She’s in the social hall with boarders
dressed in white-checked frocks. Movie night comprises
of mostly Christian horror flicks and popular Indian offerings,
concentrated in Shakespearean tragedies.
The scariest one yet is the evangelical screamer, A Thief in the Night.
The boarder winces at the bloody violence of hell on earth
for those who tragically remain, after the holy rapture.
It’s so vile, the boarder wishes she could hide in the bushes
and wait for Mami Wata to dispel myths.
Fetching water around the school grounds is systemic haunting
breeding supernatural tales. White invaders didn’t completely
erase deities of phenomenons. Spirits dwell in currents of brownish
whirlpools, surrounded by collection of trees yielding locusts beans
and palm nuts. When the boarders walk over to gather
shelled snacks from heated ground, she senses sleeping giants.
Night falls, and those who dare to tempt water spirits and land monsters
hooded by blackness, slyly venture too far, before racing back
to dimly-lit premises, merrily hysterical.
