Chapter 5: Hostel Inspectors’ Knock

Tap, tap, tap…

From far, footsteps dey come.

Dong dong dong—

Three knocks for hostel near stair.

"Open door, hostel inspection! Anybody inside?" Woman voice dey echo.

Nobody answer.

Knocking come again.

Again and again, the sound loud, until e wan break ear.

No be hostel inspection—na death bell.

Boom, boom, boom…

Person wey no sabi fit think say na demolition dey happen outside.

After like ten minutes, everywhere quiet.

Tap, tap, tap…

Footsteps move go next hostel.

"Abeg, I dey fear," Tunde swallow.

"I think say this our hostel door old pass me. E fit survive this kind beating?" Musa pat the door.

"Abeg shift, if you break the door, you go pay," Tunde push am.

Six of us sit round table, dey look door, dey listen to footsteps outside.

E dey come.

My heart dey knock rib like talking drum. I breathe in.

Footsteps stop for our door.

"Open up, hostel inspection! Anybody inside?" Na still the woman voice.

Dong, dong, dong. Three polite knocks.

We know say na calm before storm.

We hold breath, dey count each knock, like say na judgment dey come.

Everybody just dey hold chair, dey pray for mind. Na so e be for Naija hostel—if person knock after eleven, no open.

True true, knocking begin loud and wicked.

Each hit, door dey bend inside.

Each knock, I dey imagine meteorite hit moon.

Funny enough, after each blow, the door go bounce back, like say e get rubber.

Six of us just sigh relief.

Apart from our ear wey suffer, we dey okay.

Looks like hostel inspection no too bad.

Just no open door.

Who go mumu reach to open am?

Na so I whisper, "If na my papa dey knock, e go tire for outside." Everybody laugh small, but still dey watch door.

After like ten minutes, inspector move.

We safe.

Musa just burst, "Omo! Make we clap for Brother Door! Thank you! Without you, we for don kpai! Door, door, how we go survive without you? Love you, mwah! If I fit, I go dey burn candle for you day and night!"

Musa hug the door, kiss am.

Halima hiss, “Abeg, if dem catch us tomorrow, na you and your romance go save us?”

All of us dey laugh, tension break like fufu after stew touch am. We dey hail Musa, but for back of mind, everybody still dey calculate tomorrow.

As we dey happy, suddenly, we hear door unlock for next room.

No be joke…

Person really mumu reach to open door!

The air freeze. Our eyes jam. No one talk, but all of us know: tomorrow fit reach anybody. For this school, sense na life, and foolishness na burial cloth. For this school, even small mistake fit turn you to tomorrow’s warning story.