The sun hung high in the sky and its heat was already soaking up your sleeves. You glanced at your wristwatch. A few minutes before eight o’clock was an unusually early time for the sun to be aggressively hot. You wanted to curse at it, but no, not today. It could be a sign […]
One Mae Buba turned lazily on the bed. It was quarter to 5; an hour to her usual wakeup time. This wasn’t new, as she usually woke up before her phone alarm. She tried going back to sleep but her mind had other things it wanted to do. She threw off the blanket and got out of bed. Mae, the first of
In the serene street of our area, I alighted from my sister’s car, and the sight that welcomed me in the crowd made my insides shiver. My heart leaped for joy. My hand left the door handle and ran as my legs could take me. To him. “Nuel!” I squealed as I jumped on
The Emmanuel Effect Read More »
The stranger came in without knocking. Earlier today, my parents had left for my sister’s convocation, and I had just returned from school, having finished my last high school exam. As I undressed, I heard a strange noise from the living room but dismissed it, assuming it was just rats scurrying about. I tossed my
Beyond the threshold Read More »
So Time heals… But for how long? Time heals everything, they say. But no one speaks of what happened during that time. Everyone says it’ll pass. Everyone says it will be okay in the end. Perhaps it will, but right now, it is the greatest pain I’ve ever endured. Loving someone, and I mean loving
Time Heals, But For How Long? Read More »
My mother was a little psycho. She had a good heart, and to the outside world, she was a wonderful human being. People respected her for her profession and for the humble woman that she was. But she was the opposite of me, her daughter. She never liked to take any kind of responsibility at
She stared at her child in disbelief, trying to recall when and where her daughter could have heard those words. Silencing her, she moved closer and sat her down. “Tell me, who taught you those foul words? It wasn’t me or your father.” Silence. “Answer me,” she demanded, her voice trembling with fear and
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗘-𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 It all began way before I became the monarch of the most powerful empire in the world. When I was just a child, my father was cold, impassive and unwilling to care for anything but his inflated ego. I think I gleaned all my traits from him. My mother was no better. She
The hook had begun for Akpan by taunting the sacred Akoma tree in Akomoba village when he returned that fateful May. Akpan was appalled by the reverence the villagers still gave it; 25 years after he had left for the city. Every day from his arrival, he watched as all cadres of the villagers came
𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 Trigger warning: Mentions of rape and suicidal thoughts. (PS: There’s light at the end of the darkest tunnel) • • • The nemesis began that woeful night when robbers raided your house, shot your father in the leg and raped you while your poor father writhed and cried in agony. Your mother had travelled
