“Bloody Christmas”
Nneka Sophie Amalu
Copyright© 2012 by Nneka Sophie Amalu
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locale is entirely coincidental.
“I know you’re very scared of spiders, pashville have this mighty spiders that’s as big as my palms”, Jason said facing Amanda in other to put fear into her. She just nodded her head in confirmation as she continued wearing her make-up. She cared less of what he said because she went there with her parents ten years ago. Suddenly there was this quietness as the driver sped in the long lonely road surrounded by tall trees and thick forests. Amanda had decided to come on this trip with her friends because she needed a new environment entirely and it would probably erase all the stress she had gone through ; she had lost her parents in a fire out-break three years ago at a mall in Allenville and had been there since then and spent every single celebration there. She moved in with her grandmother who could barely see clearly or talk, she was bored everyday and it reminded her so much of her days with her parents. Her friends were just the drama people who think that they should spend the Christmas with friends and not family. “You know I have been to pashville before?”She said to Todd, who sat beside her and had been playing his video game for almost half the journey. “When was that? Todd asked almost immediately. “That was when I was ten”, I had a cousin who used to live there but has gone to Europe, I think France,” she said still trying to put some final changes on her face. “Wow! France, j’aime la France” Todd said in French. Everyone burst out in laughter. “Like seriously! You speak French?”Another asked. “Yeah yeah, my grandmother stays in France, I learnt some words when I went there for the springs last year” Todd replied with confidence and trying to interpret what he said in French. “It means I like France” a girl cut him short. C’est bon, that’s good!” Todd said. They burst into another round of laughter because of the way he said it. Pashville was bubbling with its numerous activities as the bus arrived very late in the evening; this was about 19:00. “Evening madam, need a room?” the receptionist asked. “Yes, but twelve rooms, we’re twelve. Amanda answered as she looked outside as if she was counting her friends. “Am sorry, there are only eleven rooms, maybe two could pair?” they receptionist telling her the problem as well as a solution. “Okay” Amanda agreed without hesitating. They checked into their various rooms at the Cacao motel. At dinner, Amanda asked Max to accompany her to go get her shoes that she forgot at the trunk of their bus. “Hey Max, could you spare a minute?” “Sure, why not” they both left the table. Max could go any length for Amanda because he had always had a crush on her since they were in fifth grade, but had never summoned up courage to tell her how he felt towards her. Most times, he had practiced on how he was going to start the conversation but had never had the liver to say it.
“OMG!” Antoine exclaimed as he accidentally poured hot coffee on himself. He hurriedly stood up and left the table without saying a word. “What’s wrong with you? Like we poured the tea on you,” Todd shouted angrily at him as he banged the door of the café. Now, everyone was silent, not knowing whom to look at. Antoine, is a very pompous teenager, whom was born with a silver spoon, he has all he ever wanted because his father was the prime minister and his mother the secretary to the president of his country. He is rude, impolite and very saucy and always cared less about anyone. He wanted the world to be at his feet and worship him. As he was about opening his door, he heard giggling from the opposite room. “This is max’s” he said in his mind. He tried peeping into the key hole of the door, but could not see a thing. He thought of entering but the approaching footsteps of others who had finished from the café interrupted him. He hurriedly entered his room.
“Rise and shine guys, today is our first day in pashville, this Christmas would be the most remembered of them all, trust me.” Max screamed as he entered the rooms and forcing them to wake up. Most of them were so exhausted because of the long journey the previous day, their bags were yet to be unpacked and probably because they knew they would be staying for three weeks, so what’s the rush? “Christmas air” Amanda said inhaling the fresh air as she stepped out of her room, turned to max, and smiled at him. As he tried returning the smile, his phone rang therefore interrupting this lovely moment. He looked at his phone, it was an unknown caller, and he picked it up but could not hear a thing. “Junk calls” he thought as he put it back into his pocket. They left to see the Jama hills immediately after having breakfast. They all were taking pictures with each another, besides the huge structures that architects had used to design its entrance, trees and the best of what nature could offer. Max called Amanda to come see something, but she was with the tour guide who tried educating her on how the people came to settle at the hill and have lived here for almost a hundred decade. Amanda was a second year student who majored in anthropology at the college, and was always interested in knowing things related to her field of study. “I have heard lot of stories about pashville; that at one time, close to 50 people vanished leaving their homes, work and even their children,” Amanda asked in way as if the story was hilarious. “What sort of story is that, people just vanish?” she continued but she laughed this time around unable to control and hide how ridiculous the story sound. “What about the Kantinka cave, I heard so many mysterious things about it as well.” she stormed the man with several questions. The guide’s face suddenly changed as she asked the questions. The guide didn’t want to talk about it because of how untrue the story was. In the late eighties, a certain occurrence happened in pashville; one morning people woke up to find either their mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters whom the said goodnight to where no where to be seen. For days, months and even years people expected their loved one s to return, but that didn’t happen up till date. There’s was no explanation for what may have caused it, or where they had gone too and it remains a very painful story in the hearts of the pashville people especially those who were victims of lost loved ones. The tour was a victim of this occurrence; he had woken up to find his parents and two sisters missing and hasn’t been able to live with that until date. He was barely eight years old, had lived, and will live with it forever. “I have something great to show you people” the guide diverted, leaving her in her curiosity. “If it was…” she tried to continue but no one seemed interested, so she followed the man and her friends’ quietly and immediately. “Here is the ancient cave of the…”as the guide was saying Antoine walked slowly away from them. Todd asked “still angry with the world?” “Common man hurry up” Max added. His anger grew more but just did not let it out and ran towards them pretending all was okay with him.
“I couldn’t just understand him today,” Amanda said to Lucy, her friend as she unpacked her luggage. “Whom are you talking about, Antoine?”“Like seriously, Antoine! Noooooooo.” Lucy rejected. “The tour guide, I asked him some questions and it seemed like he didn’t want to answer them. I noticed the way he reacted. There must be something,” Amanda answered acting as if she is solving a murder case. “Hahahaha, there’s nothing more to it than he doesn’t know about it or he didn’t want to tell you about it. He is a tour guide, Ama, and not a historian. Lucy insisted still laughing and changed the subject immediately. “I’ve noticed this thing going on between you and Max, put me on the know babe
s” she continued. Amanda laughing as she corrected her” there’s nothing between I and Max, dear, though we’ve been close all this while since I broke up with…” “Okay! I got it, If you’re not hungry, am starving. Let us go grab a bite,” Lucy cut in immediately in other not to remind her of the past that would leave her sad. Lucy naturally was good at cutting one
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