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A ninth update (The 9th Cloud) is also available for N50 only.

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Ann2012:
Well done OP

Thank you, ma'am.

An eighth update (The 8th Element) is also available for N50 only.

09061754872

A seventh update (The 7th Wonder) is also available for N50 only.

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A sixth update (The 6th Sense) is also available for N50 only.

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III

(Update 4)

The 4th Protocol

About three months later, Maria returned home from school to a sad news that nearly shattered her. Matron Nene would be transferred to another state.

“I’m following you,” Maria said matter-of-factly, “I don’t care where you are posted. We’re leaving together.”

Matron Nene shook her head sadly, “It’s not as easy as that, Maria.”

“Is it about my school? Don’t worry, I will start schooling wherever you go.”

“I’m not allowed to take any child with me. That’s the government’s policy.”

Maria started weeping, “Please don’t leave me,” she begged. “I have no one else. Please don’t leave me, Mom.”

The matron began to weep, too. “Another person will replace me, Maria. She is going to take good care of you. You will grow to love her too. Just give it some time.”

Maria shook her head vigorously, so vigorously that a cracking sound was distinctly heard. “No, no, I don’t want another woman. I want to follow you. Please take me along.”

“There is nothing I can do about it, Maria. I would if I could.”

“Please…please mom!”

“You’re making this harder than it’s supposed to be. Don’t you understand that this is very painful for me too? You know you are my favourite. I have written to the council. I have begged them to allow me take you with me, but all my pleas fell on deaf ears. I begged to not be transferred, too, but their decisions have already been made.”

Maria wept bitterly and ran out of the room. The little girl was devastated. Matron Nene wanted to run after her to offer a comforting hand but stopped herself. The only comfort she knew she could give the child was either staying or taking her along. She left the girl to steam off. She had a week before leaving for Cross River. She would try to make up with Maria within the short moment she had. Matron Nene wondered if she would be able to cope without Maria when she left. The girl had been a major part of her life. She was the most important person to her. If she had a child of her own, she would want that child to be like Maria, not taking anything out. Maria was the total package; a refined, innocent, intelligent, loving and beautiful girl. She was full of life. The light of her soul; but knowing that she would be deserting the girl very soon, the light was slowly dimming. No one would ever fill the void the loss of Maria would create in her. It was like she would lose the only child she never had. She never knew that she could love anyone as much as this, especially the fact that the child was not her own blood. She wondered if she would even love her own child as much as she loved Maria. It was strange. Even if God decided to give her a child now, she might turn down the offer and ask for only Maria. That was how much she loved the girl. She could jump in front of an oncoming train to save her.

Apart from the fact that the little girl was beautiful and innocent, everything about her exuded greatness; there was not denying the fact that Maria would become a very great person in future. People would love her, men would follow her, everyone would worship her. Young children would aspire to be like Maria. Although she was not a girl who favoured the spotlight, she had the gift of leadership within her. She had the power to control a large followership, only if she could discover her talent. And Matron Nene believed strongly that she would actualise this gift when she grew into a woman. Even in the orphanage, other children looked at the girl with respect; they knew she was special. It wasn’t like she was the most brilliant girl the home had ever seen, or that she was the most intelligent, but there was something sparklingly unique about her. No matter how much she tried to hide herself, that unique quality she possessed usually found a way to flourish itself. It was like she had a halo over her head. Once, a kid in the home had called her a saint. Whenever they played in the compound, Maria was always given the role of a mother because she was motherly; and other kids desired to be her children. Everyone somehow wanted to attach themselves to Maria. And the girl herself was accommodating; she never played favouritism, she treated everyone with equal love. She respected both her peers and those older than her. There was no way anyone could hate the girl. She was an embodiment of love. She was cheerful and kind, understanding and compassionate.

When it was time for Matron Nene to finally leave, a new woman came to the orphanage that morning. She was introduced to the girls as their new matron. She was to be called Madam Comfort; she had been transferred here from another orphanage in Jos. She was very active the moment she was introduced to the kids. She cracked jokes and the children laughed, except Maria who didn’t laugh at any of her jokes. There was something about the new lady that unnerved the little girl. It was like the new matron had a fire of evil burning about her, like she was Medusa with the snakes for locks of hair. This was the first person Maria would ever hate in her life, and the stare the woman rewarded her showed that she knew she was not liked by the girl, and she didn’t hide the fact that the feelings the girl had of her was mutual.

Maria begged and pleaded to Matron Nene to take her along with her. She struggled with everyone trying to hold her. She clung to the hem of Matron Nene’s skirt, dragging her back, begging her to stay. If she was not going to take her along, at least she should stay here with her. She didn’t want to stay with Madam Comfort; there was nothing comfortable about the woman. She was a lady with a touch of the devil in her; others might not see it but the little girl saw it. If she was left with the woman her life would be shattered. She wanted no one but the only mother she knew. Matron Nene gave her some money and boarded the waiting bus. She was the only child among all the girls in the orphanage that she gave some money. But Maria didn’t care about the money; she wanted to go with the kind woman. The little girl grabbed the handle of the door to open it but the door had been locked from within. She cried and cried. Matron Nene could not look in the girl’s face; she turned her face to the other side. Maria ran round the vehicle and looked through the other window; she never stopped begging the woman. The Matron turned her face again to the other side, trying her best to hide her own tears.

“Don’t go, Mom,” Maria pleaded, “Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Mom!”

Matron Nene urged the driver to move. She couldn’t take this anymore. The little girl’s tears tore her heart to pieces. If she waited any more minute, she might force herself to remain here. But what was at stake was greater than her, or what she wanted. There were destitute children in Cross River who needed her. News had gone around that Matron Nene was the only woman in the country who could save the dying children. The kids were dying by the day, most of them when they were only babies, and the others were felled by sickness no one knew the cause. It had been later established that the only person who could take perfect care of the children was Matron Nene. Others had tried but failed. It was like only the elderly Matron who had the perfect remedy for the problems. If anyone could save the children from dying, it was the Matron. She had begged to bring a child with her to Cross River but her request had been denied. The government had said that the disease in the orphanage might be epidemic and they couldn’t risk bringing an already healthy child to such an environment. They couldn’t approve of her bringing anyone else until they knew the cause of the death and found a permanent solution to it. After then, she could bring anyone she wanted. Hell, she could even return to the orphanage in Lagos; that was, of course, after she had found a permanent solution to the problem of the orphanage.

Matron Nene had sworn that she would bring Maria to Lagos as soon as everything was back to normal in Cross River. She would have liked to return to her orphanage in Lagos and be with her original children, but she didn’t want to be the one who would cause Madam Comfort to go out of job. She had to consider the poor woman’s welfare, too. The most she could do was bring Maria with her to Cross River as soon as possible. She would have told the little girl this but she didn’t want to put her hopes high and eventually disappoint her. What if she couldn’t find a lasting remedy to the Cross River Issue? What if she had no way of bringing the child over? She didn’t want to put the child through that kind of disappointment. Maria had suffered enough – she was suffering too much. She looked forward to solving the problem in Cross River and later coming back to pick the girl. She imagined how happy Maria would be when she saw her, and she told the girl to go and pack her clothes – that they were going to Cross River together. That was the kind of pleasant surprise she was looking forward to.

The car finally revved up and travelled – slowly at first – down the dusty road. Madam Comfort collected the money given to Maria and held the girl. Maria broke free of her and ran after the car. Her little legs were too small to carry her as fast as she wanted. She fell into the dusty ground and wept horribly. She sat in the sand and watched between tears as the bus travelled away and turned the corner. She remained in the street crying. She was crying for over an hour; Madam Comfort left her there and packed the other children into the orphanage. Maria cried until she lost the strength to cry. When it was getting dark, she managed to pick herself up and return to the orphanage. Suddenly, the place she had always known as a home seemed strange to her; it was as if she was returning to the place for the first time. Surely, the place would never be the same again without the caring and understanding Matron Nene. Now with this evil woman in charge, Maria wondered what the future held for her – the future was very bleak, quite a blurry one to her. She was left with total loss of recognition of self and ideals. She would never be that saintly girl Matron Nene had trained her to become. There was no love lost between her and the new woman. She didn’t like the woman, and she knew the woman knew she didn’t like her. And Madam Comfort herself never hid her resentment of her. Somehow, she was going to find a way to protect herself from the evil lady.

She slowly stepped into the orphanage and walked towards Madam Comfort. “Can I have my money back, please?” she was as polite as ever.

The woman looked at her like she was a maggot just growing from a plate of rotting food. “What money?”

“The money my Mom gave me,” Maria explained, “The one you collected from me.”

“I didn’t collect any money from you.”

“That’s a lie, you –”

She didn’t expect the slap she was rewarded before she completed the statement. She had never been physically abused before, and so this attack came as a shock. She didn’t feel the pain as much as the sock of being whipped across the face. Matron Nene had never laid her hands on her before, not even her teachers in school. She was right; this woman was evil. She had started victimising helpless children the first day she came. Maria wondered how she was going to survive in this kind of harsh environment. It wasn’t fair of Matron Nene to leave her here. Her mother had subjected her to this kind of brutal treatment. She felt betrayed. She felt unloved. Perhaps Matron Nene never loved her in the first place; how could she have left her with this kind of woman? How could she?

“You don’t call an elderly person a liar,” Madam Comfort roared. The children became quiet. They were all staring at her with fear on their faces. They had never seen anyone meaner in their entire lives. Surely, things in the orphanage would change drastically. The woman was a lioness and she was letting all the other cubs know that she was in charge. No one must question her decisions. The children were her slaves; they would do whatever she wanted them to do. “You obviously lack home training,” she told Maria and faced the others, “Listen up, all you small brats. I don’t take rubbish from anyone. And I am not going to tolerate any nonsense from any child. Anyone who goes against my wishes will find herself to blame. I am not here to kid around. I am not your former mistress, I don’t play around. You all must abide by my rules or there is going to be serious problems.”

Maria would have cried had she any tears left in her eyes. Instead, she stared at the woman blankly.

“What are you looking at?” the woman glared at her, “Get away from my sight.”

But Maria didn’t hear her. She was too shocked to understand what she was saying.

“Are you deaf or something?”

“I said get away from here!” She was about to hit the child the second time when an older girl named Titi quickly stepped in and dragged Maria away by the hand.

“What were you thinking?” Titi asked incredulously, “Were you planning to fight the woman or what?”

Maria wanted to speak but she was short of words. Rather than speaking, another bout of weeping bobbed from the depth of her throat. Soon, she burst in tears, new stream of tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Oh, you poor child!” Titi said and held her close to her chest, placing the little girl’s head against her growing breasts. Titi was thirteen years old and she was growing into a woman already. Although she was three years older than Maria, her body had not yet developed as much as Maria’s. However, Maria acknowledged the fact that the girl was her senior.

“She-she-she,” Maria wanted to speak but she was stuttering badly. Her chest was heaving heavily, like there was a great load placed there. She wanted to say something but the sadness she felt was too much for words to escape through her mouth. She finally found her voice and spoke. “She co-co-collected my money. The money Mom gave me. She collected it.”

“I know,” said Titi, “I saw everything. I knew when she collected it.”

“She is a bad woman, sister Titi. She is a very bad woman. I don’t like her.”

“We have to be very careful around her. For now, there is nothing we can do but obey whatever she tells us to do. She is in charge right now and we are powerless against her.”

Maria thought deeply about what Titi had just told her and wondered how she was going to survive living under the evil woman. One thing was sure; her stay her would be a nightmare. Madam Comfort would make her life – and the lives of all the other girls in the home – a living hell.

Maria continues in a moment.

Kaycee9242:
I don't understand how far with black Maria book 2 or is 'let the gun speak' the name?

Let The Guns Speak is another story entirely. Available on okadabooks.com.

Palmerbarry:
Welcome back Larry

Thank you, boss.

Lordpeckxy:
Great piece of art, so compelling and tough to look away...great work Larry hope to-see you at the top.....

Thank you, boss.

OlufemiWhit:
Good to know....... you suck tho

Lol! I understand your frustration. You will be fine.

rapmike:
Mr Larrysun! I have been trying to get your contact for a while. I hope all is well. Can I private chat you on NL?

Contact me via WhatsApp. 09061754873

The book you have all been waiting for is now available!

Let The Guns Speak

As he turned to leave, he spotted a roughly-dressed man perched behind a table at a corner. The man seemed not to be aware of Tobi's presence but Tobi himself knew he was only pretending. The man was using a spoon to sip peppery sauce from a ceramic bowl, and dangling from his left hand was a pistol. There was no one else dining. Tobi knew it was time for action. The dining man oozed confidence; he seemed like someone sure of his relationship with triggers. He seemed to have an itchy finger behind a trigger.

Tobi sighed. He quietly placed the food on the table and gently reached for a pistol behind him. The man slowly raised his head and stared directly at Tobi. He gave a short smile and sprang up. He aimed his pistol at Tobi and squeezed three quick shots.

Tobi quickly ducked behind the table bearing the food he had dropped. The bullet flew past his left ear, the second shattered the plate that contained his food, sending pieces of rice grains and shards of the ceramic flying in the air. The third bullet caught the poor waiter in the eye.

Damn! This bastard is fast!

He knew what he had to do; he had to lure him out of the restaurant to the open. Irele might come here and catch bullets in her flat stomach. He was not going to allow that. If Irele had the sense God gave a mosquito, she would find her way far away from here.

Download the full story from here:

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/let_the_guns_speak/25950

Kindly rebroadcast.

The book you have all been waiting for is now available!

Let The Guns Speak

As he turned to leave, he spotted a roughly-dressed man perched behind a table at a corner. The man seemed not to be aware of Tobi's presence but Tobi himself knew he was only pretending. The man was using a spoon to sip peppery sauce from a ceramic bowl, and dangling from his left hand was a pistol. There was no one else dining. Tobi knew it was time for action. The dining man oozed confidence; he seemed like someone sure of his relationship with triggers. He seemed to have an itchy finger behind a trigger.

Tobi sighed. He quietly placed the food on the table and gently reached for a pistol behind him. The man slowly raised his head and stared directly at Tobi. He gave a short smile and sprang up. He aimed his pistol at Tobi and squeezed three quick shots.

Tobi quickly ducked behind the table bearing the food he had dropped. The bullet flew past his left ear, the second shattered the plate that contained his food, sending pieces of rice grains and shards of the ceramic flying in the air. The third bullet caught the poor waiter in the eye.

Damn! This bastard is fast!

He knew what he had to do; he had to lure him out of the restaurant to the open. Irele might come here and catch bullets in her flat stomach. He was not going to allow that. If Irele had the sense God gave a mosquito, she would find her way far away from here.

Download the full story from here:

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/let_the_guns_speak/25950

Kindly rebroadcast.

The book you have all been waiting for is now available!

Let The Guns Speak

As he turned to leave, he spotted a roughly-dressed man perched behind a table at a corner. The man seemed not to be aware of Tobi's presence but Tobi himself knew he was only pretending. The man was using a spoon to sip peppery sauce from a ceramic bowl, and dangling from his left hand was a pistol. There was no one else dining. Tobi knew it was time for action. The dining man oozed confidence; he seemed like someone sure of his relationship with triggers. He seemed to have an itchy finger behind a trigger.

Tobi sighed. He quietly placed the food on the table and gently reached for a pistol behind him. The man slowly raised his head and stared directly at Tobi. He gave a short smile and sprang up. He aimed his pistol at Tobi and squeezed three quick shots.

Tobi quickly ducked behind the table bearing the food he had dropped. The bullet flew past his left ear, the second shattered the plate that contained his food, sending pieces of rice grains and shards of the ceramic flying in the air. The third bullet caught the poor waiter in the eye.

Damn! This bastard is fast!

He knew what he had to do; he had to lure him out of the restaurant to the open. Irele might come here and catch bullets in her flat stomach. He was not going to allow that. If Irele had the sense God gave a mosquito, she would find her way far away from here.

Download the full story from here:

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/let_the_guns_speak/25950

Kindly rebroadcast.

I'M BACK!

The book you have all been waiting for is now available!

Let The Guns Speak

As he turned to leave, he spotted a roughly-dressed man perched behind a table at a corner. The man seemed not to be aware of Tobi's presence but Tobi himself knew he was only pretending. The man was using a spoon to sip peppery sauce from a ceramic bowl, and dangling from his left hand was a pistol. There was no one else dining. Tobi knew it was time for action. The dining man oozed confidence; he seemed like someone sure of his relationship with triggers. He seemed to have an itchy finger behind a trigger.

Tobi sighed. He quietly placed the food on the table and gently reached for a pistol behind him. The man slowly raised his head and stared directly at Tobi. He gave a short smile and sprang up. He aimed his pistol at Tobi and squeezed three quick shots.

Tobi quickly ducked behind the table bearing the food he had dropped. The bullet flew past his left ear, the second shattered the plate that contained his food, sending pieces of rice grains and shards of the ceramic flying in the air. The third bullet caught the poor waiter in the eye.

Damn! This bastard is fast!

He knew what he had to do; he had to lure him out of the restaurant to the open. Irele might come here and catch bullets in her flat stomach. He was not going to allow that. If Irele had the sense God gave a mosquito, she would find her way far away from here.

Download the full story from here:

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/let_the_guns_speak/25950

Kindly rebroadcast.

Kaycee9242:
where Larry go na , hope he is OK

I'm fine.

The book you have all been waiting for is now available!

Let The Guns Speak

As he turned to leave, he spotted a roughly-dressed man perched behind a table at a corner. The man seemed not to be aware of Tobi's presence but Tobi himself knew he was only pretending. The man was using a spoon to sip peppery sauce from a ceramic bowl, and dangling from his left hand was a pistol. There was no one else dining. Tobi knew it was time for action. The dining man oozed confidence; he seemed like someone sure of his relationship with triggers. He seemed to have an itchy finger behind a trigger.

Tobi sighed. He quietly placed the food on the table and gently reached for a pistol behind him. The man slowly raised his head and stared directly at Tobi. He gave a short smile and sprang up. He aimed his pistol at Tobi and squeezed three quick shots.

Tobi quickly ducked behind the table bearing the food he had dropped. The bullet flew past his left ear, the second shattered the plate that contained his food, sending pieces of rice grains and shards of the ceramic flying in the air. The third bullet caught the poor waiter in the eye.

Damn! This bastard is fast!

He knew what he had to do; he had to lure him out of the restaurant to the open. Irele might come here and catch bullets in her flat stomach. He was not going to allow that. If Irele had the sense God gave a mosquito, she would find her way far away from here.

Download the full story from here:

https://okadabooks.com/book/about/let_the_guns_speak/25950

Kindly rebroadcast.

monalicious:
Guy, you are good. OMG. I don't even know what to say

Thank you, ma'am.

haryomikun:
LarrySun, I followed your story, Black Maria early last year. It wasn't and still isn't complete and since I'm not fond of anything with episodes, be it a TV series or a book or anything. I was bored a few weeks ago, decided to read KataKata street by Centino, another smart writer with your style of writing and when I was done with the story, got bored with the literature section again after reading some unimpressive works of literature.

Then I remembered LarrySun today, checked your profile,
and decided to read this book. As usual, it blew my mind! I'll be heading over to your profile to read more of your other novels.

I'm no critic so I can't analyze your books the professional way. But coming from a layman who appreciates novels, you're brilliant, sir. I'm sure a lot of other readers will feel the same way.

If my financial status changes, I'll make sure to try to reward your brilliance. You're a gem among many.

Thank you, sir. Kindly buy Let The Guns Speak. You would love it. Details are posted below on this thread.

vyrussbeatz:
Literature section used to be my niche for interesting stories, I would stay here for hours, sometimes overnight, reading without getting bored. Voila, the vibe dropped for over 2 years now.

Came across the thread for the most interesting stories on nairaland, it brought back memories of great stories I'd read here on nairaland that helped shaped my reading habit.

Sadly, most of these writers (both in sexuality and literature section ) are no where to be found. Guess life happened to them and they are prolly somewhere busy.

Dont know how possible and viable @seun, it will be nice to keep these writers here active. Prolly they get paid once their stories reach some certain amount of views and also curb the incessant plagiarism that chases them away.

Notables mentions: nitefury, frank3.16, fantasyisland, larrysun, pdude, Soldierman(Lost in absu), alot more I cant even remember again.

Miss you all wherever you are, please do not let the talent die. If you have published, let us know. We will buy.

I'm still partially around, sir. My book, BLACK MARIA, has been published on Okadabooks. You can buy if you haven't read it. Thanks.

Welcome back, bro. We all missed you.

Rick9:
LarrySun chai nice one,

But I have a question, was Christopher able to disguise his voice also ?

Voice is the easiest thing to disguise.

MaziOmenuko:
referred someone to you for some writing jobs.

Hello bro. Been a while. Thanks.

I have not been contacted though.

PrimadonnaO:
I was thinking about you, then logged into NL and found this. I've been credited witg the units...and I'm almost done with book 1. Thanks.

What a coincidence. I was thinking about you, too. Then I logged in and found this reply.

II

(Update 3)

The 3rd Passion

Within a decade of her birth, Maria had grown into a very beautiful young woman. Even at ten years old, signs of womanhood were already exhibiting themselves. Her body was slowly growing voluptuous. Her breasts were beginning to form roundly, and her hips getting more obvious as they bounced with every step she took. The most obvious part of her body, however, was her rich fair skin. Anyone who saw her would believe she was, in the least, a half-cast, for her skin was so fair that people might confuse her for a white woman. Both in intelligence and appearance, Maria stood out prominently in the orphanage. Her tattered dresses were the only things that marred her perfect appearance; and, of course, her weak health, too. But Maria had made a lot of effort to diminish her ailment; and she had tremendously succeeded in suppressing her illness. She didn’t fall sick as often as before anymore. Whenever she did, often rarely, her ailment was usually life-threatening.

Maria gained admission into a public secondary school for girls only. She was eleven years old at the time. She had been overjoyed when she received the admission letter. She had been dancing happily for hours before Matron Nene dashed her expectations. She had thought she would attend a boarding school and finally leave the orphanage for good, as older girls who had gained admission before her had done. If others had attended boarding schools, then why was hers different? But Matron Nene had informed her that Catholic Girls High School was not a boarding school. Maria had been choked by disappointment. She knew what that meant; she would have to be going to CGHS from the orphanage and back home every week between Mondays and Fridays. The Matron had told her that CGHS was a school for extremely brilliant girls and she had been chosen because she was brilliant. She should consider herself lucky because Catholic Girls High School was the dream school of many students. But Maria knew that all that the woman was saying were hogwash; she didn’t believe her one bit. She knew Matron Nene had sabotaged her freedom due to her own selfish interest. Maria wasn’t wrong; indeed, the older woman had secretly manipulated the admission process because she didn’t want Maria away from her; she couldn’t bear to lose her.

“Why me?” Maria had demanded sadly. She wanted a better reason for the Matron’s action.

“I told you,” explained the woman, “You are a very special child.”

“What makes me special?”

“You are different from other children.”

“Is that not what being special means?”

“Yes, that’s what it means,” answered Matron Nene.

She looked at the woman as if she was the elderly person speaking to a particularly dull child. “What makes me different from other children?” she made her inquisition easier for her guardian to understand.

“I told you. You are different because you are extremely brilliant.”

“There are other brilliant students who have attended boarding schools,” she said, her tiny voice still registering disappointment.

“But yours is extreme.”

Maria cast such a suspicious face up and stared at the woman who was making a great effort to match the child’s gaze. Looking away from her would show weakness, and it would be an indication that she had been lying about her reasons. And she knew Maria was smart enough to read the signs.

“I’m waiting for an answer.”

“Oh, what was your question again, my child?”

“Is being brilliant the only reason I’m special?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what is?”

The woman knew she had been caught in a corner. She shouldn’t have given any reason at all. Not to Maria, of all children. She had to think of a proper reply now or she might lose face with the little child. And she mustn’t just give any answer that came to her mind; Maria was too smart for that – Matron Nene must give a convincing answer. And she had to think fast, too. Taking too much time would mean she was cooking up a lie. Truly, Maria was special to her. She would have shut the little girl up and sent away if she had been any of the other children in the orphanage. But Maria was her favourite, and she would not want the child to lose respect for her. She thought deeply – and it came to her!
“It’s your name!” she replied excitedly. It had come to her like divine inspiration.

Maria frowmed, “My name?”

“Yes, can’t you see it?”

“What’s so special about my name? a lot of people bear Maria.”

“No, not that.”

Maria was beginning to doubt her guardian’s state of mind.

“Your name is unique. You are just Maria. No middle name. No surname. Nothing. That makes you very special. You have no surname.”

“Am I the only person like that in the world?”

Matron paused, “Well, except for Madonna, you’re practically the only person in the world I know.”

“But Madonna has a surname.”

“She does?” Matron Nene was gobsmacked. Even she didn’t know that.

“Her surname is Ciccone.”

The Matron was highly impressed.

“You can see why I said you are special? You are the only person in the world without a surname. That is precisely why CGHS gave you admission; they knew there was something unique about you. You will love the school, trust me.”

“I hope so,” replied Maria before she joined the other girls playing in the compound.

And that was how Matron Nene was able to escape the child’s innocent suspicion. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to cook dinner.

Maria did very well in her new school, and it was no surprise that she topped the class at the end of the first academic term. Everyone loved her. She was a combination of beauty and brain. Her teachers were proud of her and her classmates wanted to be like her. Her likeable personality was a source of motivation for others. She was the total package; she excelled tremendously in Science, Arithmetic and Grammar. She knew almost as much as some of her teachers, and even students from senior classes usually begged her to teach them some topics they never knew. She enjoyed teaching immensely. She liked educating people about what they didn’t know, and nothing brought her more joy than seeing the result of the she had imparted. She decided that she was going to be a teacher when she grew up. She knew her calling; her job was to build leaders of tomorrow, and she was willing to contribute her absolute best to the development of humanity.

She was returning home from school one afternoon of the second term when she was accosted by a stranger. The person was a thin fair woman of about forty years old. She was too thin and her bones were pronounced under her thinning pale flesh. Her black hair was showing a few strands of grey and her eyes looked tired from the deep hollow of her sockets. One look at her suggested that she was a very sick person who might not have much time left in the world; and Maria was momentarily sorry for her. The young girl hated seeing people suffer. She wished she had a superpower; she would heal all the sick people in the world if she could. At first, she had thought about becoming a doctor and saving lives, but she hated the sight of blood; and she couldn’t cope with seeing another person die. About two years earlier, she had witnessed the death of an abandoned child brought to the orphanage. The baby had been exposed to too much cold before she was discovered. By the time she was brought to Matron Nene, the child had had pneumonia. The woman had done everything she could to save the child. Maria had helped fetch hot water, balm and embrocation. Matron Nene had put her finger in the child’s mouth when she was seizing. Maria had proceeded in rubbing the baby’s chest with the balm. The woman had left the baby with Maria and had gone to the backyard to get more hot water from the boiling one on the local stove. Of all the girls in the compound, Matron Nene had chosen Maria to assist her in taking care of the baby because she knew Maria was the smartest. She didn’t know that the child’s death would upset Maria so much. The baby died in Maria’s arms before Matron Nene returned with the water. The baby had died with its mouth and eyes wide open. The dead eyes had looked up at Maria pleadingly, as if she had been begging Maria to not let her die. Maria cried for days. She had nightmares each time she slept; the baby’s dead eyes tormented her in her sleep. It was not long before she, too, fell ill and nearly died.

Even though Maria didn’t know the stranger, she greeted the older woman pleasantly. The woman looked ill but Maria knew she must have been very beautiful when she was healthy. She wondered what kind of sickness had turned the woman into this haggard-looking person. Such sickness must be very terrible.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” greeted Maria, “How may I help you?”

The woman gave a brief smile. She remembered how smart she had been when she was very young, too. She had a very bright future ahead of her; but somehow along the way everything changed, and she changed with it. Peer pressure, insatiability and greed had ruined her life. Somewhere along the journey of life, the road takes a sharp bend and we get run over by trucks of tragedy and uncertainty that we never see coming.

“How are you, my child?”

“I’m fine, ma’am. How are you?”

The woman spread her arms sadly. “As you can see, I don’t look good.”

“I wish you quick recovery. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Just have faith and stay positive.”

Deep words from a child. The woman was impressed. The afternoon sun shone on them as they stood at the roadside, but neither of them acknowledged the heat. The magnetization between them was striking; Maria felt somehow attached to the woman, as if she had known the stranger all her life.

“What’s your name, my daughter?”

Maria stared at her with that suspicious gaze again. “Why do you want to know my name?”

“I need to know.”

“I was told to never speak to strangers, let alone giving them my name.”

“But I thought we were now friends,” she looked genuinely sad.

“Yes, we are.”

“Then why are you refusing to tell me your name?”

“I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

“That’s why friends need to know each other better. Don’t you think so?”

Maria thought about this and said, “You are right.”

“Knowing your name is part of knowing you more. It’s the first step in getting to know you.”

“My name is Maria.”

The woman gasped. She was taken aback by the bluntness of the child’s reply. She had been steeling herself ready for the revelation, but the sudden reply threw her off-guard psychologically. She had promised herself not to cry but she couldn’t help it as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Why are you crying?”

She wiped her tears. “Don’t worry about that, my daughter. Where are your parents, Maria?”

“I don’t know them. I am an orphan.”

“Where do you live, my child?”

Maria told her. She knew it was dangerous to reveal her residential location to someone she barely knew, but the woman looked harmless.

“What’s your name, ma’am?”

“My name is Charity.”

“Nice meeting you, Ms Charity.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my child.”

“You are crying again. Did anyone hurt you?”

“I’m fine, Maria, I’m fine. Go home, Matron Nene would be waiting for you.”

Maria turned to go home. She had barely taken three steps when she turned back.

“How did you know Matron Nene? I didn’t tell you anything about her.”

“I know a lot more about you than you think.”

“When will I see you again?”

“Soon, my child, soon.”

The girl frowned again and asked, “Why do you keep calling me your child?”

Charity bent her head down and cried again, but she quickly wiped her tears and said, “It’s because –”

Then a speeding car suddenly appeared and it was heading towards Maria. Charity saw it too late and she did the only thing she could. She pushed the child out of the way at the last second. It was too late for her to save herself. The car hit her hard, sending her flying and she landed head-first against a concrete culvert at the other side of the road. Blood rushed out of her mouth and nose. Her eyeballs rolled into her sockets and only the white showed. The speeding car was held to rest only by an empty wooden shop it crashed into. Nobody went to check on the driver; he was most probably fine in the car whose brakes had malfunctioned. Instead, they rushed to attend to the thin lady who saved an innocent schoolgirl.

At first Maria had thought the woman was attacking her when she was suddenly pushed. She had lost her balance and had landed on her buttocks. Then she saw the horror that happened next, and she realized she wasn’t attacked but instead being saved. She rose up quickly and went to her dying friend. The woman was jerking vigorously, and it seemed like she was trying to say something, but she couldn’t get her words out before the jerking ceased and her soul departed this world.

Maria walked home crying. She narrated what she witnessed to Matron Nene. Her guardian comforted her, and they both prayed that the soul of the heroic stranger find peace.

As they prayed, Matron Nene suspected that the stranger was most probably Maria’s biological mother.

PrimadonnaO:
@Larrysun, I paid to download book one of Black Maria, yet I can't access the book. The page is asking me to make another payment.

Kindly contact me privately.

samwobi:
Haha, I Knw The Person Holding Manny Captive. With All These Clues, I Can Tell You That Her Abductor's Name Is Larrysun. *winks*

This is depressing.