Chapter 6

Daniel after weeks was no more referred to as a new student. Not even after he had seen and passed through a lot of experiences. It is now the week after which there will be a midterm break. Shola his brother had always not been too close to him after the incident of the first week. Shola had told him to be strong or else leave the school. Daniel himself has seen almost all he thought were lies whenever Shola talks about seminary. 

Shola had told him months ago before he entered the school that there had been cases of witchcraft activities and some scary moments like that seen in horror movies. Daniel never accepted such words citing them as superstitions and misconceptions caused by fear and anxiety. 

On one faithful day, the prayer secretaries and the prayer team headed by the chapel prefect were having prayers in hostel C2 Daniel's hostel. They had done the prayers in other hostels but Daniel as usual was not fully aware due to his less movement in other hostels. He always loved staying on his bunk and his bedsheets. His friend Kaka would always say, bro, you are married to your bed. 

The prayers had started smoothly, till the warfare dimension of the prayers was raised high. Everyone was praying and Daniel too. The tongues of the gifted prayer warriors were loud and soon the inmates of the hostel were ordered to come for prayers. They were in the middle and the chapel prefect started another range of prayers. 

“God of heaven!! Unto whom the Spirits of the righteous are made perfect, you gave us the order to raise altars unto you in this citadel; come Oh King!! Come and unveil, expose the satanic vessels you promised to make known their assignments in this citadel, Come!! Come!! Come!!! Jesus Come!!”. 

Soon, shouts and falling were the order, the prayer warriors were immediately carrying them to the front of the chapel prefect. He lays his hands on them and prays for them. Suddenly at a time, there was a strong repulsion from one of them, and not just repulsion, the chapel prefect was shoved down by the huge boy. Much attention was not given to the two until a thick loud voice was heard and everywhere became silent. 

“I am Shankoko, the spirit of the river, what have I do with you!!”. The huge boy on the floor cried out. 

Very obvious to all, that it is not the boy who said that with his senses. He too joined the school this term. At this point, Daniel has already opened his eyes to see his first glimpse of what Shola had been saying months after months.

“I possessed him 4 years ago as my strong vessel, he has grown through ranks upon ranks through the fulfillment of assignments; why and what have you to do with him?”. The demon spoke again to chapel perfect.

 All the students at this time opened their eyes, some already filled with fear while some were still struggling to get to the front to behold their eyes. 

“Shut up you demon!! Shut up!!; I don’t want to know any of these words, I come to you in the name of Jesus”. The chapel prefect replied.

“Amen!!!!” Chorused all the students.

Suddenly, the possessed boy was lifted by the demon and he pushed cupboards which are arranged and multiple cupboards were already on the floor within seconds. There was turmoil and the noise in the hostel increased. To the surprise of many students, the chapel perfect didn’t shake nor look like one who is afraid. He went straight to where the boy was and dragged him down and placed his hand on his head and rebuked the demon. 

A few minutes later, the demon spoke up again pleading to be given time to leave, but the chapel prefect charged him to leave immediately. The demon hit the boy on a standing lantern and left. Then the prayers were summarized and the stories as usual went viral both among parents and other boarding schools.

Furthermore, two weeks after the Shankoko incident, two students were seen being beaten mercilessly by other students very close to the senior toilets. It was around 10 pm immediately after the night class. All the classes were filled with students studying and unexpectedly, the sound of the iron bucket being hit on a subject was heard, seconds later the ss3 students were already on a run towards the area the sound was heard. The junior students knew they can’t run out as their senior colleagues, no student who is yet to be in ss3 has that power except you have got charms to carry loads of drilling. Not so long after the running out of the ss3 did the bell rang for class over and to the excitement of the junior students, they now ran to the place to behold what has raised the sound. Daniel ensured he was at the front too.

“You were kissing him, true or false?”. One ss3 student asked. 

“No, senior, we were just whispering to each other”. The jss3 boy responded.

“Shut up!! I will use cutlass on you, better say the truth and be free”. The ss3 boy sounded, pulling his belt.

“Senior I can’t lie to you, ask him too”. The junior boy responded, now with a cracking voice.

Immediately, another round of beating was launched at them and the second boy started screaming that he will say the truth. At this point, the ss3 boys now ordered that all junior boys should disappear to their hostels except the ss2 boys. The two students involved were now taken to ss3 class and interrogated more intently and they agreed they were involved in homosexuality and many names were called who have been involved in the atrocity. The most startling aspect of this name-calling was that the senior who has been using buckets on them have also been involved with another junior student. This event increased the fear in Daniel. 

“Kaka, tell me all you know about “nailing” Please don’t hide anything”. Daniel implored him.

Kaka laughed out loud. 

“Do you want to join them? Huh!”

“Nailing is a process, a medium, and a channel through which the male kangaroo is passed through the funnel of another male idiot”. Kaka responded and ran out immediately to avoid Daniel beating him in the back as usual.

“Wait, you mean two guys having sexual intercourse?” Daniel asked again, now needing more clarification. 

“How else do you want me to explain it to you?” Kaka responded.

“Most times, junior students usually are forced into it; the senior students use authority and sometimes use money and provisions to lure them, promising them protection from any punishment and maltreatment; the junior students involved most times don’t participate in manual labor due to the protection”. Kaka said this time his countenance changed. 

“Oh, no wonder some students were at some senior students' bed corners when we were out there suffering in labor; Kai!!”. Daniel answered back, folding his hands like a man that just lost his wife.

“It is well bro, we will change all these when we reach ss3”. Kaka told him as they hugged and moved on.

   Among the events that took place too within these first seven weeks of Daniel in the seminary was the rate of looting of both students' properties and that of school. Daniel already drank from the cup when he washed five of his boxers with three white inner wears, polo precisely. On that faithful Saturday, he had washed his day dresses and school uniform too, earlier that morning, and there was not much space to spread the white wears if he washes them. He had to wait till noon time to wash them. After extensively being tired having played the normal monkey post-football, he had to force himself to wash, thanks to Kaka who was of help to rinse the clothes as he was washing. A few moments later, they were done. 

Afterward, they observed all other Saturday routines of the seminary, ranging from cleaning your normal portion given to you, to receiving toiletries, rest, and afternoon reading. It was time for the games and Daniel checked his clothes and they were intact and just a bit remaining to dry off well. After the half-time of the inter-hostel match, Daniel and Kaka decided to go and take the clothes in. Just a few minute's move from the field to the backyard, they met the most horrible scene of their lives. Every other cloth was there, even Kaka saw some of his but not all but Daniel didn’t see any of his. He later had a searched all bags of junior students in the downstairs hostels with the help of Shola his brother, all were futile. How on earth will he cope, it was still 3 weeks off midterm break? 

A few days after the search, on Thursday morning, the popular senior known as a senior singlet, (who is known for his careful checking of singlet and boxers to ascertain how neat each student is) was on duty to run his check. Suddenly, he started beating up an ss2 student.

“You are a crook! You are a raider! In fact, criminal!”. He slaps the boy.

“Oh! You didn’t notice that you wore the singlet back huh!?”. He kicks the boy down.

Drags the boy to the front of all students with teachers now stepping closer than expected.

“He stole someone’s singlet and didn’t know that the name is on it with stitches and very unfortunate for him, the names can’t be seen had it been he wore it well”. The senior student tells the teachers who are now on the scene.

The teachers assigned three senior students to run a search on him and his luggage. In the end, all of Daniel's missing clothes were seen, and not just his, but many other persons' own were also returned and the boy was expelled. 

(At the end of the classes.)

“You will need to wash those clothes with the blood of Jesus before you wear them”. Kaka jokes.

“I will also use oil of joy and gladness too, to avoid me joining or replicating the boy's stealing life”. Daniel replied, this time with a happy countenance.

“I have also stolen before in this school”. Daniel told Kaka.

“Huh! How and when?”. Kaka asked turning back and slowing down his rate of movement.

“Just fork and knife at refractory”. Daniel replied with a funny look.

“Haha, you are a fool!; I was expecting a serious case not this boy, Kaka replied laughing loud. 

“Everyone in this citadel steals fork and knife and spoons with cups; in fact, you can’t use a spoon with your name in this school for a week”. Kaka continued.

“We have to make a change, we have to be good”. Daniel said to him, taking a walking direction

****** 

Within this first half of the term, Daniel also got acquainted with some slang of the citadel. During his first few weeks, he was always asking if he is in another tribe or was in the same region of the country. Gradually with the help of Kaka, he has adjusted. Something of more concern to him is the fact that most of the slangs are of fowl origin. They were used to bypass or communicate in the times they are faced with difficulties and challenges when the teachers or principal is around. There is also slang popularly used in normal daily life by students especially when sudden issues happen. Daniel had also tried to avoid learning the fowl ones but it was very futile coming from the fact that they are the most loved slang of the students.

Daniel also has noticed that Shola his brother is of a bad group. Shola behaves like a cultist he told himself one day. Yet he couldn’t conclude having not seen him as he had been seen, other bad boys. Daniel has been outstanding in academics, topping all the tests. Kaka too has helped him, both in adapting and knowing who to follow and relate with.

 Daniel has also adapted to normal student life. He now soaks cassava granules and even does it more often than Kaka. He had also learned how to be sharp with the scrambling of food at the refectory. His dress has never changed. He still dresses as neat as ever. He has also learned how to use local charcoal iron to iron his clothes. He also learned how to soak noodles and to cook with a charcoal iron. 

The midterm break was set, a night before the day, Daniel also witnessed all the gists Shola had given him concerning the night before the midterm. The night called red night is full of activities and after the official school social gathering at the hall, the students return and continue theirs more brutally. Some of the incidents Daniel witnessed were the robbing of pepper on someone’s towel and then pouring a mixture of pepper and water on the individual face and then one of the culprits will now hand over the towel to the victim in form of help and the rest will be crying from the victim. 

Another wickedness he saw was that some students will put feces on nylon and be releasing it as stones to where crowds were and it will splash on everyone. 

Daniel was moving around the school to witness all events and at some points, he was affected too. Just as he approached the ss3 blocks, he met the widest scenes of his life when he saw his brother Shola with other gangs covered with red candles around and with loads of smokes around and bottles of wines with some junior students with them too. He also saw the black scary book this time not one but many of them.

He was shocked as he kept looking at a hole in the wall. Shola was one of the leaders and was not looking humanly that night. Daniel had to manage to sleep after he saw this scene. He concluded that he must make it known to his parents.