School Of Horrors

Hide and seek

Fridays were always exciting and exceptional for students at Jill and Jack high school, its bubbly and cheerful air starting at the dawn of the day. For Deji it meant the arrival of a break in school activities, and as short as the break would be , just the thought of it was relieving for him.

Deji was a shy,  a smallish Jss1 student, top in his class but dreaded his teachers. To Deji teachers were monsters in pants and high skirts with a great liking for torture . He would rarely answer questions and only speak when called upon by his teachers.

Deji was very outspoken among his small group of friends and his fun on Fridays always began after closing hours; sorrounded by his friends in his classroom, chatting loudly about cartoons and the latest action movies. He loved local games and would always look forward to playing it with his friends.

Whenever Deji was in trouble with the school bullies he would run into the arms of one of the school's cleaners, the only solace he had at school. She cared for him and would always look out for him . She  had a comforting smile on her face and a pack of biscuits or snacks to appease his whimpering mouth. To Deji she was like a mother,the one he had lost when he was birthed.

She always had stories to tell during their walks home and sometimes when her smile would fade Deji would crack a joke to get her out of deep sad thoughts. His friends would tease him a lot and call him " The Cleaner's son" but it never really bothered him.
Knowing he had someone to comfort him, Deji was never really afraid of his bullies,he knew she would always be there clutching her rosary and watching him closely. His only fear was losing her , a thought he never entertained for long.

His school life seemed to be going pretty well till one day.

It was another Friday and Deji felt something had to be special about it but the eerie feeling that came with the morning kept his mind off the thought. He was apprehensive about attending school that day but his father was strict and would not condole a day of absence from school. Deji thought of many excuses to not go to school that day but he knew his father wasn't one to give ear to excuses so he had no other choice but to leave for school.

The feeling seemed to get worse as he got to school and he could feel everyone's gaze as he stepped into his class. Light sweat soon broke out across his forehead as he took his seat. One of his friends, Femi, sitting behind him tapped him softly, a worried look on his face.
" Deji don't look back, just listen" , he whispered nervously.
Deji just as nervous whispered as well.
" What is it? What happened?
Femi leaned closer.
"It's the cleaner"
Deji's heart pounded.
But before Femi could say more the form teacher walked in with her usual mean face.

Deji could barely hold himself together through out his classes and at every chime of the school bell his hands would go cold and his feet stiff from fear.

The bell soon rang for the last time announcing the end of school activities.

Deji immediately rushed to Femi shaking him frantically.
"What happened to her?"
The class was suddenly quiet . Deji looked around him.
His classmates we're slowly clustering around him.
Their faces blank and frightening.
He swallowed hard, sweat tickling down his forehead.
They pointed up and Femi mouthed slowly
" Your school mummy is at the rooftop!"

It was the fastest he had ever ran. He wasn't scared of tripping and falling to his death , all he cared for was her. He hit the door to the rooftop as hard as he could only stopping to catch his breath when he was on the rooftop.

" Ms Davidson!" , He screamed amidst heavy breaths .

There was no response.

His eyes began to water.  He walked cautiously across the wet ground , surveying the area.

It was an open space , if she was hiding  somewhere he would certainly see her.

He searched every corner notwithstanding, his mind slowly going wild.

It could possibly be a prank..but just how crazy would my classmates be to come up with a such an extreme prank.

He stopped at the edge of the rooftop,his mind daring him to look down. He did in fact look down relieved later to know her dead body wasn't lying feets below. He sighed, he hated pranks and if this was one they would pay dearly.

He turned to leave but then the sudden scream
' Happy birthday! ' made him jolt backwards.
He slipped and fell off the roof.

The first sounds that welcomed Ms Davidson as she stepped out of the bathroom were the screams of students  rushing out and back into their classrooms. She brushed it off .
It was Friday, there was always this much excitement.
She adjusted her clothes and headed for Deji's class holding a gift not forgetting to smile amidst her worries .

He was standing close to the wall ,his face in his palms.
"Deji.... Happy birthday !"  She chirped as she walked into his class. The class was unusually cold.

Deji was quiet and stood still. She moved closer not sure what to think.
" Deji..... happy birthday  I got you something really special" she tapped him softly , excitement filling her up. But the excitement soon faded as Deji swirled around revealing his disfigured face.
She recoiled in fear.
" Deji...." She could barely hear her own voice as her eyes gradually filled up with tears .
" I fell" he whispered softly
" You fell..." The room was getting colder.
He moved closer but Ms Davidson dared not move back.
"Yes mummy,I fell from the rooftop and you weren't there"
" Deji.."
He made to smile but then an eye popped out frightenening Ms Davidson even more.
She sobbed .
He held her hand  and she shivered.
His body was cold and there was an awful smell around him.

No matter how she tried she could barely make out words and her apology only came as a whisper.
The feeling of regret was more overwhelming than the fear of what he could possibly do to her.

He let her go all of a sudden and moved towards the door, his feet barely touching the floor.
" Please Deji , don't leave too" she cried out.
He looked back at her , he had no words nor emotion to share and it only broke her  more.
He stood at the passage . The game was about to begin, it was the least of his favorites but he knew he would love it . He called out loudly
"Here I come" clearly amused .

Ms Davidson looked out of the class window. She could see the gate from where she stood. There was a crowd of people at the gate most of which where parents . They were struggling to break down the gate hitting it  with all they had but it would not budge.
” it probably won't open till the game is over” she  summarized.

She wiped of  the tears on her cheeks and remembered Deji.
He was a perfect copy of her daughter . Those bright hazelnut eyes ,she could never miss them. The cheerfulness and excitement even in death they were still there. He was a constant reminder that years ago she had also failed the one she had loved.
She walked into the hallway. She could hear the children whimpering trying as hard to be quiet .
They were lucky he wasn't vengeful he just wanted to play but just didn't know a subtle way to go about it.

He would go from class to class hitting doors till he was in . Some students didn't have the courage to stay quiet for too long so they  themselves out of windows before he got to them first. But this didn't deter Deji he kept playing the game till he was certain he had searched the whole building. When he was done he would mark each building with a satisfied smiled.
Me Davidson watched him quietly from the rooftop.

" Deji.."  she called out softly.
And in a few minutes he was by her side clutching her hands.
She looked at him and he held her gaze.
She had looked at her daughter just the same but the only feeling she had felt then was disappointment .
Amara had a mind of her own and most times she could barely miss the atheism in her daughters thoughts and mannerisms. But Ms Davidson had gotten used to it till Amara came back from school pregnant one day, determined to terminate it . Amara was insistent and would not go back on her words.
Abortion was a topic Ms Davidson dreaded so when she could properly investigate the matter she let the hate take over and watched as Amara walked out of her door never looking back, like she had seen it coming.

She broke down in tears. She probably wasn't fit to be called a mother but what was she supposed to do.  She stood on the edge of the rooftop . The view of ground below was mesmerizing but not frightening. She reached out to Deji and he followed suit.
Maybe in another life she would be with the one she loved the most, a perfection of her previous self.