Julie She was about five or six years younger than me. Twenty-three or twenty-four, I am not sure. She never told me her age, but I knew she wasn't born before 1989, the year I was born. She was thin, with a voice that sounded like the high-pitched screech of a car coming to an … Continue reading JULIE
writing
What I Chose Not to Do at My Weddings
I wasn’t expecting to get married this year, 2025. I wasn’t expecting to get married EVER. Why? Because I didn’t want to. As a little girl, I never fantasized about having a husband. And yet, surprise! Here I am, married, and blinking like, “Did I just...?”
The mother
The girl's expression is distorted: ‘It’s true, mother! I have visited this life four times before, but this is the first time I’ve stayed.’ The mother turns exasperated eyes from her phone and stares at her daughter. ‘Girl?’ ‘Yes, mother.’ ‘Stop saying that,’ she says, adjusting her long skirt as she shifts around on the … Continue reading The mother
THE VISITS
By Fortune Aganbi Photo Credit: PacificPress via Gettyimages They visit me every time. Sometimes it’s the man. Sometimes it's the woman. Sometimes it's the Thing that restricts my airflow and squeezes my navel. Sometimes it's a song that sings darkness, reminding me I'm in the future, perhaps somewhere in 2050. They all fuck me. The … Continue reading THE VISITS
DEAR LAST BREATH
By Fortune Aganbi The day I learned the meaning of the word "abnegation", I was thinking of stars. Not stars as in heavenly bodies, but human stars. The likes of Beyoncé and Cristiano Ronaldo. When a human being is called a star, the connotation is that the person is very successful and accomplished. And I … Continue reading DEAR LAST BREATH
THE NIGHT & FOREVER JOURNEY
The Night & Forever Journey Despite the high level of insecurity plaguing my country Nigeria, I still travel at night. It’s because I am a man who has ‘strong-head’, a word my countrymen use to describe someone who is irredeemably obstinate. A suitable synonym would be ‘coconut-head’ and that’s what I have: a big hard … Continue reading THE NIGHT & FOREVER JOURNEY
THIS IS HOW THIS MAN DIED
His eyes opened inside a coffin. And his eyes opened to total darkness. *** He felt unbelievably hot, and for the first few minutes, he was completely unaware of where he was. At first he thought he was in his bed, but when he tried to move his hands and legs, he found out that … Continue reading THIS IS HOW THIS MAN DIED
DEAR FRED AND THE OTHERS…
It's crazy that it is six months later today after you left that I have found the courage to write about us, my silence, the whispers and the truth. Forgive me, I was gathering storms. It's been hard. Everything. I do not know why I haven't taken my life yet. Perhaps it is because my … Continue reading DEAR FRED AND THE OTHERS…