By: Tunde Jr., Adebayo
You know after having a long day at class and some extra-curricular activities and you are back in the hostel, even too tired to prepare a meal that you just collapse on your mattress and stir into dreamland. Only for you to be jolted midway through your sleep by a loud noise from the ground floor of my hall of residence, Orisun
I’ll spare you the initial drama that made the day frustrating. But when the cries first began, I stirred and hissed several times wondering what drama Orisun Boys are playing that time. But it didn’t stop, in fact, it only grew louder and closer. Drowsily, I sighed and muttered, “what antics are these boys up to again?” At first, I thought they must have caught a thief. Then I stood up contemplating climbing down the three-story stairs down to sightsee this moment some of my neighbors came knocking, while I warily opened the door, I already found myself walking down the steps in a few seconds. I shrugged, “it can’t be that bad,” I thought, “I’m not scared of a petty thief.”
Anyone who has been inside Orisun would know the yard between blocks C and D; the borehole water supply and then the mosque. All of it was full of boys, boys in their night, some even naked. Everything seemed perfect for a lynch mob… sorry not a lynch mob… well, a battering mob. However, there was a bright fire, burning with vibrant anger. I got apprehensive; this cannot be happening. I couldn’t see the burning clearly as I was a bit distant and I was obstructed by the cheering boys.
Myself heart skipped a bit, things like this were only supposed to happen in the likes of Ajegunle, Bere, or maybe Rivers state… most certainly not a campus hostel. While I was doubting my faith in humanity, I was about to push aside people to get to the site of the bonfire, to my surprise something was missing, a burning thief.
Don’t get me wrong, something was indeed being punished. It twisted inside an amber flame, it squished in agony and yelped in excruciating pain, it was going back to its maker. That was obvious, I could see it… but it was no thief…it was… it was a snake.
“Ahh…” I muttered, “what a way to end a day.” I moved closer and watched as the fire fizzling out. As this played out the boys sing the popular Afrobeat hit, Looseguard by Styles.
Ehhh… I see I saw
I see snake, page.
I run, m gbawa so…
I chuckled at this, my heart rate slowly became normal, and wondered why my head was in the clouds, humanity was better than I was thinking. Moments later, I negotiated with one of the cobra slayers to share the pictures and video of the gruesome execution. I said to myself, “this is weird, this is like the only second time I was experiencing a snake appears in the hostel.”
Funny thing is that, on getting back to my wing of the hostel, rumors were already being spread about two victims of a snake attack that never happened, some even went afar as suggesting that the students were now receiving antidotes at the clinic. I shook my head, maybe like I should truly question my faith in humanity.
