Jo, my little brother, the last born in our family, is a very quiet and gentle boy. He looks innocent, but he's the most menacing prankster I know. His pranks aren’t limited to April Fools' Day either.
During the COVID pandemic, my whole family was home. My dad came back from work, and my mom stopped going to work, my sister and I, and two younger brothers were sent home from school due to the lockdown. It was a boring time, and the only thing that kept us busy was our phones. Unfortunately for us, Jo didn’t have one, so we suffered his pranks in full force during that period.
One night, my mom sent me and my sister out to buy some seasoning.
“Nora!” my mom called from the parlor.
“Yes, mummy!” I replied, heading to the kitchen where she stood with my sister.
“You and your sister should go buy me some fresh pepper. Go to that store close to the church,” my mom said. The store was only a stone’s throw from the house, and they usually stayed open late.
I went to change into something more proper while my sister, already ready, waited by the door.
“Let’s go through the back,” I suggested as my sister started towards the front gate.
“I don’t like that path, especially when it’s late and dark,” my sister hesitated, not wanting to take the shortcut from the back gate.
“It’s shorter, and we’ll use my phone light,” I said, turning on the torch and setting it to the brightest.
“I prefer the front gate because it has street lights,” she replied, still not convinced.
“Don’t worry, we’ll use my phone torch. It’s quicker, and there’s nothing to be scared of. Stop acting like a child,” I said, trying to convince her.
“Hmmm, okay,” she finally agreed.
We went to the shop, got the fresh pepper, and started heading back. We were almost home when, out of nowhere, we both felt a hand grab our ankles from behind.
“Jesus!” we screamed in unison and jolted.
While running for my life, I didn’t even notice that some of the pepper flew out of the nylon I was carrying. My sister was already ahead, and neither of us looked back.
Bang! I slammed into the gate as I dashed inside the house.
My sister was sitting on the floor, trying to catch her breath, while my mom was panicking trying to figure out what happened. I leaned on my knees with both hands, struggling to catch my breath.
When my sister was calm enough, she tried explaining to my mom what had happened. My mom looked confused like she didn't understand all we were saying.
Just then, Jo walked in from outside laughing so and menacingly. He even fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably.
It dawned on us immediately — it was Jo. He had followed us and grabbed our legs to scare us. My mom started laughing too when she found out. When she realized I lost some of the pepper, she gave Jo a punishment — he had to do the dishes alone for an entire week.
Even after that silly prank, to this day, I avoid that path once darkness falls.