₦airaland Forum

The first two chapters of The Great Heist have already dropped on Wattpad. You can check it out this minute via this link:https://www.wattpad.com/story/351603617?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create&wp_uname=arkyub&wp_originator=JB4JG98NDq5%2FGVOCEmnz3DTsnlOo4gZxkWLI4TvfWnlbBHLhjHyUlxZ%2Flfn18Arq1%2FJO%2Bm90Bg6Y8345GqivojefGdAsPGAjYPY1lVcq8mJxAZQg5F4m4Mp47ya6ka0z

Also, I think it is right to inform you (all) at this point that I intend to keep this page as interactive as could be. So, brace yourself, 'cause I will be throwing out questions to you. In return, i will be expecting your candid responses and savvy inputs, in order to be able to see things in a new light and better finesse the plot of the story.

With That said, I think that will be all. For now.

Wait!!!

I think there's one more thing I'm missing… (Pay me No Heed, i'm just messing around with ya).

It should be noted, however, that I'm not forcing this down anyone's throat. This message is entirely for those who will feel obliged to enrich me through the abundance of their hearts alone. My account Details will be dropped later on as we progress with the story.

As for likes, shares, and mentions, I promised I wouldn't be bothered as much by them (For the time being at least). As I am sure, They will come aplenty in the coming weeks (This is not to sound cocky or anything).

To those who are familiar with the book already, I would like to give you a heads-up that some changes have been made since you last read this book here. (However, note that these changes are not only minute but also insignificant. And tends to redress the technical aspects of its writing, rather than affect the overall plot of the story).

Lastly, On the issue of updates. As always, I'm not making any promises. Other than the fact that this story will be updated twice a week. For now. The days of which I can't currently specify. (Note: This, however, may change with time).

Without further wasting your time. Let's get right down to business.

Wait!!!

There's one more thing I need to add…

Now, that this is out of the way. I must air out my agenda for this book to (you) my audience. Please know that at the forefront of my agenda is to promote this book and garner as much readership as I can, so as to get it the right publicity it deserves (hopefully, this earns me the big break I've been pining for). To this end, I have some things put in place. However, I'm aware that to achieve this, the support of (you) my readers is needed. Which is why I would like to first inform you that I will be posting this book on two platforms—Wattpad and Nairaland. (My reasons for this course of action, I intend to keep it close to my chest as well). Anyway, I would like to clarify from here on out that the order of updates will come in this manner—Wattpad before Nairaland. However, for those who will not be able to rein in their curiosity and excitement over the book, a link will be dropped here for them after each update On Wattpad (This I'll be counting on, actually).

As part of my agenda this time around, I have also decided to put in motion a plan to make the most of my posting this story here on Nairaland. Meaning that I wouldn't mind earning as little as a stipend from posting my story on this platform. (I'm not ashamed to say this if that's what you're thinking).

Seeing that there are no incentives whatsoever coming from the part of the Nairaland management to the writers on here. I am, hereby, unabashedly declaring that I wouldn't mind a stipend or even tips from any of my audience for the great work I will be doing here. (Please do know that this is in no way a form of extortion or any means of Baiting any of my readers into sending me money, as this is opposed to the code I lived by and that of this platform. That being said, I feel I need to make you understand that this decision was solely arrived at by me as a means to make something for myself as a writer (This is after I quit my job as a Freelance ghostwriter). And seeing that I will be focusing only on this story at least for the foreseeable future, There arises the billion-Naira question: What must a man do to survive?

So, I have some good news. After some time in absentia in the literature section, I have decided to make a comeback. This time, with a book I've been working on for over a year now. First, I need y'all to understand that I have decided to bring The Great Heist back for the same reason I had it posted here a while back—for publicity and awareness. As for those who may ask why I took this story's page down in the first place, my answer to you is that I did so for two concrete reasons (I wished it were actually two, but let's make do with that figure for now): First, the novel Had Been entered into a competition (still is, by the way), and as per the competition's guidelines, all entrants must not have their books published or posted on any platforms for the duration of the competition (Now, I know some will say why bother again then since the competition is still onGoing? My answer to this is, the Reason is known only to me). And I would like to keep it this way.

My second reason, which is secondary to the first but nevertheless important, is, because I couldn't continue the story at the time due to some reasons (which I'm intentionally withholding), and for the fear of plagiarism. (Mind you, the fear persists even now, 'cause I can't have someone from nowhere steal my IP—Intellectual Property—from me without batting an eyelid). I mustn't forget to add for those who will still be intending to do this, that they will be doing so at the expense of a fine (that's even if they are lucky), or jail time. To these bad eggs, it's in your good interest to know that this book has been copyrighted; and any copies or publications of it seen anywhere without the author's consent and approval will be seen and treated as an infringement of that right under the law.

C'mon Minks! We your fans are pining for more!

silverlinen:
Salahdin

Well done

Been a long time

Abi now boss. I'm sorry I ghosted on you.

Why do I suddenly have the feeling that Dan is the same person as Mr. Aviator glasses? Just thinking out loud, though.

Well, well, I love this. The suspense builds up as much as the plot thickens.

What you have here, Op, is a masterpiece; full of twists and intrigues.

Please, read, enjoy and relate with this short personal account of mine.

Also, if you've ever had such experience before, please don't hesitate to share on this thread.

.From Yours faithfully,
Salahdin.

{Need For Speed}

I have never in a thousand lives of me thought that there would come a time when I will need speed so much.

When you put into consideration the kind of person that I am and my personality then, it’s likely you understand what I mean by the statement above.

But, well I actually did.

When I said speed earlier, I don’t just mean doing 180 or 200 mph on an autobahn or an interstate highway. Rather, what I mean by speed is firing on all cylinders of a high-performance car, the kind you get to see only in a NASCAR race or on a Formula-1 circuit.

I want to believe you’ve gotten the picture of what I’m trying to paint above, ‘cause it’s only then you can probably get to understand just how much I needed speed on the 7th of August 2022.

I was returning to Ibadan after a 3-day visit to neighboring Osun state. By the way, I was not totally fine all through the two-and-a-half-hour road trip back to Ibadan. But I held my own just fine.

However, things began spiraling out of hand when I eventually got to Ibadan. After barely surviving a full-on onslaught of kinetosis—something I faced every other time on the rare occasions that I traveled, I had opted to complete the rest of my journey from Mokola to my residence—Apata Ganga on a bike.

I had made this decision in the hope that the gripping nausea and dizziness I was feeling at the time would wear off. And thankfully, it did after some time.

But it was replaced in an instant by a foreign sensation, even far worse. At first, I couldn’t place my fingers on what exactly was happening to me. All I knew at the time, however, is, that I felt queasy, hot, chilly, and sweaty simultaneously.

Strange? Yeah, I know that, too.

Things got no better fifteen minutes into the ride. Despite the gust of fresh air assaulting me atop the bike that windy Sunday, I was sweating buckets. And I felt a little edgy, too.

A whole five minutes passed before I finally figured out why I was feeling the way I felt, and for me to recognize all the sensations earlier as early signs of ‘the runs’.

Thirty minutes into the ride, I felt no better still. In fact, it takes bike pooling with another passenger to keep me from doubling over in pain and uneasiness behind the bike man.

Luckily for me, we arrived at Apata. Not that I know how or when as I had already lost track of time and space by then.

It was hard not to miss out on the things going on around me with all that was going on inside of me.

No sooner had the bike man killed the bike’s engine, before I jumped off the back of the bike, fished into my pocket for my wallet, and settled my fare.

It was right after I alighted from the bike and was walking the short distance to the junction where I will board the bike that will take me on the final lap home, however, that things reached a breaking point.

It began out of the blue with the loud grumbling of my stomach accompanied by a feeling of a strong presence pressing hard against my anus. Followed by the risings of goose flesh all over my skin, then, a fresh bead of cold sweat which broke from somewhere in my pores and slid down my back. And eventually, the sudden tilt of my world.

By the time I got to the juncture and was trying to flag down a bike, I have become extremely apprehensive so much so that I have begun to lose every sense of comportment and propriety.

The buttons on my snug-fitting Buba had all but gone loose. The drawstrings holding my Sokoto in place have been loosened a notch. Even the bag I was carrying on my person was now at my feet. All the while, I prayed fervently in my mind to the skies to hold this rain of shame about to fall a little longer… till I at least got home.

After about thirty seconds of praying, God came through for me, because a bike skidded to a stop in front of me and the young midget-esque man mounting the bike demanded where I was headed.

Without any reservations, I told him my destination straight away. In return, he gave a subtle slow nod which I took for a yes.

Having concluded in my mind not to bike pool on this occasion, I mounted the bike with one swift swing of my long legs, planted my posterior on the seat, and instructed him to get a move on with me as his only passenger.

My decision this time was spurred both by the urgent need to empty my bowels and the uncomfortableness and apprehensiveness I felt.

Economizing be damned just this once!

If I had felt any bad earlier, by the time we hit the road again, things went completely downhill. The apprehension I felt tripled. The sweat down the side of my face and the back of my neck now came in rivulets. Even, the force I felt pressing against my anus had intensified greatly, with the recent moiling of my stomach as a little add-on.

Just within brief minutes on the bike; I had hunched over for like three times, squeezed my face in pain five times more, and more so, thrashed and twisted a couple of times already. The last thing I couldn’t do while this silent war raged on inside of me was telling the bike man to fly and get me home pretty soon.

When I couldn’t take the pain any longer, I asked the bike man to stop the bike by a way bridge on the road.

It turns out the young man was indeed a gentleman, and deservedly so because he shut off the bike’s engine in no time, and parked by the curb without questions.

Seeing as he was cooperative, I had no difficulty relaying how I was feeling at the time to him and the dire need to go number two immediately… lest I do it on my body right there and then.

A true Guardian Spirit that he was, he quickly pointed to a path in the bush by a river and told me to go get my affairs sorted out in there.

Being an upstanding citizen all my life, I had to consider this for a moment. After which, I was instantly reminded of my current plight and why I had to do this in the first place.

At that moment, the sweat pouring off of me, and the tugging in my anus was at an all-time high.

Without any further deliberation, I took off into the bush, carrying my bag and the bottled water I had all along with me.

I had to slow down a bit by the time I got to the mouth of the path as there were vestiges of the activities carried out by people, who like myself have found themselves in a similar situation at one time lying around everywhere.

Treading cautiously around these human dumplings, I found a perfect spot in a corner, dragged down my Sokoto, crouched down, and got down into the matter at hand.

I was done within minutes. The reason for this not by a long shot, of course.

Feeling a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders now that I was done, I cleaned up with the bottled water I had carried with me earlier, tightened the drawstrings of my Sokoto, and strapped the bag to my back.

When I got back into the open some moments later, the bike man was patiently waiting on top of his bike, with both legs straddling either side of his bike.

On getting to his side, I thanked him profusely for his patience and humanness and got on the bike the instant he kicked the engine back on.

I got home five minutes later to the hurrahs and welcomes of my neighbors and friends.
The funny thing, however, is, that in all my recounting of my time in Osun, I never for once did mention this part of the account to any of my friends.

This practically means wherever you are reading/hearing this account from, you’re not just hearing it from the horse’s mouth, but you’re also reading/hearing this strange ordeal for the first time.

All in all, I hope you understand the reasons for every of my action, and wouldn’t fault me for any of them if you’ve ever been in such a situation yourself. And if you don’t, hell if I care what your opinion is.

But anyways, you can wait till you someday find yourself in my shoes to see if you would make better choices.

"My Pun is something to be studied like Egyptology; 'cause they need to be Tut and Seth as exams to be understood."

You again? I never even finish the Full Moon, and now you're here with a new banger. You're something else I tell you, dearest Everton.
By the way, can you let me in on your secret?

@Madam Rosemary, I'm so in love with this just concluded chapter. I love your picturesque depiction of heaven so much that I can't help thinking heaven shouldn't be anymore grander. Above all, I love the ring of spirituality in the chapter and Paul's POV.

everton4life:
At the first bolded, no you haven't. You've only mentioned my narrative style.

At the second bolded, no. I've only read books by R.L Stevenson, James Hadley Chase and my favourite author, Stephen King

Well, I guess I did now. Don't I?

Those are great writers you mentioned. But anyway, you can try out those two guys, too. I think you are cut from the same cloth.

everton4life:
Thanks, man. You were right. I let the emotions of readers get to me. I'll work on that next time

Don't make it next time, please. The final chapters of Dominic's bane need a rewrite. I feel Jeremy and Mandy's uncle need to lose someone and live with the hurts all the rest of their lives, too.

LarrySun:
Thanks for the observations concerning the diamond. Actually, I made some research concerning that and I discovered that diamonds can be broken by a hammer. To a geologist, the hardness of diamond means resistance to scratching. Diamonds are hard, but they are incredibly brittle. A hammer can break a diamond.

However, having said that, my idea of a black diamond was supposed to be fictional.

Okay. Thanks for the enlightenment, sir.

I get the idea behind the Black Diamond

Madam Rose, I recalled you saying this story was inspired by true events. What I can't seem to fathom, however, is, how the people who happened to manage the situation.

'Cause, this is too much and spiraling out of hands already.

Wait, Everton did I ever tell you, your dialogues are top-notch?

I think it is one of your strongest suits as a writer aside from your plot and narrative style. Anytime I read the dialogues in your story, I'm just wowed, and I can't help thinking if you're a Nigerian or not.

Anyways, I guess it's time to reveal that.


Btw, I've only read five chapters of the Full Moon, and I am quite certain it's gonna be a superb read. Gat me feeling the vibes of the dark mysteries already with the hints of horror, superstition, and cheekiness.

One question though, have you by any chance read any of these authors; Douglas Clegg and Dean Koontz?

Hooked. Just hooked!
What a way and place to leave us hanging.

I have to hand it to you man, you know exactly what you are doing!

everton4life:
Thanks,man. And welcome. I hope to see more of your comments as I regularly update

I gat you big, man. Although I must air my opinion as regards the last book. I was actually offed by the last few updates of the book. I think you were a little bit unfair with the Vampires. You make them seem weak and inferior. A little twist would have given the book a grand ending. Some loss recorded on the werewolves' end would have been just perfect. Imagine killing off Mandy, Dahlia, and maybe Verona or June. Also, I feel Dominic didn't live up to being that fearsome vampire. Why would he die without putting up much of a fight?

Anyways, I want to believe that's not you writing in those last chapters. You have let your emotions and that of your readers get in your way. Because the Everton I know will never give such an ending to a great story.

Tell you what bro, finishing with the unexpected is what makes a great story. So please try and tweak some things before you go live with the book.

Always rooting for you, man!!!