Hell In A Cell- A Tall Tale

Revealing darkness in the light

Right there in a silhouette...
          "You know I love you, I am always having the mind of having you by my side. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Leaving you is never going to happen, even outside this walls. My beautiful morning star..." Tunde said holding Bolu hands and looking down into her eyes. Bolu smiled occasionally, sometimes resting her head on his chest.
"Everyone is not happy seeing us together, Tunde. Some teachers said my result is dropping drastically every single term. But I don't care, I don't want to leave you" She said, resting her head on his broad chest and caressing a strand of hair from his chin.”
        Now they stood stretching towards each other, eyes fixed on each other, hands holding the back of their necks, lips coming closer like two magnets. Tunde hand was already slipping towards the back of her gown, moving to the zip behind the red-check gown then I coughed. I had been at the doorway all those while but I had been unnoticed to them because they were lost in their conversation.
        "Sorry for disturbing your romantic physical explorations guys, but none of you has done your duties and search teams are opening every doors in this building in search of you both. Is either you both get down there to do your duties now or you wouldn't mind me telling what I just saw to the hostel master, and worse would happen if it ever happens again." I said waiting for the next action they would take. Bolu left, leaving Tunde and I in the deserted classroom with posters of names of animals, alphabetical letters and Numbers with cardboards of different drawings on the walls and on the other left side of the class were projects done by the kids. The class seemed to be for kids in the nursery.
"Thanks bro" Tunde said showing his big white incisors.
"Keep this last help to yourself man, it wouldn't happen again, trust me." I said, walking out of the opened aluminum door.
                                                                     ***
Some hours later  in the hostel..
“Science students, Mr Owo ( shortened from the name Owolabi) said he would be here for a class before ten. Get prepared". The hostel master yelled.
“And to you the hostel prefect...” he said staring at me intensely. I thought he wanted to talk about the previous event of the day. I became scared almost quivering but hiding it behind fixed eyes.
"I need the hostel keys in the next 30mins and everyone else should get ready for prep!" He said then afterwards, walked towards the bookstore to prepare some accounting.

                                                                ***
          "Countdown from 1 to 10, once I get to ten I would lock you in the hostel,1,2,3,4,5..."   Miss B threatened and the ladies rushed out like ants seeing sugar. Some were about zipping-up their yellow-white check gown while some were about to comb their wet tangled hair. Most hadn't even brushed their teeth!
           The boys were already outside, raving around like pack of wolves. You could clearly see everyone holding their plates, cups and spoons with some books to read. Some even kept novels and snacks in their trousers in case reading goes south. The dining room was crowded, hullabaloo made at its peak. The girls were complaining about their hostel mistress, saying she is no way as kindhearted like the hostel master. Some of them made jest of her calling her funny names like Mama, big-baff etc.

         Since breakfast wasn’t ready yet, we guys sat in the dining room, hitting the tables and singing different songs we all knew or overheard when we last went home after which the long expected meal arrived. The aroma of hot Akara and fresh boiled pap filled the room, making everyone salivate as they raced to the serving tables to drop their plates.
                                                                    ***
         After eating the prep started, everyone looked focused on what they were doing even those making love through paper chats. I wanted to use this hour to understand what this law of diminishing returns in Economics truly was. I kept reading in between the lines, trying to create imagery of it but nothing came through. I looked up again and saw everyone doing one thing or the other contrary to reading. The funniest thing about it was, they weren't saying a word! Tunde was gazing at Bolu's eyes and they exchanged glances and short smiles occasionally. Tade was looking so focused on what he was writing as if his destiny based on it, but I understood his plight, he just asked another girl out and she gave him a straight NO. I started watching sequences of the movement of the papers. Tade's own to be precise. Damil was his messenger while Tunde used Seyi the stutterer as his.
        Messengers were usually tipped with some cash after prep or some quantities of provs for their diligent work done. Paper slips were passed either in form of balls or as notes hidden between a textbook. The activity were gradually entering its climax without anyone noticing the roving eyes of Miss B.
        She also had been following the destinations of each papers been passed, taking her eyes off when necessary. Bola slipped a note in between her Chemistry textbook, she then pretended the book fell down and Damil picked it up, trying to make it look like he was assisting while she said she was even about returning it to Tade that he should please do so for her. Miss B got the trick been played there and smiled to herself.
Damil stood up, shifting his plastic chair backwards, walking slowly, pretending he is not at ease to drop it. He dropped it beside Tade, who looked away as though unaware of the book placed beside him. He kept his eyes fixed on his pretentious reading for about 3mins and kept dipping his pen in the hollow of his mouth. He dragged the note to his side and then opened it in style, removing the note while staring at Miss B to know if she was watching. Miss B on the other hand, wanted to catch the bull by the horn so she kept her eyes fixed on the screen of her Nokia Asha 200, acting as if she knew nothing was happening. She tapped the bottoms of the phone pretending to be chatting.
       Tade read the letter and smiled, the letter read, "Why do those other guys call you Anaconda? Hope it isn't about any characteristics of a male?" Tade picked up his pen and wrote in the next blank line "Probably it is just what you are thinking, and…"

     The room started to get colder, even with the blazing hot sun shining over planet Earth. The coldness was becoming like harmattan in a thick forest. Silence in the room was worse than a graveyard, eyes were staring at Tade, trying to at least pass a message to him, but Tade was engulfed in his writing that he didn't bother looking up, not even to view an immerse shadow at the side of his sit. Alas! She was just right behind him!