it had been three weeks since the gang had seen Samm. Having expected someone to check on him, meant they all got busy and forgot.
“Samm loves lasagna and yet he isn’t here. When last did anyone see him?” Mulenga asked. Stopping to pack lasagna into a small square plastic container.
They had all gotten busy during the public holiday, forgetting to check up on their friend. They stood in the hallway of Samm’s secret lair, Mulenga with the container of lasagna leading the trio.
“I come with food,” Mulenga said. Opening the door labelled, experiment, the only room alive with noise in the hallway. Samm looked unkempt with his hair longer than usual and odd googles covering his eyes.
The room contained a soldering gun, mother bodies and chips, a multitude of watches, a computer attached to many cables leading off all over the room.
“This isn’t every scary story ever made. What have you been doing Samm?” Mbunji asked sarcastically. As Samm ate his lasagna, Mbunji wandered around touring Samm’s creation, with extreme curiosity.
“it’s a dream catcher, Madame Mizinga can use to probe my brain for memories.”
“Kang.. is it Kangwa or Mbunji or anyway doesn’t really matter. Kangwa, can we test this on you, I want to experience cliff diving off the Mosi-o-tunya falls, cause I will never do that for real” Samm said. Putting down the empty container, attempting to connect Kangwa to the dream catcher helmet.
“Why isn’t it working?” Samm wondered. Kangwa tore the helmet off him, incensed at being a guinea pig.
“How dare you…”
“Ahhhhhhh, in all the excitement I forgot to make a power core. You guys can help.” Samm interrupted Kangwa in his excitement.
“We need to go ku garage,” Samm said. Shuffling through a box of papers, in the corner of the room.
“Ku garage?” Mulenga, Kangwa and Kezipe asked together. Watching Samm walk the room collecting a torch to go with the papers he had gathered.
“Yes, I need to find second-hand parts to make the power core, then we can test it on Kangwa,” Samm said. Walking out of the experiment room leaving the rest of the group behind, slightly confused.
Ku garage was a wooden castle filled with all kinds of metal, plastic, energy sources and cables to feel like walking into a candy store. Heaps and heaps of creative trash just waiting to be discovered.
“We will need to split up into two groups covering the needed ground,” Samm said. Picking Mulenga as his partner, handing Kezipe and Kangwa a list of parts to find;
“Zinc, Copper, salt, switch, 20l plastic container.”Samm and Mulenga headed the opposite direction in search of;
“Batteries”
Kezipe and Kangwa took a turn and were faced with wires of all sticking out of broken cars, discarded microwaves, different coloured metals were everywhere.
“How do we pick the right metal?” Kezipe asked. Going round the busted parts looking for labels on the metal.
Kangwa grabbed as much wire and cable as he could wrap around his arm.
“Let’s find Samm, we have too many wires, don’t even know how much he needs,” Kangwa said.
“We didn’t think this through properly,” Kezipe said. As they walked back to the break-off point.
“They turned here, let’s go” Kangwa spoke. Urging Kezipe to go in search of their friends.
The sound intensified the deeper into the path they got. The piles of junk stopped suddenly opening up to a beautiful old wooden house in the middle of the junkyard. Mr Ronaldo, the caretaker was a scary looking man, with an eye patch covering his left eye, either scars or tattoos were etched on every exposed part of his body.
Mr Ronaldo was towering over Mulenga with Samm standing behind not moving.
“Samm are you sure about that?” Mulenga asked. Sprinting past Mr Ronaldo at Samm’s nod, arriving at the foot of the stairs, inspecting a boxed blue light attached to the side of the house.
“This is definitely a power source, Samm you made this?” Mulenga asked. Ducking out of the way of Mr Ronaldos leap in her direction.
“Now, now children this power source was given to this house as part of the innovation for change campaign. All teachers houses have been fitted with these,” Mr Ronaldo said. Watching Mulenga intently, he placed himself in front of her and her prize.
“Mulenga wait! When did these new installations come through Mr Ronaldo?” Samm asked. Coming out of his shock, walking towards the power source to survey it himself.
“This definitely my design, exactly what I was going to make tonight.”
“When were these installed Sir?” Samm asked. Looking at the power source in awe.
“Mother Marian had them installed last April, as a test to curb and offset our Zesco electric bill, haven’t had a problem since.” Mr Ronaldo smiled.
Delighted with Mother Marian’s constant improvement in facilities.
“Let’s go, guys, there isn’t anything here for us,” Samm sighed. Dejected Samm walked back to his room in silence lost to the world around him, trying to piece the meaning of the night’s events.
The rest of the group walked silently behind Samm trying not to interrupt his thoughts.
“Ma wouldn’t cheat me, but my blueprints say I made the design last January. Why don’t I remember any of this?”
“I trust Ma but none of this makes sense,” Samm said. Turning to reveal the tears streaming down his face, shutting the door before any of them could say a word.
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