Chapter-1
“Avv! Avva!! Wake up! Wake up… what’s this now? You’re trembling again!”
Jasmine shook her friend gently but firmly. The dawn light had barely begun to creep through the thin curtains, and the hostel room was still wrapped in that heavy, early morning silence where even breathing felt loud.
Avva jerked awake with a sharp gasp, clutching the bedsheet as though it were the only thing keeping her anchored. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart pounding like it was trying to escape her ribcage.
For a few seconds, she couldn’t tell where she was. The walls felt unfamiliar. The ceiling fan spun lazily above her, humming softly.
“Easy, Avva. Easy,” Jasmine said, tightening her grip on Avva’s shoulders. “It’s just me. You’re awake now.”
Avva blinked rapidly, her eyes darting around the room. The faint yellow glow from the bedside lamp painted the peeling cream walls in soft gold. Her breathing slowly began to steady, but her hands were still shaking.
“Bad dream again?” Jasmine asked, lowering her voice.
Avva swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry, like she had been screaming for hours.
“Yes,” she whispered. “This one felt… different.”
Jasmine sighed. “You’ve been having these strange dreams recently.
Stress, maybe. Or excitement. Your mind is just working overtime.”
Avva shook her head slowly. “No. This wasn’t like the others.”
She closed her eyes briefly, and the image rushed back with painful clarity.
“Jas, my mum, it was about her this time,” she said,. “She was in a dark room. Not sleeping… just sitting there and crying bitterly. I tried to get closer, but it felt like something was holding me back.”
Jasmine frowned. “Your mum cries sometimes. She’s human.”
“This wasn’t normal crying, Jas,” Avva insisted. “It was like… she was in pain. Like she was calling me, but I couldn’t hear everything she was saying. Only fragments.”
“Fragments of what?”
Avva hesitated, her fingers curling into the bedsheet. “She kept saying my name. Over and over.
Jasmine went quiet.
Avva opened her eyes and turned to her. “Do you think I should call her?”
Jasmine stared at her like the answer was obvious. “You’re even asking? Call her, joor..
Avva nodded quickly and reached for her phone on the small reading table beside her bed. The wooden desk was cluttered with textbooks, printed research papers, a stethoscope she hadn’t yet packed away, and an old desk lamp whose glow had dimmed with age. She pushed aside a stack of files before uncovering her Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. The screen lit up instantly, bright against the dim room.
Her fingers hovered over the dial pad for a moment before she selected her mum’s number
Avva nodded quickly and reached for her phone on the small reading table beside her bed. The wooden desk was cluttered with textbooks, printed research papers, a stethoscope she hadn’t yet packed away, and an old desk lamp whose glow had dimmed with age. She pushed aside a stack of files before uncovering her Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. The screen lit up instantly, bright against the dim room.
Her fingers hovered over the dial pad for a moment before she selected her mum’s number.
She dialed,
Once,
The phone rang, filling the room with a sharp sound that made Avva’s stomach twist.
No answer.
She dialed again.
Twice.
Still nothing.
Her breathing grew shallow as she tried again.
Three times.
Four.
Five.
By the sixth attempt, her hand was shaking so badly Jasmine had to steady it.
“Jas… she’s not picking,” Avva whispered, her voice cracking. “Mummy always picks.”
“Maybe she’s sleeping,” Jasmine offered gently. “Or her phone is on silent.”
“At this time?” Avva shook her head. “She wakes up before anyone else in that compound. She’ll be up by now, praying or preparing to go to the market.”
Jasmine paused. “Okay. Try someone else. Call your neighbour at home.”
“Yes… yes,” Avva said quickly. “Mummy Kome should know something.”
She scrolled through her contacts and dialed again.
The phone rang twice before someone answered.
“Hello, Mummy Kome?”
A man’s voice came through instead.
“Hello, Avva! It’s Daddy Kome.”
Avva exhaled in relief at first. “Good morning, sir.”
“Good morning, my daughter. How are you? We heard the good news, congratulations!” His voice sounded cheerful. “You didn’t disappoint your mum and the little children who look up to you in our compound.”
Avva forced a small smile, though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you, sir. I’m grateful.”
There was a pause. She swallowed.
“Sir… I’ve been trying to reach my mum. Is she at home?”
Another pause followed. Longer this time. Too long.
“Oh dearest Avva,” Daddy Kome said slowly. “You didn’t know? We’re at the hospital and...hold on,
please sir, we need your attention”
“Daddy K?” Avva’s heart began to race. “Daddy K?! What happened? What about my mum? Hello? Hello?”
The line went dead.
Avva stared at her phone in disbelief.
Hospital?
Her fingers felt numb.
“Wait… Jas,” she whispered, her eyes wide and glassy. “My dream… it’s real. Daddy K said they’re at the hospital."
Jasmine frowned immediately. “Hospital ke? Calm down. It could be anyone. People fall sick every day in that compound.”
“But he mentioned my mum,” Avva said. “And he paused. Why would he pause?”
“Because maybe he didn’t know how to tell you,” Jasmine said gently. “Or maybe network cut him off.”
Avva shook her head, tears welling up. “Something’s not right. I can feel it.”
Jasmine sighed and reached for Avva’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Avva dear, relax. God is not so cruel.”
Avva looked at her, her eyes glossy. “She’s all I have, Jas. Just her, just my mum.”
Jasmine’s expression softened. “I know. And that’s exactly why God will protect her.”
Avva tried to breathe deeply, but her chest felt tight. The air in the room seemed heavier, thicker. Her mind replayed the dream again and again, her mum’s tear-streaked face, the darkness, the voice calling her name.
“What if she collapsed?” Avva whispered.
“What if she's hiding something from me all this time? She always does that. Always pretending she’s strong.”
Jasmine shook her head. “You’re already imagining the worst.”
“I’m a doctor, Jas,” Avva said bitterly. “I know how quickly things can change.”
Jasmine went quiet, unsure what to say.
Avva stood up suddenly, pacing the room. “I need to go home.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I’ll take the first bus. I can’t stay here and pretend everything is fine.”
Jasmine stood too and pulled her into a hug. “Whatever it is, you won’t face it alone.”
Avva leaned into her, finally letting the tears fall.
Outside, the sun had fully risen, unaware of the fear clawing at Avva’s chest. But somewhere deep inside her, she knew this was only the beginning that the dream had not come to warn her gently, but to prepare her for a truth she was not ready to face.
To be continued....
