The Day The Big Snake Appeared In Our Compound At Night
It was evening, and all the students, including me, were in their respective classrooms to prepare for an upcoming test, except for three girls who deliberately disobeyed our teachers’ warnings not to walk around at night. When they finally decided to go to class, they spotted a large snake lying near one of the dormitories. Terrified, they ran straight to class as fast as their legs could carry them.
When other students heard the news, they were curious and alarmed. Many of them rushed out, eager to see the snake for themselves. Meanwhile, the students who had not heard about the snake remained focused in classes, until the ones outside began shouting at the top of their voices, “Snake! Snake!” The noise startled the rest of the students, who began leaping out of their classrooms like frogs, heading toward the commotion.
Soon, all the students were outside, some armed themselves with stones, sticks, firewood, spoons, and metal plates—anything they could find to fight the snake. Alarmed by the noise, however, the snake slithered away and hid under a fallen tree in front of the dorm.
One brave girl, well-known throughout the school for her courage, pulled the tree aside to reveal the snake, and the rest of us prepared to attack.
The snake sprang forward, ready to strike. Acting quickly, we began throwing stones and hitting the snake with whatever we had.
Hearing the uproar, a few teachers rushed to the scene to see what was happening. The snake proved difficult to kill, but eventually, a student grabbed a large stick and struck it repeatedly until it died.
That night, many students struggled to sleep. Some couldn’t stop thinking about the massive snake, and others had terrible dreams.
Staff update: This Scholar, supported by MBB from primary through high school, was the first in her family to graduate from high school. She was awarded an MBB university scholarship, but when universities closed for a year due to COVID, she returned to her home village, married, and had a baby. Although she still hoped to attend university, her family did not support her in pursuing post-secondary education.
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