Owerri, 2020
He turned and a hysterical terror seized him, as though he was falling from a skyscraper in a dream with a necklace around his neck. A white blur was standing close a door, silent, almost awake, ghostlike, almost asleep. It filled his weak eyes and gripped his body as if he was in an inescapable trance. He was thinking. Maria Blackwheel was in his mind. He was thinking about her even though he didn't know why he was thinking about her. Her image was clear in his mind and he could feel her like he could feel himself falling from a skyscraper in a dream with a necklace around his neck.
"Maria!" He spoke softly to himself, questioningly.
There was no response and he didn't really care. He tried to care but he just couldn't care. There was so much to think about. So much to consider especially since he was sleeping alone in the bed for the third time in a week without Kainene by his side. He tried to avoid thinking about Kainene but he couldn't
Mumbai, 2020"I expected a more luxurious place considering your master's taste for wealth," Blackwheel said as he stepped inside the building Marcus was staying. "This place looks ordinary and the least of my wildest imagination. It looks more like a shelter zone for homeless people to live in.""Master has a way of living his life, sir," Marcus' servant replied. "From the few precious times I have spent with him, I have discovered he is more like a big fish in a small river than a small fish in a big river.""What do you mean by that?" Blackwheel asked."Sir, master is a king in these parts. He has been able to attract great wealth towards himself in a way that no man has done in the past few months. He is a man whose voice holds power and respect.""I see," Blackwheel said.A few seconds passed."Follow me, sir," Marcus' servant said, holding a bag before him like a sacred offering that he wanted to offer to Marcus.
Pennsylvania, 2020"What is next?" Maria asked, staring at the large book in front of them.Clark flipped."What do you see?" She asked."I can see phases.""Lunar phases and sacrifices done under the moon?" she asked. "No numbers. No symbols. No diagrams. No information whatsoever!""I am trying to find something I could use to figure out what is happening now.""Try harder. We are running out of time."Clark flipped again. Stopped. Flipped again. Stopped. Nothing."Nothing?"Clark sighed. "Who says my name is Raj! Helper and phone boy for Dev?" He asked.Maria stared at him and turned. "I don't know.""There is something going on here that we can't see.""You don't have to tell me first for me to know that everything isn't normal. You were the one who spotted the problem. Why can't you solve it? I thought you said we would find something reasonable in these pages.""I thought we wou
Pennsylvania, 2020Mark led a group of three police officers up the stairs into the kitchen. The three men who had come with Mark sat on the steps and started gloomily at the floor as they waited to receive further instructions from Mark. Soon the men who had gone to phone the relatives of Abby and Uju came back. Maria knew that they wanted to talk to Clark to see if he was involved in the murder of Abby and Uju. Mark also came back and sat upon the steps. Maria and Clark arrived with their lips pressed tightly as if they had explained everything they knew to the man who had been talking to them for over an hour now.Detective Doe!A man known for his abilities to mix different facts and put them together to fix the missing pieces in a puzzle."Have you gotten the evidences you need to send her back into jail?" Mark asked, standing up."I am afraid to announce to you that she isn't guilty for the murder of Abby and Uju. She told me everythin
Mumbai, 2020Marcus looked up. "Did he do anything after you gave him juice to drink?""No, master," Hakeem replied. "He left after he had emptied the glass. He said he will be back as soon as possible."Marcus moved away from the sofa and rubbed his chin. "How did he sound?""Tired.""Did he say anything about me that you haven't heard?"Hakeem thought for a brief second. "No, master," he lied. "He was only interested in meeting you. He didn't even want to talk.""That is strange.""It is," Hakeem confirmed.Marcus grabbed his suitcase. Hakeem stared at him."Did you put every document I asked you to put inside the suitcase?" He asked."I did as you had told me, master.""I hope your words are true because I have a very important meeting with a confused client who believes in the Bible. It is going to be a long conversation. I want to convince the woman on issues she is against.
Mumbai, 2020The day passed. Slowly, it passed until Marcus found himself sitting in the same chair he had sat the day before when he had spent almost an hour with Alyssa talking about the things he believed in which she refused to accept, which she considered inappropriate.Two minutes passed.He stared at Alyssa's husband, Charles. His hands were crossed together as if he was preparing for a job interview he wasn't sure he would pass. Alyssa was close to him, holding his hands and trying to comfort him. He seemed pissed. He looked annoyed.Marcus sighed and removed his hands from the table. "How does homosexuality fail?" He asked. "Reproduction, yes, but do you then believe that an infertile woman should never have sex or engage in a fruitful marriage?""I didn't say so," Alyssa said."So, straight couples should never touch each other with hands, never have oral sex, never have sex when the woman can't reproduce?"I didn't say so,"
Owerri, 2020Ifenna was not quite as sure about this."I can't call her. We haven't been clicking for a while now," he said to his friend, Abel. "We have been falling apart for a while now. It is as if we don't know each other.""A fault in a relationship must mean something important to you,” Abel said, making a logical guess. "Do you feel you have lost the famous touch of wisdom?"Ifenna was confused. "What is that? I have never heard of it.""It isn't common among people who are not a fan of their culture or tradition, so, I don't blame you for being unaware.""But I try to act like a traditional man," Ifenna said, moving effortlessly beside Abel. "Why would you ask if I felt I have lost the famous touch of wisdom? Do I look like someone who is either famous or wise to you?""Not really," Abel said. "Still, you don't look like someone who is dumb either.""I am just tired," Ifenna admitted. "I am tired of almost everythin
Mumbai, 2020Marcus felt uneasy as he stepped inside the room he had had long conversations with both Alyssa and her husband, Charles. Despite knowing the task that laid ahead of him due to the quick invitation and support that was required from him by Blackwheel, he was still persistent on meeting Alyssa and Charles one more time before telling the management that he would no longer be available for a period at time. At least, until he was able to deal with the issue that involved Dev."I called you yesterday in the evening because I read more to your words which I am not supposed to do. I and my husband apologise," Alyssa said. "I am not concerned about the transgender people in general just the fairness of the situation which we discussed yesterday. The situation just complicates things because talking about the fairness is like discriminating which I am trying to avoid. Examples are useless, Marcus. Honestly, they are! If you try to be in that girl's
Lagos, 2020HI! IT IS MARIA. UJU IS DEAD.9 13 9 19 19 21SEE YOU SOON!Ifenna quipped, his voice unruffled as he said nothing, but thought about the words Maria had sent to him. What did the numbers mean to her? What did the numbers in her text mean to him?Everyone in the taxi turned and stared at him.Ifenna didn’t know what to think. He didn't know why they were staring at him."This is the airport," the Yoruba driver said, drawing Ifenna's attention to one of Nigeria's pride. "You have got one strong voodoo to think you can leave this country despite all the crises going on."Ifenna frowned. "How much is your money?""One thousand naira," the Yoruba driver responded."That is too much," Ifenna protested."It is, sir," the Yoruba driver smiled. "You should put all the blame on the stupid government that has refused to provide us useful jobs instead of
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