Ghost Of The Desert

Salty And Warm

I kept watching the palm tree as the wind wrestled with its unsettling fonts. This is a clear sign the rains would soon visit. The clouds were there but scanty and lazy. This is enough omen to expect a storm. The kids' gaggles could be heard as we awaited their break period to end. Only half had come to school. The continuous rumours of an attack or kidnap had caused this. We knew we weren't safe but putting on a smile kept the pupils happy and confident. Miss Mary, about 18 years, would occasionally clap and cheer them.

I sat with Ade as we watched vigilantly around the premises and made sure safety was with us.
"These ones no even know wetin dey," Ade said. The pretence in his smiles was obvious to me but enough to encourage the pupils.
"This isn't the service I planned to have". I replied. The flash of my mum came to my mind. "My mum will faint if she knows I'm in one northern village school that may be attacked at any moment."

"Bros, the thing tire me oo". Ade agreed. "Na only me be the only son for my mama oo. This is not what I bargained for." he removed his cap as he looked at the palm tree. It's evident the wind had increased and the clouds are becoming aggressive. "Omo is like this rain means business today. Cloud is forming real quick."
The roofs above us had begun to shake a little as the wind increased. The winds had become cooler but the sun only increased in intensity.

"The sun no gree am. See as it's getting strong even with the wind," I observed. I stood up and had a stretch lifting my hands and mouthful of a yawn. "Abeg, it should wait o. Let school close before it starts. I don't want to be trapped here. I'm no Indiana Jones o," I added.

Immediately the smiles on Ade's face dimmed. I'm certain he heard what I heard. He looked at me and quickly stood up. He went close to the window and looked far east following the sound's direction.

"Is that thunder?" he wondered.
The second sound gave him the answer. It wasn't thunder. It was a sound of a gun and this time around even the school pupils heard it.

The headmaster, about 45 years or so, came out from his office and quickly approached us.
"Corpers, I heard gunshots. We have to close up. I think it's still far but we need to close up."

"Sir, I thought the local vigilantes were meant to be here by now," Ade said. The fear on his face was as real as the fear on the pupils. The only one who appeared calm was Miss Mary, unexpectedly. She gathered the pupils around and made sure they had gathered all their belongings. She kept on smiling, a failed gesture to reassure the kids that all was well.

The sound came once more but this time it was closer and louder. The headmaster immediately ordered us all to enter the only classroom in the school, which happened to be dilapidated. He told us to lie on the floor in the centre of the room. We all did as he said not thinking whether he made sense or not. At this time some of the pupils had started crying.

We could hear approaching voices and steps towards the classroom. The chanting had become clear 'Allah Hu Akbar' accompanied with multiple gunshots. The whole of my body shook. A thousand and one words wouldn't have been enough to describe my confusion. I had thought to remain in the classroom. I had thought to run out. I had thought to scream. I had thought of acting dead or fainted. And this was all in half a second. I could hear Ade whispering 'Jesus' repeatedly as the gunshots continued to rain. At this point, almost all the kids had started crying. The headmaster started screaming in Hausa. I guess he wanted to intervene in any way possible. He slowly stood up with his hands raised.
"What is he saying?" I asked
"Don Allah kar a harba" Miss Mary softly voiced what the headmaster repeatedly said.
"It means do not shoot" she interpreted. Her voice had become dry but in all this scenario, she appeared calm and confident.
"Yes! Please do not shoot" I shouted. So this is it. I'm now begging for my life. Something I never thought would be possible. My whole eyes focused on the headmaster who was almost at the door still with the hands raised. I wanted to join him but Miss Mary pulled on me. "Don't go" she quickly said. "Stay in here. Let him do the talking alone.

I was about to nod in agreement when we heard a unique sound. It sounded like an explosion but this wasn't caused by explosives. It's rather the skull. In less than a second the back head of the headmaster shattered into a thousand pieces like a fallen tumbler. Part of his remains clogged to my face and into my opened mouth. It tasted salty and warm. In all this, the headmaster was still standing. He sluggishly fell with the back as the rush of blood began to paint his exposed light pinkish inner head. His body could be seen twitching and his hands still raised. His legs moved like he had mild convulsions. His eyes turned pure white and even though they blinked repeatedly. His blood had started rushing towards me and yet that wasn't my concern then. The gunshots, the endless chants, the screaming kids and more importantly, what more game the future had for us clouded the whole of my being. Nothing else mattered. It seemed time ceased. It seemed I had entered limbo. I had entered a stilled void of uncertainty and fear in ways beyond words and all forms of imagining.