<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></title><description><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link><image><url>http://direct.ecency.com/logo512.png</url><title>RSS Feed</title><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 01:11:27 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://direct.ecency.com/@zerah/rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Loving Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[The yellow Danfo oozed of damp upholstery and the faint, metallic tang of old rusty metals. I pressed my forehead against the vibrating window of the almost rickety bus dancing its way down the streets]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/loving-me</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/loving-me</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:57:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4Zpa1VqCu7abvHT6xJp6Wj2yhyRcsSVZV8U1AQyitZU9Mb2u2VtDiQr6jUdf2E4wPvG3vVyM7DfVQtpaFP9vQf8?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Runaway From Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[I had always threatened to move out as a kid whenever Mummy would shout at me. On that particular day, I knew it was my sign to leave. Mummy had just shouted at me for emptying her talcum powder on the]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/runaway-from-home</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/runaway-from-home</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:36:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZpgcaMgembyoCyRtAan4cYyZ1FYgskenKXxT5pViHDzsKLLdfQPwQgJduJFRrhNwvZbMY5thuXPzHpjUiSnfAE?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vacancy At Dinner]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our dining room was never just like a random room in the house. A simple square space with cream-painted walls stained by years of cooking smoke and hands, with a window that was never opened fully. Papa]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/vacancy-at-dinner</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/vacancy-at-dinner</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 07:15:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqskpgQLEUSYQUyNMhmGcUqMhUJaA1qzVQdXLehBf2tApHMG5WjDwrVAK3y8LR6WnQVwDxw5Tgz36prE9mL28v?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Fool I Needed To Be ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I raised my hand before I realized it was too late to change my mind. The lecture hall was already hot that Wednesday afternoon, the kind of afternoon heat that sticks to your back, making you feel very]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-fool-i-needed-to</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-fool-i-needed-to</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:34:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqHQmSJtDeeFRXH7o9W74KMKdxryX3LUYfzSea3QqntXm349fVTzFNUewpzCg4KBgRtWR1wE3SHQf2T8t14pHL?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Simmer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mama Chinedu had promised to teach me how to cook her native soup, the one I had watched her make countless times but never managed to get right on my own. So that particular Saturday evening, after I]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/simmer-4488caf8a285f</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/simmer-4488caf8a285f</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jan 2026 11:34:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZpgtFctsZMeFCU6rTJzUZQSk6Dr27BFhxEcJfDyFUxEhSMj4P7cEW7bJVa2zzvPnkjUF6PQUuXpXCxWz4a7GMc?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Muted]]></title><description><![CDATA[That weird feeling never announces itself, or its arrival. Just quietly it appears, just the way dust settles on a white cloth. That Tuesday, my room held me in, shielding me from the harsh heat in Lagos.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/muted</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/muted</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:45:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4Zpgi5sfKHTQ14PnjFkm6nDq9amNDcJD49qacnkjhCwpokf8XS8bNXV9mZKt7YdN2yPtHFoEVr9SK2eJu5Uc5pA?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Little Ada _ Pic1000]]></title><description><![CDATA[The small can is on the ground, Family and friends have all gather around. Waiting for the special reveal. Would it be a boy or a girl to be. Blue the say would be a boy. And pink a girl. Suddenly, pink]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/little-ada-pic1000</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/little-ada-pic1000</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:20:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/3jpR3paJ37V8XPrHkfZdMt57jY6pRt6zEt5iRJV9r93RYWdB1bEFvryJsfpqHENnEuHLyigZY23U2kEKzcdSijvh6mFzCqqjBuUBfu7mta3cNb2PfqDJxSt2PJyxVG57dR4yC?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Weight Of The River]]></title><description><![CDATA["Useless! Rotten, muddy sludge-trap!" The roar of the river swallowed Musa’s scream. He stood in the stern of their narrow wooden boat, shaking a net that seemed like a little pull would tear]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/weight-of-the-river</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/weight-of-the-river</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2026 06:50:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/3jpR3paJ37V8XPrHkfZdMt57jY6pRt6zEt5iRJV9oXaEYX68iLrjbhxvgjQRfZQ6HYCtg1j6CmHSo8fu4WjaiukTYNnVU61ZWYH9EQZkM4Ekn9cM2Jx2xEnrZBPhk7GUxFBfc?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jingle Bells]]></title><description><![CDATA[Deep in the heart of the village of Oakhaven, where snow fell like powdered sugar and chimneys hummed with the scent of pine, lived an old woodworker named Silas. While other villagers were wrapped in]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/jingle-bells</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/jingle-bells</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2025 07:12:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZpvgNm9kLNPqb5RRyUfdfabXJfAs5X2NpJZVdYQTdVqo3NKJsG53DPmKsavov5NwCMv8zwh5H3mdbgYwBBs5Ev?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Silent Lagos]]></title><description><![CDATA[I jerked up from the bed. Something felt off. Something I couldn't pinpoint immediately. I listened but it wasn't there. Lagos wasn't announcing its morning properly. Lagos wasn't awake. I stood up and]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/silent-lagos</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/silent-lagos</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:58:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqpvghkZhAtd5t5H6QcPsFm7W7Ns3ZPeKcVCjiJB8iQMfsicaRLRbB1EoauUatFJMHCoST497DhrZJkcbKerYN?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fume]]></title><description><![CDATA[The room felt wrong. As my eyes flickered open. It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold. It was just wrong like the air on earth wasn't oxygen anymore. At first, I blamed it on stress. Of course, stress has a way]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/fume</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/fume</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 07:40:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZpsZ7YHs97pNTRG8zCriCF48jyFHHN9jeXbgZn5Ya1tyAgPfBDaddmyAQWkps93NUFYwvhEwG9BDjL7uJs8Tki?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Little Like Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[The cold that hit me that morning as I stepped out of the train station was the kind of cold that sneaks under your jacket to settle inside your bones. Sunderland smelled of wet snow pavement and a quietness]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/a-little-like-home</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/a-little-like-home</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:55:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqAoMwNPhYDWMYTXGwEwW9x2vk2yNKocYzhQ2F2u2wALvhEESd27gQzGCPeyCSuhYW7tNq5p5QkJZiUwfbSZmg?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pic1000: Glacier]]></title><description><![CDATA[We sailed past the glacier with your hand in mine, The world was so still, like we were the perfect characters I loved how you laughed as the snow kissed your hair, and I thought such beauty would never]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/pic1000-glacier</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/pic1000-glacier</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2025 15:36:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4Zq6wk4Q14bn2GS6rGaPfpcUcpg1x4bAESS8CnVWZfR9UTV62uG6rWabLdzU7ZgtvaE2PzZDmfUg5mBGzDqwd3t?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[PIC1000- The Girl And The Wolf]]></title><description><![CDATA[What I See A small girl in a red hood walking behind a big black wolf. They are in a quiet forest with orange leaves falling everywhere. The wolf looks a little scary but also calm. The girl doesn’t look]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/pic1000-the-girl-and-the</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/pic1000-the-girl-and-the</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:28:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqwAo2Pj8x8GsK9US4UFmHQk7iy9kDw5xZqXv5TSqTbDQf876swtuwVRYoZB9WziGMcydZo672bmUhfkkgx14J?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hard To Say Goodbyye]]></title><description><![CDATA[I woke up with a heavy heart that morning. But trust me, I had no plans of crying. The bright sun burnt my feet as I stood in front of my apartment staring at Mama Chinedu's door. Unlike every other Saturday,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/hard-to-say-goodbyye</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/hard-to-say-goodbyye</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:37:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqENh9Esu5eJjP5yWCw2T2JPWuHiT3zuEH1chBbuZ5UsFGbfGCiq2LpmuJ3C2Xr5hWQpGxEJkC7uPEwiawCzeA?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Fall Of Mama Chinedu ]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was a quiet Friday, the kind of day I had sought for weeks. There was no work for me that day. It was officially a public holiday. The kids were home too. There was no school. Their small noises outside]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-fall-of-mama-chinedu</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-fall-of-mama-chinedu</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:20:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqHsH7BHeoGDHQzx9x9tee9h7LrEb11YVxzBJRL3E7xX19m66zg9Ke9HGPKkALe2UTguMRQDhnMyXN6b7QfmK4?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picture Prompt- A Worker And His Dog]]></title><description><![CDATA[He bends to fix what’s broken, Hands busy but steady, giving it his all. Dusty clothes, sweaty face, It's all work but no fun Beside him is a friend with patient eyes. Dusty paws and soulful gaze. He sits,]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/picture-prompt-a-worker-and</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-161155/@zerah/picture-prompt-a-worker-and</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-161155]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:17:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqwXmcCBnsXVabwevi5pUBvR5cn34an2e7Xzm8ziMBvhtQ31iMantZmAxYnozpY4Eh6PEr9DHbxZJh8H8pP4Mt?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[Without Credit]]></title><description><![CDATA[I remember the loud chatter at the office that morning. The slightest sound of fingers tapping restlessly against keyboards was as if I had a band group playing in my head. The fluorescent lights above]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/without-credit</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/without-credit</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Oct 2025 15:01:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4ZqGuj2TNyn3bW6TRDyCLPhWJ1Vsm2GB7a1wsKhFGzgZsZuCeeQ6xnBQhK7a7gPYncFYi92gW2mzbQyV6dJNWAr?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Let Him Slip Away]]></title><description><![CDATA[I stood in front of my mirror, struggling to fix my hair into a bun. But some stubborn stray strands refused to behave. They kept springing out as if they had a will of their own. I sighed, took a deep]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/i-let-him-slip-away</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/i-let-him-slip-away</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 09:58:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4Zpof3XjeNA8uAWkR6We7YbLTrXhJo1SvCXufUjf86Cq72ZRTifA8BhupTiasKzdhT48o1FDj3ZUCepc89tR67g?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[The King’s Curse]]></title><description><![CDATA[The night Prince Dawit was born, the sky over Axum darkened, cloudless. The stars hid as if they were scared, and a weird, heavy breeze blew. There was panic in the land, especially in the royal chamber.]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-king-s-curse</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/hive-170798/@zerah/the-king-s-curse</guid><category><![CDATA[hive-170798]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[zerah]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:05:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVPgRCnRzbu6rj6tCWHWVCA9ZaKB4Zq7EByvw8JcsqBrfs4qmzir1xRZkigKSVFzB1wJSzQ6jN3Csf5fBeKDvcdCs5S7MeUHo3PnKF812iAcJbZ9fkJ?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item></channel></rss>