atoms&void

There was a stench in the air when I woke up. I didn't see them at first as I tried to adjust my eyes to the blinding sunlight, peering into my room from the window. The sun wasn't supposed to go up in another hour or so except... I jerked off my bed, and that was when I saw them. They were just like Baba had described--purple creatures with heads, the shape of a Rubik's cube. My hands were stretched out as if telling them to calm down a bit before blasting me into oblivion. "If we wanted to kill you, we could have done it while you slept," the one who looked like the leader spoke. "Err, thank you for your time and patience..." I said, uncertain of what was right or wrong at this point. I could easily take all four of them out if only Baba hadn't left with my Xuci, the night before. My Xuci, a spear-shaped old weapon of war, was far from my abode. Without it, I was nothing but a mere mortal.  "Why haven't you killed me yet?" I asked, su...

      1.   You met in your third year at the local Redeem Parish that you worshiped at. He was small, only a few inches taller than you. His stiletto-shaped fingernails  grazed the notes on the keyboard so effortlessly that it seemed like magic. Paul was not like the others you had met before. There was something about him that made him distinctive. Perhaps, it was in the way he laughed, how he spoke slowly as if he were begging the words to fall from his lips. The way he paid keen attention to the choristers as they rehearsed was admirable. You wished he would pay attention to you the same way.   Paul was the type of guy everyone liked. The kind the akara woman would call, “Nkem,”  and "Nwoke oma" by the lady who sold pepper and tomatoes at the market. The first time you both spoke was on a Tuesday at the balcony of Kachi’s place. The media crew from church were meeting up for a small get-together and, he had tagged along. You had walked out of the ...

1.  "I don't know why but I feel adamant about going to that town. I used to be eager but now I feel indifferent. I am also not certain about what the future holds for me there. A land of red earth and a beautiful sunset - It sure sounds like a daydream but what is the point of going to a place that is filled with uncertainty for the future? Who wants to lead a blind life. Who? I do not want to leave. Come Monday, I do not want to ride with that bus which will take me 200 miles away from the comfort of my home. My anxiety has never been more out of place. O ti rẹ mi gaan . Nsukka, I am not coming to you with open arms, rather I am coming to you with clinched fists, my anxiety and some money for okpa ." 2.   The bus pulled into the park at about 9pm on Monday evening. It had rained for most of the journey and as the vehicle wheeled on the partially flooded roads, you couldn't help but feel like you were never going to make it. The two boys who sat behind you ...

I make friends with people for the smallest reasons and I thought it was worth writing about. My social skills are surprisingly high. I don't like crowds but at the same time, I can randomly walk up to anyone just to tell them I like the color of their shirt. I'm one of those persons that enjoys watering people with compliments, even if I don't know them. I like people and I also do not like people. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a contradiction to myself. I feel a lot. You can even say I'm a FILA . Also, I am very very horrible at making puns. I get shy sometimes but the gra-gra quality in me will not let me give it away. I grew up in Sapele. People who come from here are not soft and amicable. So it grew on me. I could come off as rude but in my own defense, I'd say I was only trying to defend myself. You know, in these parts, you always have to expect danger. So, how I am able to make friends with people still baffles me. The most recent of those-fri...

When I was five years old, my mother was critically ill. She was in and out of the hospital like a clumsy drug dealer going in and out of jail. She was always weak and could not even bring herself to bath her own body. She was sick for over a year. Here's the full story, but at some point, everything will begin to fade away. In the middle of the night, a day after I had just turned six, I was awakened by the sounds of people shouting. They were calling Jesus and asking Him to come and take control. My elder sister, Sister Kim, was also crying and praying. I had never seen her pray before in my whole life. I walked up to where they were gathered and I saw my mummy in the middle. She was lying on the floor and blood was coming out of her mouth so I began shouting "Mummy! Mummy!" My daddy saw me and immediately told me to go to the room. So I did as I was told. On my way to the room, I heard Papa Maro, our neighbor, saying "I still have fuel in my okada, let us ...