@Aura

@Aura 25 March 2022

I should have listened to my mother. The twenty fourth day of September 2008 was a special day for many but for my family and I, it was a day that crumbled our dreams and made us become paupers. My mother had warned me not to leave the house that day so I would be able to do my chores and also for security reasons. She said this before traveling to our hometown with my elder sister for a wedding. I was the left alone in the house. They were supposed to be back later on the same day because our hometown wasn't so far from the city we lived in . My mother had prepared my favorite meal; Fried Rice and Chicken, and instructed me not to use the gas cooker to cook anything at all except to warm my food whenever I wanted to eat. I was told not to leave the house for any reason. I later felt hungry and as I had just put the pot of rice on the cooker to warm my food, there was a knock on the door. It was Charlotte, my classmate who lives two houses away from us. I opened the door for her to come in and as we got chatting, I forgot I had put something on the fire. She took the book she had come for and asked me to see her off. I remembered mum's instruction not to leave the house but I brushed it off with the thought of coming back as soon as possible. We got downstairs and there was a fight between two naughty boys in the neighborhood that caught our attention. Some elders tried to separate them but they refused and continued to fight . When the fight was overly, I wished my friend goodbye and rushed back to the house. The stench of smoke that greeted me was enough for me to know what happened. I tried to get to the kitchen but it was not possible. Inside the kitchen, there was fire,wild and threatening.I could not risk my life. I thought of my mother and her warning and I felt devastated. I ran out in confusion shouting for help. Passersby, neighbours, everyone rushed in the direction of our house. Some were carrying buckets of water, some had sand but the fire had grown too wild for them to handle. I screamed and roll myself on the ground and refuse to be consoled. Hefty men battled to save our house and property but to no avail. Some good Samaritans called the fire service men, as usual, it took them once hour to arrive at our house. By then the house was in ruins. It was a sorry sight to behold. Nothing was saved. I had only the dress I was wearing. Late in the evening, my mother came back with my elder sister. Looking at what used to be our house made her faint. She was rushed to the hospital. The doctors battled hard to save her life but in the end they succeeded. I hated myself for bringing doom to my family. How I wish I had listened to my mother. This is fiction. Thanks for reading.

@Aura 11 March 2022

My First Camp Experience. Hello readers, I hope we are all doing well, this is my first article here and I hope we all find it interesting and also educating. I want to share with us my first camp experience. My first camp experience was very funny and interesting, it was organized by the Red Cross society of my school and I was a member, I was much younger then, my mum paid for the camp fee and I was very happy, a date was chosen for the journey, it was a Saturday and we all were excited because it was going to be our first camp experience for most of us. We started the journey, it took us about one hour and thirty minutes to get to our destination, when we got there, we met some other people from other schools, and we were assigned to different rooms, which allowed us to make new friends. I made a lot of friends and I’m still friends with some of them till date. Every morning, every one of us would come out of our different rooms for the daily exercise and workout sessions, after a while, those of us that were younger would be asked to rest while the older ones would continue, thereafter, we would go to have our bath, then we have breakfast. After breakfast, we go to classes for seminars and training on how to give first aid and other relevant topics pertaining to the Red Cross society, after that, we go for lunch, then we observe our siesta, in the evenings, we would play outdoor games and have fun, then we eat dinner, after a while we go to sleep. The camp was fun filled and educating too, Asides the seminars and trainings, I learnt some things like how to pick a crab without being hurt and also learnt how to ride a bicycle. The camp lasted for just seven days, when the camp was almost running to an end, I became sad because I was enjoying my stay, and I wished it could last for one more week but it had to end. Events were organized for the last night of the camp, we were all excited because it promised to be fun, on that night, a camp fire was set and we all danced around it joyfully, then we were all served with chicken soup and chilled soda for refreshment. We then proceeded to presentation of certificates and awards, I was awarded as the most attentive student while some of my friends received other awards too, all of was were presented with a certificate in “BASIC FIRST AID”. The night came to an end, the next day was the last day of the camp, we had breakfast, and thereafter a bus conveyed us to our various locations where our parents came to pick us. I showed my mum my award and she was really proud of me. When we got home, I shared my experience with my family, we all laughed and they were proud of me. That was my first experience at a camp, I hope we all enjoyed it. Stay tuned for my next article.

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