Hey there Nairalanders,

Something interesting is going on in blogsville. It's The Writer Competition hosted by The Unclad Convos and sponsored by Wema Bank.

From TNC's website --->

Introducing The Writer Competition.

What is it?

The Writer is an online ‘reality’ writing competition.

The Process.

Ten writers will be shortlisted from the entry submissions. These writers will contest in an online writing competition. The competition will require all writers to send in themed write-ups/posts weekly. Posts from all writers will be put up for members of the public to read and vote for.

At the end of the voting period, a panel of judges will evaluate the posts and score them using pre-communicated criteria. The public votes and the votes from the judges will be combined and based on this; one writer will be eliminated weekly until a winner emerges.

Who is it for?

There are no age or gender restrictions for the competition. All members of the public are encouraged to send in pre-qualification entries.

How to qualify?

To stand a chance to qualify for the competition, email a 1000word piece on the topic: “This Christmas” to thewriter@thenakedconvos.com on or before January 6th 2012. Only shortlisted writers will be contacted.

Prizes.

First – $1000

Second – $750

Third – $500

Where?

The writer competition will be hosted @ http://www.thenakedconvos.com

Meet the wordsmiths here: http://thenakedconvos.com/thewriter/?skill-type=wordsmiths

Meet the versatile judges: http://thenakedconvos.com/thewriter/?page_id=65

And the competition has started!! It promises to be fun, so check up on the Week 1 posts:

http://www.thenakedconvos.com/thewriter/

And vote for your favorite wordsmith!!

And oh, yours truly is one of the contestants. Read my Week 1 post here: http://thenakedconvos.com/thewriter/?p=116

Text:


The Valentine Murders – Folarin Michael



Present

Driving home from the Island through the 3rd Mainland Bridge at 8pm is all sorts of frustrating. Traffic crawls and I wonder when I’ll get home. Scratch that. If I want to go home.

Just ahead there’s a group of stranded passengers – another Danfo bus broken down on the bridge. I signal to make a turn towards the Adekunle junction trying my best to ignore the numerous passengers expecting a free ride. I look in my rear-view mirror and this handsome dude is running towards my car. I wonder if he thought my signal light meant I wanted to stop for him. I park to the side of the bridge as he catches up with the car.

I will myself to drive off but I know I can’t. It’s the same thing that happens every year on this day. I give in to it. It’s 8.45pm, Tuesday, February 14 2012. Another Valentine’s Day.

1996

It’s my first day in Aunty Tee Primary School. I’m in Primary 4. Dad has been transferred to Lagos from Abuja. Mum says I’ll love this school. I’m scared.

Tina is the only girl here that has spoken to me. There’s something about her though. All the girls in the class are always following her. She tells them what to do and they are so eager to please her. She looks everyone in the eye and you just do what she says. Even the teachers can’t flog her when she does wrong.

Tina is talking to me, staring at me through those blue irises of hers. “Eat this, you are hungry”, she says. I want to shake my head and say no, but I’m scared. It’s a boiled egg. I take it and eat.

Night falls and Tina comes to my room and we are later joined by other girls. I have been initiated as a young witch. My parents take me to church. The pastors prayed while I knelt down. Mum cried as I was flogged all over my body. They claimed it was deliverance. The sights stopped.

Present

His name is Max. My short skirt has been hiked up my thigh while driving. Max stares. He doesn’t know, but I’m not the one he’s talking to. He’s talking to Tina. He says he lives alone on Jibowu Street. It’s Valentine’s Day, would I like to spend the evening with him? Tina answers in the affirmative. He places his hands on my right thigh. He’s smiling. Tina smiles back. 9.00pm.

2009

“Stop!”

Slap.

“Please, Segun, don’t do this”

More slaps.

Segun is my course mate in the University. He has been like a big brother to me since 2005 when he rescued me from being harassed by a group of 200L students on my first day. We are in our final year. I decided to stay home to read as I’ve always done since I started living off campus two years ago.

I’m about to be violated. By Segun. On Valentine ’s Day. In my room.

“Segun please, I’m a virgin. Please don’t.”

My pleas fall on deaf ears. I shouldn’t have let him in, but I trusted him. Who doesn’t trust their big brother? With a final grunt, he shoves my legs apart and thrusts.

10.45pm. I’ve been staring at the clock on the wall since Segun left at 8.30pm. I’m in pains all over. My tears have stopped but I’m still lying in the same spot where I was defiled hours ago. The room is getting cold. Total silence. Even the crickets have stopped chirping. Tina is standing in front of me. She bends down and lifts me up. I give in to those piercing blue eyes as she leans towards me, her body merging with mine. I blank out.

Present

10.15pm. Max is mixing drinks at the bar. We are in his house. I’m sitting at the edge of the huge bed in his bedroom. I want to leave because I know what will soon happen. But I can’t leave. I’m weak against Tina. She owns me today. Every February 14, she comes forth and makes me do things, evil things. Three years ago I embraced her. Three years ago, it started.

2009

Segun is driving back home from the club where he had gone immediately after defiling me. I’m standing on the road in front of his car. He stops and steps out of the car smiling at me. He’s drunk, else he would have noticed that my eyes are blue in the blare of the car’s headlamps as he walks towards me. I’m no longer in front of him. I’m in the car. He’s on the road. I start the car. He’s too drunk to run. I run him over. 11.53pm. Segun is my first victim.

2010

Service year in Borno State. Mallam Yinusa is the principal of the school I have been assigned to in the past 3 months. Valentine’s Day. He’s lying on the bed while I straddle him. His wife and kids are upstairs sleeping. He doesn’t see the serrated knife I’m about to plunge in his heart. My second victim.

2011

Tochukwu is lying in the bath Unclad. He picked me up at the garage 2 hours ago and brought me to this hotel in the outskirts of town. I’m standing by the bath, holding the hair dryer I just plugged to the mains in the bathroom. The last thing he sees before I drop the dryer in the bath is my blue eyes. Tochukwu is my third. Tina is unstoppable.

Present

My name is Ivy. I’m 26 years, a banker. My parents are long dead, car accident. I’m your regular happy, party-goer, sociable girl. I am myself every day of the year, except February 14 when Tina resurrects and I do her will.

Today, Max is going to be my fourth victim. He doesn’t know it yet as he undresses, but he has less than 2 hours to live.

Err, no comments

Your work, sir, is simply BAD!!! You know, as in,  good, better, bad!! Every single line of the story had all the strings of my heart pulled taut. Jeez, i never imagined nigerians wrote stuff in the suspense/thriller genre. In truth, i've always wanted to write like this. The story, the technique, the simple but enthralling choice of words, everything's wicked. I hope you win bro, and not only that competition.

Hey man, thx. I appreciate your comments, but it's a bit too late for this competition. I got evicted yesterday, guess I didn't push very well for votes. All the same, I'm determined to write more now. You can check my blog at folarinm.

@mfolarin, Your write-up is wicked! Methinks though that either Ivy does all these acts herself or she has a split personality. Oh my gosh, Please develop it, I would like to know what happened to Ivy in the end, and don't worry even if you are out of that competitions there are many more competitions for you,

Hey Enoquin,

Sorry I'm just seeing ur comment. Thx. I certainly hope I'll get around to developing the story in the long run. Cheers!