[STORY]:- The Empty Room By; Chukwu Chinazaekpere Abigail

[STORY]:- The Empty Room By; Chukwu Chinazaekpere Abigail

There used to be an empty room in my hostel. I thought it was empty, it should be. I mean that’s what it is called when there is no occupant in a room right? I didn’t understand why the caretaker won’t rent the room out, none of us in the hostel did anyway.

I made a point of asking the hostel barrister once why he had not rented out the room since people had been asking. He looked at me strangely, and asked if he could rent out a room where people still lived, I looked at him weirdly too. One of us in that place had lost their mind, and both of us had witnesses to our claims, he had the caretaker and the landlord and I think the cleaner too, I had the 56 humans living with me in that hostel. I didn’t bother asking further.

Yesterday morning, I asked our lodge president if there wasn’t anyone asking for vacancy, he said there was one, that he’d show her the empty room, I nodded.
Somehow when he was showing her the room, he lost the key, so he had to buy a new set of padlock and keys, that he’d give to the caretaker whenever he came around.

Yesterday night, I woke up by 2:15am, to a very cold room, I decided to turn on the lights so that I could see my way to where my thicker blanket was folded. I heard her voice “I don’t like lights”
Eh? I jumped back on my bed, searched for my phone and turned on my torch, I panned it round the room. I heard a scurry, into my wardrobe it went. Whatever it was.

I gathered morale, grabbed my bible and turned on the lights whilst singing “rock of ages cleft for me” in a voice so shaky it could pass for a mismanaged vibrato. The cherubims will never let me join their choir in heaven now. “I don’t like the lights” she said again. I jumped back on my bed.
Something swished past me, and off went the lights. I knelt down on my bed and closed my eyes tight, I wanted to wake up from this dream. “you’re not dreaming, you had me locked out of my room, I was hoping you’d be willing to share yours”
I slowly opened my eyes, I didn’t see a face, I saw just eyes, bright eyes.

I yelped and fainted, I guess. That’s the only way I could have slept in that room.

By morning, when I opened the door of my room, I felt her swish past me, “goodbye roomie” she said.
I walked out in a haze, and saw the burial poster of a girl who used to live opposite my hostel. Something struck me about the eyes, I kept staring at it.

Cold, Swish again.
“yes, that’s me, I hope to see you at my funeral”