₦airaland Forum

Nice one Rock. You got me there. You started out weak but you seem to be building momentum. Keep up the good work

Nairaland!!!

You guys should stop calling me o. Abi una want sugar mummy

Royver: I would like to share a small percentage of my takings with the feminist, if she dosent mind. She should get something for being d last girl standing.

You are a darling. I like your selfless attitude. Giving me more than 50% of your gains.

Oya, I want to marry you

kingphilip: the bolded means wetin now

None of your business

Royver: I would like to share a small percentage of my takings with the feminist, if she dosent mind. She should get something for being d last girl standing.

You wanna share your proceeds, no P. I am down for it

Oya, send it sharply

zero7zero62354770

If you call, you sure will be surprised who is behind the line.

[quote author=E<R>F]LOL. . .

You shattered the heart of that young lover dog right?

That innocent tafiaish Parrot?

What about the Old Cat...

And you expect peace?

Enjoy..!

Nice write up you have here.[/quote]Lol. Some animals are annoying

Ms Spaqs: I like

Thanks for liking. I just started a thread as some people suggested. I hope you like it too because it is going to be running for a month.

You can drop your comments and observation but you guys should be patient till Monday. Thank you for encouraging me

The rock5555: Guess who's here.

Typing...

Foxy, something is wrong here o

"Attention ladies, you are the last resort we have in this battle"

I tilted by head a little bit. What is this commander saying. How on earth would he call us the last resort like all the men who claim to be the higher sex are dead. I shook my head within me. This man must be joking I concluded, looking at him with rapt attention.

"You are to invade the army territory, get their commander, dead or alive." The words dropped out of his mouth.

Why would I want to go to the dreaded camp of the Boko Haram when I know how dangerous they can be. You cannot not tell if they are gays or not. They kill both men and women and even children. Beasts clothed in human form. I shivered within me.

"Don allow their sizes to dominate you, you girls are weapons of war." He turned and stared me directly in the eyes.

"Surayya, you will lead them." My ears stood at edge. Me? Lead who? Commander must have been smoke some "zogale", I concluded.

"Step into the control room so you would be debriefed." He said and turned round smartly walking away.

We remained standing waiting for the next superior officer to come and tell us some tale of bravery. How women had work strategically to keep the country together as one during the Biafran war. How we had enticed the soldiers with our beautiful bodies but had killed them quickly that death was too surprise to take them away. War stories, bravery, deaths, all things we have heard before.

"Now a woman convinced Ojukwu to escape, we would have captured him."

"Yeeehhh", I nearly screamed. A woman? Well, women really do have powers. From the time of Eve, Abimelech, Samson, David and so on. Judas should have been a woman.

"You are dismissed." The last speaker said. We waited till the boring radio finished playing the National Anthem before dispatching. I walked stiffly, not because I could not wriggle and turn my waist but because I don't want any superior officer looking at me with that eye.

"Come in", a voice said from inside the office.

I had knocked thrice before the reply. Typical of Colonel Emeka. He would always bid his time. His voice would come slowly but his anger always came with brimstone. Rumours had it that he was captured during the Liberia peace keeping mission where he was tortured. He was made to use his tongue in extinguishing live coals. I just knew something was spectacular about the way smoke comes out of his mouth whenever he was angry.

"Sgt. Surayya." He said curtly, wearing the most serious face.

I braced up for whatever he wanted to say, I knew what would follow could either make me start remembering how my life started or how it is going to end.

"Do not go MIA (Missing in Action) on this mission. We need you to come out alive. You and your team."

He tapped on his desk, his eyes looking me straight into my eyeball. I nodded slowly.

"Here is the file containing every single information you would need. Make sure you study it well then draw out your plan. Pass your plan to me for perusal." He said handing over a black bounded file to me. I collected it, still stood at attention waiting for him to dismiss me.

"Officer, I thought you would be long gone"

Damn, this man knows how to get a sister angry but it is the army. You don't question authorities. You follow orders. I have been ordered to the hell in Nigeriastan and there I would go.




Welcome to my life.

chistar01: So it took you the short story competition to bring you out of your shell right? ... Nice write up , I laughed hard, perharps I should be expecting a long story or even a series from you soon?

I don't know if I would want to write a series though. But you can't tell. I might soonest.

kingphilip: Miss Fibre wat a nyc write up so dis is wat u av been hiding all dis while..
The part dat got me lol is wen the parrot had to report u b4 dying...kudos dear

Great to know you like it. Wrote it cos you said you want to see one of my works

HURRAY!

FINALLY!

I sat down on the pavement, looking out to the road that stretched over the mountain. It was already harmattan and the wind had begun howling, bringing in dust from the Sahara. My lips felt dry as I ran my tongue over them to moisten them, feeling pains like it was cracked. The sun hid in a blanket of dust, given the environment a serene feeling. I sat there wondering what heaven looked like. My mind was thumping a little bit as the wind kept gathering momentum, but that was really normal.

"Blessing, come inside now"

I turned to look at the door of our house. It looked old not because it was old but for my father's love for antiques. He would always come back with old things and start telling history about how those things were used in years past. He had brought a very sickly, rabies infected dog. The dog looked like something that had been overrun by a reckless driver.

"Honey, this dog looks old"

My mum complimented, her hands on her mouth trying to suppress a laugh.

"I know. This dog is 18 years old."

My father replied, smiling. The dog as if taking cue flashed a doggy smile. Its toothless gum came out expose giving me a churning in my stomach. To make matter worst, the dog ran after me, jumped on me tripping me in the process. Its scaly tongue went for my face which it started licking in ecstasy. My skin cringed, felt like vomiting. Pushed the dog away and stood up only to see that the dog had en e.r.ection. To say I was mad is an understatement, smoke was practically coming out of my head, ears, nose, mouth. Every available opening. My dad made matter worst by making a remark.

"Blessing, I think the dog likes you. Take care of it."

And took care of it I did. The dog was found dead two days later at the backyard with a swollen stomach. I had added "otapiapia" to its food.

"Blessing!!"

My mother screamed again shaking me from my reverie. I stood up, dusted my lose skirt and made my way into the house. I met her straining her eyes, trying to fix a thread through the eyes of a needle.

"Can you help me?"

She asked in a sweet voice. Mother always used a sweet voice whenever she wanted me to help out with a chore. I looked at her, smiled.

"But mama, you said what an old woman can see lying down, a child cannot see even if her climbs a tree."

"I did say so, how does it affect you?" She asked typically.

"I suggest you lie down and fix the thread." I answered, trying to make my sarcasm sound as polite as possible.

"No dinner for you if you don't help me."

I laughed out and collected the needle. The woman always had a way of making me work.

"Go and do the dishes madam", She said immediately I finished. Not even a word of thank you. Parents!!!

***********************************************************

"I'm home!!"

The clear voice of my father sounded from the living room as I was scrubbing the back of a particularly stubborn pot. I smiled to my self. He still thought I was a kid and expected me to run out and jump on his body. With all the eyes those boys were giving to me when I walk back from school. I knew I had grown the right contours in the right places.

"Welcome daddy"

I greeted him.

"My toyin tomatoes", he said, opening his hands. I walked to him and gave him a shoulder hug. He did not mind.

"Guess what I brought today." He asked, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Not again dad, you brought a medieval sewing machine used by the emperor?"

I asked. The question seemed to amuse him as he laughed out loud. He did a sound.

"Misssss misssssss"

"Meow... Meow"

A tiny voice replied. I swirled round to see an old, haggard looking cat coming towards my dad in slow motion. I have watched enough movies to know that witchcraft is always associated to cats. All thanks to Nollywood.

"Hey caty caty caty." The cat was rubbing itself on my dad's leg romantically.

"This cat is 30 years old."

My dad remarked. I did a mental calculation. An old witch would definitely be living inside this particular cat. I would have preferred dad dragging home the corpse of a dead cat than bringing this cat home.

"Can I take care of the cat dad?" I asked in an innocent voice.

"That's nice of you but no ma", he replied. Dad no longer trusts me.

I had murdered more old animals than even Jack Ripper. All I needed was to add a pinch of "otapiapia" into their food. The last parrot he brought home refused to die. It waited till dad was home and then reported me. A parrot reported me, now that's incredulous but it happened.

"I off to the kitchen", I said, turning around and went back to the kitchen, back to the stubborn pot and back to plotting how to kill the newest member of the family.

************************************************

"Misssssssss... Missssssss"

I called to the old cat. It looked at me warily and continued licking its paws. The cat hardly moved, its coming into the family brought with it multiple colonies of rats. I was exasperated beyond control. I had used my darling otapiapia severally, the cat would drink its milk and then lie down. I will go to bed hoping to see its stiff body by dawn, only to wake up and see the cat sleeping peacefully close to me.

"Meow"

The cat said and walked towards me when I flashed it fish. Wanna poison a rat? Use fish. Same works for cats too.

"Enjoy"

I said to the cat. I watched as it ate the fish slowly. Licked it paws and looked for somewhere silent to sleep. The power of tramol. I called to the cat, called and called but it continued sleeping. If "otapiapia" can't kill you orally, then it sure would kill you intravenously. I walked gently towards the cat and injected it with a great does of "otapiapia".

The next day my dad made me bury the cat by the side of the mountain where the ground was hardest. Since then I had always stayed away from my dad and his old animals. We now have another old cat, an old dog, an old horse and an old parrot. All the animals seemed to be planning against me. I sit virtually in the kitchen waiting for my food to get done.

Don't want to die yet from an overdose.


THE END.**

Lol. Comments, you guys will not see the last of me

******************************************************************************

His orders were simple. Take the president out and make sure you are not seen. All his life, he had trained for this, travelling and getting involved in assassinations of leaders of different nation who were meddling in matters. He had pulled the trigger in the Republic Libya and then handed the gun over to an Arab. Days later the Arab man was found murdered. Even as far as Afghanistan, his mission had taken him. Now it had brought him back to his home country, Songhai.

He had gone through the pictures sent to him, over and over again. Different poses of his target with different people, his smile distinctive. He had always had dislike for his target for he felt the man was a puppet. Now felt like the time to make things straight.

“Target approaching”. A mechanical voice spoke into his ear piece.

He was perched high up, awaiting the procession that was bring his target in. He adjusted the rear-sight eye piece of his weapon, the front element locking device coming into place. His fingers slide past the trigger guard, resting lightly on the trigger.

“Target in sight! Take target out!!” The voice spoke in sharp bursts.

He did not hesitate as he squeezed the trigger lightly, the explosion shattered the night but the President was already dead before his bodyguards could react. The agents quickly traced the sound to the top of the building where they met the assassin dead, a bullet wound on his forehead and one on the chest. A quick search of his person produced an ID card with the name “Lloyd Chinedu”.

*************************************************************************

The death of the Vice-President shook the country for there was no premonition before the attack. The Ex-President, Dr. Ebere Stratham who resigned had gone back to his house in Otueke. The Vice President had become Acting President and had taken over running the government till the next general elections. The Senate was divided and the House of Representatives did not help matters. The nation was at a standstill.

When the military finally released the name of the killer of the Vice-President, fingers were pointed, tongue wagged, accusations and counter-accusations filled the air. Presence of policemen and heavily armed military men marked everywhere. Attacks on government buildings became incessant with the capital city being the most unsafe. Different armed groups sprung up, with the fighting being more intense in the oil region of the country. A civil war was playing out.

******************************************************************************

“Silence… No one talk”

I said harshly as I strained my ears for any sound. We were packed together in the AC room of my office. There had been a vibration like an earthquake followed by a loud bang before there was a cut in power supply. I did what every normal Songhainian would do. I jumped from my seat and raced to the door. Since following the lift which had lost power would be the same as a suicide mission, I ran towards the emergency exit.

Many people had gotten to the exit before me and were all rushing down. I joined the crowd at the end of the line.

“Ta ta ta ta ta”, sound of a submachine scattered the procession of people rushing down the stair. Everybody turned round and started rushing back up. Screams followed more shots being fired. Being at the end of the line, I rushed back into the passage leading to my office. The office looked the most suitable place to hide, but the ever nearing sound of gunshots made me change my mind and jump into the room housing the Air Conditioner.

My colleagues were all there including my boss and some other people working in the adjoining office. There was no key in the lock of the door and the air conditioner was making lots of noise. Shutting it down could raise suspicion so I kept mute and waited. Praying that whoever was shooting would not find us hiding there.

The gunshots increased but this time, not directly in front of the room we were hiding in. It sounded a little bit distant. I scanned the face around me. The women were teary eyed, the men wore gloomy faces, and everyone was frightened. We had been hiding there for over an hour. I opened the door gently since I was the one closest to the door and peeked out. The passage was deserted except for a body lying down in front of my office. I looked ahead into the glass and saw bodies sprawled in the adjoining office. It seemed they were not fast enough to get away. I did the sign of the cross and stepped into the passage.

My leg felt rigid as it directed me towards the emergency exit. My sweat gland fully activated, ears strained for the slightest sound. I knew death could catch up with me any time since guns were still being fired but I still took my chances. I held the door knob, turned it slowly, pushed my head through the little opening. Bullets in the head kill more quickly than when fired on the chest on any other place where you bleed out slowly until you are dead, I reasoned. There was no one in sight. I quickly made a hand motion to those who I believed had stepped out after me.

I walked down the first flight of stairs, my eyes darting up frequently to prevent an attack from above. Getting to the last bend, I turned around and motioned those following me. They came down quickly, trying their best to make the least amount of noise. As soon as they got to me, I made my way down to the main door. The security men manning the door were all lying dead, their blood colouring the ground. Bulus, a very good friend of mine among the guards lay dead close to the fire alarm. Quickly I motioned to the rest who ran towards me at top speed. We were out, we were free.

We ran across the compound, aiming for the gate when there was a sudden burst of gunfire. Everywhere went silent, my heart stopped. I turned to see a man dressed in black, bullet chain draped around him and holding a machine gun go down. He had been shot dead by uniformed men who were waiting to receive us. I heaved a sigh of relief, turned to continue running but could not. Something warm was trickling down my trousers. I looked down and saw my stomach dripping with blood. The ground below my feet moved and I fell down and slept off.

***************************************************************************

“You can all return to your business as everything is now alright. No one will intimidate you, this country has come to stay and stay it shall. We are one nation under God.”

The voice of Capt. Daniel Ark was strong as he gave a speech at his swearing in ceremony. The country had just recovered from a civil war with great losses on every side.

The fighting had been intense with high rise building hardly left standing, but work had begun in earnest to return the country back to its lost glory. Those who had flown out to avoid being killed had returned and life just started to return to normal. The military that had played a great role in making the country stable again had gone back to their barracks leaving the policemen to handle things.

******************************************************************************

I smiled to myself as I looked to the big screen at the far end of the ward. Other patients were shouting and screaming at the end of the broadcast of the Swearing in Ceremony. Songhai had truly been shaken but it stood firm. The future appears bright I said to myself as I looked at my heavily bandaged stomach.





[size=30pt]THE END**[/size]

[size=30pt]THE STORM FORETOLD (2,244 WORDS)

BY

MISS_FIBRE

FINAL ENTRY MADE INTO THE COMPETITION
[/size]
******************************************************************************************

We expected it, waited and watched the horizon just to catch a glimpse of it. Prophets came out, prophesied and gave us dates. The dates came and went by with nothing, not even the slightest incident. The sky remained blue, with dust floating its surface instead of clouds. The cold of the harmattan had already begun to take its toll, making us stay inside more.

I remember that night vividly like it is still playing out in front of my eyes. I had sat in front of my TV, watching the proceedings of the National Conference to see the outcome. Lawmakers had debated back and forth, issues were raised, accusations made. You could feel the tense air emanating from the conference room through the TV. My heartbeat only came after every ten seconds, delaying my breaths. Since I was living alone, there was no one to share that tense moment with.

“The best thing to do is to divide the country. Let the north stay on its own and the south on their own”. Babafashun was saying.

Babafashun was one of the lawmakers to draft out the constitution for the republic of Songhai. His voice wavered from suppressed anger as he made his point as others murmured in the background. The whole setting looked disorganized.

I squeezed the handle of my leather chair tightly as the verdict of the conference was announced. Songhai would give a “try” being one for the next 100 years. I felt downcast, grieving from a sense of loss. I looked from my plasma TV hung on the wall to my grandfather clock striking away. I had always known this was coming, what would follow remained a mystery as the question bugged my mind.

“Fellow Songhainians, we just passed through a difficult period. One which had led to the decision which was taken yesterday at the Sovereign National Conference. As expected the state of Songhai pulled out as one. United more than ever before.” The President paused dramatically, taking a deep breath.

“Songhai had been unstable lately but I believe with the result of the National Conference, we would join hands together and chase the demon which is sucking us dry.”

He had stopped, brought out a sparkling white handkerchief, wiped his face and dabbed his eyes, after moving his gold-rimmed glasses to a side.

“Being the number one citizen of this country, and as a patriot, I hereby announce my resignation from being the president of this country. It is with deep regret but having thought of it, I believe it is the best decision in the right direction. My resignation begins with immediate effect.”

I was clothed already, my briefcase on the low table that adorned the middle of my room. As it is with my morning ritual, I make sure I watch the 7:00am broadcast of the National news. Today was no different but the sudden resignation of the president made a big difference.

“Joe, Joe! Jonathan the man”, the unmistaken voice of my best friend shouted from the other end of the phone.

“I am not in the mood of receiving early morning praises you this Igbo boy”. I said curtly, a smile playing on my lips but my voice sounding hard.

“Ah ah, why is your mood like this Jonathan? Are you the only person that had not heard the news?” Lloyd asked.

“Hmmm, you dey ask question wey the answer dey stare you for face. No make me reason say you don forget say news dey like cocaine for my side?” I dropped the Queen’s English and answered his question in the typical manner.

He laughed softly, hailed me once more and dropped the call. I looked at my phone shaking my head. Today was really going to be a long day. Lloyd calling for the first time without stating his reason for calling is bad enough. I knew my colleagues and friend would laugh so hard at me. I could not help it. I had bragged about the disintegration of Songhai republic after the National Conference. It did not happen as I had prophesied but the president resigning was the next big thing that overshadowed everything else.

I stepped out into the morning sun, walked to my car, got in and zoomed into the roads of Wupe. Okija had turned into a ghost of its former self.

****************************************************************************

The President now turned Ex-president stepped down from the podium, his eyes heavy with tears. He looked at the surprised faces of his Ministers and proceeded to walk towards the door. His ADC was too shocked to come after him.

“Mr. President”, a voice called to him. He turned round to see Baranla Kuma staring at him.

“Yes, minister”, his voice sounded distant.

“That was not what I wrote on the relaying screen Sir.”

The minister of information was almost breaking down in tears.

“Some decisions come while one is asleep. You had a good speech but my heart is already set.” The president said as the door opened automatically allowing him to step outside into the spacious reception.

The wall still had the picture of his famous smile and eye glasses. The people who voted him would surely feel bad, but he felt the country was spiraling out of control. All the committees he had set up to look into matters had submitted invalid reports. From the fuel subsidy committee down to the aviation sector. The cabal was just too strong to handle. Civil war too seemed to be lurking at every corner of his action. Governors had rebelled against him and now, the Sovereign Conference had come to naught.

I'm setting the pace again.

**Father Lord in heaven, I exalt you for you alone art God. I exalt you because you have done all things well. Blessed be thou for ever.

Lord Jesus, it was easy writing the first story because it was in my comfort zone, now I have done something I have never done before. The sleepless night staring into empty space. The research I did and having to watch the Al-shabab clip over and over again. Jesus, I know the pain in my heart when I went through the history of Somalia, reading about the killing of 18 US troops there. I felt bad but I had to find out the truth. Thank you Lord for this story is but 2,500 words. I did not have to describe gory things that filled my head. Baba, I say eshe.

As I submit this script, I know I shall receive bashing, but I hide behind the cross and let you take over everything. I seek favour in your sight Lord. I have done my part, I ask Lord that you do your part in the name of Jesus.

Baba, as I submit, I ask that the readers, fellow writers and most especially the judges be held spell bound in the name of Jesus.

Thank you father. Blessed be thou forever. Hallelujah Baba."

Amen**


You guys should forgive, I just don't know how to control the urge of saying this prayer online.

I submit immediately, but if any one submits before me, no problem.


**Skips outta thread**

My story is ready o, now why is the submission thread still locked? I don't want to be quoted o, I want to submit.

Oya, boys, start shivering because I am here to win this. Lol, you guys should not mind me, I am shivering myself

Numero uuuno: Only time will tell the answer.....

*waiting patiently to submit my entry*

You guys can go ahead and copy me. This time, you will be blown away.

#Am I supposed to be boasting before battle?#

It helps put fear into you enemy and you all are my enemies!!!

[quote author=Miss_Fibre]It is long overdue. You encourage people to complete their stories by pushing it to the front page. I remember a time when people clamoured for it. Now, I have seen more stories, even those that started yesterday grace the front page. Mynd and Obinau, do something about this.

https://www.nairaland.com/1387874/naija-thug-life-foxy-flow1759

I am endorsing it.[/quote]I dropped this application a few days ago and that same day, a literature work made front page.

Do you think you are fair?

[quote author=Mynd_44]Okay, we will look into it[/quote]I appreciate

It is long overdue. You encourage people to complete their stories by pushing it to the front page. I remember a time when people clamoured for it. Now, I have seen more stories, even those that started yesterday grace the front page. Mynd and Obinau, do something about this.

https://www.nairaland.com/1387874/naija-thug-life-foxy-flow1759

I am endorsing it.

Lost for words to say, can't believe I got many likes. I have been following the whole analysis in the background and I dare say the judges did a pretty good job. There was a time I felt I was going to lose out but as the nominations kept coming out, I knew I stood a chance against the guys. Talk about keeping the killer blow till later.

Guys, get ready to get blown off. I am winning this competition not for the money but for the women. Yes, the women folks.

Call me a feminist, I don't care. You are about to get served!!

Ishilove: I am strongly not in support of writers editing their submissions. For heaven's sakes, we have twenty-seven competitors. That translates to twenty-seven stories. I have a very demanding day job and there is no way in God's green earth that I will go back and start rereading twenty seven stories that have been edited. I won't even have the time to start looking out for changes. Once I read a submission, I take notes and move to the next. If I have to go back, I will only skim through without reading it with the the same focus as the first time.

This is a competition for crying out loud!! If people start editing their entries then what is the whole point of the competition?

A saviour just came. I am not a fan of this re-editing rubbish. Sorry for being so vulgar

HumbledbYGrace: your allowed to edit, modify your submission until the closing date.

Excuse me miss, it was not stated in the rules. I stuck strictly to the rules and all this is making my effort look and feel rubbished. How honest would I be if I start modification?

Listen to yourself and put yourself in my shoes. There is something called ethics and honesty.

Thanks

Omolola1: Hello writers,

I'm honoured to be part of the judges. I only got to know about this thread recently.


Writing short stories means beginning as close to the conclusion as possible, and grabbing the reader in the very first moments.

Here are a few tips:

- Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
- Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
- Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
- Start as close to the end as possible.
- Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them-in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
- Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
- Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Write a Catchy Short Paragraph

In today’s fast-moving world, the first sentence of your short story should catch your reader’s attention with the unusual, the unexpected, an action, or a conflict. Begin with tension and immediacy. Remember that short stories need to start close to their end.

Example: "I heard my neighbor through the wall"
(Dry and uninteresting)

"The neighbor behind us practiced scream therapy in his shower almost every day"

The second sentence catches the reader’s attention. Who is this guy who goes in his shower every day and screams? Why does he do that? What, exactly, is“scream therapy”? Let’s keep reading…

Developing Characters
In order to develop a living, breathing, multi-faceted character, it is important to know way more about the character than you will ever use in the story. Here is a partial list of character details to help you get started.
Name
Age
Job
Ethnicity
Appearance
Residence
Pets
Religion
Hobbies
Single or married?
Children?
Temperament
Favorite color
Friends
Favorite foods
Drinking patterns
Phobias
Faults
Something hated?
Secrets?
Strong memories?
Any illnesses?
Nervous gestures?
Sleep patterns
Imagining all these details will help you get to know your character, but your reader probably won’t need to know much more than the most important things in four areas:
Appearance: Gives your reader a visual understanding of the character.
Action: Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives.
Speech: Develop the character as a person — don’t merely have your character announce important plot details.
Thought: Bring the reader into your character’s mind, to show them your character’s unexpressed memories, fears, and hopes.

Choose a Point of View
Point of view is the narration of the story from the perspective of first, second, or third person. As a writer, you need to determine who is going to tell the story and how much information is available for the narrator to reveal in the short story. The narrator can be directly involved in the action subjectively, or the narrator might only report the action objectively.

Write Meaningful Dialogue
Each speaker gets his/her own paragraph, and the paragraph includes whatever you wish to say about what the character is doing when speaking.

Set Up The Plot
Plot is what happens, the storyline, the action.

Create Conflicts and Tension
Conflict produces tension that makes the story begin. Tension is created by opposition between the character or characters and internal or external forces or conditions. By balancing the opposing forces of the conflict, you keep readers glued to the pages wondering how the story will end.

Find a Resolution
The solution to the conflict. In short fiction, it is difficult to provide a complete resolution and you often need to just show that characters are beginning to change in some way or starting to see things differently.

If I were you, I'd take note of the above, because that is what I, Omolola would be looking out for.

All the best!

Don't you think this is coming in a little too late? And every other tips other judges have been giving?

Popowaa: dont be,it is to help u become a better writer.Nice write.

Yeah... How do I get to the next round? Did you see that bashing?

#Dies

Now I am downcasted.

Well, the judges have spoken. My works have already been submitted. I await the totality of the scores.

Bless y'all

My head started swelling as I read and re-read your analysis. I am happy you got the message of the write-up. This was the sole reason I posted the story. I worked on it for some days, reading and reading to make sure mistakes are not seen in it. Whether typographical or grammatical. I know what Ishilove (Miss) can do to one's write up when it did not meet her "approved" standard.

Now my heart is pounding as I await those that would come in and drop theirs later.

But all in all.

I am winning this competition.

Y'all should just submit your work because your name is there. We already have a winner!

#Na my faith dey work so#

**Girls are not smiling**