I kept thinking of ways or reasons not to go through with the plan. I thought of all the possible things I could do: sell water, pick up plastic from garbage dumps, work as house help. The list was endless. But I had done most of these before, and I knew the result. At exactly five a.m., the first cockerel crowed. That was followed by a dozen others. Life was a competition, I thought sadly. Even the cockerels seemed aware of that. I continued lying on the thin mattress and looked up at the roof. There were holes in the tin, and I could clearly see the sky. The sky was dark, and for a moment I wondered if there was some truth in the saying that the darkest moment is the one before the light. I certainly needed some light in my life. Someone cleared their throat roughly and then spat. I knew that it was a huge piece of slime. And I also knew that Kanga was going to throw a fit about it. I got up slowly and took the piece of stick that I used for brushing my teeth.
