The stars were beautiful tonight. The evening breeze cool and gentle. It was a perfect night for an evening stroll and as Ngozi sat on the front steps of her house, she wanted to do just that. 

Gazing into the night sky, she imagined what it would be like to touch that beautiful, glowing ball. The moon truly was a sight to behold, especially as full as it was now.

Someone screamed her name from inside, the harsh, piercing sound jerked her back to reality. She had forgotten why she came outside in the first place, her mother sent her to fetch water from the well.

“I’m coming, mama!” She yelled back, jumping up quickly and grabbing the bucket she had kept aside. She ran around the house to where the well was.

It was dark.

There was no power. There hadn’t been any for three days now and that meant no TV, no electronics, no light and no water.

Ngozi hated fetching water from the well. After hours of tugging on the thick rope, her skinny arms turned to jelly and she could barely lift a stick. Luckily for her, she only needed to fill one bucket today.

As she poured the final pail, she looked up into the sky again.

“I'm sure people don’t have to fetch water on the moon.” She thought to herself. A thought suddenly came to her head, unbidden and unwanted. Something her mother told her not too long ago.

“You don’t think like somebody that has a  future.”

It brought back painful memories that Ngozi had tried so desperately to forget. Memories of her mother storming out when Ngozi made a mistake, of her father looking down at her with a disapproving scowl, of her elder brother treating her like she was as intelligent as the bathroom slippers on her feet.

The only good memories she had were of her baby brother. Chigozie practically oozed with love and adoration for his big sister…and he was only two years old. Tears appeared  at the corner of her eyes and she wiped them away with her shirt sleeve. Her bucket was finally full and she heaved it away into the house.

As soon as her mother heard Ngozi open the front door, she began to yell from the kitchen where she was cooking up dinner.

“Shey that’s Ngozi?! Since that I sent you outside, what were you doing?! Is it not only one bucket I asked you to fetch for me?! Nna ehn.”

“I’m sorry, mama.” Ngozi replied, truly apologetic. Her mother was having none of it. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry when you don’t mean it!”

Ngozi remained silent, still standing by the door. Her father looked up from the dining room table where he was seated with a book in front of him and his reading lasses perched on the tip of his nose. The lamp in front of him illuminated his face just enough for Ngozi to see him shake his head briefly before returning his attention to the book.

“I’m sure she was daydreaming outside.” Her brother said from the couch in front of the TV. There was no power but it had become a habit for him to just sit there - doing nothing.

The muscle in Ngozi’s jaw tightened and she quickly picked up her bucket and made her way to the kitchen where it was needed. She had to get away before she said something she’ll regret or something they’ll make her regret.

As she crossed the kitchen door, her mother looked up, one hand on her waist and the other stirring a steaming pot of porridge. At the sight of the bucket, her nose scrunched up in disapproval.

“This bucket can never be enough.” Ngozi’s face immediately fell but she nodded wordlessly and emptied her bucket into a large bowl on the floor before going out again. She had just reached for the door handle when her brother spoke again. He hadn’t moved an inch from the couch and didn’t look like he had any plans to do so soon.

“Try not to get lost this time.” He said with a wide grin, apparently pleased with himself.

Ngozi couldn’t resist.

“You’re the one supposed to be fetching this water, shey you know?” She didn’t wait to hear his response but instead flung the door open and  stepped into the cool night air. The door shut firmly behind her and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Gos.” Chigozie called from the window. Ngozi turned around to see his little chubby face pressed against the glass. Stretching a short, stubby finger, he poked the mosquito netting until she began to smile.

“Gos.” He said again with a smile so contagious that hers grew wider. It broke her heart because she had already made up her mind.

She turned away and dropped the bucket on the steps taking another deep breath. Ngozi took one step forward, then another, and yet another until she was at a steady pace heading towards the gate.

She unlocked the dead bolt and and stepped onto the street. As she shut the gate again, she could hear her mother’s voice ringing clearly through the night air.

“Who is opening that gate?! Who is there?!” Ngozi continued walking down the street, away from her tormentors of a family. With every step came the realization that she could never walk down this road again and the thought made her smile. Ngozi had no idea where she would go from here but finally, she was free.