WAGES OF SIN 12

EPISODE 12

They began to pray. They prayed and prayed fervently. Casting and binding, and quoting heavy words from the scriptures. Soon, David lost to her inner strength and she could no longer hold it despite she was still unconscious. She struggled and wrestled her hands with them that were holding hands with her, trying to free her hands unconsciously. Her mouth opened and she began to burst in tongues. She spoke in tongues so loud that it got the attention of the entire school. Teachers observing their teaching periods left their classes to see what was happening. They traced the noise to Jss 3.

The principal entered the class with the new Agricultural Science teacher, Mr. Stanley, and felt embarrassed to see thigs in such a way.

"And what the hell is happening here?" He shouted, and screamed at the students holding David's hands, even at Elizabeth, the female senior prefect.

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"And what the hell do you think you were doing back in that class?" The furious middle aged principal asked, with Elizabeth, Debby and the other two students kneeling before his desk. Mr. Jason picked his yellow face towel to dry the dam of sweats that saturated his face down to his neck. "Of all the students in this school I never expected someone of your status to break the rules and regulations of this school. How could you almost turn the school into one of Reinhard Bonnke's revival ground? How dare you?" The principal's globe eyes were now bulging. He rose from his rotating office chair and walked to his shelf, brooding on the kind of punishment to give to the students. It was kind of hard for him to pass judgement on them since Elizabeth, the female senior prefect was involved.

"This is my judgement. You..." he was about pronouncing a punishment of beatings and a month suspension on the students when his yet bulging eyes caught three golden awards statue from competitions in the transparent shelf. They were beautiful award statues which gave pretty memories and honours to the school; all won by the school all times best student, Iyanda Elizabeth. His heart pounced again, remembering the Cowbell Mathematics Competition was around the corner, about two weeks time, and if the school would ever dream of winning the competition that season, they needed no one else than Iyanda Elizabeth to deliver the honour to the school doorstep.

"Damn it!" he shouted, hitting the wall with the palm of his right hand. Elizabeth smiled in her heart knowing the problem Mr. Jason was battling with in his disciplined heart. She knew the principal could not afford to let her be at home while the school was in a cold rivalry and competition with Saint Thomas high college, another school in the neighbourhood.

Saint Thomas high college, STHC, had on several occasions defeated and denied Bethel high college, BHC, winning, in some competitions. The reason BHC had won in three competitions in a row was the outstanding nature of Iyanda Elizabeth. Going to such competition without a student like Elizabeth and Mariam, knowing fully well that STHC would participate, would only amount to nothing but a failure.

"You can all leave now" Mr. Jason finally let out some words, "you will receive your punishments by tomorrow on the assembly ground."

The four smiled out of the office, aware that there punishments would not be severe. They also knew their importance to the growth and development of the school, but they would not take the grace for granted. The school had closed before the principal released them to leave, and everywhere was so silent. The three met a classmate of theirs who was still patiently waiting for his parents to pick him up.

"Sammy" Elizabeth called him as she stepped into the class, curious of what later happened to David.

"Liz" he said, happy to see them again.

"What happened? What of David?"

"David" he said, and lifted his right hand slowly from his side and pointed towards a white building across the field. Elizabeth dismissed her friends and entered the school clinic with her little sister.

David's body laid there in the school clinic's bed, still unconscious, but she had stopped speaking with other tongues. "Ma'am" she called, trying to get the nurse's attention, who was attending to David. "This is not a drug and medication matter" Elizabeth said.

"Really? Wow. Please" she said, and concentrated on the senior prefect, "please teach me my job"

"Okay" she said, and placed her right hand on David's forehead, speaking some inaudible words. Immediately, suddenly, David opened her eyes and became normal and conscious. "This is your job" Elizabeth said, smiling at the nurse whose mouth remained ajar.

Elizabeth helped David on her feet and demanded she be discharged at that very moment, claiming she was okay and good to go home. The nurse didn't bother arguing with Elizabeth since she was the school most respected student of high reputation and with what she had seen her performed, she wouldn't want to lockhead with her spiritually.

David's body hung on Elizabeth's back on their way home. Elizabeth took it a privilege to be in one way or the other connected to David. She knew she was strong, but perceived David to be stronger and mightier than she. She believed as she could perceive a greater grace and measure of anointing upon her. Oftentimes she would steal a glance at David who had already fallen asleep on her back after a little work of the breeze.

Jamie was on her way to the market when she saw Debby and Elizabeth with something that looked like a load behind her.

"What happened to her?" Jamie asked, when the two got closer to the house. Debby dropped David's school bag on the floor, and Jamie went straight to her daughter to feel her temperature while she still hanged there on Elizabeth's back.

"She's fine, ma. Just show me the way to her room"

Elizabeth laid her gently on her bed in her room and left a kiss on her forehead.

"What happened to her?" Jamie asked again, afraid if she did something wrong in school and was beaten till she fainted.

"Something" Elizabeth replied, with a bright look on her face. "She's no more the David you used to know."

"I don't get" Jamie said, anxiously. "What do you mean?"

David smiled as she collected her big brown school bag from Debby, "You will get to know when she wakes up."

to be continued ...

Story by: ADENIJI MICHEAL (MICHEALHADEN)