Pennsylvania, 2018
After Maria was done spending time with Abby, she decided to go back to her apartment before going to the Longview's home to start and complete her job at the same time. As she sat in her small work area she had created in the apartment she shared with Uju, she received a phone call from Uju. When she answered her phone, she realized it wasn't Uju but her Nigerian friend, Ifenna who had just arrived from Nigeria recently. There wasn't much time to talk and she hung up immediately she got the chance to do so. Feeling better that everything was starting to set itself in the right place, she left her apartment and headed for the Longview's home. On her way, she stumbled across a tall black man with broad shoulders who was walking quickly as if he was about to miss an import
Lancaster, 1790Elizabeth Blackwheel pointed at the stake where her children were burnt alive. Her fingers were weak as scalds took over them with a certain rush of excitement that grieved her own soul.Paul Littlebed rubbed his chin as he felt the weight of being an accomplished Christian dawn on him."My children didn't deserve any of this torture," Mrs. Blackwheel cried."So did my innocent wife your husband raped and murdered," Paul replied.He took her by her arm and dragged her closer to a chopping board. Her mother, Mary Shoelace watched."Lord, I commit my daughter into your hands," Mary Shoelace prayed. "Forgive her for the sins of her husband and for the sins her children would have committed if they were still alive.""Amen!"Mrs. Blackwheel watched as her mother stopped praying. She was hoping for a quick death and a sharp suffering. But she was patient. She knew s
Somewhere, 987The man raised his head as he stumbled across two boys playing in the woods. Everywhere was dark. Even the stellar villages that set up fires late at night had gone early to sleep. Even the owls that sat on thick trees to hoot had left suddenly as if they had been chased away by someone who wanted to occupy the territory."Who are you?"The man lowered his head as he thought of his unknown identity. He passed through a tree and hid until the unwanted visitor who had attracted his attention had departed without further questioning him. When the full moon had risen properly, he placed his hat on his head, held on to a sacred necklace and continued walking without looking back.
Somewhere, 987The man was mad as he got closer to the treehouse he had been searching for only to find a bird flying around it without perching. Quietly, he sat down, trying to ignore the bird while focusing on what laid ahead of him.The Woman!The necklace!An unknown woman!He bit his lips slowly as he waited for his unfamiliar visitor to arrive. A woman he had arranged to meet before the full moon would appear in the sky. He adjusted himself properly as he tried once again to look into the sky and observe the irregular movements of the bird flying close to the treehouse."You look like a man who has fallen in love with the spirit of drinking," a woman appeared from nowhere and looked at the man. She was the unknown woman he had been waiting for. Her hair was long, up to her waist; flowing freely as if it had no end, as if it didn't want to end."And you look like a woman who has emerged from the dark," the man replied. "What can
Somewhere, 987The wind blew in rapid successions as the man walked alone with the necklace still on his neck. He felt slightly agitated that the woman had refused his offer without giving him a valid reason that would last in his memory for a good amount of time. When he got to the bank of a river, he bent down to wash his head only to be approached by an unknown man with a glowing teeth."Who are you?" The unknown man asked.The man raised his head and looked at him. "I am a man who seeks to trade. I am a nobody," he said.
Somewhere, 987Blackwheel wasn’t sure of what to say when Alberto told him that a young maiden who he loved was about to get married. There was obviously something going on in Alberto's mind that he couldn't figure out. Before the wedding began, the young maiden came close to them and told Alberto of her decision to avoid him."I am going to get married," she said. "And I won't be seeing you any longer.""Is there anything you want us to do for your marriage?" Alberto asked."Yes!" The young maiden replied. "I want both of you to kill some animals with your sword."
Somewhere, 987The man who was in possession of a necklace he had tried several times to sell was called Barg. He had tried to give it to an unknown woman in return of something he desired but it didn't work out as he had planned. He wasn't happy when he visited the last place to see if he could get an old woman to buy the necklace from him. Again, he was rejected and told to look for something better to do. When he couldn't deal with his frustration any longer, he dashed into the road in search of someone he knew could help him. That person was Alberto. The friend of James Blackwheel who was deceived by Sophia. A woman who was later killed by a man named Man. It was almost noon when he found Alberto sitting with Blackwheel and admiring the wedding party that was going on around them.Barg moved close to them and greeted them. Alberto responded and asked him what he wanted."I am looking for Alberto," Barg said
Pennsylvania, 2020Maria saw what she was looking for as she stepped out from the prison gate. With the clothes she used to enter prison back on her body, she felt a certain reassurance that she was innocent, that she was free. Through the scattered people surrounding the prison, she found joy as she noticed Uju and Abby standing close to a man she didn't see during all the visits she encountered in prison.Uju apparently saw it too in her eyes. From the movements of Maria's hands, she felt the tension that was rising in her."Calm down," Uju whispered as Maria approached her. "How was your time in prison?""I don't want to talk about it," Maria said. "It was a terrible time where I had to tolerate real criminals messing around with me.""Real criminals?" Abby laughed.Maria loosened her grip on Uju's shoulders and backed Abby. "Who is the young man standing beside Abby?" She asked."The young handsome man?" Uju raised her voice.
Pennsylvania, 2020After Clark dropped Maria and Uju at their apartment, he headed straight to a bar that was closeby. When he arrived at the bar, he gazed down at the floor as he tried to remember the patterns he had seen on his way to the prison that housed Maria. He couldn't remember. Despite several attempts, he still couldn't remember how the patterns were shaped like. Suddenly, he felt naive as a woman approached him and asked if he wanted a drink or something else."I don't want anything," Clark said to the woman."You have to drink something," the woman who was named Miss Crow replied quickly.After a little bargain followed by a brief argument, Clark finally agreed to drink something but on the condition that she doesn't charge him which she bluntly refused.
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