A mother’s hopeful farewell to her son, who dreams of success abroad, turns tragic as he returns as ashes after succumbing to illness. The story poignantly captures the pain of loss, the harsh reality of unrealized dreams, and the mother’s unending love and sorrow as she holds onto his remains.
IF ONLY HE WAS A GIRL | a short story by Maria Oluwabukola Oni
Sodiq once told him that putting strands from his eyelashes on his father’s footwear could make him forget to flog him. He didn’t believe it, but Sodiq was Alfa Sulaimon’s son and what better time to test the hypothesis than now when he faced imminent agony?
On The Road | a short story by Blossom Umoren
Your foot collides with the brakes and your car screeches to a halt. You lean your head on the steering wheel and begin to sob because, today, you don’t know where you’re going.
Soursop | a short story by James-Ibe Chinaza
Mama will send you to school, and you will return to your room each day and hide because the other boys threaten to stick their hands down your throat and release the poor toad you swallowed. She will say, Touch this world a little bit; it might answer us. You cannot sit beneath your window and cry forever. You will try to obey your mother, but you cannot recognize your hands or this place.
The Things We Leave Behind | a short story by Torkwase Igbana
Mfe, my brother now offers me stories and laughter in a desperate plea that I remember him, that in the upheaval of a new life, I should not uproot him from my mind or forget the memories that bind us.
Metamorphosis | a short story by Ikechukwu Henry
Someday, Cletus will become ‘the Shoulder’ you lean on. He’ll express his affection for you, desiring more than just friendship. Because in your last skin, you have learned what he meant, you’ll accept it. He’ll tell you to meet him at his home. You’ll go and he’ll smile when you arrive, groping you, pulling off your clothes from the door.
It Happened In February | a short story by Olajesutofunmi Akinyemi
And despite her fear that he had seen what she’d been up to, a warmth spread across her chest. This was her husband who laughed like Goofy from Mickey Mouse; her husband who, while they were dating, once came to her house by midnight with small chops because she couldn’t stop crying. Her heart clenched; she had to know if there was another woman.
I Am Rainbow | a short story by Collins Ozara
“Have you ever been with a woman?” I didn’t know how to respond. She startled me, and then she kissed my collarbone. My skin tingled with goosebumps at her every touch, and she made her way to my nipples.
Rivers In the Desert | a short story by Mohammed Taoheed
The whirling wind whispered his sagacious sapience in books, and plethoric eyes pleaded assertingly that he dabbled into politics. Like all misologists, he leapt pronto, and he was made the mayor of a state in his sod, UAR.
Project Flame | a short story by Akinsole Damilare
You left the flames too close to the kerosene, and fate, not out of love for you, saving you from the fire, revealing the destruction of your dream… Standing outside like a soldier, you watched as your life project went up in flames, realizing that the world has no heroes.