CHASING MARWA

57-GRACE TO GRASS

OMNISCIENT

In Kano state women's penitentiary, several females, dressed in a bright orange uniform with their nameplates and identity number imprinted in bold black ink on the back of the jacket were carrying out different duties. Some were cooking, others were cleaning and the rest were left to weed the garden.

Amongst them, a meek lady silently sat on the old rickety bench that made sounds with every slight movement of hers. She has just rounded up her work which was the hardest, washing twenty toilets and doing the dishes of three-hundred plus women.

"Hey you pompous child, come and chop the onions. We can't be working while you keep eating." A medieval shouted with disdain evident in her voice.

The work she does in the penitentiary makes her have sleepless nights and exhausting days, she was close to collapsing. Her once voluptuous figure is nowhere to be found, she's in her early twenties and yet, she looks thrice her age. Her shoulder-length hair has been completely shaved off so she covers her bald with a black beanie. If not for the good Samaritan that sent the antidote to her a week back, her skin would've been ruined beyond recognition.

Nightmares are her closest friends now. She has regretted her bad deeds to a point that all her emotions have been numbed, her eyes were hollow and depleted. The only difference between her and a ghost is the malnourished and dehydrated body she possesses.

"Okay senior." She stood up and weakly made her way to the kitchen. There was a huge basket of small onions waiting for her, this place taught her the real definition of chores, no one is being fair to her, not that she could speak. All they do is bully her without sympathy, and that was only because of her identity and the horrible things she did.

The first day when she was brought here, she knew that her past life had become history. Gone are the days when she sleeps on a king-sized bed without a worry in the world, now, she has been deprived of the blanket she was given when she came here, they made her an object of mockery and vent their frustration on her whenever they feel like.

Suddenly, the blaring sound of sirens made everyone halt. They started talking in hushed whispers because from the sound, they knew it wasn't a new prison member, the sirens were too loud with an extra sense of importance and luxury. The lady ignored that and proceeded to work on her assigned task. She was once treated like that, with sirens and guards so she knows who that belongs to but what have they come here to do?

"Weak brat, do you know who it is?" The medieval spoke again.

"She must know, she's the genius of all time after all." Another woman, slightly older than the first chirped and the people around laughed.

"Yes! Tell us." Someone from the crowd cheered.

"Tell us."

"Tell us."

"Tell us."

Soon after, it turned into a chorus before they started throwing all sorts of objects at her while she used her arms to shield herself from getting hurt. Just when she assumed she has been numbed to all emotions, the thought of her parents crossed her mind and tears welled up in her eyes. Had it been they didn't do all those horrible things, would they have been alive and healthy now? Would she still be the governor's daughter and SIB's top model?

"Stop it, all of you." The warden walked in and shouted, in a matter of seconds, the place became pin-drop silent. Her facial expression looked like she had seen a ghost as she went to touch the victim with trembling hands.