Photo sourceWhen will you be back Dad?'' Shola asked with a tearful voice and sure enough, his eyes showed signs of be moist and seems to be heralding the slipping of a tear or two. his dad who had promised to take him out for his thirteenth birthday was leaving home for a business trip to Oyo. Shola had been looking forward to this outing for the past two months but just about six days away, his dad was suddenly leaving home on short notice. I truly don't kow son" his father replied. ''I am sorry I won't be around to take you out as I promised. But your mum is here, she will fill i for me, okay?'' "Okay'' Shola replied but the tone of his voice betrayed his emotions. He was not happy with the plan but he had to accept it anyway. Now, gather yourself up and be a man. Take good care of your mum okay? You are now the man of the house and I leave everything in your care. Remember you are now a big boy and also the boss, and big boys don't cry" his father said in abid to lighten his heavy mood. "Okay dad. I will do as you say" Shola replied while trying to force a smile. "Good boy! Now get my things, am running late for my flight!'' Shola ran into his father's room to get his bag and suitcase. He took them down to the car, threw open the boot and put in the stuffs. He waved to his dad as he drove out of the house. Shola was not happy for the reminder of the day. He had promised his friends that his birthday was going to be fun and he had spent many hours a everyday for the last twenty or more break and recess period in school and out of school to brag about how fun his birthday was going to be and how his dad will surprise him but it seems this year was going to end as the past three years had been. It will just be the usual going out for ice cream with his mum and then back home again. His mum had been trying her best to fill in and he appreciated her but this year, he had bragged a little to much and naturally, it would not have made a difference if he went out for his birthday with his mum or dad but he needed to protect his pride, and that was only possible if his dad did the taking out. But it seems he will lose out after all. This i

Photo sourceChidi looked across the lake and he blinked rapidly to hold back the tear that threatened to break through and betray the gale of emotions blowing within him. He missed his friends, he missed his early days. His mind raced to that chilly morning that separated him from his home, his friends, his early days, two decades ago... Chidi get up!'' it was his mother calling. ''Your uncle is here. You need to hurry and take your bath, the journey to the city is far''. Harry hastenly stood up from the bed and hurriedly rolled up his sleeping mat. The prospect of going off to the city has always kindled a new fire within him and he had been doing the countdown with his friends, Ikediora and Chidozie. They chatted about what he was to expect and what he may have to take along with him. The prospect of him leaving has triggered moments of excited chats and hopeful wishes within them. They chatted on what he will see, what he would do and places he would see but what took up most of their chatting space was how he would blend his village hobbies with his new found environment and that puzzled them a lot! A whole lot! My cousins told me last time they came home that there are no bushes and trees there, how do you intend to get your ukwa fruit and pear''? Chidozie had asked him with a puzzled expression. He had been told about life in the city by his cousins who came home two years ago for christmas and also to attends the wedding of his immediate elder sister, Akunna. Am really at a loss too''. Chidi had said. ''It will be very disheartening for me if I can't find my favourite fruits there. How will I cope without those fruits for that long? I can't even begin to imagine that scenerio!" What about your catapult? If there are no trees and bushes, that means there will be no hunting of birds and rats and it will greatly affect your shooting skills, that means we may lose out to Akpu and his gang at the end of the year shooting face-off! Remember we 've been beating them for three years straight and two more times we will be able to get the little billy goat promised us by the chief of the village's hunting group." Ikediora said with

As a child, growing up in a peri-urban area close to a military barracks somewhere in Nigeria, I had always come in contact with military lifestyles and military personnels from the army and naturally, we had this flare of wanting to join the army when we grow up and so, action movies got to win our hearts, my heart.

I see a plant with flowers on the point of blooming. One has a combination of which and purple petals with green underlying sepals and the other plant has yellow petals. Refreshing! Says the soft breeze as it wafts across the sea, For the corals had birthed a host of beautiful life, Recreating wonders in sense and smell, Which feeds the sighting eyes with flowers of a kind. The masculine wave washes over the beach, Like a sturdy groom lording over his delicate bride, Yet the harmony breeds not strength in touch, But tenderness in the wash!

Photo sourceAuta had always been drawn to the deep, untamed forests that stretched beyond his village. The towering trees, the thick undergrowth, and the chorus of life in the woods had a magnetic pull on him. Yet, it wasn’t just nature’s beauty that beckoned him; Auta had heard tales of the legendary leopard that roamed the forest—a creature so elusive, so deadly, it had become the subject of both fear and reverence. Being the last son in the house, the reason he was given the name 'Auta' which means the most junior. He had grown under the constant supervision of his parents, especially his mother who saw him as the succor of her old age. He was rarely left to go out on any form of straining adventures like his age mates do. "Who will stay with me of anything happens to you" his mother will say when he seeked her permission to go hunting or fishing with his friends. "You older siblings will soon leave and I can't bare living alone in my old age".

Photo sourceHmmmm... Where do I start from? I live in Gwazunu-Suleja, Niger State, North-Central Nigeria UP NEPA!!! This is the shout you will hear all around from children and adults alike in my area whenever the power comes on. This is as a result of the measly power supply we do get. After staying for hours or in some cases, days without electricity, the people get so joyful to see their light bulbs glowing again and this prompts them to give an excited shout. Although, sometimes, the joy does not last as the power supply will be cut off almost immediately.