Pennsylvania, 2018
Maria didn't sleep very well and she could feel it as she opened her eyes to the simulated light of the morning, the blue light bulb burning its peculiar light as she felt a strange peace descend on her spirit. The room she was sleeping in was a familiar room with its red-painted simple walls that constantly reminded her of the past. A past that never existed but was there, in the back of her mind, connecting her to memories only a few could understand. Even in the midst of all her confusion, there was a certain reassurance which she gathered from this newfound reality. The first was understanding that the necklace she wore on her neck meant something to her, if not a lot of people but her.
She thought of the last discussion she had with Uju and Abby. The wavy atmosphere that filled her spirit. It calmed her
"Get up from the bed," Uju's voice filled her room. They were staying together for a
Lancaster, 1790The story of James Blackwheel, human at day and werewolf at night was no common one. It spread throughout England, travelled with any person who was present when Mr. Strange spoke of his atrocities, his crimes committed against nature. To be a sinful man was one thing to pay penance for. To commune with the devil and be in his own image and form was unacceptable. The conditions were clear. James Blackwheel, father to three children and husband to Elizabeth Blackwheel had made an irreversible choice. He had sat on the same table with people who the church despised and had thrown his family's name into the dust. Therefore, he had to pay for his sins, he had to bear the consequences.Being dead automatically liberated James Blackwheel but as God had declared in the Book of Moses saying with a great voice that the sins of the fathers shall be passed unto the children and even up to the fourth generation, so was the case of Blackwheel's f
Igboland, 1790The whole village turned out on the village square with weapons of war they could quickly grab, men, women, old men, old women and even children. They formed a huge circle as they surrounded the man that had appeared from nowhere. The elders took their places in the circle, each holding a potent charm to dissolve whatever power the person who stood at the center of the circle was possessing. The rest of the village stared in awe as they watched the elders take out their charms from their waists and strike the ground.The village chief priest was not there yet and his servants, two boys and a girl were also absent in the gathering. The elders knew as much as the whole village knew that they could not do anything to the man who stood at the center of the circle. It was a law to respect foreign beings that stepped in their land. Whether dangerous or not, they had to wait for the chief priest of their land to intercede with the gods.There were four d
Khartoum, 2014The place was hazy. The area of the Nile valley known as Nubia, which lies in the North of present day Sudan was home to three Kushite kingdoms during antiquity. Close to the base of one of the Pyramids of Nubia a young man laughed as he called out another man's attention. “Clark, take a look at what we have found! I knew we were looking in the right place when we made that turn!” His voice was dwimmer, filled with adventurous excitement.Clark stopped walking and turned as he struggled to find what his friend had claimed to be the discovery of a century. A physical proof that the Priory of Göteborg had secret meetings in present day Sudan before colonization came to Africa. “Be patient,” he begged. “I am getting closer…”As he followed closely behind his friend, his vision began to fade as the heat of the sun increased. There was no darkness just d
California, 2014When Clark and Michael entered one of the few surviving warehouses of the director of their hidden project, they knew something had changed in the building. The walls were covered up with red paint, the goods that were in the rear complex had been replaced with wires of different lengths, shapes and sizes. The scene before them looked like a complete opposite of what they had left behind.At the middle of the wall that had been the dwelling place of an ancient Italian painting was the picture of a grassy area cascading downward to merge with an abandoned dry land. Close to the picture of this strange piece was another picture composed of a large pentagon bordered in the east by men and women who were emerging from what looked like Dante's inferno. Shrewd looking individuals with stacks of grey hair flowing from their armpits and pubic regions were directly above the tortured men and women as if to accentuate the dark atmosphere preserved for those who had missed the li
Munich, 1456The cottage was dark inside and deserted. Alger thought he had heard a noise as he ran away quickly with a necklace on his neck, his brown eyes filling with anticipation as he wondered if his agreement with Adele had been breached. As he approached the only church in his village, the Reverend's dying words echoed in his mind. If he didn't act as quickly as possible, he would have himself to blame when the full moon rise the next day. Alger smirked as he thought about his wife and children. He had been awake the previous night when he told his three children about the power of the necklace, but sleep was the last thing his body desired at the moment. Sleep was the last temptation standing between him and salvation.He felt the cold take over his soul as he reassured himself that he was a warrior from a long line of warriors, his ancestors, and he knew how often battles were fought when men were more brutal than monsters. A sword is enough for the throat tha
Munich, 2014An airplane landing in Munich on a hot afternoon was no rare scene. Thirty minutes had passed when a slightly angry and desperate duo in form of Clark and Micheal stepped down from a grand airplane on one of Europe's most prominent economy in search of an unknown man in Munich. A crisp breeze rustled the lapels of their jackets as they approached the driver of a car that looked like a private taxi. The open space at the back seat relieved them as they became aware that the journey was going to be fast and less noisy."Where can I take you to?" An Indian accent came from the car. He was the driver."Munich," Michael replied."Munich?" The driver was confused as he tried to explain to them that they were standing in Munich."Forgive my friend for his excitement," Clark stepped in. "Can you take us to this place?"The driver took the address from Clark's grip and studied it quickly."Euro youth hotel?" He asked.Clark
Pennsylvania, 2018Pennsylvania, in the evening, always had something relaxing to offer, and although Maria liked the serene apartment she was living in, the clean streets and stately security, the delicate but yet disturbing voice of her temporary roommate, Uju, and the shy, law-abiding air of merited grace that surrounded Abby, it was this, the offer of a thousand dollars, that made her consider the thought of sleeping away from home for the first time in two years, perhaps the influence of money was more stronger than she had imagined. The smell of distinct valuable notes righteously earned from the pockets of rich people was what fascinated her the most as she prepared herself to leave her working place. She placed her students' books on top of her desk, ignoring the musty scent of untouched old books brought by her colleague surrounding her. The old books smelt like garbage. But money had no smell, she thought. A thousand dollars had no odour, she laughed.She lik
Munich, 2014“Priory of Göteborg?” Clark wiped his mouth with a clean handkerchief and shifted towards the driver. “We need to know more about them. Can you tell us more about them?”"I already told you what I know about them," the driver replied.Michael paced around the cozy room to think of what they would do to make the driver tell them more about the secret organization. “A thousand dollars if you tell us what you know about them,” he offered."This is not about money. I don't know anything about them," the driver responded, considering the offer in his mind."Don't fucking lie to us. There is no way that poster would be in your car if you haven't been approached by them," Michael explained.Clark grunted abruptly. “This is not going to work out easily as you think," he said to Michael. "If we want to know how the poster got in his car, we
Chibuzor Victor Obih was born in the southern part of Nigeria. Delta State to be precise. His writing includes essays, poetry and short stories. He likes to play soccer, read, study and above all, write. He is currently a fourth year student of a renowned public university in Nigeria. The University of Port-Harcourt is where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The Last Full Moon is his third book and his third attempt to explore the beautiful world of a novelist.
Kano, 2022There was no light. There was no sound. There was no imaginary figure running around his mind and playing games with him. The road that was up above him was clear and black. Fear, Ifenna now realized, was an intense rush of displeasure that motivated a man to run for the security of his own life. Short of breath, he fumbled through the blackness towards the road, almost staggering, almost allowing the image of seeing Kelvin raising a gun and shooting at him revolve around his head. He found a soft spot and made an attempt to rest when he realized that he had to make sure that Jane was safe. But how could he reach her when he couldn't remember where he had last seen his phone? Just then, as he was thinking about the location of his phone, an alarm he had set up in his phone about a week ago to make sure he attended all the morning exercises class rang. He reached out towards his left pockets and brought his phone out. He smiled as he felt grateful that some unfo
Pennsylvania, 2022Maria sat very still, listening and not listening. She was looking at the face of the man who had come in place of James Blackwheel, to ask for her forgiveness and understanding. If someone had asked her to repeat the words of the preacher, she would not have been able to do so without making a single mistake because she didn't understand what he meant when he told her to forgive and forget. She didn't understand the ease he felt as he let those words slide out from his tongue as if it would take away all the atrocities that James Blackwheel had committed in his life. But she felt and sensed the genuineness in the preacher's voice and she saw meaning as she tried to reason in the same plain he was reasoning. As the preacher talked more about forgiveness and its positive impact in the modern society, a vast dark silent void lifted away from her eyes and she could see familiar images which grew large and powerful; familiar images of Blackwheel planting hi
Pennsylvania, 2022Not once during the five days following the explanation behind Uju and Abby's death had an image of their dead bodies buried underneath the ground come into Maria's mind. She had thought about it bitterly until she could no longer cry or think again. She had thrust the whole scene back and forth, and there it still lay, monstrous, horrible and terrifying as it had been before. She was not much of a believer but she believed in the power of words and truth. And to think that her ancestral father, James Blackwheel who she had never met was involved in their deaths made her feel awful and sad. She was not so much in a bad stupor or in a wayward lane with brown leaves falling quickly with no end. She was in a bizarre situation where she saw Uju and Abby begging for their lives and being punished for doing so.Having been briefed by Detective Doe about the incident that had kept her in the dark, she made a quick call to Clark with the hope that he would answe
Lagos, 2022Kelvin stopped listening, feeling fear for the first time. He had not thought that the message sent to him using a foreign number was a solution to his love problem with Sharon. A solution that came with a price. How could he explain to Ifenna that the gift Maria had given to him during his last trip to America was greatly desired by a group of people who tagged themselves as members of a secret organization called the 'Priory of Göteborg'? Oh, Lord! He was drunk. The members of the 'Priory of Göteborg' were all drunk to think he would accept their offer and take the life of Ifenna because of love. How could he? The instructions he had gotten from them was clear and simple. Take the necklace and eliminate the target. But how could he do that when he was greatly attached to Ifenna in ways that the members of the Brotherhood didn't understand? How could someone who knew absolutely nothing about his life choose him as a tool to achieve their quest? What
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:Hey! How are you doing? I finally came back! I missed talking to you! How have things been going on your side?BELLA:Hey! Good morning! Or afternoon to you I think! It is great to see you back. I missed you!KELVIN:I missed you too. Good afternoon!BELLA:It is 7 am here and I'm hooking up my morning coffee drip. The weather is really not that bad. I am sure you can relate with the feeling of the weather. It feels cold but it isn't. I think the weather is in a good mood today.KELVIN:So, do you have a pipe inside your body? That is great! Honestly, it is!BELLA:I don't have a pipe inside my body! Coffee is great! Lol! All day long! I never see the need to sleep.KELVIN:You seem happy today. That is a good trait.BELLA:I suppose so.. every once in a while it happens. I guess I am happy today because you finally came back. It is always great to reunite with a long lost friend even if he has
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:What is your real name then? Mender? Bella? I don't want to make any assumptions about your real name so you wouldn't feel bad about it. I was trained to accept people's decisions on things affecting them. I respect privacy.BELLA:Hi. Your pic is adorable. Whose baby? Is that you?KELVIN:No! Just placed a baby there because I have been unhappy lately. Glad you like it.BELLA:I love all babies but more from a distance lol. When they are close they are all noisy, little germ machines lol. Except for my children, they are perfect, naturally perfect. They don't look like pumpkins with bitter tears.KELVIN:That is good to hear. So, which one is your name? Mender or Bella?BELLA:Bella. Bella is my real name.I was planning on using Mender as a pen name for a new genre I am working on. Like I told you before if you can remember, I am an author.KELVIN:Alright. That would be a lovely ide
Ontario, 1983It was morning. The church bells had just began to ring when Blackwheel arrived. In the dark and silent room, the drab light of the weary sun outside filtered in through the silky curtain, allowing a limited passage of light. Already, the coming of the sun had been announced through the sound of the bell like a messenger sent forth to disseminate information for the time being."I have to prepare early. I don't have much time for myself or for anyone," Blackwheel muttered to himself and yawned. He was feeling tired from the long walk he had had a day before.Sitting himself up, in an upright position, he held his head with his hands as if he was trying to adjust it and move it away from his neck. It was as though his mind was about splitting from his head. His eyes roamed to the door which led to the entrance of his room when he heard a noise. He was expecting someone but due to the delay, the little hope that rose in his heart about ten hours ago had died dow
Lagos, 2017KELVIN:Why? Is there a problem.ZOE:Just have different priority lately.KELVIN:What kind of priority. I thought we promised to be really close?ZOE:Yea, we did! Someone close to me went through a difficult ordeal and I spent a lot of time with him, I have had to babysit my three year old nephew a lot. Also, I reconnected with a friend I haven’t seen in six years and I am trying to write a novel, and even after a full regiment of antibiotics my cough is getting worse. Sometimes life happens. If it is a problem for you, then maybe don’t wait after me so much. I can’t promise hours of texts daily. I spend already that time nearly daily just answering everyone who texts me and ask for help with their writing or publishing platforms (on top of everything else), social media is turning into a full time job and I am trying to reduce that and keep my focus on writing but it is hard. I only have so many hours in