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
Pennsylvania, 2020The hall was empty.When Clark arrived at the door, he watched as Maria walked around in circles before sitting down. Her eyes were curious; desperately filled with a desire that seemed new to him. He sighed and patted her gently on her shoulders."You will be fine," he said."Hopefully I will be when everything has ended," Maria replied. "Everything happened so quickly that I am unable to keep count of days. It seems like it was just yesterday that I sat with Abby alone in a room, talking about God. It just seems like it was two days ago I stood in a basketball court, watching Uju flex her shoulders, smash the ball on the ground on several occasions and try to buy her to way to another world. It just seems like those never happened."Clark sighed again. "Life is full of mysteries," he confessed. "Sometimes, it is hard for us to understand why certain things happen;