My Promo-Mentors Writing Challenge; I Was Buried Alive!

Hello Steemians, this is my entry into "My Promo-Mentors Writing Challenge". Much thanks goes to @futurethinker the organizer of this challenge and I appreciate @tormiwah for telling me about it.

I am writing about my memorable experience which is my true life story, ride with me.

It was a cold evening on the 10th of March, 1999 when I went to use the restroom (pit toilet) of our rented apartment at Ogun state, Nigeria.

Suddenly the walls of the restroom began to crack, and the building started to shake. As a kid, I couldn't understand what was going on; I was only wondering what that could mean. My sister who accompanied me was standing by the door, yelling at neighbors for help at the top of her voice, running helter-skelter. They asked her what happened, she couldn't think straight, she could only point to the building... but it was late before anyone could get there for help.

For some moments, I couldn't understand what was going on, but before I knew it, the building went into thin air! I was underground!! The building collapsed on me.

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I could barely hear people wailing and crying out loud..."He's dead!" My dad was about to commit suicide by hanging himself when a woman from nowhere told him that there was no concrete evidence that I was really dead, what if he commits suicide and I was removed alive. What that woman told him reached his heart and he was calm, mum was shattered, crying, throwing herself up, hitting her head on the floor, neighbors held her to console her as I was told.

What kept me alive was the casting iron used to support the building, the broken bricks were held by the metal, I can't really explain that or how it happened, but I knew the broken bricks didn't touch me. Though I couldn't move where I was, I was like a statue, all the weight of the broken bricks were on my head, and my neck ached. My heart was shredding; I thought that was the end of my life.

I started shedding tears, I couldn't understand the situation I was in, but the fact that I couldn't move and feel the pains of the heavy broken bricks on my head made me realized that it was a critical condition.

The crowd out there couldn't do anything, they all thought I was dead, even my parents. They were all mourning my death.

I began to call the names of my siblings with tears, from the first to the last with closed eyes; I was afraid of the darkness.

I was like that for over an hour, before a retired soldier who was a friend to my dad came and told the crowd that even if I'm dead, my body should be recovered from underground. He was able to control the crowd to stop wailing for a while, and he told them he could barely hear my voice calling names. When my parents heard this, they came to listen but couldn't hear anything; they were unstable, their body system was shutting down.

The retired soldier started to remove the broken bricks one after the other, till my head was visible to the whole crowd, they were all filled with suspense to see if he was right about the voice. They all gave up on me. He continues to remove the broken bricks till he was able to draw me out, and to their surprise, I was alive!!!

My dad called me by my name to know if my ears were still functioning, I opened my eyes and answered him. They kept calling it a miracle. Yes, it was indeed a miracle.

I had bruises all over my body, the soldier carried me on his arms to a nearby water supply to clean me up, and I was taken to Hospital for a checkup.

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I was on a hospital bed when I saw my parents, they were devastated, a doctor was there to check my temperature, and other tests were conducted. The result? No bone fracture or anything challenging to my health was recorded. The doctor said I was safe to go home, except for the bruises which healed over time.

Afterwards, people gave me many nicknames like God's son, Godsent, God's grace, Miracle e.t.c

When I came to know everything that transpired outside when I was underground, about the suicide story and the pain the incident inflicted on my parents, I was dumbfounded, and tears began to roll down my cheeks.

Anytime the thought comes into my head, I cry inside me and thank God for keeping me alive until this moment.

It was a memorable day in my life.

I appreciate @futurethinker once again for giving me the opportunity to share my memorable experience with you all.

Thanks.