Tag: flash fiction
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Boma
Boma doodled on the blank sheet of paper in front of him. He glanced left, then right, head still bowed as if engrossed in some paperwork. But it was all a façade. Deep down he knew, he was only fooling himself. He was illiterate. But he had suddenly been put in the spotlight and he…
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He thanked her, and walked away
Kezia looked at the gentleman in front of her, from feet to toe, toe to feet. A reminder of how low she had sunk. How rich and handsome guys used to pursue her. How she could easily choose them like wine, sip just a little and try the next. It was a privilege for a…
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The laughing hen (Merry Christmas! )
One Christmas morning, a cold harmattan morning, my dad woke up and decided to give some food to the poultry he reared. All around him he scattered corn, and greedily the hens and cocks and chicks ate. The hen to be used for the festivities of the day received more corn, which fell closer and…
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Bull’s Testicle
Times were hard. It was the kind of difficulty that forced enemies to collaborate and thrive. My friend Desmond and his roommates frequently fought. But during tough times like these, no one had energy for quarrels. Initially, Desmond phoned his parents. They were tired of his constant complaints of not having money. “What happened to…
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The last time we saw him
They said it wasn’t his time. That the accident abruptly ended his young life, and great dreams. They said the incident wasn’t normal. That was why the night he was proclaimed dead, no one could sleep in his house, as an invisible hand scattered bowls and plates in the kitchen, opened and closed doors in…
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A lot has changed
Giovanni, a lot has changed since you left. Mango Street is no more what it used to be. Remember the spot where Alima and Saada fought one New Year eve? We woke up one morning to find a thief lynched and tied to an electric pole there. We did not know how the whole incident…
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Pages flipping
An album, pages flipping as its owner narrated the stories. Of how they met, when he proposed, how many times she turned him down even though she liked him, the games and finally the trophy, which is her ring she got for winning. “What about you, Paul”?“Me? ” I asked, stunned.” Yes! “” Tell us…
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Missing cigarettes
I used to steal from my father’s pack of cigarettes. I hid somewhere to smoke. I remember the sensation as smoke escaped my lips, into the air. It felt great. Especially the effect of the heat on the tongue. This went on for weeks. Little did I know that the old man was aware but…
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Gadji’s wife
Gadji’s wife, Olivia, needed a nanny. The girls were off to boarding school a few weeks after she gave birth to her only boy. Soon, her in-laws would be visiting. She had sent a message to her mother to come and spend some days with her as the business of housekeeping was becoming overly burdensome.…
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A moving song
My next-door neighbor. She was humming. A moving song. Never heard her sing. I lay on my bed listening, wondering what trouble kept her awake this late night, singing to herself. Suddenly, something drummed against my roof. Rain! Without warning? I rushed out to take clothes off the line and in the process, bumped into…
