WATERWORKS THAT NEVER WORKED

 
"Back from school, upstairs and into the room, we changed to our casual wears and came out all leaning against the iron bars in the balcony. We chatted and poked fun with and at our playmates that just came back too; some still downstairs while others just like us were standing in their balconies.

All of a sudden, we had a sharp sound like a loud sneeze followed by a hollow sound and then a great gush out from the water tap. For a second, we paused, looked downward to confirm our doubts, then shouting Water! Water!! we took hold of our gallons and buckets and started running down and toward the water tap. It was a big compound so we needed to act fast and be amongst the first to fetch. After all, the last time the waterworks remembered us, the water tap was functional for only about 45mins. So in a bid to be among the first to fetch water, we deployed all sorts of tricks, from running to the tap without any gallons to secure positions by standing on our feet to throwing down the gallons from our balconies.

So as the young Chike made his way towards the tap with a 5litre gallon he was sure he would make it before the line becomes too long. Ebuka was already downstairs waiting for Amaka to throw down the bucket for him. Ebuka beckoned on Amaka to be fast else they lose a fetching position. Under this immense pressure, Amaka got hold of an iron bucket and then without looking threw it down for Ebuka to catch. However, the hapless Chike's great run coincided perfectly with Amaka's downward bucket drop completing a 90° angle on Chike's head. Instantly, the poor boy slumped with an external wound to his head(don't know about the internal). Amaka's shout drew the attention of everyone and so quickly Chike was lifted off the ground and taken to the nearest health clinic. Of course, the fetching of the water continued albeit in a sorrowful mood. 

Late at night, news filtered in that Chike was awake and full of life. We rejoiced and danced that Amaka's bucket didn't take away the lovely Chike from us. Chike's father came back and was told about the incident. He was ecstatic that his son survived but he also added that the responsibility of his son's averted death would have rested solely on the State Waterworks. For if water was always available as it should be, the unhealthy jostling for water tap positions wouldn't even be in existence. On that day, we learned another lesson: "Be responsible and discharge your duties effectively. Your actions or inactions might lead to sad end"(8)

(Culled from my unpublished work: GROWING UP IN OUR DAYS)
The last flash.
WATCH OUT FOR THE RELEASE OF THE BOOK IN FEW MONTHS TIME