Hello everyone.
Entry submission for the STACH Anonymous Writing Contest #2 has closed and we have a selection of 4 articles and now we need your votes to select the best 3 a share in the prize pool of 20SBD.
Below are the selected stories and we need you to vote them based on their contents, story line, delivery and word counts.
Type in the comment section with your choice, "Vote Story 1" or "Vote Story 2" or "Vote Story 3" or "Vote Story 4."
- Story 1.
Akin sat on the couch, hands tucked under his legs. The TV was blaring.
“Grandma…” Akin started.
“Hush child,” grandma interrupted him.
Akin sprang up off the couch and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
“So boring!” he yelled.
Grandma turned up the TV.
To make noise Akin started opening dresser drawers but then something caught his eye; a crumpled piece of paper tucked into the bottom of a drawer. Written on it was an address, the number 63 and a 6-digit code.
Akin ran out of the house slamming the front door. Hopping on his bike he made his way to the address on the paper. Tires screeching to a halt, he dropped his bike to the ground and stood in front of an old abandoned building. Creeping up to it he opened a door. Inside, it was dark but he found a rack of old storage lockers. He located locker 63 and dialed in the code. Inside, an object; he stuffed it into his pocket.
“Hey, who’s there!” a man’s voice yelled from the darkness.
Akin ran out of the building and hopped on his bike. He peddled hard and didn’t look back.
“Keep it down,” grandmother said as Akin walked back in the house.
Akin held up a gold coin.
“Where did you find that?”
“Sorry grandma,” he said looking down.
“It’s okay. Your grandpa gave this to me a long time ago…” she said smiling, holding the gold coin.
- Story 2.
We were five and we called ourselves "warrior kids." Fearless for our age, we always dared anything.
After class on Friday we decided to go play in the bush close to the school field. Teachers always forbid students to enter, so we decided to know what could be dangerous in this bush.
We went on a single file, everyone with a long stick, claiming to be ninjas. We chanted words that none of us understood.
Nothing was really scary except birds that sounded strange - like a wicked scene in Nollywood movies. Voices of animals also sounding from a distance, indistinctly. Right there in the middle of the bush, we were confused whether to save ourselves when we still have time, or continue and get to the end of this mischievous adventure. I walked into a cobweb and screamed, the other boys also followed suit and we almost ran away.
"We can't go back now" the oldest boy in the gang said, "let's see what's inside this bush first." (He was nine but also has much courage.)
We saw a big baobab tree with empty calabash set under it. That was as far as we wanted to go but we decided to do one final thing before leaving - acting what we've seen on TV. We found a dead rat; placed it in the calabash. We chanted and blood started coming out from the dead rat.
We all ran and went our separate ways never to return as "warrior kids"
- Story 3.
Whatever!! Dave yelled as he stormed out. he had just been kicked out of his uncle’s house for his miscreant behavior. ideas were in his head, like where to pass the night and to whom reach out. He walked down the street till he saw a bar, by name blue onion. "what a name" he mumbled. it was already past 11pm. I could pass the night here he thought, little did he know he was about to have a strange encounter. After downing few bottles of beer, everything went dark.
Fast asleep Dave was awoken by what sounded like shattering glass. he tried to stand, but realized he couldn't. he was in an unknown location, strapped to a pole. What’s going on he thought, how did I get here? while still in his thoughts, footsteps approach. before him was a stout man, who then yelled "he is awake, lets proceed with the ritual" what! ritual! is this how am going to die?
Few minutes later, Dave came running out of the house, seemed he had escaped his captors. two men came running after him with torches, it was a thick and rainy night, you could barely see your front. Dave kept running till he kicked something and fell. it was a decomposing body. this sent chills down his spine. I must survive he said. he got up and continued to run till the movement of his captor’s torches seemed far enough. This was just the beginning of his adventure.
- Story 4.
Ade wiped the sweat accumulating on his forehead. Hunting with his uncle in the forest was how his weekends were going to be this holiday. He hated everything. The moist heat, the smell of rotten leaves and the tse-tse flies. This wasn’t hunting to him, where was the fun in watching traps all day. Thankfully he came with his headphones, his music was going to be his companion today.
The duo had gone deep into the woods to lay some new traps when Ade noticed that he was alone. "Uncle!" he shouted. There was no response. It was getting dark and he began to panic. He remembered stories of people that went into the forest and never returned.
Ade knew he had to get back home before nightfall. He had walked this forest twice with his uncle. Through his journey he saw the beauty of the forest, he heard the singing of the birds on the tree tops and even he saw a red fox as it ran into the bushes with a small animal in its mouth. That was when he realized that he had never stopped to appreciate his previous walks.
3 hours later Ade was home. His uncle ushered him in and said, "I hope you enjoyed your time alone today". Although he realized he was left there on purpose, he had made up his mind to explore the forest more. He may not have liked hunting, but he had a new-found interest.
So there you have it. 3 of these stories will share from the 20SBD prize pool and they need your votes.
STACH is supported by @Sndbox as a Sndcastle project.