FORGIVE ME, FOR I HAVE SINNED

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"This is an example of a slacking student!" My nerves and hair stands up from my pale goose flesh when a piece of chalk was thrown, successfully hitting my head.

Budging on my seat, my eyes flickered at the Professor in front with a menacing frown embedded on his lips. I gave him a wary smile, finally accepting my defeat while cursing myself into believing that the book standing upright will help me hide my drowsiness. His class is too boring that my productivity demanded sacrifice, so I slept.

"Student like Dante won't lift up this country, you hear me? Eyes in front!" he exclaimed with raised voice, rich with disappointment.

"Yes, sir."

One last glance, he repulsed me with a look of furious anger.  "Dante's Divine Comedy talks about the punishments. . ."

I ruffled my hair when the teacher continued discussing sh*ts for the nth time. Sighing, I dart my eyes beyond the window and an idea sprung in my mind. I checked the teacher who isn’t zeroing in his attention on me. Out of simple habit of leaving alone, I took a last look around and grabbed my book before leaping off the window.

I dusted my palms and knees that supported me to land and went down the alley where people from school barely walk down to, there I slipped through a crowd of mens exchanging cigarettes and illegal drugs. One offered me but I ignored him and just passed by a corner, happening to trip on a foot.

“Seat somewhere else, you fool.”

The crisp impression that my face made was ruined when I landed upon a beggar sitting at the side of the road. His face was not visible due to dirtiness and it was slightly lowered.

“Tss.” I jammed my hand in my pocket and dropped dimes on his dirty handkerchief placed in front before pleating.

I was patiently waiting for the green light to turn red when a guy bumped into me, and because my grip on the book was only loose, it stumbled down to the middle of the road. The man didn’t spare me an apology and just left me like that.

I sighed and shuffled across the road to pick up the book when I heard a horn blared.

"Hey, kid! Watch out!"

I heard screams but I wasn’t able to start on my feet. When I jerked my head to the left, a light popped in and a sudden impact struck my side; I was suddenly thrown on air as the car accelerated. Tires screeching reached my ears and my body plummeted on the pavement as my chest snaps in shock and mouth spill out blood.

Throbbing - vibrating - quivering. Everyone began to gather around but my eyes were shot on great brightness, mind deciphering if it’s the blinding sun or the light to the afterlife.

“Kid, wake . . .”

“Don’t . . . your eyes.”

“Someone, call . . . it’s an emergency!”

The voices were close yet far from my hearing. I pulled my lids forward as dark spots flitted in my dulled vision.

There was a deafening silence. Then, a marching music began, like solemn drums, and above the rolling beats and booms there welled voices screaming high and strong. I suddenly feel warm. It’s getting warmer. And, warmer. Too warm. It’s beginning to get hot!

I forced my eyes open as they throb. I traced my gaze around and noticed I’m now in a complete different world. It was blinding dark, flaming in heat and smoking ash. I tried to search for my fingertips in order to pinch myself but I can’t locate them.

Is this hell? No, I thought I was gonna go up? I’m not supposed to be here. This can’t be hell, can it?

I scanned myself and I was bare naked; a chain was bolted on my wrist while a weight was bind on my ankles that was threaded close to the person in front of me. There were bleeding scratches on his back, even those humans in front of the line has it.

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