Bimpe was a two hundred level student in the University of Awolowo. She was a bit nonchalant about many things and didn’t like the idea of being too strict about many things. She relished the notion of ease and felt like the uni was just the place to take a break from her over strict parents who emphasised rightness of conduct in everything and at every time. On one of her first days in the uni, she bought a chilled can of malt, emptied it down her parched throat and thought of disposing the can properly as her parents would always emphasise, but at the remembrance of the fact that she was now free, she tossed the can right out of the window, as far as she could. Her roommate in shock said, “why would you do that? Now look, that is a graveyard you just tossed your can into.”
The thought that she had thrown a can into a graveyard filled her with remorse and terror as she never knew it was a graveyard before. As she gaped out of the window confused why they would build a hostel so close to the graveyard, calm breeze from the window blew on her face. It’s common to experience such breeze when you have a window facing an open field, but it only increased her terror. However, she shrugged it off thinking it’s not her fault anyways, it’s the fault of those who would be so dumb enough to build a hostel near a graveyard. With such a mindset it seemed it would take a long while before she would see why it is always good to see the importance of rightness of conduct at all times and in every place.
She did quite well in her academics in her first year except for two courses, and she knew she had to sit up if she wanted to graduate with better grades. To help improve on her grades she tried to develop a new reading habit ensuring that, after returning from lectures, she ate, rested, did some chores if any were required, and then got ready to go to the vacant lecture halls to read before coming back home and retiring for the night.
In those days new students were admitted into two hundred level of various departments of the university. They were students who came in through the remedial program and didn’t need to go through hundred level first. This introduced new faces to their department.
One day, as she went to the lecture halls to read, she met this bright-faced, nerdy, tall and slender girl who introduced herself as Monica. It was absolutely natural for a nerd to be slender, but what was not so natural was that, apart from her cheerful face, she was the very rough type and it was obvious that she was someone who spent a considerable amount of time in the gym. Or maybe not the gym, maybe just doing a lot of manual works. What however attracted Bimpe the most was her impeccable English. This alone made up for the strangeness she perceived in this stranger. Bimpe was now keen about making new intellectual friends who would help her improve on her studies, and she thought nothing shows meticulousness in studies as much as the impeccableness of ones language. Bimpe therefore saw this stranger as a great person to make friends with. So asking if she was going to the lecture hall to read they decided to go read together.
While on the way they discussed about their past life and Bimpe found Monica’s stories very intriguing. When they got to the lecture hall it was about 8:00pm as she had a considerable amount of chores to do before coming out to read. There were other students in the hall, some reading alone and others reading in small groups. Slight mumbles could be heard here and there but not loud enough to disturb the serenity needed for study. The plan was to read for about three hours then return back to the hostel for the night.
In the lecture hall however, the discussion about Monica’s past continued and it was so amazing learning of all that she’s been through. The thought that their purpose for coming to the lecture hall to read was being defeated by this endless episodes of stories came to Bimpe’s mind, but she thought she’d just let it be for this first day of meeting her new stranger friend.
They discussed for a long time and her face beamed as she listened to Monica narrate everything. Monica on her part appeared very gratified to see Bimpe’s keen interest in what she had to say. As time drew on however, Monica’s face gradually lost its cheerfulness and a sinister seriousness covered her face. She blinked less and her eyes were now more fixed on Bimpe, looking her directly in the eyes. Bimpe couldn’t really understand what the sudden change was all about. Monica now seemed entirely transformed as she now saw the perfect harmony between the new sinister face on her and the rough girl, unlike the contradiction of a gentle cheerful face on a rough girl.
It was that moment she glanced around and realised that everyone else had gone home and there was no sign of any other human life in sight. Outside the hall was pitch black due to power outage. The closest sight and sound of human life was the light and sound of a generator coming faintly from a residential building about half a mile away. The loud croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets were all the sounds of life around. She pressed her phone, peeped at it and realised it was already 1:00am. She was left alone with this stranger whose muscles and height now intimidated her. Her heart began to raise.
In the midst of her story, Monica gave a mischievous grin indicating she understood the terrors of Bimpe’s mind. Then in a careless tone of voice she said, “you know, it’s not good to throw things on people’s graves.” Bimpe was surprised about this statement and it gave her the notion that her bad attitude, for which she now felt remorse, had secretly spread like wildfire that even a girl who wasn’t there at the time now knew her error. Did her friends betray her so badly as to spread such gossips about her or did this girl know by some other means? It was very unlike her friends to carry such petty stories about. The thought of these things made her feel betrayed. But this pain of betrayal only aggravated her present distress. Then leaning slowly forward to the terror stricken Bimpe, Monica with her mischievous grin said, “anyways, back to our story, this is the very interesting part of my life of how I died.”
—The End—
Morals:
1-Mind who you hang out with
2-Don’t dispose trash indiscriminately, a dead person with impeccable English may seek admission in your school, or employment in your place of work just to get revenge.
