry my princess.”


I said nothing. I should have been on cloud nine but I couldn't help but seek out Arnold with my eyes among the crowd. He glanced at me once but then went back to his duty post beside Mr. Abel.