I stood outside Mike’s house, the cold harmattan air caressing my tear stained face. I was heartbroken. I had snuck out of the house, against my father’s “I don’t want to see your legs outside” to Mike’s house because I wanted to give him a little Christmas surprise.
I had gotten the surprise instead when I let myself into his house. I walked into Continue reading
“Not everyone knows my fiancée’s death wasn’t an accident. Even I didn’t know at first. Carbon monoxide poisoning is what they said. He left his generator set on all night, pulled a little too close to his bedroom window, they said. He died in his sleep, they said.” Amauche is looking down at her tied hands, but her gaze is unfocused, mind drifting somewhere in the past. “Victor was a deep sleeper; he never left his
After it is ascertained that Amauche Benson is still securely locked up in the psychiatric hospital at Yaba, naturally the police turn their attention to her twin sister, Chisom.
“Young lady, how do you now explain how that girl ended up in your kitchen then?” a policeman asks, tone brash, his eyes narrow with suspicion.
They are standing outside Chisom’s house; two policemen
They called her The Ember Killer.
Named after the notorious ‘ember months’, coined by superstitious Nigerians obsessed with the spate of fatal accidents and misfortune that seemed to thrive in the last four months of the year. Those were the months in which she began her murderous spree.
Mid-September had seen the discovery of what Amauche Benson claimed was the third victim, a French lecturer in the University Continue reading
“Nigeria is a poultry. The masses are the hens, the government is the farmer. And we are all waiting for christmas.”
– Adeosun Adams Mercy
It was the eve of the presidential election, the night the General was declared winner. We were at Aso Rock, eating meat and dancing reggae. It was a buffet. Continue reading
“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
It so happened that I slept by 10 p.m on Thursday, 27th of March 2002 and as it seems, woke up six months later, on the 4th of September.
I woke precisely by 1 a.m because my phone rang. Dede called to wish me a happy birthday and ended up laughing me to scorn for not remembering the day was my birthday. The call ended and I woke up again by 4p.m. to another happy birthday call. This was from grandmother. It was getting creepy. I checked the calendar on my Nokia 3310. It said 4th of September. Yes, the 4th was my birthday but how did this day arrive from yesterday? Hurriedly, I checked all the calendars in th
e house. They all were on the September page. The world had conspired to play a fast one on me. Continue reading
I got married the day after I turned 30.
My husband, Hannu was 18 at the time.
It’s not that much of a big deal, the age difference. I thought it would be, but it wasn’t. He loved me and I adored him. To us, that was all that mattered.
My parents had money and when they passed on, I inherited everything.
Hannu was very comfortable. I made sure of that. He had a fleetof cars- 3 vintage BMWs, a couple of Ferraris and a Porsche. We owned a private jet, I got him a Yatch too, but he never really cared about all that stuff.
When I’d complain that he spent too Continue reading
Sarah McCain placed her hand on the wooden door to the dark room, it creaked open. A feeling of apprehension overwhelmed her as she made her way into it. Something was amiss
She had expected her family to come pick her up, upon her arrival from Barcelona, but no-one had showed up. Their phones weren’t going through either. The door to the house b Continue reading
Do you ever get the overwhelming urge to do something stupid or utterly unnecessary, like say wash your hands with antibacterial gel for the tenth time in a row or scratch and pinch at your skin where there is no itch; the urge so strong you’re certain you might lose your mind if you don’t indulge, if yo 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
Every day, by 4:05, time pinched her.
She had begun to notice it a few weeks ago. At that particular time, something always drew her eyes to a clock, watch, phone……something with a time display. At first she had ignored the strange coincidence, but it had gone beyond that now. Now, she was scared. Continue reading
Just as the water starts to enter your mouth, the Gargoyle protecting the middle door opens the door. The answer to the riddle had come quite simple. Your sister Debby had asked you a similar riddle a few months ago. You asked the three Gargoyles the same question: ‘Point to the wrong door’. With one truthful and two lying, two gargoyles pointed to the middle door and one pointed to the left door. That was all you needed. You were sure that the door pointed to by two of them is the right door. Continue reading
“… I do not ask for your mercy. I ask that you give us a fighting chance, a chance to survive, just as that Achuba gave you when he threw you into the well.” You say, stuttering Continue reading
the dark notes 