It was a beautiful siku as I was jogging to the ice cream shop. The sun was bright and warm, the breeze was crisp, and there wasn't a wingu in the sky. Who couldn't enjoy a siku like this.
I was hurrying down to meet my Marafiki to plan for our yearly Marco/polo game. Every mwaka we would get together and get everything ready to head down to the maze and play Marco/polo. The maze is this giant labyrinth made of tall hedges that only had three entrances. Nobody ever got Lost there, au zaidi accurately, nobody ever died there. Everyone who didn't know what they were doing, and even some of those who did, got Lost there.
"Hey, over here," called a chipper voice. "Jenna, hello." I alisema as I came up to the shop. Everyone was there, of course, and eating ice cream happily. "Sorry I'm late," I told them " I had to help my mom. But I'm here now, so what did I miss?"
"Nothing much, just ice cream." Jenna alisema licking her spoon. She was a small girl with mousy brown hair and eyes and a big smile.
"Ready for our upcoming Marco/polo match?" a green-eyed girl with red hair and freckles said.
"Come on Gretta, this isn't a competition." Trish said.
Carla, the eldest of our group, turned to Trish "Well, anything can and is a competition if wewe think of it that way."
I laughed, this was always so much fun getting together. There was eight of us together. Jenna, Gretta, Trish, Carla, Lucy, Sarah, Rachel, and me. We always did everything together, from camping to having sleep-overs. There was nothing that we enjoyed zaidi than to hang out with each other.
We spent that entire afternoon talking about tomorrow night. The harvest moon would be bright that night with no chance of clouds, the perfect night. Then we started to leave when we heard a car driving up. au zaidi like clunking up, it was a piece of junk, and that's how they liked it.
The boys were a bunch of trouble makers. Like us they hung out with each other constantly, but instead of planing for midnight games they plotted trouble.
"Hey ladies," a boy with spiky hair called "need a ride?"
Sarah, the ever resourceful one, called out "Well if it isn't the rascals in their mobile junkyard. Forgot to get your check-ups again, I see."
We all burst up laughing at that, even some of the boys chuckled. If there was one thing to be alisema about them, they were good sports and didn't get offended easy.
"We decided to skip out. wewe know how it is, hot water tends to dampen our charm." The driver said.
"And if we sent our car in, who knows how long it would take to get back." Another guy called out.
kwa then we had Lost it. We all were laughing, some even on the ground. One of the boys was bending over too much and fell out of the car, which caused us to laugh harder. Finally we managed to get control of ourselves. Trish went over and helped the boy who had fallen out of the car to his feet.
"So wewe girls gonna go to the maze tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I alisema "you guys should come. It would be fun having everyone together."
"Nah, we have plans for that night. But thanks anyway."
We alisema good-bye to the boys then I headed home. Along the way I stopped, there was a chill in the air and it was giving me goosebumps. I rubbed my arms, Strange, I thought. It was a warm day, so what had caused such a cold breeze. Deep down I felt something was wrong, that we should stay nyumbani and not go out. But I quickly pushed that thought away. I stopped believing in ghost stories a long time ago. I wasn't about to ruin our yearly event on superstitious nonsense.
The inayofuata evening we all met up at the entrance to the maze. I was a little nervous, not because of the game that was going to start, but because of the feeling that something was wrong.
"Okay," Gretta yelled "Lets start this." She held out her hand and we all picked a straw. Lucy had the shortest straw and was the first to be Marco.
We played a couple of games before we took our chajio, chakula cha jioni break. Sitting outside of the maze we ate and talked. It was really a shame that the boys couldn't have come. It would have been fun. The sun was starting to set, leaving everything in shadows and an orange-red glow. I looked at the entrance, it was dark with the setting sun behind it so all I could see was shadows. Then I saw two crimson dots glowing in the entrance. I kept staring trying to figure out what they were, then I heard someone calling my name."Yes?" I said
"Yo, space cadet. Are wewe done, because we're ready to start again and it's your turn."
"I think we should stop. I'm ready to go home."
Rachel looked at me coolly "Oh, are wewe scared? au do wewe not want to be it, spoil-sport."
I gave in and alisema one zaidi game then we could leave. They agreed to that and started cleaning up. I looked back at the entrance, the crimson dots were gone.
So the game started again. For the first few dakika I would call out "Marco," and try to follow their replies. I quickly forgot about my worries. Soon it was dark and the full moon was at it's peak, bright yellow in the dark sky.
Now was the time. I turned off my flashlight and stopped calling "Marco". It was a trick we learned to pull off through all the games previous, but so far I was the champion at it. How this worked is that wewe would make yourself invisible, kwa turning off your light no-one could see wewe coming. kwa not calling "Marco" no-one knew where wewe were au where wewe were coming from. The disadvantage was that wewe had to guess where the others were and try to get there as quick as possible.
All the other girls only would last a few dakika before breaking the silence, only I managed to stay silent for hours. So along I went, a silent hunter seeking her quarry, through the maze well into the night. I was pretty good at guessing where they would hide, but it still didn't make it any easier.
Then I heard it, movement. It came from the other side of the hedge, and the opening was just a few feet in front of me. So as silently as I could manage, I crept up along the side, my ears finely tuned to my surroundings. There was feet scuffling on the other side. 'I've got them now' I though as I neared the end of the hedge. Gripping my flashlight I took a slow easy breath. Then I jumped up turning on my flashlight I turned the corner. "GOTCHA," I yelled shining my flashlight into the small space, right into a dead end.
Stunned I looked around the empty space between the two hedges. Empty. How, I had heard someone clearly over here, but then how come there was no-one. Great I must be hearing things, no doubt the others were giggling somewhere try to smother the almost-going-to-get-me-caught laughter. Fine, everyone makes mistakes. I was no exception.
"All Right," I alisema "MARCO." I had turned to walk back the way I came and waited for their replies. Nothing. "Come on wewe know the rules. MARCO." Still nothing. "MARRRRRCCCOOOOOO," I yelled at the juu of my lungs, and still no reply followed. Okay, there were many things that could have happened. They could be close kwa and not want to be found so. Or, they could have left, making me look like a fool in the process. Then again, I did say that there was something wrong earlier, so they probably are just pulling a joke to scare me.
All right, if that's the way they wanted it I was not going to give in. So I continued walking around humming delightful. But every now and then I would hear the bushes rattling, au something scuffing on the dirt. And every time I would investigate there would be nothing.
Now I was getting scared. "Come on, someone answer me. The jokes over." I had quickened my pace kwa then but it still seemed that I was getting nowhere. Then my flashlight caught something and I let out breath of relief. There lying with their backs to the hedge were Lucy and Carla. They were leaning on each other as if they were asleep.
"There wewe are, I was getting freaked out. Why didn't wewe call 'polo'?" I said, relief flooding my voice. "Did wewe guys fall asleep? Come on wake up!" Something was wrong. Deadly wrong. Slowly, I walked up to them and only then did I realize the sickening truth. They were dead.
Their skin was pale, but other than that, and the fact they weren't breathing, they looked like they were sleeping peacefully. There wasn't any blood anywhere, so then how did they die? "ANYONE," I yelled "TRISH, GRETTA, ANYONE. CALL FOR HELP, THERE'S DEAD GIRLS HERE."
I started to head back for the entrance, zaidi quickly than before. All around me the maze was a strange and unknown place, it seemed alive moving and whispering. Then I turned the corner, and saw another girl laying on the ground as if she were asleep. Now I was running. There was no longer logic in my mind, just the fierce determination that I had to get out of here. All around me the maze was alive, rustling and shifting, shadows dancing in the edges of my vision.
Every now and again I would stumble a bit, but immediately gained my balance again. Once I fell, tripping over my feet and dropping the flashlight. I got up as fast as I could and continued running leaving the flashlight. I didn't want to waste time to go back for it when the moon could light up the path just as well. I had to get out, now. Somehow I knew that the others were gone, and wouldn't come back, so I had to leave this place and find help.
My moyo was pounding. So much so that I thought it would burst from my chest. My breathing came out in rasps, hardly getting enough air. My mind was growing numb so that the only thing left was the need to run, to get away, to escape.
Then I turned, right into a dead end. I just stood there breathing heavily, moyo pounding against my chest, staring numbly and the end of the path. There was nothing to do. My legs were tired and aching, my throat was dry, and I couldn't muster up enough will-power to move.
Unsure of what to do I called "Marco," in a trembling, soft voice. A heavy, dark whisper right beside my ear replied "Polo."
-Fin-