Chapter 7: Witchcraft Is Real
Khadija finally comes out of her shell and gains a friend.
It’s Saturday night, the last night before the rest of the school floods in for the new school year. I’m sitting on Roshan’s bed as she cycles through the same three outfits-each one tighter than the last- trying to find the right fit. Roshan has told me multiple times that Saturdays are everything at Kamuzu Academy.
“The movies are okay. Most weeks they’re super boring unless someone has just come back from a trip abroad with some new stuff. What you really should be excited for are the V shows.”
I know that the ‘V’ stands for variety but I can’t help but think of vaginas all dancing in a line on the big stage that Roshan showed me earlier today. I’ve heard some of the girls, mostly girls in Roshan’s form, talk about boys with a flippant grace. Like boys are something not so absolute, toilet paper, used today and discarded tomorrow but no one talks about the blood.
My pads are pushed to the very back of my closet just like the cigarettes that Roshan is now pulling out of hers. She has chosen a dress with zipped pockets. Easier to conceal everything she needs.
“Are you okay Khadija? You look sick.”
I’m anxious that the blood flowing out of me will spill all over her light blue cotton duvet.
“I’m fine.”
Roshan smiles. Even when we were much younger than we are now she always believed me when I said I was fine. It’s easier for her to believe.
We leave the hostels together and walk to the auditorium. All around us are giggling girls making their way to the same destination. Roshan rolls her eyes at them and makes me stop in a dark recess so she can light up. It is chilly outside but Roshan has refused to bring a coat.
“How will the boys know I’m available?” She says.
The auditorium seems bigger at night than it did during the day. There are chairs stacked up on either side of the room. Many of them have already been taken and put in front of the stage. Roshan grabs two and places them at the very back of the auditorium. There is a huge chasm in between the rest of the Form Ones and I. I feel really lost sitting with Roshan and no one else.
One of the male teachers starts the movie and the back wall of the auditorium bursts to life as the images dance across it. More people have joined us in the back but they are all in Form Three and not really there for the movie. Roshan has told me that this is why some of them come early; the teachers are always too busy with the Form Ones at the beginning of the year to pay much attention to what they get up to.
On the screen is a street in an English suburb and an old man in funny clothes is walking down it. I hope this isn’t Shakespeare. I’m tired already, the room is dark and everyone is talking in whispers. I am just about to ask the teacher on duty if I can go back to the hostels when the old man in the funny clothes does something remarkable. Out of his robe he pulls a device that looks like a silver cigarette lighter and with a flick completely takes away all the light from the street lamps.
All the whispering stops and even the Form Threes move their chairs closer to the stage.
When the movie is over we all applaud as we leave the auditorium. We’re all Harry Potter in that moment. A bunch of scraggly eleven year olds in a magical fortress miles away from our parents with prefects and housemasters and all the adventures ahead of us. I feel as if I could float all the way back to my room.
“That was such a good movie. Can you imagine if people could actually do those things?”
I suddenly feel brave as I approach the group of girls. I know them all from Bishop Mackenzie but we were never that close then.
“I read somewhere about a man who could make it rain indoors. He would go into restaurants and make it rain on the food. He got arrested once and made it rain in his jail cell. No one could explain it. Maybe he was a wizard.”
Alinafe, the fearless leader, turns to me with a flick of her braids.
“I personally didn’t like the movie. It’s wrong you know? We all know witchcraft is real and dangerous. They shouldn’t be showing us movies like that.”
She turns away and walks faster. The rest of the girls follow just as quickly. I hear one of them say ‘who does she think she is talking to us like we’re friends’ before they disappear from sight.
“I thought that was a cool story.”
I turn to see the only other girl in the group who didn’t walk after them. I remember her from primary. She was always quick with a sarcastic comment. It got her in trouble a lot. She sticks her hand out to me like this is our first formal greeting.
“I’m Temwa and I’m nothing like Ali and those other girls. They suck. Wanna be friends?”
