Chinaza Ezugwu @china

Aftershocks I traveled from my hometown to school, I made a decision to avoid the local food around the area. I had heard stories about the negative repercussions of eating it, and my previous experiences told me it didn’t sit well with me. However, I noticed some of my colleagues, who also came from the outskirts of the community, enjoying their local meals and claiming how delicious they were. It was evident they were genuinely savoring every bite, but I remained hesitant, particularly about trying Okpa that was exceptionally popular in the region.

One fateful day, a neighbor cooked Okpa and brought some over for us to share. The aroma traveled through the air, making it impossible for me to resist. That day, I decided to finally give it a try. I took my first bite, and I must admit, it was incredible. The texture and flavor were unlike anything I had experienced before, and before I knew it, I found myself eating more than everyone else at the table.

But as the night wore on, I began to feel uneasy. I couldn’t shake the growing discomfort in my stomach. The satisfaction of trying something new quickly turned into anxiety and restlessness.

I had replied to a WhatsApp status of my very good friend the night before I slept off. Waking up the following morning, I saw an urgent message. It was like she was in an emergency and needed a way out. She had pleaded that I send her 15,000 Naira, and I wondered what condition must have prompted her to request money that way.

I immediately decided to help my good friend, so I transferred a sum of 10,000 Naira. She was very appreciative about it, and then she wrote another very good and alluring write-up, claiming that she would refund back soonest and that she wouldn't have asked me for the money if it wasn't urgent, and that I should send her an extra 5,000 Naira.

I was yet to process the second transaction when a call came, letting me know that I had been in contact with a scammer and not with my friend Chik's. "Chik's Whatsapp account was hacked at night", the voice said
Feeling utterly defeated, I spent the day replaying the events in my mind. How could I have been so trusting? I thought about all the times my friend had been there for me, and now I was left feeling betrayed by a faceless scammer. I struggled through my daily activities, my thoughts clouded by frustration and regret. I reached out to my actual friend, hoping to confirm the situation and perhaps find some solace. When she replied, confirming that her account had indeed been hacked, I felt a mix of relief and anger.

It wasn't her fault, but I felt like a victim of my own good intentions. I decided to take action reporting the incident to WhatsApp and warning others in my circle about the danger of allowing themselves get deceived like I was.

The bike I was on approached a large water tanker. This tanker is one of those big vehicles that delivers water to people who order it. As we got closer, I noticed that the driver had left the engine open, causing water to spill out all over the main road. The water was splashing everywhere, making it hard to navigate.

I couldn’t help but wonder why someone would let water leak like that, especially when it could be used more wisely. In our state, water is a valuable resource, and here was this man wasting it. Instead of allowing it to pour out on the road, he could have shared it with those in need, especially since many people struggle to access clean water.

As the water splashed onto my clothes and the bike tires rolled through the puddles, I felt frustrated. It’s upsetting to think that someone paid for that water, and it’s just being wasted instead of being given to those who truly need it.

When the bike that I was on finally overtook the big tanker, I made sure I let out my anger as I shouted and gestured at the driver.
I knew he couldn't make out meaning from all I was saying, but his face showed signs of concern.
He honked at us as we disappeared father away, but that left no effect.

The event kicked off at noon, a celebration to remember.
We celebrated Christ the King. The atmosphere was filled with excitement as we prepared to embark on a journey from our parish station, walking through some streets in demonstration before converging back for a sermon and a spirited service.

Everything was organised planned, unfolding in an aesthetic settings plus colorful decorations that celebrated the occasion.

Flower girls scattered petals along our path, their little presence added a sweet sight to the festive spirit.

A shade was set up for our priest, who accompanied us, guiding our walks and blessing the roads we took.

The walking route was lengthy, yet it felt short because we filled the journey with captivating songs and lively dances.

Along the way, I had the pleasure of meeting new friends, all united by love for the word of God and a deep appreciation for the things of Christ.
Happy Christ the King.

After I read Betty's story yesterday, it made me want to read too. I thought about reading for a long time, maybe even for straught 4 hours as 7 hours felt really tiring. So, I decided to read for just a little while instead.

This morning after church service, I went to school buying some snacks to eat while I read. I also took my special water bottle because it helps me feel fancy and solves my thirst problems.

I picked a classroom that I thought would help me read better. At first, I was confident and thought I could concentrate really well because the classroom was empty and peaceful. But then, three boys walked into the room, and I got scared. They sat just behind my desk making me feel nervous and not able focus on my book at all.

I tried really hard to read, but I just couldn't. I kept thinking about the boys and what they were doing. It was hard to forget about them. I wanted to read and enjoy my book, but my worries kept getting in the way.

When I knew that it would be a further waste of time trying.
I gathered my books and other belongings and went to another class which had a mix of students also studying there.

Been asking my uncle for some money. I asked him for a straight one week, which he kept promising he would send the next day. But next day turned into two days. Then unexpectedly, after like three days of consistent asking, he finally sent me a particular amount, and he sent it to my Kuda bank account.

Now, note that my Kuda account was still not upgraded. So immediately, my transaction hung, and they said that I had exceeded the amount for a single deposit. This annoyed me. While I was still trying to solve that issue within that same week, one of my friends stepped on my phone and damaged the screen. My damaged screen was the most painful part. I could have handled the transaction that wasn't going through because I was already making contact with the customer care. Instead, here I was, managing a screen that was broken into pieces while trying to settle the bank problem.

I didn't have the money to repair my broken screen, but asking for help again felt like a never ending challenge. I didn’t know how to approach anyone for money, and for a while, I was trapped.
I knew I needed to contact customer care, but my situation was frustrating. Because whenever they asked me to conform a code or certain pins, I couldn't because my keyboard wouldn't allow.

As the days turned into two, my screen continued to get worse. It got to a point where I couldn't even type alphabets. The most painful part of this whole ordeal was realizing that I couldn’t write my stories. Stories that was my possible hope to get some cash and maybe save to buy a new screen. This inability to express myself through writing felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. It was undoubtedly one of the most challenging moments of my life.

But two days ago, I finally managed to put together some money. With that very last drop of cash, I got my screen repaired and settled the bank issue that had been hunting me.

Now, I’m back to writing my stories, and I’ve missed sharing them with you all. Happy Sunday!

I took my seat on the bus that was set to take me home, many things about the bus was getting me uncomfortable especially the sound of the engine.
It was going to be a long day, and the road was long and dry. It was 3hr journey to my house.

As we approached a police checkpoint ahead, the bus came to a halt, and my heart sank because they will be waisting more of our time. Instead of conducting a proper check on everybody, they were busy moving their eyes up and down through the passengers, and like a scene from a Nollywood movie, they picked three of us out from the crowd, two women and one guy.

One officer barked that we stepped forward, and then I felt fears running through me. What had we done to deserve this? Was it the way I was dressed? My sunglasses or my jeans? With hesitant steps, we approached them, and truth be told, I was scared.

As we stood by the bus, the officers instructed us to identify our belongings. I felt like a criminal. I slowly pointed at my bag. The officer’s expression was hard as they roughly went through our things, and I couldn’t shake the thought: Will they find something? Something that would turn this moment into a nightmare? Because I had some paracetamol and septrin tablets.

Do you have anything illegal on you?
one officer threw the question at me. I began to stammer but I was able to say no afterwards as I shook my head.

Yesterday was a special day because it was my friend’s birthday.
We all who celebrated her on WhatsApp was invited in the evening, we gathered to eat cake and enjoy the moment with her.

But then, After I ate some cake, I got a terrible stomach ache. At first, I thought it was just a random ache, maybe because I drank too much water at night. I didn’t think much about the cause.

Later, when I met with some other friends who were at the birthday party, They also had stomach aches.
We all started talking about the cake, and that was when we figured it out.

The cake was so sugary There was so much icing sugar on it that we could barely taste the real cake itself. It felt like we were just eating sugar alone.
Is cake sugar?
We enjoyed the sweetness no doubt but the stomach ache😞
I'll have to be more careful about cakes that is coated with icing from now.

My fellow prople come oo, I bought a hotplate with dreams of boiling water, cooking quick meals, and other things especially as an emergency helper if my gas finishes while cookibg.
For the first few days, it was fantastic. I loved how fast it heated up and blah blah blah, all at first!

But then, something lead to another and our street had some electrical issues in the house that lasted about a week or two, I can't rember exactly.
It was best to keep the hot plate unplugged and tucked away until everything was fixed, I put it in a safe area to avoid stories that touches the heart.

This morning I woke up to see light.
Feeling excited , I carried the hotplate from where i kept it to my kitchen.
I plugged it on and then placed a kettle of water on it.

As I watched the water start boiling. I was ready to make my tea. The steam began to rise, and I could see the little bubbles dancing on the boiling water.

I bent to grab my kettle from the hot plate. And that’s when it happened, the kind of shock i received on my hand. After I trembled back, I stood back and still got about 5mins thinking about several things that I can't even mention.