This poem is dedicated to those who are struggling with living right. The grace of God is available for you.
Àkànké died today.
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyẹ́, a child of harmattan,
As our great-grandmother would croak to the infant,
For she was born during the harsh and unstable weather of the West, Maybe that is why rashness oozed from her.
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyẹ́,
Ọmọ burúkú, ọmọ játijàti,
The neighbors would call her, while informing my parents Of her escapades
Nevertheless, I always admired,
Àkànké, my sister.
Àkànké was buried today.
Àkànké ọmọ ọyẹ́,
I would call her, teasing her in the likeness of our great-grandmother, The memory of the slaps I received as a result,
Brought my hand to my cheek again.
Tears brimmed over, clouding my vision,
As memories of her swollen belly flood my mind,
Her child, brought into this world,
With no breath of life accompanying him.
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyé,
Ọmọ lẹ̀pa, ọmọ tó rẹwà,
I will always love you,
Àkànké, my sister.
Àkànké rose today.
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyẹ́,
As our parents would say,
During bouts of reminisce on our great-grandmother,
Pieces of her shattered life,
Were assembled by the Savior Himself,
With her mouth, she confessed Him as Lord,
With her heart, she accepted Him as Savior,
She identified with the Son of God,
She died, was buried with Him and rose with Him.
Àkànké, with a smile on her face and a skip in her step, With eyes sparkling with tears,
Hugged me, affection oozing from her.
There it dawned on me,
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyẹ́ was now Àkànké, ọmọ Jesu,
The old has gone, the new is here to stay.
Àkànké, ọmọ ọyẹ́,
Ọmọ iyí, ọmọ Abba Fada,
To the old you, I say,
O dabọ, ká má pàdé mọ́
To the new you, I say,
Ẹ káàbọ̀,
Ẹ káàbọ̀, Àkànké titun,
Ẹ káàbọ̀.
GLOSSARY
Àkànké – a Yorùbá oríkì name that means ‘someone that you meet and then pamper’
Omọ ọyẹ́ – a child of harmattan (that is, a child born during the harmattan season) Ọmọ burúkú – a bad child
Omọ játijàti – a useless child
Ọmọ lẹ̀pa – a slim child/a slim lady
Omọ tó rẹwà – a beautiful child/a beautiful lady
Omọ Jesu – a child of Jesus
Ọmọ iyí – a child of honour
Omọ Abba Fada – a child of Abba Father
O dabọ, ká má pàdé mọ́ – goodbye, let’s never meet again Ẹ káàbọ̀, Àkànké titun – welcome, new Àkànké
--
About the Author.
Oremodu Oluwabukunola Ruth is a barrister and solicitor of the Nigerian Bar. Writing from a young age, she honed her talent over time by writing short stories, novels and taking writing courses. A certified IMUN intern, she enjoys singing, dancing and reviewing stories. She studied law in Obafemi Awolowo University and is part of a family of six.
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By AnaMettle.
I dedicate this story to God Almighty, who made it possible for this story to see the light.
--
Afrah looked around him in amazement. He still could not believe he was in senior high school. It seemed like it was only yesterday his mother told him the decision she had made with father, that he would be skipping JHS two so he could take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E). It was the exam which made it possible for a junior high school student to gain admission to the senior high school.
His mother's reason was that because final year SHS students were asked to pay a huge amount of money, skipping JHS 2 would make it possible for him to sit for the WASSCE (an exam written by SHS
final year students, similar to B. E. C. E) two years before his younger brother did. They would be financially capable to cater for his brother's needs when he got to SHS 3 by then.
He felt elated he would be able to help but at the same time he was anxious. He would have to study with JHS 3 students, would he be accepted? Would registering for B.E.C.E in a different school affect him in the future? His anxiety grew with each thought but he comforted himself with the thought that he would be graduating JHS earlier.
His anxiety gave way to annoyance when he learned that the school he would be writing with did not register its students for the French Language paper. He loved French and looked forward to getting a good grade on his B.E.C.E certificate but that would not be possible now.
The exam period drew near and he got more serious with the preparation knowing this was an opportunity not everyone got and as expected, his new classmates did not warm up to him immediately and it did not help that a teacher used him frequently as a model student. He selected his four choice schools along with General Science, the course he wanted to read in SHS.
Weeks later, he was done writing the papers and was awaiting results. One Saturday, he heard over the news that the results would be released in the following week. He was not worried because he was aware he had done what he could and if the results were bad, he could always go back to school.
At Sunday school the next day, the memory verse was Philippians 4:19 which read: But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
His Sunday School madam encouraged all of them to make a prayer request with this verse and share their testimonies the following Sunday. He went home wondering what he could ask God.
The results came the next day. He downloaded his and shockingly, his course had been changed from General Science to General Arts! He was alarmed! How could that happen?
Following his father's advice, they visited the school where he gained admission to see if changes could be made but were told that the G Science class was full and he could not be admitted because he did not sit for French Language. The only G. Arts class which was not yet full was the French class.
He gave up at that moment but his father had not.
His father took him and his younger brother with him to Church at night to pray into his school selection.
Praying on Church premises at night with his father was not new. His father usually went to Church to pray at night because he was less tempted to sleep at Church.
His father opened his praise playlist which mostly had Nigerian songs including Princess Ifeoma's songs and gave it to him to dance to it and thank God in advance for victory, not failing to mention the Wall of Jericho in the Holy Bible. Afrah did just that but after some time he remembered the Philippians 4:19 prayer assignment he received the previous Sunday. He started praying and thanking God.
The next day his father came home and told him to get ready, they were going to the next town! On the way, his father told him what had happened. He had discussed his issue with one woman at Church and unknown to him, the woman was a matron at a Boys' High School. After listening to him, the woman told his father that she was willing to help Afrah not only gain admission but also be able to read G. Science as well.
Afrah was so surprised at the unexpected turn of events, he knew it could only be God. The God Apostle Paul had promised would supply all his needs according to His riches in glory. His mood got better, he was finally going to be able to gain admission and it was in a school he did not even pick, free of charge. He knew it could only be God. He had not expected his request to be answered so fast.
He prayed silently, thanking God for His divine provision.
When he got there, one of the teachers did not make it easy for him. The teacher, after seeing the schools he chose, got annoyed. Afrah had selected three out of four schools outside the region and was now there at a school he had not selected, seeking admission. Afrah was silent, another teacher sensing his discomfort came to his rescue. He took over from the teacher and helped Afrah fill the necessary forms.
Besides the annoyed teacher, every other staff member Afrah met was kind to him. Way too kind, as if they knew him beforehand. Even the assistant headmaster gave him the dormitory he requested when he reported for school.
Though Afrah knew it was a reality, he honestly was still in awe, he really was in high school!The students helped him send his stuff to his room and almost everyone who saw him grew fond of him.
He left the dormitory to take a walk with senior Zerbert, who volunteered to be his tour guide. Zerbert advised him as they walked and gave him a brief history of the school. He would point to either a building or a tree and mention the slang name given it by the students.
Afrah also shared his testimony with senior Zerbert who got quiet after listening. He seemed to be deep in thoughts. He was amazed. He admitted that even though he was a Christian, he really did not believe God was willing to do miracles anymore but hearing Afrah's testimony, he saw the need to put faith in God's word.
Zerbert excused himself to speak with some students who appeared to be his friends. Afrah decided to walk by himself and hoped Zerbert would catch up soon. He got to the administration block and could not help reminiscing with a thankful heart. A lot had happened and when all hope was lost, that was when God made a way.
"Afrah, do you plan on sleeping here or what?" Zerbert teased with a smile. Afrah smiled back and turned without a word, he really was a senior high school student and he needed to start believing that. He looked forward to life within the four corners of Kesse Boys' Senior High School.
The two young men walked back in silence, both deep in thoughts. Afrah broke the silence with a chuckle, "And to think God gave me this because I thanked Him for what I did not yet see!"
Zerbert grinned, "And to think you threw a tantrum because you could not sit for the French paper, God is good!"
--
About the Author.
Juliana Achiaa Adusei aka Ana Mettle aims to proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ through her stories.
Ana enjoys spending quality time with family, learning about human behavior and researching new ways of improving her craft as a crocheter.
You can reach out to her on:
Wattpad: AnaMettle
.
Facebook: Juli Adusei
Instagram: anamettle
LinkedIn: Juliana Achiaa Adusei
Email: mettleanna14@gmail.com
By Praise Abraham. @PeculiarPraise
Author's note: Hello lady or gentleman!
Thank you a million times for taking out of your precious time to read this short piece. I hope you enjoyed every bit of it as much as I did writing it.
All the characters, especially Claudia, have a quality we can learn from. Can you point some out? And who was your best character?
God bless you. Love you.
HIS PLAN
Claudia Salcorm smiled like a girl about to enter her dream college after being homeschooled all her life. Soon, in a few hours really, she'd discard her father's name and bear the name of the one she had fallen so crazily in love with.
As she walked to her room's balcony, drowning out the cacophonic chatter and girly giggles of her bridal train who were in the adjoining room, her glazing white, full-skirted, off-shoulder gown which was amply studded with pearls and artificial diamonds at the bodice, swished about her feet about which was strapped a low-wedge silver sandal—a compliment to her silver accessories.
Presently, she was the only one in her room. Her mom left some minutes ago to retouch her makeover because she had shed tears when she saw her only baby girded up like an angel about to fly away.
Her bridesmaid and bestie since childhood (if we overlook the countless wars between them), Mabel Preshton, Maybee as Claudia fondly nicknamed her, who had helped her to dress up, style her soft brown hair into the curly mass that held the comb of the silvery veil, and applied the slight makeup that highlighted her strikingly gorgeous facial features, was humming an off-key tune under the pouring shower in the bathroom. Claudia could only hope the girl doesn't exfoliate her skin.
As the fresh 11:00am sun, mingled with breeze, hit her fair skin, Claudia sighed out loud while holding the railings and gazing at the interlocking of the compound floor. Gosh, she was going to miss home.
She was still dazed that she was getting married. It seemed to her as though time skipped so fast in a blur.
She wondered what Ben was doing right now. Was he thinking of her? Was he having a fit of nerves?
Or was he as cool, handsome and collected as ever?
She didn't think she had the qualifications to date, not to talk of marrying Benjamin Reed. He was a pastor and a gifted gospel artiste on fire for the Lord, who had the connections to travel internationally for his ministries. It was on one of such occasions that he met her, a lead singer at Saints of Yahweh Tabernacle, South Berma. After six months of correspondence through emails, he met her, out of a
busy schedule, in a quaint restaurant overlooking a beach, and startled her with the most romantic proposal of all time.
She was flushed to her marrow. God had apparently kept the best for her. Without hesitation, without even praying about it which wasn't her usual style, she squealed a yes to him. The first kiss was what melted her heart completely. Surely this was God's perfect will for her, no questions asked, she had concluded.
She began to rehearse the vocals of the song she wanted to present before her vows. She had composed it herself. A love song. One this time not directed to Jesus but to the bone of her bones and the flesh of her flesh.
"Yo! Whatcha doin' girl?"
Claudia jumped, spun and held her chest simultaneously.
"Lord, Maybee! You startled me!" she gasped.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to. And for the record, it isn't right for a bride to brood on her wedding day. What if you get a high BP? Your groom will simply slaughter me," Mabel said with a sly grin.
Claudia chuckled.
"I wasn't brooding. I was thanking God for my luck. Girl, I'm getting married. I'm getting married..."
Mabel, knowing what was coming next, rolled her eyes.
"Here we go again," she whispered to herself, smiling.
"Aaaaahhhh!!" They both squealed in an high-pitched octave, hopping in glee like children gifted their favorite candies.
"Okay, since we're done, let's hurry downstairs before your people think you've been kidnapped."
"Yeah right!"
"Gurl, I'm so, so happy for you. I just pray that God will remember my plain face and give me my own prince charming." Mabel faked a dramatic half swoon.
"Just zip your lips Maybee... And I promise you, if I suffer today, I'll blame it all on you and will never forgive you," Claudia said seriously.
With a toothy grin and a shove to the bride's side, Mabel replied, "I love you too."
After settling their banter, Claudia was ushered into the decorated BMW. Maybee would have followed but she suddenly remembered at the last minute that she had forgotten the tote bag where she kept
emergency supplies like tissues, a pen and a jotter, a portable solar charged fan, flat sandals and a flask of cold water.
Since they were running out of time—the church wedding was to begin at 12:00pm—Claudia was shooed off in the car with the family driver.
As the car cruised the smooth by the busy street of Burma City, Claudia couldn't keep herself from smiling bright as she stared out the window and observed the lofty buildings as they flew past.
The thundering sound of glass shattering caused her to whip her face sharply back onto the road before her. But alas, there was no clear road before them! It was the hood of a sixteen-wheeled trailer that cruelly glared back at her.
Her eyes widened, threatening to swallow her face. Before she could belt out the scream that began its upward journey from her belly, she painfully felt metal cut through her face. She couldn't think past the pain.
Her body shut down.
Everything became blank.
｡☬｡☬｡☬｡
Three months later.
Benjamin Reed fiddled with the white envelope in his hands as he stood at the glass door of ICU ward 17. He knew what he had to do. But doing it was proving difficult, considering how much he had actually not expected this.
As he stepped in, the pungent scent of antiseptics assaulted his lungs and he did his best to pull a blank face. He needed it. The blank stare.
Mabel was seated on the couch adjacent to Claudia, reading a novel, even though it was evident on her face that she was stressed out. A brief scan around the room showed that Claudia's parents weren't in, which was such a relief to him. It would get the work done faster. Possibly, they went home to freshen up and grab some stuff.
The sound of the door sliding shut caused her to glance up. She thought it was the assigned nurse, one Mr Jace Gregg that had come to administer Claudia's medication and put another blood and water bag. Surprise and relief flooded her features when she saw who it was.
"Bro Benjamin! It's so good to see you here. You never showed up after her first surgery and I was beginning to get scared. Thank goodness you're here. Now I can rest, fully assured that her recovery will be faster," Mabel ranted on with a small smile.
Benjamin was beginning to feel guilt gnawing at his stomach. He shoved the feeling aside. He had to do this.
"Ehmm... Actually, I just needed to drop something with you for her," he said and glanced at the pale figure of Claudia beneath the white sheets and bandages. He cringed as he saw clearly the many scars on her neck and face. Her head was shaved bald because of the surgery. She looked anything but pretty.
"Oh!" was all Mabel could say, as her shoulder slumped.
"I came to tell her goodbye and that I am sorry but I can't do this anymore," he enunciated slowly and in a low baritone, looking at the envelope that lay in his hands.
He was greeted with silence.
A furtive glance at Mabel showed that her eyes were narrowed at him, her brows were furrowed and that she was obviously fighting her lips to not spill out obscenities at him.
"So that's it? You just run off like a brat because Claudia was in an accident? None of this was her fault. Why don't you say it in her face instead? Tell her that you never loved her!" Her tone was biting and sharp.
"Well, that's the problem exactly. I can't wait any more. She's been in a coma for close to three months.
The doctor's report clearly tells us that her chances of full recovery is 50-50. Besides, her vocal cords and face have been destroyed." He ran his hand through his black hair and sighed.
"I am a minister. An international one. I can't tarnish my reputation by marrying an incapacitated woman. I was in love with her but I needed to count my cost."
When Maybee just stared at him in slack-jawed appellation, he tossed the envelope at her and shuffled out.
"You're really serious? You're a coward, Benjamin Reed. A big fat coward, I tell you!" she stood and yelled after his retreating figure.
Never in her life did she expect Claudia's knight in glimmering armor to turn into an evil villain. What happened to the better for worse part? Oh! They hadn't said the vows? What if they had? Would he be so cold hearted to do this? Did he even know God?
"Oh Claudia," she cried as she slumped into her couch and stared with teary eyes at the envelope and then her best friend,
"What in the world am I going to tell you? Please don't die on me. Oh God please..."
｡☬｡☬｡☬｡
Jace had finished his rounds, organized the files and was about to go home when he felt the nudging to wait back. He didn't know why, given the fact that he had some things to attend to in his house, like getting the groceries, helping his kid brother with his final project and spending time in prayer for the 5pm Bible study where he was to lead the offering section.
Even though he was relatively new in Christ, his love for God was what kept him going and he loved his job. Maybe this was God's way of drawing his attention to something urgent that was about to happen.
Without willing it to, he felt his heart drawn towards his special patient, the very one God claimed was his partner, who had been unconscious since the time she was rushed here in her wedding dress!
He walked briskly to ICU ward 17 and entered. Her best friend, who seemed to have no other dwelling place, was snoring softly on the couch.
He moved to the bed of the patient and glanced down at her face. He felt for her. Who knows what pain and trauma she had to be enduring trapped in that cocoon called a coma?
That she was breathing was a miracle because the driver of her car had died instantly. As he got to know later on, the truck driver had been inebriated in broad daylight, and he was the cause of the accident that caused this woman to be bedridden on the day she was supposed to be most joyful.
Thankfully, the government enforcement agencies had apprehended him to face the music of the law.
He checked the ECG monitor beside her. Her pulse rate was slow but steady. So was the brain activity.
Nothing was unusual here.
He adjusted her drip line and drew the blanket about her body more closely.
As he turned and was about to go, he felt a soft hand grip his arm weakly. Claudia, aged 25, as her file stated, was awake from her coma.
Swinging into action as her eyelashes fluttered open, Jace pressed a button to alert the doctor-in-charge. He bent close to her and spoke when he saw her trying to stand up.
"Hey, don't stress yourself. Lie back down. The doctor is on his way."
"Where... where am I?" Her voice was patched and cracked, an evidence of lack of moisture and the damage to her vocal cords. He could barely hear her. Also, she had this look of agitation written all over her face.
The doctor, beaming smiles of proud accomplishment, entered with Mrs Salcorm, Claudia's grateful mother, trailing after him.
Mabel stirred and soon sat up, though groggily, when she noticed the mini crowd that had gathered around her bestie's sick bed.
"She's awake?" Mabel asked tentatively, secretly scared that her bestie was in danger.
The doctor who was checking her vitals let out a grunt of affirmation.
Mabel was so joyous that she kept and threw herself on Claudia, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Oh girl... I've missed you so so so so much."
"Me too..." Claudia managed to croak out under the strain of Mabel's bear hug.
"Miss, you might want to give your friend breathing space. She's just recovered," the doctor pointed out.
"Oops, sorry." Mabel gave him a cheeky grin.
"Mr Gregg," the doctor said, turning his attention towards Jace, "Please get her file and the vitamins for recuperation right away. She has to get accustomed as soon as possible to her new lifestyle." Jace went out after the doctor.
Claudia's eyes darted about the room looking for a certain someone.
"Where's Ben?" she eventually asked when she couldn't bottle it in any longer.
Mabel threw a glance at Claudia's mom who simply hissed. She sighed and patted her friend's back.
Few minutes later, Jace returned to the ward, only to meet a sobbing Claudia being patted and consoled by her friend. Not wanting to intrude the private moment, he turned back and threw up a prayer to God for her.
｡☬｡☬｡☬｡
It had been almost six months since her dreams were shattered by an accident.
Her perfect man vanished from her life without so much as an explanation or at least a face-to-face confrontation.
The letter he left was so heart-wrenching that she'd shredded and burnt the paper after reading it once through a host of mucor and salty tears.
How could he have so easily forgotten all their wonderful moments together all because of an accident? She couldn't thank her stars enough that she didn't give him her virtue. It would have ruined her. The last she heard, he had married a hot chick and was still firing away all over the nations.
Her sonorous voice was gone. No more singing in the choir for now. She now detests going outdoors because people give her the cold shoulder because of the scars that slithered across her face.
Once, a little girl screamed in terror when she saw her taking a walk in a park. The recollection still made her sad.
Her faith was greatly shaken. If not for the fact that her friend, Mabel never left, she would have resorted to suicide. But no! Mabel was always there. Like a clam to its shell, she stuck tight.
Claudia clutched the Bible she was holding and almost flung it across the room. She had been reading Jeremiah 29:11.
For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
She let out her frustration in a scream.
"This isn't fair God! I didn't deserve this. I served you with my whole being and this is what you pay me back with?"
"My life is a mess. Nobody wants me. How is that plan good? How?"
She began to sob.
"I'm sorry Lord... I didn't mean what I said. I don't know what came over me."
It's okay, daughter.
"No, actually it's not. I think I meant most of what I said. I mean, what do I do now?"
Be still and know that I am God.
"I can't be still. My life is wasting away."
I made your life child. I know what's best for you. You were treading the path of destruction to death.
I saved you.
She snorted.
"As if..."
You can be grumpy all you want. But if you can simply trust me, you'll thank me for the best package that I have in store for you.
"I hope so. Oh, I do hope so."
The door opened. It was her mom.
"Honey, you have a visitor."
"I'm not coming."
"Well, it's your nurse."
Her face brightened.
"Really? Jace is here?"
Over the time of her discharge, she had grown a bond with Jace. He was so nice and understanding, and did she mention handsome too? Sometimes, when she felt she had overburdened Mabel, he was her next bus stop to rant and cry her heart out.
Her mother chuckled. "Yes honey. He's waiting in the living room downstairs for you. Are you coming?"
"Okay," she said, trying to mask her joy and pretend as if she was still unconcerned.
Standing from the bed, she pranced to her mirror. Even though she didn't like looking at her image, she didn't want to look like a monster to her visitor. She ran her fingers through her short regrowth of hair.
She trotted downstairs and saw Jace standing with his hands shoved into his pockets.
Why in the world did she think Ben, that traitor that the Lord had demanded she forgive upon which she was still working on, was handsome? This was a Greek god standing life-and-direct before her.
With his dark, hazel eyes and wavy hair, he looked like a picture from a fashion magazine.
As she felt her heart leap upon sighting him, she chided herself.
"Not again. Don't fall again. You're not his type. Who would marry you, an ugly duckling?"
Stiffening, she stood before him and stretched her hands for a polite handshake. "Hello Mr Gregg!
How do you do?"
His face was a mix of surprise and confusion at her drama.
"Earth to Claudia! It's me. Jace. What's all the formality for?"
Ignoring her hand, he pulled her into an embrace. As she inhaled his warm, manly scent, she relaxed.
The Holy Spirit dropped into her heart: I know the thoughts I think towards you. For behold, I will do a new thing and now it shall spring forth.
She almost felt His smile and slowly, she smiled along.
About the Author.
Praise Chidinma Abraham aka PeculiarPraise is a writer passionate about unlocking the reality of the spiritual realm. In creating riveting stories that resonate with readers' souls, she aims to proclaim Christ to the nations and transform lives.
When she's not writing, tinkering with design, listening to soulful Christian music, or binge-reading yet another Christian supernatural novel, she's enjoying the height of intimacy with the Holy Spirit who she affectionately calls her bestie.
You can reach out to her on the following social media platforms through this link:-
http://pagechap.me/PeculiarPraise
By Idowu Taiwo.
--
The room was dark.
It could easily have been called a conference room. It had everything a conference room could have—
chairs arranged around the huge center table along with huge flat screen Tvs lining up the wall in front of them.
But there was something ominous, almost evil about it. This wasn't a usual gathering to discuss sales or business plans, this is where the fate of the world would be discussed—in less than two minutes.
CEOs of different conglomerates of the world trooped in one by one.
Some very public figures and very wealthy men were also in attendance.
Men and women of different races sat round the table, until finally, only one seat was left.
As soon as he entered, every man and woman stood up and bowed.
They began to hail him.
*********
"Come on Honey, it's time to go. We're leaving." Her Dad said as he helped her with her remaining luggage.
"Why do we have to go Dad? I love it here." Her dad gave her a stern look and she folded her arms and walked out the door.
Ella hated that they had to leave, California was her home.
A black Mercedes that had its windows tinted was parked out the state-of the-art-house.
The house had everything from a home theater to a gaming room to a car garage that housed tens of cars.
She hated that they were leaving their home, but her Dad had just stepped down from being CEO of a renowned car brand worldwide.
Yeah, she was shocked too and she was his daughter.
His explanation hadn't sounded logical, at all.
But what could she do?
Ella sighed and got into the car.
About three days later, her father and her arrived at a remote island in a country she couldn't even pronounce its name. It was very remote and it was very hard to leave.
Other than a few other families, they were alone on the island.
She recognized some of them as wealthy men of American society, some were even friends with her dad.
She found it weird that a lot of his friends had stepped down too. It just didn't make any sense to her.
The house was big and secured. There were literally dozens of armed security officers on their property alone, not to talk of the rest of the island.
She'd been homeschooled all her life so it hadn't been much of an issue to relocate. Being the only daughter of a wealthy man was tough, she barely had friends and the few she had, had also mysteriously left.
What was it with rich people disappearing these days?
The house would have been very lonely but it was the smartest home she'd ever been in. Everything was automated, from the TV to the lights to the sound system even to the shower and gas. She had direct access to everything in the house.
It was like a safe house. A very dope safe house.
What she didn't know was that the world was about to change— it was the end of the world as she knew it.
*******
"Rock steady, rock strong—the word of God, says in the book that we all belong, in his plan, take a stand, come on, rock steady!"
Ella knew she was so going off key but she never said she was a good singer, so meh.
She got out of the shower, wore her clothes, then made popcorn.
"Riri, TV." She called out to the AI and the TV immediately came on.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome Ella." The automated voice spoke.
She looked at the TV.
"Five countries have been hit by the virus in just a month, researchers have never seen anything like it...."
She'd heard of the Corona virus a few weeks back but she hadn't paid any attention to it. It seemed like any other epidemic that would eventually die out, because they always do, but Ella will find out quite late actually that this was not an ordinary disease.
As the disease began spreading from country to country as the weeks passed she began getting anxious as no news of a vaccine surfaced.
"What was going on?"
Days rolled into weeks and weeks into months and the news kept getting worse.
The whole world was in total lockdown. The media reeked of confusion and fear.
The most surprising was the closing down of the Vatican City and Mecca—something that has never happened since the holy grounds were established.
Soon Ella became scared of the violence that arose with the confusion. Even with the one trillion dollar bill that had been passed—another thing that has never occurred in history, people still complained of shortages and small businesses were soon going out of business.
Economies of countries all over the world were experiencing the highest depression, recession and inflation rate to have ever occurred throughout history.
The world had never received a more deadly blow since World War 2.
The microscopic demon brought Kings, Queens, Presidents and ministers to their knees.
The acknowledged worldwide cause of the virus had been from the ingestion of an uncooked rodent—
a bat.
And although it originated from the Wuhan province of China, the virus had successfully created a domino effect throughout the world that experts have predicted would take years to recover from.
Ella exhaled, mentally drained already. This was all too much.
She turned on her computer.
So many questions and conspiracy theories arose about the origin of the disease.
People wanted to give themselves a sort of reprieve from the madness, the question was,
'Was there any truth to them?'
Ella had started a blog three weeks ago about the actual cause of the virus, it would seem she was starting a conspiracy theory of her own.
Everything seemed so shady and the Coronavirus had been so fast paced, as though it had been carefully planned for years until finally it was executed. She wasn't buying the dead bat crap.
She was anonymous on the site she'd created so as not to draw unwanted attention.
She was trying to piece together some of the information she received daily from her sources.
Daily, she would receive a bit of info supporting some of her claims. Others postulated a systematic series of events that had been well planned in secret to bring about the end of the world.
No matter how crazy it sounds, it did look like the end of the world, especially when a meteor the size of New York landed in the Atlantic a few days ago, causing a torrential tsunami so high it covered
skyscrapers in some parts of Europe and North America as well. She'd never been more grateful for moving.
Ella's site was a secret one, only slightly visible to the public and only when she wanted it.
It had no traceable link back to her. Suddenly she was grateful for attending Zuckerberg's classes.
One day, she came back from her evening jog accompanied by two of the guards as usual. Ella always ignored them, seeing as how they never listened to anything she said.
She ate dinner with her Dad that night. It wasn't lonely, she was used to it.
Mum hadn't been in the picture for a while now, since her birth really.
But most times despite being on the island, she didn't see him often.
He went away a lot. She'd overhear some of the guards talk about the secret meetings he always had weekly with some of the other rich men on the island. It was suspicious, even for her.
And when he wasn't in his meetings, he'd stay locked up in his office upstairs, most times for hours even sometimes through the night.
Even till then, she'd thought nothing of it until she got an encrypted message from an anonymous source on the site.
'Thank me later'—was all the source had attached to the file. She decoded it and found a video.
She clicked on it.
People were gathered in a room. It was dark, but it was still bright enough to make out faces, huge flat screens arranged atop each other.
The video wasn't that clear because the person recording it was moving around but she could still make out a lot of people.
"Oh my God." She saw renowned men in the public eye discussing the conquering of the world with explicit detailed plans and strategies only in par with those you'd see in a war room.
A peculiar man came into the room and everyone stood. He carried an air of power and awe around him.
He sat down at the head of the table and the only part of him that could be seen were his hands, folded on top of each other on the table.
Everyone sat staring at him in wonder, waiting for the next phase of the plan.
Suddenly the flat screens came on. They were a total of seven, hung serially on the wall. They represented the seven continents including Antarctica.
They showed charts and maps. There were places on the map marked red, some places marked yellow and some places black.
Arrows were placed at strategic points showing a progression that would lead to a final outcome.
"We execute the plan today." The man said.
"It will start here." The map was zoomed in and everyone saw a particular country and state.
It switched to surveillance mode and the Tv showed people moving about without a care in the world, going about their day to day activities.
The man at the head of the table smirked though no one could see.
"That is the place." He said.
"We have people there, stationed already to execute the first phase of the plan. Be ready, it won't be long now."
A series of affirmations were heard around the room.
"We own this world. Everyone seems to have forgotten that. This will jog their memory. We hold the power. Prepare the way of the beast!!" Hails and shouts were heard across the room.
The man looked around him, knowing he had the ace to the cards already.
He smirked.
"Checkmate."
She gasped.
Immediately the camera focused on a man, zooming in. He had blond hair with piercing blue eyes.
"Dad?" She would have fainted right there and then if she wasn't a strong person.
They talked about the virus, how it was only the first stage. They wanted a unified world, with one law, one economy, and one currency.
They caused it, they made the virus. Everything else was just an elaborate cover up.
"Oh God." She put off the computer, her heart beating way out of proportion.
She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to think.
Ella didn't know who'd sent it, all she knew was that her father wasn't the man she thought he was. He was a murderer, along with countless others like himself who thought they owned the world.
She'd seen a dark figure at the head of the table but didn't know who he was for the life of her.
He looked like a silhouette not having any distinct form.
Was he even human? Definitely hadn't seemed like it.
She had a choice. She could either let the whole world know about this or she could destroy the file and protect her Dad, knowing she'd let the end of the world happen when she could have stopped it.
Two days later....
A MEDIA HOUSE IN NEW YORK.
".... Sorry to interrupt you CeCe, but a video just came in. It has half a billion views since yesterday. It is already making headlines across the world. I've never seen anything like it. It's causing a wide range of panic across the globe. If this video is true, the world as we know it will never remain the same and...."
THE END
About the Author.
Idowu Taiwo Deborah is a young and extremely talented woman of 23 years. Her love of writing became evident at the young age of eight when she started exploring the vast sea that is fiction. With encouragement from her family, she started writing more.
She started with the romance genre but discovered that that wasn't it for her. Several years later she met the Lord anew and gave her life to Him, and that was what started the glorious journey. Now she is the grateful author of four spirit-filled books which have gotten incredible recognition on Web Novel, a renowned Asian-based reading app. All her works are also available on Wattpad. She is a guru in her art and is greatly apt at writing Christian thrillers and mysteries. Her books include; In The Last Days, FORTIFIED, The Concession and The Fate Of A Survivor: Of Foes and Woes. She hopes to spread the word of Christ far and beyond and make everyone come to the knowledge of Christ through her works.
She is also a singer-songwriter, aquaculturist and certified Brand Identity Designer. She does this too, all for God's glory.
Social media Handle:
Facebook: Taiwo Idowu (Taiwo Lilly)
Twitter: @Taiwolilly1
Instagram: @tawolily
Wattpad: @Taiwolillyz
Webnovel: Taiwo Lilly
Email 1: idowutaiwodebbie@gmail.com/ Email 2: cometstarlight1@gmail.com.
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading our short story contest collections.
We hope you enjoyed this book? Kindly check out our individual works on our social media handles, the other places and retailers listed on our profiles. You can also check out our club on Facebook and Wattpad. Also remember our magazine that will be published towards the end of October, we are so excited and we hope you are, too.
Below are our question-and-answer sections to know more about the winner, first and second runner up, and a few information about the club.
We hope this is not the last you will be seeing from us, until we meet again, stay blessed and remember that Jesus loves you.
~Faith Ijiga, club's founder.
QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION WITH ANA METTLE.
Questions to know more about the award winners
Winner of the In-House Short Story contest.
Please tell us your full name and pen name.
Praise Chidimma Abraham, pen name is PeculiarPraise.
1. When did you start writing?
I've been writing since I was a little child and taught ABC, obviously. However, I took my pen to draft out my first official novel in 2020 during the Coronavirus lockdown period. I guess because I was out of school and I really had the free time. So, I just had to get out all those ideas dancing in my head.
2. How long have you been on Wattpad?
I joined Wattpad in July 2020 as a reader. I published my first book there in November 2020.
3. What/who inspires you generally? Why?
All of my inspiration comes from the Holy spirit. I guess that's because He is my Best friend. He reveals needs that have to be solved by my writings. His ideas are perfectly mind-blowing. Sometimes I feel so inadequate to convey them by my limited words.
4. What's something you're really proud of? Why?
I have nothing to brag of but the Cross of Jesus. That's the origin of everything I am today.
5. What is something you like and dislike about this club? How do you think this club could be better?
Christian Writers and Readers' Club has been nothing short of a blessing to me. Apart from making tangible friends and expanding my network, it has also taught me the power of responsibility, teamwork, and helped me to build my writing and graphics designing skills. I also love the way we care for one another like brothers and sisters, as well as the regular prayer meetings we hold on WhatsApp. The Christian novels, book recommendations and opportunities that the admins share are so wonderful and life transforming. I would just want us to get better in the aspect of consistency and conducting writing training.
6. What have you done to improve yourself and your writing skills in the past? Number one thing I would say that has really helped my writing journey is that I read a lot. I read the works of authors I admire with ferocious interest, with the eye of a writer not just for enjoyment. I do my very best to replicate their methods using my unique style. Joining writing masterclasses and reading books that focus on writing skills has also helped greatly.
7. Has any book(s) made you cry before? If yes, what were they?
Many books. Number one is the Bible. The works of Frank Peretti, Francine Rivers, Ted Dekker and Bill Myers also have me in tears.
8. Where and how do you get information and ideas for your books?
Like I said, the inspiration majorly comes from God. But I also try my best to research on my topic of interest. I also like to play the "What if?" game in my head.
9. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Reading, designing, drawing, singing God's praises and anything else the Lord would have me do at that time.
10. What do you think makes a good story?
I think a good story is one that carries a deep message that resonates with the reader's spirit. This could be through a gripping plot or relatable characters.
11. What is your most recent book? The sequel to my first novel. Its title is A COLLEGE SEERESS'
DIARY. It is available for free on Wattpad.
12. How do you select the names of your characters? Purely as it comes into my mind. I try my best to make sure the main character's name suits his or her personality.
13. Do you believe in writer's block?
I know I shouldn't but I've experienced bits of it; moments when I have absolutely no idea what to write next. But I find that actually picking up the pen or phone to write, after praying of course, makes it go away.
14. What advice would you give your younger writing self?
Have a complete plan before starting out your writing. (Alas, I'm still guilty about this one).
15. If you could spend a day with a popular author, whom would you choose?
Apart from the Holy Spirit? Hmmm... Either Frank Peretti or Francine Rivers.
16. How do you develop your characters and plot?
I'm a pantser so I can't say I actually develop them. They just flow to me as I write.
17. How many books have you published on Wattpad? Which was the most fun to write?
Three in total. I can't say yet which was most fun because they all have a special spot in my heart. But let me say my first work, A Pastor's Daughter's Diary, meant a lot to me.
Could you give us your contact information for those who would like to meet you?
You can contact me through any of these means:
WhatsApp number: 07049872100
Email: abrahampraise674@gmail.com
Wattpad: @PeculiarPraise
Website: www.Peculiar-Praise.blogspot.com
Questions to know more about the award winners.
First runner-up of the In-House Short Story contest.
Full name: Oremodu Oluwabukunola Ruth
Pen name: ancientwritergirl
•••••••••••••••••••••••
1. When did you start writing? I began writing when I was a child. Around the age of 7 years.
2. How long have you been on Wattpad? I've been on Wattpad for 6 years now. I joined in 2015.
3. What/who inspires you generally? Who? Firstly, the Holy Spirit is my inspiration. Secondly, my family and friends inspire me. Then situations I find myself in also contribute to acting as an inspiration for me.
4. What's something you're really proud of? Why? I'm really proud of how far I've come. My writing skills were pretty rusty, but now they're getting sharper. Also, I'm proud of the stories I've written. All of them have a special place in my heart, and I'm proud of the fact that I was the one who was able to pen such masterpieces down to the glory of God Almighty.
5. What is something you like and dislike about this club? How do you think this club could be better?
I like how everyone treats each other as family. It makes one feel welcome. I like how kind and understanding the admins are. For now, I don't have any dislikes. I believe the club can be better by giving every member a chance to organize things at least once. Doing this will lessen the burden on the current admins and make everyone else sit up because of the responsibility handed over to them.
Also, it'll help us understand what the admins are going through and make us appreciate them better.
6. What have you done to improve yourself and your writing skills in the past? I took several online writing courses during the Covid-19 lockdown to improve myself. Also, I still go back to these courses to study them whenever necessary. I read books by several renowned authors to polish my writing skills. In addition, I made use of dictionaries and thesauri to sharpen my written and spoken English.
Then, I engaged in Yoruba lessons to help with my use of Yoruba language in my stories.
7. Has any book(s) made you cry before? If yes, what were they? Quite a number, actually. But I can't remember their titles now.
8. Where and how do you get information and ideas for your books? Ideas come from people I interact with, my day to day experiences and sometimes even dreams (daydreams and night dreams). I get information from the internet and I also seek out people who have a better understanding on a particular subject than I do whenever I'm writing a book; ensuring that I learn from these avenues.
9. What do you like to do when you're not writing? I like reading, swimming, singing, dancing and spending time with my loved ones.
10. What do you think makes a good story? I believe a well developed plot and characters make a good story. Also, correct use of language makes a story seamless and interesting, which in turn makes it turn out good.
11. What is your most recent book? My most recent book is titled 'The Destroyer of Death'. It is a short story about a missionary who faces persecution in a foreign land. But through God's grace, he emerges as an overcomer.
12. How do you select the names of your characters? From anywhere! Names of friends, names of families, names from online research, even from signboards. From literally anywhere.
13. Do you believe in writer's block? Yes, I do. I've suffered from it myself. But I pushed through it.
Sometimes I didn't though. It all depended on how much I believed in myself at those moments.
14. What advice would you give your younger writing self? Don't be lazy. Don't give up. Always ask the Holy Spirit for His help, for He will never ignore you or push you away. Be proud of the stories you've written so far and never look down on yourself. You're God's best creation, His greatest achievement through Jesus. Your writing style is unique, so don't try to be like anyone else. Remember to stay focused, stay strong and stay cool. The Lord is always for you, so don't believe your writing is worth nothing, no matter what others say or do to you. You're definitely going to be better and greater than this, so don't despair and don't be discouraged. Love yourself, love your writing. Appreciate the gift God has given you and use it for His glory. Don't ever try to be like the world or try to please them with what you write or how you write. Don't conform to worldly standards. Rather, write about Christ and His saving grace, and He'll use you to bless people.
15. If you could spend a day with a popular author, whom would you choose? I have quite a lot, so I'm going to mention them all with the hopes that I would meet them one day. These popular authors are: Innocent Ilo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Wole Soyinka, Femi Osofisan, IbukunOluwa Oremodu, Joyce Meyer, Francine Rivers, Gary Chapman and Jerry Jenkins.
16. How do you develop your characters and plot? Once the idea forms in my mind and I decide to pursue it, I type/jot it down. Then little by little, I add to it till a story is fully developed. I also make use of a character bible to flesh out my characters, then make my plot revolve round them.
17. How many books have you published on Wattpad? Which was the most fun to write? I've published 8 books on Wattpad. However, I ended up deleting some. The most fun book I've written so far is a book titled 'Won Over'. Even till now, people compliment me for writing it and I also laugh whenever I think about it or go back to read it.
Do you mind giving us your contact information, I'm sure there are some people who would like to get in touch.
I obviously don't mind.
Thank you very much for taking time out to get to know me. God bless you.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
Instagram: @a_writergirl
Twitter: @a_writergirl
Facebook: Bukky Oremodu
E-mail: olaoremodu@gmail.com
Questions to know more about the award winners.
Second runner-up of the In-House Short Story Contest.
Full name: Mary Faith Ijiga.
Pen name: Faith Ijiga.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
1. When did you start writing?
I grew up to see myself writing, I can't really say the exact time but I know is from childhood. But I started trying my hands in novel writing in 2017. I was just writing and posting online for my readers on Facebook and Instagram, and subsequently on Wattpad in 2019, but I finally published my first book in 2021.
2. How long have you been on Wattpad?
I've been on Wattpad since 2019. I got to know about that writing platform when I wanted to complete a story I started reading. I searched for it and Google showed me that the story was published by the author and Wattpad. Prior to that time, I've never heard anything about that app nor any writing app, but since then, my previous statement about not knowing any writing app has changed significantly.
3. What/who inspires you generally? Who?
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are first my inspiration. Second and the last for now is situations, real life situations about myself and others.
4. What's something you're really proud of? Why?
I'm proud of All he has made me and where I am going to, all for the glory of God.
5. What is something you like and dislike about this club? How do you think this club could be better?
I can't really say I dislike anything about the club... Is true that we are not all perfect but I love our perfections and imperfections. As an admin and the founder, my constant desire is for the club to continue to grow to greater heights, love one another and remain United,, serv everyone equally and continue with our mandate which is sharing the gospel to the world with our contents.
6. What have you done to improve yourself and your writing skills in the past?
Several writing courses: both on and offline, constant browsing of the internet: Googling, reading newsletters from authors, blogs and writing coaches, listening to podcasts, I read, read and read. Then I write, edit and write again, the circle just continues.
7. Has any book(s) made you cry before? If yes, what were they?
Awww, a lot of them, but the most recent has got to be Long Way Home by Lyn Austin. Let me not say more because of time.
8. Where and how do you get information and ideas for your books?
Well, like I said earlier, I write about real life situations. A lot of my story ideas and information are gotten from the things I see physically, news from the media, internet and books.
9. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I am a 100% introvert so I love locking myself up and Reading. But I am also a good conversationalist when I'm in the mood and I derive joy in laughing a lot. I make a conscious effort to laugh everyday regardless of what I am going through at the time. The most important of all is my time with the Holy Spirit.
10. What do you think makes a good story?
A good story, I believe, is the one that captures the heart of the reader. Apparently it's not everyone that reads your books that will be satisfied, but if you are doing something positive in the life of a reader, that is one thing you can count on.
11. What is your most recent book?
My most recent book is titled Never Forget. It is a terrorism, military and political thriller that speaks a lot about the state of the imbalance in Nigeria. I have published a couple chapters on Wattpad. My main purpose of writing it is to remind Nigerians of the mistakes that we have made in the past and to remember not to repeat the same mistake in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
12. How do you select the names of your characters?
Naming my characters is one of the things I enjoy the most about writing. Since childhood, I realized how much I loved names. I even used to fantasize about how I would give birth to several dozen children just so all of them could answer all my fine collections of names, but thank God my books came to my rescue. I love names that are rare and names that sound awesome in my ears. I do not like names I consider antiquated. Why would someone in this age and time answer Peter or Patrick or Sebastian or Douglas??? pun intended. Take for example, my younger brother's name is Joseph and I have and continue to tease him endlessly about it.
13. Do you believe in writer's block?
That is one thing that I have experienced so, yes, I believe in it, but there was a book I read about it that made me believe that writer's block has a lot to do with the author's state of mind and it can be shaking off.
14. What advice would you give your younger writing self?
Now, I will tell you what I always tell myself... "The earlier you complete this book, the more time you will have to lazy around all you want. "
Each time I start a new book, I always feel like I'm on fire and I can only get my rest of mind upon the completion of that book. So whenever I start becoming lazy or experiencing a writer's block I will tell myself that quote written above.
15. If you could spend a day with a popular author, whom would you choose?
I have a very long list but at the top of it is definitely Joel C. Rosenberg, an author that I have come to consider my mentor, however indirectly. I read his books religiously every week, he is one of the authors I honor and respect a lot. Next on my list in no particular order are, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Don Brown - the Christian author that writes about the Navy, Francine Rivers, Lyn Austin, Melanie Dobson,, Mark Andrew Olsen, I so much love that international fiction he wrote that included Nigeria, I was totally blown away by that book and it wasn't just because my country was there. There are a lot of them on my list but let me stop here because of time and space.
16. How do you develop your characters and plot?
My characters are developed from what I need in a story, then my Story characters makeup my story plot. What I'm really saying in essence is that I have no definite ways of making up my characters and plots.
17. How many books have you published on Wattpad? Which was the most fun to write?
Currently I have four works on my Wattpad profile, 3 are completed while I am currently writing and publishing chapters of the last one which is titled Never Forget. Out of my three completed books, I have published two on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers. I can't really say which of them is the most fun for me because I took each of them personally, but one thing I can tell you is this, I like the feeling of satisfaction I get upon the completion of each novel... That feeling is the kind I would love to get over and over again.
Do you mind giving us your contact information, I'm sure there are some people who would like to get in touch.
I don't mind at all, I very much appreciate that.
Kobo, Goodreads, Facebook, Bookbub, Amazon: Faith Ijiga. Twitter and Instagram: faithee_ijiga.
Email: faitheeijiga@gmail.com.
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1Christian Writers and Readers Club is an online community for Christian writers and readers who are always looking for good Christian contents to read. It was founded on January 9th 2020 by Faith Ijiga.
It started out on Wattpad and has since then broken out to other writing platforms and Facebook.
Since the club's inception in 2020, the club has had members from the United States, Zambia, Kenya, India, Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Jamaica and they are still looking forward to expanding into more territories.
The club's main goal is to put out enough gospel content on the internet and make it easier for readers to access them. The next is to promote Christian authors and help them get a strong readership community/fanbase and also improve their skills on writing.
Everyone is eligible to join the club as long as they accept to abide by the rules and regulations.
You can find out more about the club and even contact them via the social media accounts below.
1
Facebook, Christian Writers and Readers Club.
Wattpad, WCWRC book club.
Email, at wcwrcjan2019@gmail.com.
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