Mindviewers Stories

I got a new phone over the last two weeks, and I enjoyed using it. I wasn't sure about the system UI and other features of the phone at first, but it turned out to be very nice. It has good RAM and good ROM, and its processing unit is top-notch.

I liked everything about the phone except for three things. First, the battery doesn't last as long as those of Infinix and Redmi phones. The other thing was that it heated up a little bit when I multitasked on the phone. The third thing, which is the most frustrating for me, is that I couldn't find a protective pouch for the phone. Even the screen guard isn't available in the market; they say the edition of the phone is limited. I bought this phone at a high price, and I can't risk it falling to the ground.

Since the phone and its spare parts aren't available anywhere near this market, I find it hard to be truly happy about getting a new phone. If anything happens to my phone’s screen or the touchpad, I’ll be spending a lot.

With prices having doubled, ordering parts online from branches or headquarters in Lagos will cost me a significant amount—approximately 30% of the phone's price and I’m not willing to take that risk again. I’ve already invested a lot in buying the phone, and I don’t feel that I should spend more if anything goes wrong with it. Besides, I simply don’t have the money for that.

A friend of mine visited me, and while he was on his way, he got some food for himself without getting any for me. We are good friends; we see each other almost every day, we share things together, and we are very cool friends. It’s just that he didn’t get my own plate of food while he was getting his.

He claimed he was hungry and had been in school for several hours from morning until the evening when he came and hadn’t had anything to eat. So, I allowed him to eat, but he finished about half of the plate of food. Then, he received a call from his dad and went outside to answer it. That was when I picked up a new spoon and fed myself with the remaining half.

When he came back in, he was puzzled and then just burst out laughing. He knew he couldn't just eat food while I was there and wouldn’t have any, I no go allow am.

I just maintained my seriousness and continued eating. He cannot intimidate me in my own house. By the way, he was the one who came to visit me; he cannot come here, put me in a tight corner, or make me uncomfortable with the good smell of the food oozing all over the place. I couldn't let that happen. I fed myself and when I was done, got some soft drink for the both of us to complement the mood.

I went to buy some rice from the market. When I got there, the price was actually like two times the former price, but I already had an idea of this because I had bought rice in the small market on my street. I expected that in the larger market, the price shouldn't be that costly, but I was puzzled to find out that it was almost the same price as those selling in my street.

After I got my rice, I made sure to ask the seller if the rice had any dirt or stones in it, and she assured me that it did not. Then in the evening, I was feeling hungry, so I decided to cook some jollof rice for myself. I had just washed the rice properly and put it into the pot when I noticed that some rice husk was floating on top of the rice. It surprised me because the seller had assured me there wouldn't be any dirt. I scooped out the floating bits, thinking it wasn't a big deal.

I used a sieve to strain out most of the husk and hoped that would be the only problem. Once I was done cooking my rice, it actually came out very sweet, and the aroma filled the air. I was about to eat when I took my first bite, only to realize that there were about two stones in the spoon of rice I had taken. It shocked me; I took another bite, and the stones made it impossible for me to really enjoy the flavor.

I had paid a higher price for this rice, expecting it to be fine and free from any impurities, especially since it was costlier than the one that had chaff or husk. Now, I found myself having to pick through my rice before cooking it, even though I had already paid for the one that was supposed to be picked and fine.

The dangling empty palm wine cups hung above an omu leaf (palm frond) placed at the entrance of the shrine had retraced my thoughts from my past experiences back to the shrine where I was seated. It was in the late hours of the day. Nevertheless, I was determined to get a solution to my problems.

I watched baba as he bent below-walking out of his inner chamber backwards towards my direction. A clay pot of liquid substance held in his right hand. "You shall sleep in a graveyard for three days. With that, your problems will be over," he broke the silence. Then sat on a mortal.

"How? Isn't there another remedy?" Disbelief and anxiety were all written on my face like a child scribbling on a piece of paper. He stood up from a mortal already turned upside down-the reflection of the portable lantern lit beside a human skull before me enabled me to see the white chalk beneath his eyes. He wore a wicked countenance.

"That is your only solution and you must adhere to it, because I've consulted the gods already," he thundered then made his way to his inner chamber. I rustled my feet out of the shrine after a while. It felt as though I was going crazy, the thoughts of sleeping in a graveyard with evil spirits and dead bodies frightened me that I had to walk back to the shrine to plead for baba to allow me sleep in his shrine; I couldn't walk gently into that cold night.

Just take a look at Jennifer, my course mate, extremely beautiful with nice curves. Whereas, I was the opposite. I was given several ugly nicknames that threw me into depression and envy towards Jennifer. I was never in the category of "The beautiful ones". I wanted to be like her or even better than her, I desired for those attention she normally gets from random guys including her male friends. For months, I battled with inferiority complex and that was why I walked into the shrine to seek for solutions; I need to be more pretty than Jennifer.

I sank in my thoughts and soon, sleep clouded my eyes. Two days later, I headed straight to a graveyard far away from my lodge. I went that far in order for my room mates not to have a clue of my whereabout. I walked into the graveyard, quietly peeping through the thick darkness in search of a place to lay my head. Bones sat dangerously beside a rusted coffin. Fear gripped me.

Finally, I found a resting place. Although, close to a thick forest. My stay in the graveyard wasn't an easy thing. I was tormented by evil spirits every now and then. They took turns coercing me to drink several mixtures and blood from a filthy old pot, threatening to take my life if I refused to obey them. Three days seemed like one month in the graveyard.

When the three days elapsed, I walked home feeling nauseous, the boils on my face grew bigger each day that I almost died. I couldn't breathe easily, my body system changed drastically and several incurable diseases were found in my body system.

You're not defined by what people say about you, don't give a listening ear to those who try to make you feel less of yourself. Beauty doesn't apply to physical appearance alone; you're beautiful inward and outward so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Love yourself and never stop appreciating your uniqueness.