Chapter 91 The Contest
***THE CONTEST***
The principal gave his opening speech and other activities started, the MC. Took to the stage with his agenda booklet which he peeked from to organize and coordinate all the activities that will and take place in this event. The MC. was a very funny man, he told lots of jokes as he managed the event, his comedies threw more light on the show.
It was a very big event as all the students were present, many parents were also present, my mom and Cynthia's parents were among the few parents that were not present at the event. My House matter even asked me in his usual choice of diction to ascertain the reason my mom was yet to be in school to see me swim, but I told her that she would have been here if not for an urgent and crucial situation that she needed to take care of. Though he was not satisfied with my response, he also had to manage, I've not understood many of his words too, but I also managed.
Well, we were all ready and dressed in our swimming suits with Kunle looking at me and laughing, he bled out a wicked smile that could mean "I got you where I want you", I turned to see Bright and the other crew members of Kunle looking at me and laughing as well, why they were laughing was the thing I did not comprehend, but one thing is apparent to me, and it is the fact that Bright had done something horrible to me and that was why I was feeling the way I had been feeling, I kept feeling like I'm seeing shadows of some sort of creatures appearing and disappearing, it even got to a time when I thought I heard voices in my head saying things my mind could not comprehend. So Bright and the other boys were laughing at me as if to say that I have already lost out of the competition even before its commencement.
"Prepare to meet your ancestors. Fool..."
This was what Kunle said just before the MC. Who also played the umpire shouted:
"Oyomass... Setgety... Obaa... Gooo." This was a funny way to say; "On your marks... Get set... Ready?... Gooo."
At this moment every swimmer in the line of the pool dived into the pool and started swimming, I also did with the thoughts of all the kisses and pecks that Cynthia had given me before now, and how I will automatically miss out on more of them if I lose this swimming match. So I dove inside without fear or anything related to dismay, and without hesitation, I tried to swim, but as soon as I made contact with the water, I felt the same weird feeling growing even more intense, the water had always been a more comfortable place for me than any other place, but this time everywhere seemed strange and dark, that music that I usually heard, I didn't hear them anymore, in fact now I felt a huge fear under the water for the first time as I can now see some bizarre creatures in form human ladies swimming towards my lane with intense force. These creatures, though they looked like girls, were not, they had teeth like that of a shark and got a fish tale as well, while some even got the tales of snakes. where did they come From? And what were they doing in the pool? This was the question I asked myself in the pool.
These creatures, when they came to me, they hovered around me, I just could not explain why no one noticed their presence in the pool, as they swam around me, they discussed with among themselves, and I was their topic of discussion.
"Did you perceive his smell? There is something strange about how this land walker smells."
So did one among the five creatures say. This one was among the three with a fishtail.
"Yeah, I think I have had an encounter with someone with this smell before, I just can't remember when."
Another said. All these while they were discussing, the swimming was going and I was still in a place, circled by these unclean creatures. And all the while as they discussed, they were just discussing in their mind, they had no clue that I can hear them, they were only discussing about my smell, smell? I was just hearing it for the first time, no one had ever said to me that I have a smell, not even my mom.