Mindviewers Stories

She took my hands and made us swirl around in the dust as she sung what she thought was a romantic song- what she learnt from watching a lot of Nollywood movies.
She always dragged me by hand and forced marriage on me despite how young I was. Though I didn't like the fact that she paraded me along the village square and commanded my friends to stay away or snatching my privacy away each day, I still endured her company because she was pretty.

My younger sister and I had gone down to the Villa to celebrate Christmas with Granny and that was where I met my partner- Dubem.
Dubem was obviously older than me and schooled at a private junior secondary school at the town boarder. She was fluent in English which made her a bit respected by her fellow peers and it was with this ego that she had the courage to think she deserved me, a city-boy for herself.

We were walking down the red sand holding hands when she got distracted by an Udara tree (African star fruit). The tree was standing gloriously in a known compound decorated and decorated by the delicious yellow fruits.

"Pluck some Udara for me na, nwoke mara mma" Chidubem said, staring into my face with a pitiful look.

I was hesitant at first but as she pestered me, I decided to challenge my fear, knowing fully well that plucking any fruit in the community was against the village rules.
I was about to throw a second stone to a branch that held ripe seeds, when I felt something grab my arm.
I quickly stared at the spot where my supposed wife Dube was, and Voila! She was gone!
I glanced up to what was holding my arm, it was Mr. Maduka, a scary man who taunted children and disciplined the slightest misconduct.
"Are you from the Eze's? ", he asked me. I nodded instantly in affirmation, trying to wipe my teary eyes with the one hand I was left with.
"I will let you go today, but don't try this again", Mr. Maduka said, taking off his grip on me.

I scurried away happily, hopping along the shorter part that let to my Granny's house. It was my second chance to life and I won't let any Dubem influence my will ever again. Away with the marriage rubbish! I said before throwing myself on the bed.

There was a new hotel around the corner, and during this festive season, I had already concluded with some of my siblings that we were going to go there and spend our Christmas, enjoying the atmosphere and all the fun that comes with it. On Christmas Day, I had saved up a little money, and my siblings had saved up as well for our hotel outing.

When we arrived, we ordered a plate of chicken and some drinks. It wasn't as expensive as we had feared, but we were pleased that our savings had served their purpose.

We were seated and moved from one form of entertainment to another. There was also a hype man who made the whole atmosphere even more enticing and enjoyable. I enjoyed every single bit of the experience—the lively clubbing, the excellent hotel management, and everything else. The staff was surprisingly friendly, which added to the warm

I was going to church with my aunt when we encountered a car on the roadside. It was only about 6 a.m., and we were curious about what it was doing on that back street, where nothing was open and there was hardly any activity. We were baffled by the abandoned vehicle.

When we arrived at church, just before the mass ended, the news broke. The man who had driven that car had already been electrocuted. He had gone there to steal transformer cables, and when the power was restored, it had electrocuted him. As I sat in the church, I couldn't help but reflect on his tragic fate. I imagined the panic and fear he must have felt in those final moments. It made me think deeply about the choices we make and the risks we take.

I imagined how this man who had lost his life must have calculated what he had to do with the money and all. But then here he was, electrocuted and drained of his blood. What could one say about his family, who were waiting for him at home, just because he wanted to steal? Always, nothing good comes from evil. Good is repaid for good, and evil is repaid for evil. It isn't his first time, I guess. But now he has been caught, and he will never have to steal cables again.
Still, I feel remorseful for him and his family. A cable has cost him his life. Though the cable costs a significant amount of money, exceeding over 1 million Naira in this current economy, it’s not worth it. It's not worth it.