When I was in standard four second term just few weeks to end of the term exams, another transfer to Mtunthama in Kasungu came; it was July, 2004. I hated to be a newcomer. It took me more, more time to suit into the new environment. For a week I could not go to school. I was not alone against this, Chancy, Samuel and Phillip were too.

Here everything was new, where the sun rises and sets, I could not believe it was the same east and west. The houses were similar the only difference were numbers. Sometimes I could pass by ours without knowing, thinking it was ahead of me, only remembering number seventeen is behind. Then I could turn back going home. Everything was completely strange even myself. The roads to school were many but I was not familiar with them. It took me months. I remember I could take a road thinking it would take me to our school’s football ground. Yet I would be diverted wide – either I would end up at a trading or at French. Lucky I could not get lost from there. I would either see the roundabout if I’m at the trading centre or Kamuzu Academy gate if I’m at French, so my school would be visible from there.

Second week on Monday, Phillip went to school with his transfer letter. Chancy, Samuel and I did not go. When our father came home from work, he asked our mother whether we had gone to school that day. When he had heard that we did not go, he warned us, “you better to school tomorrow, otherwise you will sleep outside.” We knew he meant it. He could not tolerate nonsense he wanted us to be educated.

On Tuesday we chose to take the risk. It seemed we had no option than that. July is always chill the weather was bad to sleep outside. We did not take him seriously. We did not go to school together with Phillip. When he had come for lunch that noon, he asked our mother if we had gone to school in the morning. She told him, we did not. He did not say anything to us. It did not mean that everything was alright with us.

When he came in the evening, we were outside. We knew he was serious, so we could not dare test him. He always wanted his kids to go further with education. He could not smile at that. When the supper was prepared, mother had left our food outside. She knew we would no enter into the house, yet he was not standing at the door. We were afraid we had to follow his wish after failing to follow his orders. We could not defy both, it was impossible. The orders were defiable, he was not at home, but the wish, how could we dare, a lion in its den; he was right there inside. We could not provoke him, we had learnt to let sleeping dog to lie. We ate our supper like soldiers in amidst of war, everyone had a way to spy now and again to signal the friends of any approaching danger. We did not want to be ambushed we even forgot to imagine how our night could be.