THE KISS THAT CURSED ME

This one scary night, Haniel sat alone at the table, lost in thought. No one knew where her mind had gone. The kerosene lamp flickered, throwing long shadows on the cracked mud walls. Outside, the wind pushed against the thin iron roof, making it rattle like something wanted to get in. Her hands were cold around an empty tin cup. She had just woken up from a horrible nightmare, and her nerves were still shaking. In the dream, she was running barefoot in a dark forest, and something with long white hair was calling her name. "Haniel... come!" She woke up with her own scream stuck in her throat. Poverty had weighed her down until she could barely breathe. That morning she had walked for two hours in town, from shop to shop, asking for any work — cleaning, washing, carrying. Nothing. The women at the market looked at her tired dress and shook their heads. She never made it to college, so her qualifications were too low. Her primary school certificate was folded carefully in a plastic bag under her mattress, but nobody wanted it. The last thing she knew that could save her from poverty was this... a rumor from a neighbor about a man who helps desperate girls find jobs. Her stomach growled. There was no flour left. No sugar. Just water. Last night she and her mother had shared one boiled potato. She looked at the door where Uncle Daniel was dozing on a torn sofa. He had taken them in after her father died, but his kindness had grown thin. "Uncle Daniel, I'm going somewhere. I'll be back in about an hour," Haniel said, tying her leso tighter around her shoulders. "Okay," he replied without opening his eyes. "Don't be late. And... be careful." Haniel walked into the dark. Her rubber shoes slapped against the murram road. Every shadow made her jump. She kept thinking of the nightmare. She went to meet a gang she didn't know. But she was desperate. She needed a job. Behind an unfinished building near the stage, three men waited around a small fire. The air smelled of cheap cigarettes and chang'aa. Eliton was the man who said he could connect her to the job. He was big, with a gold tooth that flashed when he talked. "Just a few documents, to sign," he said with a grin, pushing a dirty paper toward her. Haniel stared at the paper. The English words swam before her eyes. "But I'm not educated," Haniel replied, her voice small. "I can't read this." The gang leader looked at her and smiled. It was not a kind smile. He stood up slowly and stepped closer. Haniel could smell his sweat. "You can start tomorrow... if you agree to kiss me." Haniel was shocked. She stepped back. "No. I... I refused. I came for work, not for that." But then he said, "I'll give you 500,000 KES. For just one KISS." Half a million. For one kiss. The night went silent. Even the wind stopped. Haniel remembered how empty her house was. The empty sufuria. Her mother's cough that wouldn't stop because they couldn't afford medicine. How many nights she went to bed hungry, listening to her stomach cry. 500,000 could rent a good house. Could start a small business. Could take her mother to hospital. It's just a simple kiss... and I'll be rich. Her hands trembled. Her heart beat so loud she thought they could hear it. She thought of the nightmare, of the voice saying "come." Was this what it meant? She closed her eyes and kissed him. His lips were cold. Too cold. Not human cold. Only to discover........ ---