the jail keeper.

Alade did not want to end up like this. She had been framed. She got into trouble for trying to be good. But how could she see an old man in trouble and not want to help. She remembered the words of the gang leader when he said, we’d come for you, it’s not over.

Indeed it was not over, for they managed to frame her and get her sentenced for life. But Alade had her ways. Alade had been friends with the jailkeeper for quite somtime. The jailkeeper knew her story, and felt sorry for her, but he was in no position to help her. But Alade knew better.

Whenever an inmate died, a bell was rung for all to remain silent, while the coffin was taken through the prison yard to be buried, in the open field outside the prison. Alade had an idea.

She made a pact with the jailkeeper, that when somebody else dies, she would find a way to sneak in to the coffin, in the middle of the night before the morning the coffin would be taken through the prison yard. So by morning the coffin gets buried, later in the day, the jail keeper, goes to dig up the coffin and let her out. Then she’d be free.

It was not long before a death was announced, alade was filled with ecstacy, now she had to find a way to get in to the coffin, the coffin was placed in the room near the toilet, so she called out that she would like to use the toilet. It was late in the night, power had been cut, and everywhere was dark, how perfect she thought. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then quickly entered the room with the coffin. Opened the coffin and jumped into it, along with the body that had been wrapped in a white cloth. Now all she had to wait for was morning.

Finally morning came. She knew this because the bell was sounded again for silence to be maintained, she detested the silence, for it only amplified the sound of her heart beat, which seemed thunderous, she was scared others might hear it.

Finally they arrived at the field, and after minutes of digging, the coffin was let down, she felt a thud as the coffin hit the ground, and more but lighter thuds as earth was poured upon the coffin.

Now she couldn’t hear any sounds, the burial was completed, everyone walked away. And all she waited for was the jailkeeper, who would come and finally set her free. Full of relief and ecstacy, curiosity set in, she wanted to know who had died, she removed the white cloth, to expose the face, then lit a match and held it over the face.

It was the jailkeeper…