Dear Mistletoe,

You know how things turned out for us. Many affections. And many arguments. Many fancy times and friendships. And many fights. Many intimate moments and yet, many heated words and quietness and breaks on issues.

I don't know how we met. Maybe, it was all my curiosity to seek you out. To seek for another girl that is different from the ones I used to seek. Maybe, you were an experiment for me. But then, as unplanned as it was, we both fell for each other.

And yes, I have seen you in your elements. Sweet. Bitter. Happy. Furious. And I have watched you change in between. I have also seen you get lost in fury and I have waited several times for you to come back. You don't know how it feels because you have never witnessed it. You could argue. At a time, I enjoyed it. And after, I grew weary especially because you would never accept being wrong.

Did I like you? Very much. And even more, I looked at you in a way that no one does. But we are different and in anger, alike. We hoped we could create something out of our beauties and ugliness but time has tested us and we are all here spending today without each other.

I hope you turn back to stare at me. I hope I find it in my heart to need you again. I hope we happen. I hope not. But at the end of it all, may time show us what it wants us to be and know whether we are together or not.

©March 2021. Abel Patrick.
{This is(or not) entirely a work of fiction. Believe or not as it suits you dear reader.}

It is the year 3009 and I am one of the few of my kind remaining. We call ourselves the Remnants- the only survivors of the Human Race Refinement Program(HRRP)- a program designed to deal with negative human emotions especially human sadness on a global scale.

Though it was called a refinement program, there was nothing farther from the truth than that. It was more of an adulteration program as my great grand father would often say.

As I read in one of the old books, he had in his secret archives(since the world had gotten rid of all papers and replaced them with electronic slides), there was a time, the year 2085 to be precise when humanity was so immersed in depression. Global depression.

Different people and professionals had different names for the condition but the one that became so widespread in use was the one the clergies called it- the sickness of the soul.

Psychologists did all they could to help. They wrote books on and about it. The had different therapy sessions with different subjects. They did researches. And got tired.

Clergies prayed and called for global prayers. They preached and spoke from their pulpits of how the problem was God's way of punishing humans since they could not leave their sinful ways to turn in repentance to God. Some people were moved by the messages preached, felt convicted after much condemnations that were borne out of deep soul searching and turned a new leaf.

People stopped drinking alcohols. People stopped smoking. Some stopped partying. Some stopped frequenting porn sites and sex bars. Some denied themselves every form of pleasures. Some even became hermits- leaving the life of high civilization and all the things that go with city life to sneak and live humbly in rural and poorly developed areas. All to avoid falling into the temptations and fighting the regulations urges that push one to satisfy the 'flesh'.

And after all these and more, the sadness did not stop. It went deeper and deepee. People got more depressed. Psychologist said that human happiness was no longer found within the human soul but now in all the external fancy things we had. The technologies. The fast cars. The rich and glamorous life. The fame. The beautiful women. The sexual energy that the entertainment media releases. And even more.

Everyone failed to find a way out of this problem until Healiath Medics showed. They were silent for years and waited until the world had gone beyond redeeming itself before they came to the scene. Some said, they were studying and working on getting the cure. When the came on the global scene, they sure had the cure and the audacity to call any other suggested solution a bluff.

'Saving lives' was their motto. And they did save lives except that they saved us from something to bring us into bondage to another.

When they started, they acted so confident and left us all without any need to ask them if they knew what they were doing. People wanted results. They wanted happiness. Yes, happinesses. It was so scarce all over the world. It was one things everybody was looking for. And Healiath did not fail to give them the happiness they had been craving for even though it was via unethical means.

Happianol. That was the drug. The drug that changed everything here. It was the drug that a tablet of it would keep you so happy for a whole day. People were asked to volunteer for testing, and many rushed to have it tested on them. People were tired of their sad lives and it meant nothing to risk giving one's self for such medical tests.

The result was shocking, just having to watch a deeply depressed man walk in, take the tablet and suddenly, just suddenly get so excited and happy- exceptionally happy few minutes after taking it.

Without proper and due process for drug approval and certification, the World Health Organization was mandated by the United Nations to declare the drug fit for human use and to mandate Healiath Medics to produce millions of the drug on a global scale.

Few years down the line, the year 3009, the world has seen how bad what seemed good at first really is. Everyone is so attached to Happianol now. Or don't you see that? It is everywhere.

Humanity is all drugged. Drugged. It is an addiction on a global scale. And to make matters worse, the drug had tampered with the human DNA and all the coded information needed to synthesis hormones that are required for one to grief.

People go to funerals happy these days. They loose their kids happy. They witness a disasters happy. They laugh at rapes and genocides and terrorisms. Humans have grown insensitive to things that used to prick us and make us grief and sorrow. Everyone is so etched on being happy.

Some clergies and one of the human rights groups- Hope Foundations have been persistently asking the United Nations to put a ban on the drug production and have Healiath sanctioned for her crimes against humanity.

But the sad reality is that some of these people pushing for this, are hugely hooked to Happianol. Goverments of nations are hooked too. A country in Asia used the drug to run a political campaign and won.

I am one of the few who hasn't for once, sued that drug. And there are just few of us. We are the Remnants. Are you one of us? If yes, stand with us. Fight with us and save humanity.

Once upon a time, the literature section of Nairaland was indeed a literature section filled with creative and intriguing stories on diverse subjects but now, sadly to say, it is hardly as it used to be. It is more of sexual section with many stories with lots of sexual contents and commonly tagged +18 in brackets.

This is so bad for me. I was not a regular or excellent writer when I joined the Literature section of Nairaland, till now, I still am not. But I could bet that on opening that section, I would easily spot beautiful stories that were beautifully crafted with beautiful imaginations without any ulterior motive to stir the sudden release of testosterone. Now, I can bet that that is no longer the case. In fact, as soon as you log in and check out the first page of the section, try and count the sexualized stories there and you would agree with what I said. Try it and see. You surely must have, I think. That is one of the reasons why many are no longer drawn there for inspirations and pure talents and delivery. It all about sex!

Maybe, the section should have a new name. And I think the 'administrators' of the literature section should look into this and set a standard for stories that should grace our literature section pages. There should be some regulations. Else, I fear if this section would keep appealing to sound minds..except for sexualized ones..

Have you heard about the tortoise and elephant race?

Anyway, story story..?

Once upon a time?

There was a day that the lion, who was the king of the animal kingdom declared his throne vacant and contestable. Only to be won through competition- by the winner of a running competition and the whole animals were divided themselves into two groups- each under the two animals with the highest bragging rights- the elephant and the tortoise..

The tortoise talked far more than elephant and declared to boldly and publicly to the elephant before all the other animals, that he would win him in the race and beat him to the throne without breaking a sweat..

Yes, he did boast all he could even the cheetah that was the fastest land animal, and the birds were all there, though they could not gain the opportunity to contend because the elephant and the tortoise had the highest bragging rights to. So, every other animal fell under these two as though they were political groups.

Almost, if not all the animals were in support of the elephant except the monkey who was the tortoise's dearest friend..

On noticing that, the tortoise smartly and trickily moved for a motion that the race should be ran in the dark, at night time without any light on, claiming that he worked best in the dark and even though the elephant showed an initial protest, he accepted to because the tortoise taunted him that he was only looking for a reason to fearfully back out from the race competition.

But the tortoise had a plan with his dearest friend- the monkey, to whom he revealed it he travelled and called out all his fellow tortoises from the surrounding animal kingdom settlements and sneaked them into his own kingdom after telling them his plans and how it would gain global respect for the all tortoise from other bigger and stronger and more gifted animals especially the elephants.

He hid them all until the night of the race since they accepted his motion for a night race.

And so..the race started..the strategy was simple: put off all the lights and have the monkey, his friend, position each of the numerous imported tortoises at strategic points, especially at the major turns on the race tracks, such that no matter how the elephant ran, he would still see a tortoise ahead of him with the main tortoise standing in a hidden position close to the finish line. He was to stand there with a little container of water to use for organizing sweats- a supposed indication of his running.

The game was on, and began in earnest with all the lights off as planned and the race began. The elephant saw a tortoise by his side and regarded him as the original tortoise and started running, and of course, he passed him and he felt elated and not long ago, by the corner as he turned, was another tortoise running. And he felt it was the tortoise he had previously passed and he was shocked and worried..

The events continued in this manner- the elephant running passed a tortoise only to discover another ahead of him.

He began to panic and despair and to his greatest dismay, as he was turning the corner to the finish line, the original tortoise- whose mouth could brag for the whole solar system was just running to the finish line thereby winning the race.

With lots of supposed sweats on his face- courtesy of his container of water..he bent, panting and accepting the cheers of some of the most shocked animals and was busy asking for handkerchiefs to clean off his false sweats.

My fellow country people, na so the guy arrange himself as king o. Shame and confusion wan massacre the elephant. The thing do am like Indian film..

That is the end of my story..

This is beautiful. Ride on..

OlufemiWhit:

Thank you Olufemi

Rosemary33:
Well done OP, please continue

Thank you Rosemary

Ann2012:
Well done OP

Thank you

WATERY BELLY

By Abel Patrick

He sat on the white coloured ceramic seat and pushed inwardly to force out what had lodged inside his belly for the past almost twenty four hours. This was not the first time he was doing that today, but he hoped it would be the last. And that with this present attendance to the rest room, he would exhaust completely whatever it was that had lodged in his belly with the intent to plague him today.

It all started early today's morning when he felt a strong urge to visit his toilet. Naturally, it was part of his routine to do so each morning, for it was also part of his morning cleaning activities- brushing his teeth, shaving his beards if need be, having his bath and also defecating- cleaning his bowels. A good way to prepare his belly for fresh foods for the day. But this urge to visit the rest room was different from the usual ones for it came with a violent force.

As he sat and let them all out, groaning a little in some cases even though the flow required no such effort on his part for his belly was nothing but practically watery, he remembered what he had for dinner late last night. A soaked garri to drink with kulikuli (groundnut cake, some would call it), after which he took lots of water melon and cucumber and after feeling full, he slept off. But while he slept, the 'enemies'(as he now referred to them) set to work to flood his belly and make it watery. Now, he had to face the consequences of his funny and horrible choice of food for dinner.

Tbekz:
Thumbs up bruv

Thank you

Smazlexander:
nice Write Up More ink To Your Pen Mention Me For The Next update

Thank you

steph270:
Wow!! Interesting write-up. Please continue

Thank you Steph

talk2saintify:
Nice One FTC

Thank you

CHAPTER THREE

It had been almost six months since her husband proudly announced to her that he had a child he would be expecting from another woman. He had always denied her accusations of infidelity on his part and had at first, told her that she was just imagining things and when she claimed she was told, he accused her of listening to gossips from people who were bent on tarnishing his image and destroying their marriage. Even though she knew her sources were reliable, she willed to believe him. She hoped he would act differently from what she had been noticing about him, she wished he would change and give her a reason to doubt all the evidences of his infidelity and believe him for claiming that he was not cheating on her. She was ready to believe him over everyone else. He was her husband and it was in her place to trust him. She would stand with him against the world. He was her man. She would do anything for him except give him a child, which had made her feel so depressed and less than a woman. Yet in all, he never give her a reason to doubt everything that was brought to her that pointed to him as cheating on her.

They had been married for three years and it was not even that much but he would not let her enjoy the marriage they had. It seemed that from day one, he had been talking about having children and it was alright at first because it was natural for a newly wedded couple to talk about the children they would have but with time, he became obsessed with having children, so it seemed. And she knew where the pressure he was passing to her was coming from. It was her mother in law. She had never liked her. She was not the person she had wanted her son to marry but Martins Adila would not listen. He would not because he was as he thought, in love with Bella Salim. She felt he loved her but unknown to her, he was just infatuated about her. It was more of a game to him. A game that had gone too far.

Martins Adila....infatuated? No way, not Martins. Martins was a casanova, a man with a special 'thing' for anything with curved hips, big bums and big busts. He was into women big time and he had all the money to get them as well as the looks. He looked so masculine, six feet plus tall, huge biceps and triceps and a broad chest and shoulder. He looked too fine and was like one well sculptured work of art. He knew he was handsome and he used it to get the ladies falling at his feet.

He was not only handsome, he was also wealthy. His dad was a senator for twelve years and got so much money embezzled that would feed many unborn generations. Politics in this part of the world was indeed a dirty game. It was the way the voted and elected use their positions of power to steal from the ones that voted them into power and hide themselves under the 'protection' of the law. So, Martins had wealth available to him and he was also a big time investor. He invested in real estate, hotels and recreations and in drinks. Money was coming in and he knew that he had what he needed to get any lady he wanted. He had the looks, he had the money. It was like a two edged sword. He had swept ladies off their feet and got them longing for him and he was the master of the game until he met Bella Salim.

Bella Salim made him feel small and insignificant. She made him feel like a nobody. She never went after him. She never seemed to notice him. She never gave a damn about him.

What was wrong with him, he asked himself for the first time in his life. He had always thought that everything about him was right and that the Creator gave him as a blessing to the women folk but when he met Bella, he began to wonder why she never gave any attention to him. She ignored him as if he never existed. He thought that something must be wrong about him for her to avoid him and ignore him even when others especially her friends were dying to have him in their beds. The way she ignored him made him feel like a disease. And so, he thought he was going to get Bella and get her to show him what was wrong about him, if anything was at all.

He wanted to feel like himself again. Bella had stopped him from feeling that way. Where was the self confident Martins? Where was the man that turns women on? Bella had messed up his mind. He was going to get her to bow like every other lady and prove to her that she was nothing and that there was nothing special about her. He was going to redeem himself and when he had done, he would drop her by the side in a way that she would feel how worthless she was to him. And so, he set himself to work. A man must redeem himself, he thought.

But the more he tried, the more difficult Bella proved. Bella knew the kind of man he was and such kind of men made no atom of appeal to her. Proud men who feel that their looks are what women need to stay alive. She had seen the way he looked at her, that arrogance in his eyes, that 'I can have you if I want' look. He was never going to have her. Never. She was going to prove to him that not all ladies fall for the looks and the money. She needed a man of value not a flirt. Not a man that would not have the ability to control himself and his libido. If he could not stay with a woman, then he was of no importance to her. And so Bella Salim made things difficult for him.

As time went by, he got so frustrated and approached her again and she declined him politely as she had done before. It was necessary she did that politely. He would think she was a novice and so naive on such matters. He would not see her as a threat. She would not give him the reason to. He must not know what she had in mind. She must make him wonder and maybe come down and beg.

Bella Salim was not an extraordinarily beautiful lady like some of the ladies flaunting and throwing themselves at Martins were. These ladies had banging bodies with the proper enlargements at the proper places. Works of hours of exercises for body modifications and some, surgeries. Some had the body of models. But Bella was more different. One might not successfully describe her beauty, her kind of beauty because it was rare. It was as not an every day kind of beauty. It was not the kind of beauty that the ladies and girls on magazines covers, fashion run ways and televisions possess. It was something else...more like an African beauty. There was nothing artificial to it. It was pure like the sun, filtered and real. She was an African natural beauty and her body was like that of an African goddess, an ebony queen. It was perfect. Her lips. Her hips. Her bosom. He backside. Her waist. It was all African. Nothing American could be seen except for her clothes...and that was something that Martins had never seen. How could someone be this natural and beautiful without sophisticated make ups, without bodily augmentations?

He went after her and after several attempts, he decided to humble himself and she tested him and he gave her the results she had desired, the results he knew she would like to see- a humble, down to earth Martins that was not obsessed any more with his ego and class and flirtatious lifestyle. Martins was now what she wanted and unknown to her, she fell in love with this new Martins. This was the man that had stooped low to conquer her. This was the man that could do anything to be with her. But unknown to her, while she had ended her game, her plan of making him let go of his pride and become a better person, he was just starting up his in another dimension. He was now enjoy this his new found ability to pretend and be who others what you to be and make them feel they had control while to gain their trust and get what you want when they least expect. He could now pretend and it was fun. Everybody felt he had indeed changed. His friends too. Even his mom, and she did not find it all good a news to hear. She was a woman of control and had planned out Martins life and who he was going to marry and now, this new girl seem to be the hindrance to her achieving what she had willed out- the marriage of her son to her business partner's daughter, Cynthia Chida.