Blood Part III My heart skipped several beats. I was doomed. I looked to the side and saw Mallam Sallau. He was in his thirties and taught at the Islamiyya. Rumour has it he once asked his young cousin to marry him. His uncle, the cousin’s father, flogged him for it. The shame of being flogged as a grown man (another rumour) made him flog young children, particularly the girls. I didn’t want to believe it, even though it made sense. Mallam Sallau did like flogging young students. Now, I was going to be an example. “I-ina wuni?” I stuttered as I greeted him. “What are you doing here?” he growled. I stared at his big orange beard, imagining him smearing sticky, wet green lalle on his chin, waiting for the dye to redden his hair. I wasn’t expecting that question from him, so I stuttered some more. “Uh, uh, I’m, I’m here to learn more about the religion.” He was still glaring at me. Then he said, “On a Thursday?” I backtracked my week. It truly was Thursday. There was no Islamic school on Thursday and Friday. I felt stupid, and I didn’t know how to hide it. “I’m sorry,” I started to say, and then a boy from nowhere interrupted me. “Salam. She was showing me the way to this place. I would like to join your school, sir.” The new boy from nowhere was lanky and confident. He didn’t bat an eyelid as he lied. Mallam Sallau bought the lie. He beamed and welcomed the boy. “Walaikum salam, young man. You have come to the right place,” he said and ushered the boy towards his office, leaving me. It was if I wasn’t even there. I turned around and made to go home when I spotted Husna putting down her phone. “What were you doing?” I asked her when I saw the look on her face. “Videoing your idiocy, of course," Husna said. I was going elsewhere when I spotted you going to islamiyya. I knew you were going to school on a holiday, so I taped it. Too bad pretty boy ruined it. Now it isn’t all that epic.” I sighed out of relief. I figured I had to thank the boy, whoever he was, for making me look less stupid, if I ever saw him again.
 
--To be Continued


Story by @thatbavagal
Sponsor by @hausaa_fulanii