After about six months of dithering, iv finally decided to start a story. However, let me rush a disclaimer- i may or may not finish the story. For personal and security reasons. All these plagiarists don dey plenty well well. Ehen. Here goes: This story is written in a certain style. There is a narration by the protagonist of events happening within and around her as seen and experienced from the Physical realm. But, unknown to people involved in this story, they are but pawns of a different play of events in the Spiritual realm. So read with understanding.

oya naa post da story

Im typing with my phone so Paragraph police, take note!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One- Bitterness of Despair.
Chapter Two- Flashback.
Chapter Three- Endurance.
Chapter Four - Hope.
Chapter Five- Courage.
Chapter Six- Perseverance.
Chapter Seven- Sacrifice.
Chapter Eight- Determination.
Chapter Nine- Fate.
Chapter Ten- Progress.
Chapter Eleven - Rebirth.
Chapter Twelve- Joy.

CHAPTER ONE: BITTERNESS OF DESPAIR


Pity is a great survivor, it feeds on itself- White Moss.



My stomach rumbled from the sour 'moimoi' I had at my CDS dinner early in the evening. It had seemed like a good idea at the time even though I suspected the meal had either spent way too much time in the cooler or had been exposed to air without proper preservation. As I lay curled up on my bed, I remind myself that the only option available to me then was to face assured hunger at home, so I had shovelled down spoon after spoon of jollof/fried rice, sour beancake and a rather tasty piece of chicken. Add to that the fact that I had worked, nay slaved all day over patients with a rather bad outbreak of cholera in the General Hospital where I was posted on an empty stomach and one could almost justify my lack of pickiness over the food. Almost.
Another wave of protestations by the enraged inhabitants of my tummy rolled by as if threatening to expel its contents onto the bed. I tighten my a.rse in panicked response, there has been no water in Pankshin village for two days now and the one bucket of water left in my compound had been unanimously donated to 'doctor kopa', as the villagers called me. I, in turn had set it aside for necessary morning toilettries the next day. Tissue paper had since become a forgotten luxury pending the next 'allawee' payment, so I scrunch my a.rse even tighter. "Nothing solid or liquid is escaping from you tonight except gas", I whisper into the darkness. I tell myself that I am not in the least bit disturbed. After all, I had eaten much worse in the Orientation Camp. I browse through my mind for happy thoughts in order to distract my abdomen from impending violence but I need not have bothered. Unsettling thoughts I had been suppressing all day float merrily to the surface. Thoughts that have determinedly crossed border from Subconscious to my Very conscious. Like the fact that Timi was coming back tomorrow. As if on cue, my eyes drift away from the wall gecko nestling in a corner of the ceiling to rest on her picture hung in a place of pride next to the wall mirror in the near bare room.
Timi- tall, slim, ebony beauty, glowing at the camera with eyelids at half mast in an ImSexyAndIKnowIT smile mascaraed all over her long lashes. Timi, the life and fun of the party wherever she went, dimples flashing, forever bubbling with infectious excitement. Timi of the inexhaustible, sometimes not so delightful wit. Timi, my roommate, barely twenty-one yet soon to be married, at the end of the year. My mood plummets further at that last thought and I brood over our last conversation that morning.

"Ehen, Omo Delta", as she always referred to me, "Shey food dey house sha? Mo tin bo tomorow like this! I don enter road already o! I go reach Sokoto tomorrow". And she proceeded to give me 'full gist' of her 'powerful' engagement ceremony which I 'f.ucked up' to have missed. I smile in tolerance as I remind her yet again that I was on call from 8 am till 2 pm that week.
"Iro lon kpa o jare!", she shrieked. I could imagine her clapping her hands in accompaniment. "On call ko, on phone ni. Shey na one week dey no fit release you for that your clinic?! K'o oshi lo jor." I chuckled and assured her that I would not miss the wedding proper for the world, to which she in turn, assured me that she will 'kpa mi' - yoruba for 'kill me' - if i even thought about it. That was just typical Timi, liberally sprinkling every statement with short Yoruba phrases so one could not never mistake her for a Yoruba girl.
I heaved a sigh and adjusted my bulk, my physical discomfort forgotten under the weight of an emotional one. Now, do not be quick to label me 'bad belle'. I was of course, appropriately happy for my friend on the occasion of her having 'hooked' herself a man. It was just that her perfectly normal excitement and gaiety stirred up memories that I would have preferred never existed. Memories I thought I had banished, forgotten. Memories full of pain and sorrow tinged with unforgivable humiliation.

I roll over to the edge of the bed and pick up a Jack Higgins, in yet another attempt to steer my mind towards less discomfiting thoughts. Midway through the first chapter, I get a series of beeps on my Asha 501. "Those are WhatsApp messages" my brain announces. Tearing my eyes away from my novel in reluctance, I glance over at the wall clock- fifteen minutes to midnight. At exactly Twelve midnight, the cursed NEPA will snatch back power, plunging me into darkness, my novel unfinished.

"Na who be the insomniac wey wan chat around this kind time?", I hiss as I caress my phone to life....and.... Voila!! The very things I had sort to avoid.
Timi, in her good natured way, perhaps to include me in the spirit of the occasion, had sent a torrent of pictures of her engagement ceremony. There they were- colourful pictures of her and her groom grinning away at the camera. Several of them gazing into each other's eyes so lustfully the photographer must have felt like a v.oyeur of some sort; of her groom and his friends flat on their faces 'dobale-ing' with pride, of the bride and her entourage in various poses- arms akimbo, hips pushed out, blowing kisses and what not. Pictures, pictures, pictures!!!
I click and delete with annoyance.
"Na for which memory card she want make I keep all these ones?" And then, Pow!, in my face, out of nowhere, the final picture is a closeup on her engagement ring which she had tagged "Ese, you missed!!"
I stare at the ring as my eyes gradually cloud over, all attempts to Not remember failing woefully. I stare at the ring, a symbol of their undying and never ending love, a tear sneaks down my cheek as I am plunged on a trip down memory lane. A trip to five months earlier; five months, twelve days precisely.

And i find myself falling in love harder with you Red Moss! Chai. You've set the bar higher sha o. God dey.

The setting is vague; somewhere in the Third Dimension, invisible to the ordinary eye. It is a greenish dark enclave of putrid odors, crawling with the foulest, vilest and slimiest of creatures. Creatures so mishapen, gnarled and missing basic body parts that it is just as well the human eye cannot see them. High tech equipment and screens dominate the parts of the cave not already covered in gory filth. They are all usually the centre of attraction as the creatures struggle to keep up with the coded messages that stream in by the second. Today however, is different; the tension and agitation that crackle in the atmosphere like crossed power lines originate from a lone screen. A particular screen with the singular, abrupt message : DEPARTMENT DISBANDED.
The scene, upon closer inspection, can at best be described as an informal, intra departmental meeting of eight to ten creatures; at worst, a mob of excited bullies with the bullied constituting a larger percentage. There is obviously a recognition of rank and authority even amidst dissension as some creatures appear to skulk in fear upon address, others grin in evil displeasure at their discomfiture while yet one or two seem to be in a fit of murderous rage. One particularly foul smelling creature- a round, stout beast, bar arms with a single bulbous eye attached to its burnt, black body clears its throat. This has no effect on the cäcaphony of loud voices, mostly of indignation, spitting obscenities. The demon calmly turns its eye about and it alights upon a small beast with rather prominent elf-like ears. It waddles to the beast, twists an arm out of its own body and proceeds to stealthily tear off its ear. A deafening silence registers as all eyes shuttle between the small beast now wailing in horror as gore pours out of the hole where its ears used to be, and the round creature that inflicted the harm.
The demon, now assured of attention, carelessly flicks the offensive ear aside as it clears its throat again. "I am Toxic, sent from HQ to enforce the message you see on your screen. Pack up and move out!! This department IS DISBANDED," it yells in renewed anger. "WHY?!", one particular audacious beast calls from the back. "If you cast us out, where will we go?", another adds.

Wow. This is one silent thread... Good for me tho.

This is going to be a short update. Im On the road and already feeling road sick. Besides iv a presentation in two hrs and I havent prepared. And it involves money o! So here goes-

Sorry. Couldnt post. Network btw lafia and keffi is TERRIBLE. In d meeting now. So till l8r in d evening wen I get back home. So sorry. Plz understand.

Red Mosquito, you son of a gun, where did you enter?

White, did you just mention Lafia and Keffi?

If Mynd had not banned my Yellow_Mosquito account, I would have done a bounce back with a story here. Let me see if I can sha, even if it's short.

Now, I am searching for love in Romance Section. Like my cousin, my own no go pass me this year!!!

Keep going + more spaces

Foxy_Flow:

White, did you just mention Lafia and Keffi?

yea i did. Wassup wit it? Do you stay around der?

purpinkx: Keep going + more spaces

K. I dont rili get what ur saying buh if it has to do with spacing of paragraphs, i already explained dat i update with my kpai nokia, so cant help it.

"I dont bloody care", Toxic screams. He is fast becoming enraged, his face turning an ugly shade of purple. He hates having to deal with this lesser, stubborn demons. There is always the chance that they might rebel. He absolutely hated his job- that of being a lowly messenger for HQ. "You incompetent fools!", he barks, "this department was set up six years ago. SIX YEARS!! What have you done? Nothing! NOTHING!" At this last statement, he vomits a ton of foul smelling, orange looking liquid at his listeners. Those within reach scamper for safety. This liquid is what gives demons their trademark stench. The higher the rank, the fouler the stench and the more destructive the liquid. The demons could smell Toxic and they realized that he was not so far above them in rank, hence they hesitated to obey his orders. They were prepared to defend their turf. "What could we do? The wretch has a praying mother!" "And the s.tupid fellowship she joined holds all night prayers!" another protested. "Thats not an excuse!", Toxic refuses to be convinced. "If you couldnt kill her, what about accidents? Sicknesses?!" To which a demon replies, "We destroyed her relationship. We..." "SILENCE!!", roars a powerful voice from the back. All the demons fall silent as the newcomer stretches itself to its height- seven feet. It is obviously the leader of this recalcitrant group as they easily cut a path for it to come through.

Toxic regards this newcomer with careful distaste. The demon strides to the front of the group. It is dark like the others, yes, but unlike them, it is strong, muscular and clad in ashen rags. Also, There is a whispery smoke that swirled round it as it walked. Toxic does not know what to make of this. It takes one step back in preparation for what is to come. The demon gets to the front of the group, and falls to its knees. "FORGIVE US MASTER. We are indeed sorry." All the others gasp at these words. Did their leader just admit failure to the stranger from HQ? Surely, they were doomed now! Toxic squints his single eye as he looks over the demon. 'What trick is this?' he thinks. "This is no trick, Master.", the demon continues, "WE are indeed sorry." Toxic falters, "How did you know what I was thinking? ARE you a...Youre a Mind demon!" The demon smiles mockingly as Toxic's brain begins to work overtime. This must be no ordinary group to possess a Mind demon. Mind demons are only assigned to groups with specific and dedicated purposes. They are so powerful that they can control the mind, emotions and thoughts of their targets. Other groups assigned to simply cause havoc in the world of the humans operated with just Monitoring demons. Toxic is annoyed. Its very typical of HQ to send him on missions with little or no information, but he is determined to get to the root of the matter. The Mind demon smiles slightly, it seems his plan will work after all. "YES Master," he continues, "We are no ordinary group. For six years we have been trying to kill our target but with great difficulty. However, we were able to achieve certain things." Its voice grows louder with pride as it continues, "We have afflicted her with the Spirit of Heaviness, of Rejection and of Despair. It is only a matter of time before she self destructs." Toxic is reluctantly impressed. Those were powerful mind spirits and truly with those spirits working upon the target, it will only be a matter of time before her protective cover is lifted, leaving her a sitting duck for their attacks.

nyc story u got here

Thanks Red. Thanks Don. Now im encouraged. Expect a post l8r today. AFTER I get to the office.

Now this is exactly my type of story. Thumbs up Op, you are really doing a great job here, but you are sadly not putting up much of an effort on spacing and paragraphing. Hold on, I'm not exactly what you would call a paragraph police, but I am certainly a fan of neatly arranged and evenly spaced works.

That you are writing with a phone shouldn't be an excuse because mobile devices can paragraph just as well as PCs, all you need do is tap the Enter button on your keypad twice whenever you want to use a new paragraph, (coughs). That's all.

Van, I swear down there are paragraphs in this story. But as soon as I upload what Iv typed, the paragraphs get edited! It baffles me. Wallahi! Thxs for bothering to read sha.

The Mind demon realizes that Toxic is impressed as well as curious. It has looked into Toxic's lifeless soul and seen his ambition and greed for a better station in Hell. It is determined to use this to his advantage and ensure that its department is not disbanded. It makes a final pitch, "Master, with you overseeing this department, we can destroy our target and make HQ proud. Imagine what honor they will bestow upon you when that happens! You could become a Principality!" it finishes with a sly smile. It has cast its bait well. Toxic surveys the now hopeful group of demons. To think that, just minutes ago, it was a mere messenger of Spiritual Wickedness; the lowest cadre in the Underworld, and now he was being offered Overseer of a strategic group. Unimaginable! He wiggles his tail in glee, and barks out a pompous "YOU I.DIOTS!! Kneel before your Master!" The other demons hesitate at first, but taking cue from the Mind demon fall to their mishapen knees. "Hail Master!", they growl. Toxic rocks to and fro with arrogance at this, his initial orders from HQ forgotten in the midst of his revelry. However, on the far side of the cave, a large screen whistles to life. Scrambled messages pour in. A stout, bull headed demon rushes to it and begins to type frantically. "It is Depression reporting in, Master!" he exclaims in amazement. The Mind demon rushes to his side and peers at the screen as Toxic looks s.tupidly on. It then breaks into an evil cackle that ricochets off the walls of the entire cave. Toxic rushes to the screen and also peers but is unable to understand what all the excitement is about. "What is happening? WHAT?!" "HA HA HA HA!!" the Mind demon cackles, "The Spirit of Depression has been activated in her life! I am indeed Bitterness, controller of Heaviness, Rejection, Depression and Despair! Come, my new Master, I bid you come. Let me show you exactly what we have done!" Toxic follows the long, stringy fingers of the Mind demon as it points to another screen, one where pictures and images of events are soon seen. Events that happened five months, twelve days precisely.

Im sorry. Havent abandoned this thread. Been sooooo busy. Meanwhile im finetuning chapter two. Plzzz bear wit me.

Following

This story is not morally right.

^lol.

Well, my interest is piqued, though ur story gives me the jitters, i think I'd stay. Ride on

CHAPTER 2- FLASHBACK.
FIVE MONTHS, 12 DAYS AGO.

The compound is so peaceful, quiet. It is a modest, two bedroom apartment in the heart of old G.R.A, Benin City that equally houses a small, neat, red Mazda in its garage. Lining the fence generously are tall bouganvillea trees and as the cool evening breeze caresses them, they sway in fluid rythym like seasoned ballerina dancers in a classical opera. The ambience is pleasant to the eyes as well as the ears.
There are zero traffic sounds in this neighbourhood- no blaring of horns nor screeching of tires. No ugly domestic fights here, no catcalls or malicious gossip of small kiosk owners.
Nothing above the decibel of a whisper...except perhaps, the sudden burst of scampering by the red head lizards, perpetually engaged in short sprints. Or the dainty cooing of the grey pigeons, content in preening before their adoring mates.
As the Southern sun slowly set upon the landscape, it completes the picture of a restful scenery.
On the outside looking in, that is.

If you were on the outside, looking into this picturesque house, you would easily conclude that all was well with the inhabitants.
It was not.

In the master bedroom lay a beautiful, dark skinned woman, middle aged. Her eyes are shut as if in sleep and her face is turned towards the window. She is clad in a light blue nightdress, her hair encased in an old fashioned net, while a wrapper is thrown idly on her feet. Her entire countenance is one of calm serenity, of peaceful sleep. The room is cool, the soft whir of an air conditioner the only sound to be heard. It is tastefully furnished too, with every piece of furniture a member of a matching mahogany set...even the soft blue curtains were not left out. They too matched the rug.
Attached to a long mirror beside the bed are a chest of drawers. On top of it however, you will not find the usual cosmetic potpourri of products common to the women folk- that would be in the other room, the one next to this. On this dresser lay a singular item, a conspicuous looking Bible with a rosary atop it.
The Bible is old, well thumbed and well marked with dog ears; one could reasonably surmise that it was well read. The woman, the only occupant of the room is breathing softly, regularly and her lips are slacked slightly open in the posture of a deep sleeper.
And that's where you would be wrong again. For the woman lying on the bed is far from asleep. Her eyes may appear closed but Ese's mother is deep in thought, the entire state of her mind populated with emotions and questions like: (PERPLEXITY) "Is it me or does she seem unusually sad?" "Since she came home last week, she has been in this mood, something's wrong, isn't it?"

(ANXIETY) "Did she not graduate well?" "Could it be that she had an extra year and is ashamed to tell me?"

(DISMISSAL) "No, she can't have had an extra year...otherwise, she wouldn't have been mobilised for Service." Then, "Service! Could that be it? She doesn't want to serve in Sokoto...that must be it!"

(CONFUSION), "But she seemed indifferent about it, she even said she would show up in the Orientation camp first..."

(SORROW) "Its just that I dont know anyone with the connections to get her reposted, I would have done it in a jiffy"

Brief silence.

Then, "...but she knows that I am ready to pay any amount to get her redeployed closer home na...so what could be the problem?"
"OH, OGHENE! What could be the matter with this child?"
And so the cycle continued in the heart of Mrs Gbidi, Ese's mother.

im so pissed! can't get all my missing pages...... dunno weda to just start anoda story. frankly speaking, i don't feel encouraged at all.

Uncle Seun. Need your help please. Ive tried to recover my lost updates on this thread. Without any success. Maybe you could work your magic? Thanks.