The ritual

12PM FRIDAY NIGHT,THE NIGHT OF THE RITUAL

Three days had passed ,three good days since we were kept in those tents .

We have kept here without food or water and with each day passing by ,I was literally Losing my energy and so was everyone .

I couldn't understand why they still had to make us suffer this way ,but dad had told me that they were getting us prepared .

I didn't know what we were being prepared for but I knew that it was some sacrifice because with this treatment ,I was definitely going to die before the ritual happens .

My head was banging so hard from staying awake and Having different thoughts about this .

I just wanted this to be over and go home .

Somehow the girls were no longer excited like the first day that I had met them but they were all quiet with little or no words in their mouths and not even Dora the school bully had such energy anymore .

We were all weak and tired waiting for our death .

"It's almost time "start getting ready ", I heard the woman that was taking care of us scream.

I knew what that meant ,it meant that the time was coming closer for us to be sacrificed .

I ignored my tiredness and worre the black gown .

Each and every girl was to wear a black gown ,it was more like a wedding gown and we were to tie our hair with a silver head tie and earring and necklace .

I didn't waste anything in getting ready but I couldn't understand why we were doing this .

The moment I was done dressing up I stood up and hid the bangle on my bra and Also smiled at the thought of it .

The thought of having younger male siblings made me giggle in excitement .

That was the best thing ,but one thing was that I just couldn't see my family if I died in this .

I knew I didn't have to be this negative about this but then I had no choice about this ,I was definitely in for this no matter how hard I try .

I walked out of the tent and the moment I did ,I came face to face with my dad .

Dad wasn't in perfect condition ,I knew that ,his face were puffy and he looked like he had been having sleepless night .

I hated seeing my dad looking this miserable and I didn't need anyone to tell me that It was because of me .

"Dad"I cried hugging him tightly .

"My child "he replied and hugged me tightly .

I pulled away from the hug and looked at my father with tears in my eyes .

."it's okay dad ,you really don't have to worry ,I will be just fine .

"I wish I could feel so too my child ,but then ,take this , ,just know that we love you and we would forever love you no matter the circumstances and the situation or wherever that you are "dad told me and I nodded my head to it without looking at him and walked away .

Different thoughts were going through my head .

One thing I knew was the fact that my dad was a cold person and absolutely nothing can shake him ,but seeing him all sad this evening made my heart bleed ,it gave me that information that something wasn't right ,or they were hiding something very important from me .

"Well I wouldn't think otherwise because they would not dare to do that ,it's never going to happen .

I walked to where all the rest of the girls were .

Everyone looked famished and tired from hunger and it showed in their faces .

It was even as if I was the only one who wasn't feeling any hunger yet and it wasn't really hungry .

"Why are you late "the woman said to me the moment I got there .

Madam Verek was a cold heartless woman ,she had brown skin and she was always this way .

She doesn't care who you are ,she could be so harsh to you that you would wish that ,you never have to meet her in the first place *

I didn't respond to her words but she just pushed me to the place where the rest of the girls were taken to the bushes with chains in our hands .

My heart was pounding so hard from all that was happening .

.I was scared ,I was scared for my life .

The book I read never really told me about the cruelty that I was about to face but here I was going through all of that without any hope of survival .

We were held in a chain and dragged into the woods like bags of sardine ahd the ones who couldn't walk were all whipped hard with the stick on them .

I was angry at what I saw ,how dare they do this to us ,we are not their slaves ,we are human too and we deserve some respect .

The hard wood landed on my back , bringing me back to my conscious self .

"Move princess ,you are not in your father's house "I heard someone say ,it was the man that had hit me .

I spat out the blood from my mouth and looked at him with much hate and disdain.I was finding it so hard to hold my anger ,I was about to explode .

The men didn't have any pity on us but they kept dragging us deep into the woods with hush voices and hurrying us .

The moment they felt we were okay ,they began to chain each girl to a tree and also our feet .

There were more than 500 girls here ,but within seconds ,they were done doing all of that and I wondered how it had been done .

After chaining ,I saw my dad walk out .

I know most of you must be angry about this but just so you know this. ,you were selected by this town to protect us and even if you didn't come home ,you would always be our hero ,and I would advise that once the silver moon comes upon you all ,do not fret just be still because in the next 30 minutes it will be over .

Good luck to everyone returning home "dad said and they turned the lantern there and that was it ,they left us in the woods in the middle of the night leaving us to our fare and anything to happen to us ,at that point I hated my life .