My entry to supernatural writing contest by
I stopped telling people my story about the encounter I had with a ghost because they never believed, it always turned into a joke.
This happened back in high school, I went to an all girl's boarding school- federal government girls college owerri.
Back then, Rumour had it that it was once a burial ground before the British colonial masters converted it into a school. This story felt lame because.. Come on!! Made no sense. If so, What did they do to the graves that were once there? Why would they choose a burial ground when so many lands were available in the post independance era. Nobody took the rumours to heart, it was just one of those myths and legends told to the juniors to give them a little scare.
okay back to my story
I was in 10th grade (form4) senior class but I wasn't a senior because I had a "neighbour"
In boarding school, Neighbour was like another senior, higher in class than me, obviously, say 12th grade. You are entitled serve this neighbour till she graduates. You wash her dirty clothing, you make her bed, you get her meals for her from the dining hall, you polish her sandals, you fill her buckets with water. You literally do everything for her, of course except bathing her! Some even fanned their neighbours when everywhere was hot. You are basically a subject or servant and your neighbour is your queen. Failure to perform your duties diligently resulted in beatings or whips with cloth hanger.
One day, there was water scarcity and I couldn't fill her buckets, there was only one place I could fetch water and it was really far from my dorm. My little arms couldn't bear the weight of the buckets for such a large distance. So at night I fled because I was so scared of beating. I didn't sleep in my dormitory that night of course. I previously packed few things (such as a blanket to cover myself, a flashlight because the power supply in nigeria couldn't ever be trusted, my toothbrush and of course my school uniform) before I left the dorm in the evening for evening prep because I knew darn well I wasn't coming back.
At about 10pm, some of my classgirls began retreating to their various dorm rooms because night prep ends at 10pm. While i stayed back and continued studying, at that moment I felt victorious, the feel of freedom was glorious. So I Would be my own boss for once. I studied for sometime and sleep came knocking, time to wrap up my study for the day. Before I closed my eyes, I could see few of my mates sleeping so I felt relieved as I knew I won't be the only one that would spend the night in class that day
I closed my eyes and it wasn't long before I dozed up peacefully. I slept happily and I dreamt happily. Felt like the best sleep I had had in ages!!! Until an eerie sound awoke me*
I glanced frantically across the room, at that instant i realised two things: I was the only one left in the class, the others that had been sleeping had left me behind. Such cruelty! How could they? I hissed!
Another was that the power supply had been cut out and the whole class was dark!
I reached for my flashlight, couldn't find it. Searched around but NO FLASHLIGHT. Reality dawned on me all of a sudden. Someone had stolen it. The real owners of the flashlight were at it. Maybe one of the girls, no wonder they didn't wake me up, I felt betrayed at how my classgirls could steal my stuff. I didn't know what to do at that instant, no flashlight, couldn't see well. It was quite late, 1 am thus I couldn't go back to dorm by that time and also I would receive a hell of beating from my neighbour because I didn't fill her buckets up that day. I was in a dilemma, between the devil and the deep blue sea. The only option even though it sounded so lame. I had was to go back to sleep, sleep away my sorrows.
I laid my head on the desk to continue my sleep,
I drifted to sleep, my eyes were almost closing. Don't know but my eyes darted across the room to a corner close to the desks at the back of the class. I thought I saw something, no scratch that.. I actually saw something. I felt breathless at that moment. What the hell was that? A dark figure, somewhat dwarf-like was bundled in one corner of the class. Or was it animal? No it was too big to be an animal and it was too small to be a human. Couldn't totally make out what I saw. But I was darn sure there was a presence. I felt a chills creep down my spine at that instant.
Now my eyes were real wide, the thought of sleep had disappeared totally and completely. I lifted my head up and looked again to that same spot where the dark figure was. Nothing was there! Huh? I was sure I saw something there, I felt a presence in that class at that time. Nobody was there but I could feel it! I didn't think again, in a split second I took off. My brain couldn't process what just happened.
The next events that took place occured at spinal level. I still don't understand how fast I left my belongings and scampered from that class, I don't know where the boldness to go back to my dorm came from. All I know was that I found myself in my dormitory screaming and crying. I was petrified to the core. My screams woke everyone in my dorm room up, I told them about my encounter. And everyone laughed, infact I became the joke of the dorm for a very long time. They found it hilarious but I didn't find it funny at all. My neighbour didn't beat me again though, she forgave me. Nobody believed because my story sounded so fake. Just one of my dorm girls believed me though, she said she had also had a similar encounter in the past when she went to collect her keys from her locker in class.
After my experience that night, I never slept during any night prep ever again, the thought of being left behind in class scared me. The events of that night kept on playing in my head. I didn't ever walk to class or any where alone and I served my neighbour diligently from that day onwards. Problably that encounter was the universe trying to deal with me for being a bad neighbour. Karma and stuff, or probably I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Like I said previously, the story was doubted. You reading this, I know you don't believe this story too. I too wouldnt have believed it if I heard it from someone. Infact as a scientist, I had doubts in the supernatural. Ghosts, witches, wizards, mermaids, werewolves, demons. Never believed in such. But I am 101% sure of what I saw that night, it was no nightmare, I wasn't hallucinating it didn't look like an animal. Something or someone was in that class and till today I can't tell what it was.