“When the roll is called up yonder…” he hummed along to Bimpe’s favorite hymn as they all got ready to leave the house. He buttoned up his jacket and watched Juli help TimTim with his shoelaces. As she tied the laces into an ‘eight’ shape, he froze. It was happening again.
He could taste it at the back of his tongue; the sourness of something sinister coming. Continue reading
There was no one in sight. From the hospital gate right to the wards.
“Hello” I shouted. I felt a chill as the echo returned.
Empty hospital beds, no nurses, no patients, why the hell was the hospital open. I was contemplating going to another hospital when I heard a baby’s cry. I traced the sound. Alone in the maternity ward was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen.
I sat by the bed and sang to the baby.
“Soft kitty,
Warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty,
Sleepy kitty,
Purr Purr Purr”
I had learnt it from the ‘Big bang’ series but it was lovely enough and made the baby smile.
Two hours passed and I was still there. Engulfed in the ambience of the baby’s beauty and innocence.
Five hours passed. Six. Seven. My wife called but I didn’t pick up. Nothing else in the world was important.
Suddenly, the baby held my thumb and next thing, I was on the bed, watching a man in a black suit walk away with a grin. I couldn’t move. I tried to scream but only baby noises emanated my mouth.
I was there. Days and night. I couldn’t tell how long I waited.
One fateful day, I heard footsteps and then a “Is anybody here?” I cried out loudly immediately.
I watched a young lady walk up to me. “What a pity” I thought “This fine girl will have to be stuck here for a good while”
I decided yesterday’s death threat was a prank.
Got home late from work today and there’s a note on the table.
“I
Am a rose
Right, left, center
Behind and in front
You read the first words”
I read the first words: I. AM. RIGHT. BEHIND. YOU.
Immediately, the lights go out…
I enjoy my smoke best while taking a walk around campus in the night breeze. My route takes me from the hostel to the old reservoir. Cold air plus vigorous walk plus nicotine hit makes your nerves really crackle.
.
The base transceiver station between the Chapel of Redemption and the old reservoir is floodlit so I edge as far away from it as I could. The light kills my buzz somewhat. I hum a tune between drags.
.
One cigarette down. As I try to light another, I hear a sob from behind me, in the darkness behind the tower that stood beside the reservoir. A girl’s sob. It sounds totally forlorn.
. Continue reading
Roger was tired. He’d answered many names and lived in many times. When at first he was spelled to live forever, he’d been joyful but he hadn’t thought forever could be so long.
From city to city he rode, his purpose clear as day but not even the deadliest of soldiers could give him what he desperately wanted.
On and on, he sojourned until he came by an old city where the legend of Lilith held sway. It was of this Lilith mothers said to their sons: “For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
At the forbidden end of the town where words were Continue reading
I used to think of words. I used to think of how invaluable they were in expressing emotions like pain, joy, sadness, boredom, you know, usually the bad stuff. I used to have an unparalleled faith in my uncanny ability to wield the craft the way I saw fit.
But now, words have left me out to dry, Continue reading
****** I’m standing in front of the mirror. I see my reflection. It’s tossing on the bed. The lights go out and my window slams shut. I already closed that window a minute ago. ‘In Jesus name!!!’ I scream in fear. And then for the first time I hear it talk: ‘Amen’. ********
The first thing Sharon Nwosu noticed about the mad woman, apart from her immediately apparent scraggly appearance, was her eyes. Narrow, beady and squeezed into their sockets underneath heavy lids and sparse lashes, they bore at once an intensity that gave her gaunt face a crazed mien, and an eerie intelligence that unnerved Sharon.
Another thing that unnerved Sharon was the grip the mad woman had Continue reading
Emem and Joe were playing in the basement, laughing like the 9 year olds they were when they heard the door creak.
They hid.
“Emem! Joe! Timi! Emem! Joe! Timi! ” Their mum called wandering in the dark basement trying to reach the switch.
There was no response. She was sure she had heard laughter Continue reading
Jason is standing in front of his classroom, Primary 1b. He has to explain why he came so late to school. He’s the class clown so his mates are already eager to laugh. But, Jason isn’t smiling. It’s 11:55a.m Continue reading
I wasn’t so sure if Mike was comfortable with the furtive glances other people in the bar threw our way.
Those glances.
We got a lot of those the next day when my wife and I decided to give Mike a treat at the state park. Our dog, Tommy, tagged along also, making purring noises all the way. One of the people that couldn’t keep their eyes off was a photographer. I had him take shots of us as we jollied around and then we took a couple more holding hands around the Christmas tree. I gave him my address and he promised to come in by 10 a.m. the next day.
10 a.m. and the pictures came in. The first one showed me, alone, with my hands around the Christmas tree. The next showed me, alone, arms spread out eagle-wing style.
“Photographer!” I shouted, quite perplexed. “What is this? Why is my wife, Mike and Tommy not captured in these pictures?”
“Sir, you were alone in the park yesterday” the photographer answered calmly.
I turned to my wife. “Sweetheart, did you hear this clown?” I said.
“Sir, there is nobody in here with us.” The photographer said again, his voice starting to tremble.
**
_Joe Aito
the dark notes 