Alero’s Silence

In most boarding schools in Nigeria, fear was a normal part of school life.
Students often whispered stories about Bush Baby, a creature said to jump from tree to tree at night or sit outside hostels crying like a newborn baby.
They also spoke about Lady Koi Koi, the ghostly woman in high heels whose footsteps were said to echo through empty corridors after lights-out.

New students listened with fear and curiosity while older students laughed and pretended they no longer believed the stories. Deep down, however, many of them were still afraid.

The experience of one school porter gave those stories a run for their money. What she experienced was far worse than anything the students whispered about.

The porter was a strict woman who believed strongly in discipline and obedience. Sometimes she went too far. To her, rules had to be followed without exception and public punishment was necessary. Students feared her sharp tongue and unforgiving attitude.

Among the students was Alero.
She came from a wealthy family but showed none of the pride often associated with wealthy students. She was quiet, reserved and kept to herself. She avoided unnecessary friendships and moved through school without drawing attention. She never challenged authority, never looked for trouble and was known for being unusually gentle.

Everything changed one afternoon when Alero arrived late for lunch.
In front of the entire dining hall, the porter scolded her harshly.
Alero tried to explain that she had been delayed by “woman matter,” the term girls in the school used for menstrual periods. She apologized and explained that the situation had been beyond her control.

The porter saw the explanation as defiance. She accused Alero of being proud and disrespectful. The more Alero tried to explain herself, the angrier the porter became. Determined to embarrass her further, the porter reported her to the vice principal.

The vice principal was surprised by the complaint. It was not a serious matter. He knew Alero well enough to know that she was not troublesome. In fact, she was probably the last student anyone would accuse of being disrespectful.

However, rumors had circulated for years about his inappropriate closeness to the porter. Supporting Alero could create problems for him so he ignored her explanation and punished her.

Alero stood quietly through the humiliation.

She lowered her head while the porter continued to insult her. Then she slowly looked up.

Those who stood close by and witnessed it later said something seemed different about her face. Her expression was cold and unsettling. Some assumed she was simply angry. Even the porter noticed it and called her a witch.

The matter appeared to end there. But it did not.
Soon afterward, strange things began to happen. The porter started hearing footsteps behind her in empty corridors. Whenever she turned around, nobody was there.

Then came the knocks.
Every night, long after everyone had gone to sleep, three slow knocks echoed on her door. When she opened it, the corridor was empty. The knocks continued for weeks. She began waking up at exactly 3am each night. Sometimes she found muddy footprints on the floor leading to her bed and stopping there.
Objects changed places on their own.
Cupboard doors opened during the night.
Her bedsheets were sometimes pulled from her body while she slept.

More than once, she woke up unable to move, staring at a dark figure standing silently beside her bed. Whenever she switched on the light, it vanished.
Mirrors became unbearable.
Several times, she caught sight of someone standing behind her reflection.
When she turned around, there was nobody there.
She began hearing her name whispered close to her ear. Sometimes the voice sounded like a young girl. Sometimes it sounded like many voices speaking at once.

The vice principal soon developed problems of his own. He started seeing a girl standing at the end of hallways.
Whenever he looked directly at her, she disappeared. Files vanished from locked drawers and later appeared neatly arranged on his desk.
His office door opened and closed by itself. He frequently heard chairs scraping across the floor in empty rooms. Terrifying dreams left him drenched in sweat.
In some of them, he wandered through endless corridors while someone followed him behind. He always woke up before seeing the face.

Then the disturbances became worse.
Bulbs flickered or exploded without warning. Pictures fell from walls.
Electronic devices switched on by themselves.

Both the porter and vice principal heard laughter in empty rooms. They heard footsteps on rooftops. They felt unseen hands brush against their shoulders.
Several times, both claimed they saw a shadow standing in a corner, watching them without moving.

Then accidents followed. Falls.
Unexplained illnesses. Near collisions.
Mechanical failures. And a constant feeling that something was always behind them.

Months passed and became years.
Doctors found nothing wrong.
Psychological explanations brought temporary relief. Eventually, they became desperate and sought spiritual help.
Although they went separately, both received the same disturbing message.
Their suffering had a source. ..Alero.

They were told to find her, publicly admit what they had done, sincerely apologize and offer restitution.
Under normal circumstances, this should have been easy. But Alero had already graduated.
She had disappeared into life beyond the school gates and no one knew where she lived.

Former classmates had lost contact with her. Teachers knew almost nothing about her outside school.
The search that should have taken days stretched into months. Every lead ended in failure. Every address led nowhere.
Every phone number was disconnected.

Fear followed them home. It sat beside them at dinner. It waited for them in dark rooms. It stole their sleep.
What they had dismissed as a simple act of humiliation had become a burden they could not escape.

They had spent years hearing stories about Bush Baby and Lady Koi Koi but this was different. This was not about a creature in the trees or a ghost in high heels. This was about an innocent person they had wronged and the terrifying possibility that the forgiveness they needed might never come.

What made matters even worse was that nobody could prove that Alero existed.
Her records were missing from the school data base. Photographs no longer showed her face clearly.
People remembered her name but struggled to remember anything else.
It was as if she had slowly faded from the world.

The porter and the vice principal continued searching.
Years later, they were still searching.
And according to those who knew them, the knocking never stopped. Three slow knocks. Every night. Always at the same time. As though something was waiting outside the door. And one night, the knocking came from inside the room.

Some people believe the knocking is Alero asking for justice.
Others believe it is something else.