SECRET OF THE SAND. Digi-prompt 10.

It started with a hype of a new television series on the national network channel. Everyone in school was talking about it but I was lost because I didn't understand what they were talking about but not to be called a JJC (novice), I quietly asked one girl in front of me what the hype was about and although she looked at me like I was an alien, she was still nice enough to give a brief narrative of the new television series.

Back then (year 2001), telemundo and telenovela was not a thing. Kids made do with the cartoons on free to air channels or late night movies to keep up with the world. Those who could afford it went to film houses or bought the film on CD to watch and keep up with the trends of the world. Indian and Asian movies were the order of the day, with Jackie Chan, Jet li and other actors stealing our little hearts. Those were good and happy days.

But with the new television series, a whole new concept was introduced and this tv series became very captivating and addictive. As if the television network knew that we (viewers) have been hooked, they decided to start airing this new series at night....,way past my bedtime. Not wanting to be the odd one out, I made a plan to watch the tv series late into the night. The show airs at 11pm but I made sure to be awake till then even though it was lights out in my home. I sneaked to the sitting room where the coloured television was, put on the
television and reduced the volume to the minimum. I took an opaque cloth and used it to make a tent, housing myself and the television, not allowing the screen light to flood the room. When that was done, I sat in my make shift tent satisfied and overly eager to be watching the new series. I was glad that I had only lost about a week's worth but thankfully, there was a recap plus my classmate already summarized for me, so I was not lagging behind.

The darkening of the screen piqued my interest, wow it was starting and then the one name that has been on the lips of all my peers in school popped up....Secret Of the Sand. My heart skipped while whispering at last...at last. I watched the series from 11pm that day to 5am. The series lived up to its reputation of being so suspense filled and captivating.* It was about beautiful twin sisters named Ruth and Rachel, one kind and humble while the other was vain and arrogant*. The twists and schemes played just to get the attention of the most eligible bachelor in town was something else.

That was the beginning of my binge-watching journey. At first there were no effects, I was still energetic and couldn't wait to get to school and gist "everyone" but then the trend continurd for days. Soon my eyes became blood shot red and I became cranky, lazy and unwilling to do any work in school. I dozed everywhere I sat down and when I had a little break at home, I napped. Fortunately, this little nap times were sufficient to keep me going for more rounds of binge watching.

After three months, the series mysteriously stopped airing. I woke up to commit to the usual routine, only to find out that rhe series did not air. "Maybe they're working on it or there's an issue I thought and so I waited for two hours and yet the show didn't air. The dissapointment that I felt churned my stomach and made me irritable for days. At last just like the hype about secret of the sand began, it soon died out of our hearts and things went back to normalcy.

When another television series began to air, I was not interested. I made do with listening to others narrate the scenes to me after all once beaten twice shy. Presently, I hardly binge watch movies as I am usually very busy. Right now there are movies on my phone that I have not bothered to watch at all due to lack of time. When I do binge watch a movie, then that is surely a well deserved break for me.

Thank you all for reading. This is my entry to the #digital-lifestyle community digi-prompt 010.

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