short stories

The Question

“Run, run, keep running, don’t you dare stop, we’re almost there, just a bit more.” She kept gulping in each breath as though they were the last she would take. She had…

How You Become Your Nightmare

“Shhhhhh…” Mama gestured to me to keep quiet. “Don’t make a single sound, Ebere. Don’t move.” “Mom, I want to pee. I’d hurry to the bathroom and be back before he arrives.”…

Do You Love Me?

“Do you love me?” “Yes, I do,” I replied fiercely. My eyes were burning with the sting of pain, hurt, and regret. Of course, it was nothing physical, just a rollercoaster of…

Dear Diary

“Hello” “Hello,” I spoke into the speaker for the umpteenth time. “Are you still there?” There was a loud pause on the other end of the receiver, followed by uneven breathing, like…

Exit Wound

When I saw the video of prisoners jumping out of Oko prison here in Benin City I laughed. “How foolish do these people think we are?” I asked my friend Femi who…

Maleficent’s Daughter: Re-Imagined

The hand came down like a boulder and Wunpolop had only a second to protect himself before fingers closed around him. Curling into a ball ensured that his spikes were ready when…

The Lost Princess

They gathered us in one room. Standing around, we all looked like colorful birds in our different school uniforms. No one had told us why we were there and I really wanted…

Princess Yennenga: The African Warrior Princess Who Found Love For Herself

Remember your feminist ancestors The story of princess Yennenga is Indeed an African adaptation of the popular “they lived happily ever after” fairytale. A story that speaks of strength, love, skillful doggedness,…

Have A Nice Life

Martins The first memory I have of Amanda is her sitting on my lap at four years of age and declaring that she was my wife. She was a toddler of two…

The Mercury Explosion

The darkness was complete except for a small burst of light in the middle of the room/shack/underground tunnel. Behind that burst of light was movement, strange because this space was most often…