" BLAKE ! " (part 1)

None can pin-point with certainty the origin or originator of the word . The first time that we ,
the pupils of standard six , heard of it was when one of our own ( a
girl ) got directly involved . Ours being a school in cosmopolitan
Trans-Nzoia County , you were to find pupils (
and teachers ) from almost all of the forty-two tribes that constitute
the population of Kenya . Hence the formal language used was Kiswahili
and English ; much of which was contaminated with vernacular from the
concerned ethnic-tribes .

The absence of Chesang from school could not go unnoticed by fellow
pupils and teachers alike ; more so because she was one of the finest
sprinters there was in the whole region and , this being the term for
athletics she could have been in the fore leading in rehearsals for the
final
events to be held at the county headquaters in Kitale . So the rumours
that her absence sparked were quite many and varied as well .

One such rumour was that Chesang had gotten herself pregnant during the
December vacations . The
perpetrators of the rumour purported that since Wanyonyi , an athlete
from a neighbouring school was also missing from his class , the two
likely lovers had eloped .

From that moment onwards , our class became the focus of attention .
Whenever there were breaks between lessons or lapses during athletics
rehearsals , we would be cornered and flanked by interested incorrigible
gossips from all of the seven classes .

" It is not true what they say about Chesang and Wanyonyi , " observed
Kibet , one particularly wiry bespectacled boy who claimed to be the
best informed in our midst .

" Give us your version mister-know-it-all ! " Ojuku put in , " Since you
were nominated the best reporter of the year , you have done well for
yourself by feeding us bull-crap . It would serve you well and save us
farther embarrassment if you lived up to your name for once ! " This was
obviously developing into a brawl and nothing seemed able to pull a
crowd in the school faster than a fight amongst pupils . It is true
that Kibet was one of the finest rumour-mongers the school ever had at
the time . He had a way of giving at least four different angles to
every incident that occurred in or outside the school . And what a
twist he gave to each narrative ! He was gifted with flowery speech and
was known to employ the use of his tongue in such a way that when he was
done , his audience was left with not a shadow of a doubt as to the
authenticity of the story ; hence the name reporter . And like all
reporters , he feared no one and could stand up to defend his stories if
not himself , his thin stature notwithstanding . So I was forced to
step in to stem the tide if at all we were to hear what he had to say
concerning Chesang .

" Cut out the joke , Ojuku ! " I stormed in perfectly knowing that Ojuku
, a hunk of a giant , could not be put off by the likes of Kibet whom
he termed as dim-witted timid nitwits . That seemed to calm the waters
as Ojuku walked away , an exaggerated limp in the
form of a swagger in his step . We gathered in a circle around the
self-appointed journalist in the person of Kibet .

Apparently he had over-heard , though he did not say as much in his own
words , that Chesang had been a victim of blake .

" What is that ? " somebody wanted to know . It was at this point that
Kibet cleared his throat twice and folded the arms of his school jumper
self-importantly before he continued in his bid to enlighten these
dummy-heads who knew nothing about the infamous blake .

There were boys , teenagers , who hungered after girls but who lacked
the courage and language with which to face their prey . Some who could
not contain their lusts decided to sneak into the girls' compound
unnoticed at night , prise open the door to the girls' lodging and do
whatever it is they wanted and made off smug and safe . I wanted to ask
why the girls would not raise an alarm once an intruder broke into their
huts but bit my tongue ; it was obvious that the others did not see
anything amiss there , so I let Kibet take us all for the ride .

He went on to point out that he himself had once engaged in one such
adventure but had almost got himself killed in the process . We were all
ears you could see our appendages almost flapping . He had been
frequenting this particular girl whom he claimed to know but who had
never seen him . Since she obviously mistook him for her long-time lover
, and conversations were almost nil , not even a whisper for fear of
being over-heard by over-vigilant parents and no light was ever made ,
she always welcomed him with open arms . He had gone in through the
thatch as
usual but had landed head-first in a tank full of traditional brew . The
resultant splattering had aroused the whole family who rushed in to
rescue Kibet who was drowning in frothy-beer , only to be later beaten to within inches of death for attempted rape .