GRACE KLUBI

DIARY OF A COLLEGE GIRL:

WHEN EVIL LURKS

EPISODE 1

As I stood there transfixed in whatever trance she had put me in, I was suddenly piecing the happenings together.
Anne had always preferred to eat with Mari and me rather than eat alone.
I remembered my dad’s warning when I was coming to the university for the first time last semester:
“Abokoma, don’t eat with anyone. If they want some of your food just leave it for them.”

I felt sad. If my dad had been alive, he would have probably repeated the warning this semester. Mummy was really busy, understandably and the sudden shift from being a housewife to having to run a multinational company gave her little time to call me of late.
I also recalled the day Anne fetched water for me, the sandy substance at the base. It seemed to sparkle, like crystals. Recalling all these things brought tears to my eyes.
I couldn’t be an occultist!

My father had faith in me, and he used to call me a woman of God. He said it was only a matter of time before I received my calling to be a pastor. How was I going to be an occultist pastor?
Anne’s voice snapped me out of my reveries.
“I’m done with the first stage of the initiation,” she droned in a sing-song voice.
I simply stared at her because I knew I was in my right senses and didn’t feel any different. She continued:
“You might think nothing is happening because you are not drawn to me like Mari. Well, Mari is at the second stage, and your second stage will be tomorrow, Thursday. Friday will be the final initiation where you both will get to meet the rest of the sisterhood.”

“Anne,” I began.
“Silence!” she immediately commanded.
She chanted a few more words and dipped her middle finger into the pot of reddish substance. And then she used the finger to draw a line from my forehead to my chin.
“You have been marked for the sisterhood of the Ibi,” she said, her voice a screech from the sewers. “After leaving this house, all memories of these moments would be gone.”
Transfixed, I turned around and walked like a sort of disoriented zombie robot to the living room and sat down on the couch.

I woke up in my room.
Mari was lying on her bed.
I sat up in confusion and tapped the top bunk.
“Nana Yaa!” I called out. “Are you there?”
She grunted in her sleep and became silent again. I decided not to disturb her.
“What happened last night?” I asked myself.
I remembered going to Anne’s and us leaving to her aunt’s to get Mari but afterwards, everything was unclear. So, I decided to call Anne to find out.
I picked up my phone and dialled her number.

It rang severally with no answer. I dialled again and pressed the call button. Her voice came out groggily from the phone.
“Hello. Princess. Why are you calling me at dawn?”
“I’m so sorry Anne, but I wanted to find out what happened last night. I can’t seem to remember anything.”
“Ah. Are you serious? How come?” she asked, sounding apprehensive. “I don’t know oo. Okay. We got there, we had a few drinks, and we came back. The drinks weren’t alcoholic too so I don’t know why you can’t remember.”

“Oh alright. Thank you, and I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.”
I opened the web browser on my phone and googled “overnight memory loss”.

Knowing well that looking up symptoms on google had a way of making one feel like they were in grave danger, I scanned all the serious diseases and pushed them out of my thoughts.
I got to a passage that read:
‘Your memory and emotions are closely connected. Depression, stress, or anxiety can affect your focus. When you can’t focus, you can’t remember very well. If you feel sad or have lost interest in things you once enjoyed, see a mental health professional to get treated. Antidepressants and talk therapy can help with depression.’

I wondered if somehow, my heart hadn’t gotten used to the idea of my father’s passing and I was sinking into a depression.
I scanned over the next paragraph which read:
‘Too little vitamin B12 in your diet can also affect your memory. This nutrient helps your body use energy from food, and it protects nerve cells so you can think clearly. Your body doesn’t make vitamin B12. You get it from foods such as meat, fish, milk, cheese, and eggs. Some vegans might not get enough vitamin B12 from diet alone. If you’re low in this vitamin, ask your doctor about taking a supplement.’

This makes sense, I thought.
I was probably deficient in several vitamins since my mother and I had barely eaten throughout the death and burial of my father. I made a mental note to get some supplements and also ask my mother to do same. And then I drifted back into sleep content that I wasn’t getting some kind of heinous disease.
My eyes opened and the room was bright with sunlight.
I sat up instantly and panicked. I had overslept. Quickly I picked up my phone and checked the time – 1:45pm.
“Oh no…” I groaned.
I had a class at 1 p.m. and I hadn’t even had my bath yet.

So, I decided to just wash my face and rush down to the class since that particular lecturer always gave quizzes at the end of every class to test our understanding of the day’s lesson.
I got up from the bed and was about leaving the room when my phone rang. I glanced at the phone to see who was calling. It was my course mate. I picked up and her voice came through.
“Yo, Cherie, don’t bother coming. The class is cancelled.”
I thanked her and hung up.
I felt relieved.
It was my only class for the day and I was free for tomorrow because the faculty lecturers were having a meeting and all first year classes were cancelled.

That meant my weekend had begun. I decided to wash a few things before I had my bath. As I washed, I kept thinking about the previous night’s situation.
It was very much unlike me to be so forgetful.
My parents had always said that I had a very sharp brain and an excellent memory. Right from childhood, it took me less than half the amount of time it took other children to memorize things so I was almost always cast as the main actor in the children plays.
I tried to mentally retrace my steps.

Indeed, I was curious about the whereabouts of Mari. I went to Anne’s. She was hostile at first, then she asked me to go with her to her aunt’s place. We sat in the uber. The house was huge and I was impressed. After that…. I couldn’t remember.
Suddenly, the picture of a shrine flashed through my mind.

My Name is Grace Klubi

An old student of Achimota School (Akora), currently studying Computer Science at Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology (KNUST).

I love to write and sing as hobbies. I enjoy writing, and I have a vivid imagination of what life could be like if it were perfect.