Must Read: Shadows

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: Shadows

Lanre: So…you’re saying everyone is okay?? Where is Kamoru

Emma: Hahaha… Kamoru? Look up!
He looked up and there he was, Kamoru sat high up a tree branch, holding the leaves and twisting them left and right.

Lanre: Kamoru! Kini en se lori igi? (What are you doing on a tree)

Kamoru: Igi ke? Mo n wa balun ni o….. Mo fe lo si Amorika ( This is not a tree. I’m flying a plane, going to America)

The rest of the class laughed real hard. Lanre gave a smile too… so everything was alright after all…. everyone was alive, no deaths, no shadows. He had a scary dream because he ate marijuana with Jollof rice.

Emma: But Lanre! What happened? You didn’t act up like the rest of us, you only slept off. Did you dream about anything?

Lanre: I dreamt the Class rep is trying to hurt us… that’s why he organized this camp.

Class rep: (shocked) me? Hurt you? The camp was never my idea. It was Emma’s idea. So i didn’t come here to hurt anyone.

Lanre: But…but… John and Shade, you guys came here planning to have s*x…yes…yes… Shade is a virgin….that’s what i saw…

John: Hahaha…. There was no plan like that….. Shade! Virgin? … If Shade is a virgin then my Mother is also a virgin.. hahahaha.

Lanre: i saw….

Daniel: (cuts in) you saw nothing bro! I know what i gave you guys! It was a mixture of different kinds of weeds…nothing you saw happened, you were just high in your sleep Man! Hahaaha.

Lanre went ahead to narrate the whole dream to them, not leaving out any details, their faces were grim and they were in shock.

It was truly a horror flick for them. The girls wrapped themselves around in the arms of the guys and the hairs on everyone’s skin rose up as the narration of Lanre’s dream got scarier.

By the time he was done, everyone was quiet, no one said a word until Emma broke the silence.

Emma: (clears throat)… so… me. i sha kuku did not die… okay no problem then.

The rest of the Class raised their voices in protest and soon their fears turned into laughter as everyone joked about the dream.
Daniel: Hehehe… you said me i committed suicide because of a girl? Impossibility cannot be possible o jare.

Emma: Hahaha… you mean you’ll rather “Kill yourself than commit suicide”??

The whole class laughed. Teasing about their individual deaths. Some were acting it out, pretending to fall dead as the whole class roar in laughter.

Lanre was absolutely relieved it was all a dream after all. He walked over to Mary and held her hands, looking straight into her eyes with a smile on his face.

Lanre: Babe, i love you so much i can’t even begin to imagine what I’ll do without you.

Mary: I love you too Lanre. You make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Even while everyone was high and doing crazy things, you were still worrying about me. I hope you’re ready to take care of me ’cause I’m not leaving you for any reason.

Lanre: hahaha… what if i don’t become rich.

Mary: I’ll work by your side and we’ll make money.

Lanre: What if something happens to my fine face?

Mary: You’re beautiful inside honey… your outter beauty is nothing compared to how handsome your spirit, soul and mind is. I won’t leave you.

Lanre: awww… what if a fine and very rich billionaire ask you out?

Mary: Haa… Me I’m a correct Naija lady o… i will say yes to him fast fast…

Lanre: Haaaaaa

Mary: Ehn…. so i can collect his money then you and I can help him blow the money together …or what do you think.

Lanre: great idea…. but he mustn’t touch you o.

Mary: Touch? I’ll give him one handshake every two weeks.

Lanre: Haahaha… but what if a beautiful rich girl ask me out nko? Will i get close to her and collect the money so i can spend it on you?

Mary: Haa…rara o…abeg…no no no. We won’t play with that one o. If a beautiful rich girl ask you out, run to me quick so you and i can discuss how to block her or corner her in one dark alley and beat her up…shey you hear me so?

Lanre: Hahah… okay love. That’s a deal.

Mary: Hahaha… Lanre.. I love you so much…

Lanre: ..and i love you so much more, Mary.

They kissed….

Timothy: Halimat… how come you didn’t do anything crazy, you ate the rice too na.

Halimat: Alhamdullilah… all praise be to Allah.

Uche: You are telling me Allah stopped you from getting high.

Halimat: Hahaha… well I prayed that he should protect me from all and every sin. If i got high, i might have done something bad to offend Allah… so yes he must helped me from getting high..

Timothy… Haa…rara o. Me i won’t worship any God that wouldn’t even allow me to get high on weed…that’s unfair.. no be hin create am?

Everyone laughed.

Halimat: Allah will always protect his own.

Helen: Why didn’t he protect me so i will still remain a virgin by now.

Halimat: He must have warned you before you did it. He won’t force you not to sin but he’ll always tell you not to.

Daniel: Mehn…. I want to marry halimat o.

Timothy / Uche: Me too!!

Class rep: Haha…let all of us kuku marry Halimat then.

Laughter…..

Emma looked around and saw Moji sitting alone by the tent. He approached her.

Emma: Hello Moji.

Moji: Emma what’s up?

Emma: Nothing… i was just thinking about Lanre’s dream ni. How you and I were perfect couple there.

Moji: Hahaha… We didn’t date in the dream ooooo

Emma: Really? I thought i heard him say we dated, then got married, we had 6 children all boys and you love me like mad! That’s what i heard o

Moji: Hahahaha… Emma o. You’re so not serious.

Emma: But for real… i wish that part of the story come to pass. I know I’m a crazy guy and always tease people and also a jester but every beast needs a beauty to always keep him in check and i think you Moji, are the beauty to my beast.

Moji: uhmmm…wow.. really? I mean wow… are you asking me out right now?

Emma: Ehn ehn…I’m teaching you how to ride bicycle ni.

Moji: Seriously? You’ll still yab me while asking me out shey?

Emma: Hahaha… you know that’s a part of me. I don’t promise to be the best guy in the world but i definitely will treat you like you’re the best girl in the world.

Moji: I have only one question for you.

Emma: Ask….

Moji: What took you so long? And why now?

Emma: I needed to be sure what i feel for you and why now? Looks like the stupid Emma in the dream lost his chance with you but me i won’t make the same mistake. I won’t go one more hour before telling you i want you.

Moji: hmmm… I’ve always liked you too.

Emma: Yes yes! I knew it. You always wink at me in class! Giving me faces…

Moji: Hahaha… me ke? No o lai lai.

Emma: you’ll now be using scope. I caught u. Hahahaha

Moji: Gosh… looks like I’m gon have a naughty boyfriend.

Emma: Yea o… can i kiss you now?

Moji: Ehn ehn… Kukuma come and remove my clothes and do it…

Emma: Haa… that’s even better. Oya sharp sharp.

Moji: Hahaha.. yeye boy. You’re so crazy. Let me go and help Temmy with the plates…see you around soon……Boyfriend!

Emma: ooohhh… ma head is swelling.

Moji: Hahaha… ehn ehn… please collect the plate Lanre ate with for me .

Emma: Moji….wait!! Temmy added the stuff in the jollof rice after she saw Daniel abi?

Moji: Yes…. why?

Emma.: emmm… nothing. See you.

Emma walked off and started shaking his head and looking at his watch, trying to make sense of something.

He looked around.

He kept thinking, raising his fingers in the air, calculating.

Mary: Emma… are you okay?

Emma: Yes yes…..yes. i have a question for you….. emm… did you collect Lanre’s rice from Temmy and Moji before Temmy went to see Daniel?

Mary: Yes!

Emma: F@#k!!!

Mary: Why? What’s wrong?

Emma: Emm emm… nothing. Where is Lanre.

Mary: he’s over there.

Emma walked as fast as he could towards Lanre, jerking his friend up and pacing up and down around him.

Lanre: Emma…. what is it?

Emma: You say your dream always come to pass right?

Lanre: yes yes… especially when it involves someone dying.

Emma: Gosh Man! Your dream man…

Lanre: My dream?? But you said i was high on something.

Emma: No Lanre…. No! You weren’t high on nothing…. No… it was a dream Lanre. It was.

Lanre: What are you talking about?

Emma: Picture this…. you told me to tell Mary you’re Hungry before she met Daniel on her way to get your food, yea…Daniel asked her to call Temmy, Temmy dished your food and handed Mary your jollof rice after which Temmy met with Daniel who handed her the substance she put in the pot of jollof rice.

Lanre: Damn! The rice i ate was served before the weed was added. So i was not…

Emma: …not high!! Your dream was actually a dream and it wasn’t the weed bro!

Lanre: We should tell the others.

Emma: We can’t! If we do, everyone might panic and run off….just like in your dream.

Lanre: That’s true. So what do we do?

Emma: We’ll do the only thing we can do right now. We wait!

Lanre: So we wait and hope my dream doesn’t come to pass.

Emma: Hope…. that’s all we can do right now.
Lanre sighed, sq££zed his head between his hands. He rubs his palms and blows air through his mouth. They both became sweaty…. But one thing they know is that their worst fear may or may not come to pass.

Lanre looked up and behind a tree, he saw what looks like a shadow, a rubs his eyes and looked again.

Lanre: Emma… look… look.

Emma: what?

But when Lanre looked again, the shadow was gone. He kept looking, closed his eyes shut, opened it but still he saw nothing like a shadow.

Emma: What did you see?

Lanre: I think i saw the Shadow (sighs) but I’m not sure.

Emma: (sighssss) So your dream may or may not come to pass… we may or may not die here but we don’t know for sure…. hahaha… I guess we’re so f@#ked!!

They both stood still turning their heads and looking all around them. Moji and Mary were moving close to them with smiles on their faces.
…and that’s when they heard it…. turning their heads in the direction it came from….. they looked at one another with their hearts beating faster and louder…. what they heard was loud and long. …..
…..and It was a girl screaming…….

THE END…