AFTER THE SHADOWS: A Thin Escape

Chapter 1

 “I just wish someone could tell me the sayings were not just that, but, guides to a sophisticated map to be used in the future. I could have taken my time in the English class, you know! Moreover, that teacher, one whom I always found inducing my sleep every time she opened her mouth talking about them. I could have given her my attention.” This was James talking to himself in his mind as he sat on an anthill at the far end of their farm. He was dressed in ragged clothes.

The clothes looked like the robes of an ancient warrior stripped off his armor after a fierce battle in a muddy arena. They were full of mud and hardly could anybody tell their true color. In his hand, he held a broken panga (Machete) but well sharpened. In the other hand, he held a rope and an old tattered sack. It is this hand that, he also supported his chin with as he stared. In his feet was a pair of black old patched wellington boots.

Looking at him, one could not help but understand the importance of education and need to have entered a classroom. On the contrary, James had done all that yet, he just sat there staring and dressed heroically.

“Oh my God, cursed is the devil that had me imagining that the school rules were harder than the freedom out here.”

He kept talking to himself with no one to listen and share in his predicaments but himself. Alternatively, could it be he was speaking to the rope, tattered sack or the broken panga?

A few weeks after James had completed his school, during the Christmas holiday, things were not as he thought they would be. This was not like any other holiday before. Unlike the fact that James had finished high school, he had accomplished every student’s dream. This was to become a Credonian citizen and a grown-up.

He was never this anxious before. The fact that he was working on getting his own identity card made him feel part of the Credonian society. Normally, the rule-full school life facilitated this awesomeness of being a grown-up and a citizen.

I say, most students can bet that among the stages one has to pass through in life, high school was and is not on the bucket list of anybody that has ever passed through it. Especially for those privileged few that attended the boarding schools. Life here was very tough.

Bearing in mind that in high school, the people you find here are not any other but teenagers; one needs not be told that indeed life was never easy there. Teenagers are people with a lot of strength and energy that stirs them up. On the other hand, teenagers do not go well with rules either. For starters, just a little description of this life, let us start from the very first day.

From primary school is always another excited fellow who is about to embark on another level of academic adventure. From the receiving of letters of acceptance to shopping and to the preps of this day, it is surely a sign that one is always ready for the best.

On the way, it’s one of the most exciting journeys ever made at the age. On arrival at the school, the infrastructure tells it all, the factory of all dreams and their realization. Who could not be on toes at this point? After the registration part is over, the parents are escorted out of the school gates and there you are alone ready to work. It is never as easy as thought or seen to be at first. 

The well-built colored in school colors buildings with some stretching up to the sky are just icing to a very bitter cake. Not to mention the very well and smartly dressed innocent-looking beast in the name of boys. They happened to be the bitter herbs at the very middle of the cake. One always thinks that it will be a walk in the park but it is always more of a lone walk across the desert.

As this journey begins, a sense of belonging and ownership beats the bush first. Those old beardy beasts in the name of old boys give the first impression. I wonder why call them boys anyway. If I were to suggest a thing here, I would say that, those schools that have the boys’ word in their name should think otherwise.

This word has landed many new students in trouble including James. Trying to sweet-talk these beasts in the name of boys is the worst mistake one can ever make. It is just like using petrol to put out diesel fire. It never ends well. To crown it all, life is never easy within those high school walls.

This gets one to wonder… were there no teachers or what? This question is very well answered when you find yourself in class, a teacher present and yet, you have to do those mouth exercises or else, you would spend the night on top of trees. The dormitory would not be a place for you as long as those beasts were to be there if you know what I mean.

Apart from the Bible where Jesus performed very many miracles, High schools are other places where miracles were evidenced clearly. Majority of the ‘Monos’ as they were called turned into birds during the night. They found themselves perching on top of trees. Only upon sunrise would they turn back to men to attend the classes. In fact, this habit led some of the freshmen into trouble for being suspected of using drugs in school. They could hardly be found with clear whitish eyeballs. They always appeared red, very red. On a good day though, they would appear blood red.

Again, the principals have always-comforting words that get every soul within these walls to complete high school.

“Boys, I know that most of you do not want to be here, but the fact is that, life must have challenges and it is upon us to choose whether to face them or run away from them; if given a chance, even I, could not and cannot face them, but for what good? We have to work hard in order to enjoy good fruits in the future. After all, after high school, life becomes very good when one has the freedom to do whatever they please. Work hard and you will harvest good fruits.”

There is that word again; boys, to this day, James could not comprehend why it had to be boys and not beasts. These used to be the words of every principal motivating his students to work hard.

The good part was that, James was out of school and now a citizen. Again, things did not go as expected. After the festive season was over, James got a clear picture of being a citizen and having freedom.

A question about what the principal used to talk about freedom and citizenship could cross his mind occasionally. As the wise men said, everything has a price to pay for! In school, these were just sayings to get you the A in English grammar but as it seems out here, indeed the Sayers were wise enough.

Freedom it is. At least the principals could have been kind enough to most of their students and James as well to let them know that, this freedom was not that sweet after all. Once more, yet another saying becomes a part of life, survival for the fittest.

Had James known about this; he could be well prepared. It was clear to James that whatever he learned in school was no longer meant for exam purposes but, the guide to the sophisticated map of life.

No matter how much James wished someone had told him about this freedom, it was too late for wishing. It was only time for action. As the soldiers in battle say, it was time for him to kill, or be killed.

As it appeared, freedom is not for the high school leaver but for quite a group of people. This is to say, the leaver has the least part of this freedom or none to some point. For starters, parents have the biggest share of this freedom. Freedom from being hosts; second, the government has yet another big share in this freedom.

James had found out negatives about this freedom before going to look for a job. He was no longer a kid to his parents. His sweet sucking tick days had come to their unannounced sudden death. That identity card had to mean something. His parents were no longer the kind ones to him. He had to toil or he could be tossed.

 Day after day, life got more challenging for James as pressure came from every direction. In other words, freedom was proving to mean human under siege. James had to come up with a solution to the situation ASAP. Caution to those about to complete high school.