Hello, Everyone!

Welcome to the third Batch of the......

And having this is a picture prompt, we present to you the prompt for the STAGE TWO!!...

And we have the following contestants for this batch;

016 MadamFieryLove

017 Huntress

018 Blue N' Grey

019 Pink.

Now without further Ado, let's begin!

MADAMFIERYLOVE 016.
TITLE: THE TRIUMPH OF LIGHT

Deep in the heartlands of Nigeria, a small village nestled among the winding rivers and dense jungles was shrouded in an aura of mystery and fear. Legends whispered of a mystical dark woman, an otherworldly entity whose piercing blank eyes struck terror into the souls of those unlucky enough to cross her path.

It was said that she emerged from the shadows of the moonless nights, her ebony skin glimmering under the faint glows of the stars. Dressed in flowing black garments adorned with intricate golden patterns, she wandered through the village silently, her every step leaving an eerie echo that sent chills down the spines of the villagers.

Her presence alone seemed to bring misfortune and tragedy. Crops withered, livestock perished, and once peaceful nights became plagued with haunting nightmares. The village was imprisoned by her malevolent power, and the fear among the villagers grew with each passing day. Edunadi, her name forbidden to the ears of the villagers.

Amongst them, Awelewa lived, known for her courage and resilience. Determined to unlock the secret behind the dark woman, she embarked on a perilous journey into the heart of the supernatural.

Guided by ancient tales and wise elders, Awelewa ventured deep into the ancient forest where spirits and ancestors were said to dwell. The atmosphere grew thick with extraterrestrial energy, and Awelewa could sense the dark presence of Edunadi drawing nearer, unsettling yet captivating.

The moon soon reached its Zenith, casting an ethereal glow. Awelewa stumbled upon an ancient shrine hidden amidst dense foliage. The air grew colder, and a voice whispered soothingly through the wind, warning her of the dangers ahead and the consequences of her quest.

Undeterred , Awelewa pushed onward and forged ahead, her determination overpowering her trepidation. Inside the shrine, she discovered a tattered scroll, brittle with age and bearing hieroglyphics that told of ancient rituals and forgotten deities.

The words spoke of Edunadi, a dark-filled enchantress cursed by her insatiable desire for power and blood. It was said that her blank eyes bore testament to her insidious past with dark forces, granting her dominion over the shadows.

With newfound knowledge, Awelewa knew that she held the key to defeating the enchantress. Armed with bravery and the inherited wisdom of her forefathers, she returned to the village, ready and capable of confronting the malevolent entity.

As she prepared for the final showdown, Awelewa sought guidance from the village elders. She gathered offerings and prepared herself mentally and spiritually for the battle to come. On a moonlit night, with the entire village anxiously awaiting the thunderous clash between light and darkness, Awelewa stood at the center, a beacon of hope, strength, and determination. Edunadi emerged from the shadows, her blank eyes fixed upon her adversary.

Awelewa spoke, her voice filled with conviction, "Edunadi, your reign of terror ends tonight! I have come to reclaim the peace and harmony of our village."

Edunadi's voice echoed with a sinister tone, "You dare challenge me, mortal? I have consumed the souls of many, and you shall be no different."

Awelewa, undeterred, responded, "I bear the power of my ancestors, the spirits who guide me. With their strength, I shall banish you from our land."

A fierce and gruesome battle ensued, a clash between the forces of light and darkness. Edunadi summoned the shadows of the night to suffocate the light that emanated from Awelewa. But Awelewa, fortified by the spirits of her ancestors, fought back, wielding the ancient knowledge and invoking sacred incantations passed down through generations.

With each incantation, Edunadi's power weakened, her hold over the village diminishing. As the first rays of dawn pierced through the horizon, Awelewa unleashed a final surge of energy. With a cry of pain from Edunadi, Awelewa banished her back into the depths from which she came.

The villagers rejoiced, their prayers answered, and lives restored. Awelewa, hailed as their savior, had not only defeated Edunadi but rekindled the flickering hope extinguished in their hearts.

However, the victory came at a cost. Awelewa, having wielded the ancient knowledge and invoked sacred incantations, suffered consequences beyond the physical battle. It was said that she never experienced her monthly flow, thus seizing from her the opportunity to become a mother and bask in the euphoria of motherhood.

This sorrowful truth weighed heavily on Awelewa's heart, and she sought solace in the goddess of the land. In a moment of introspection and vulnerability, Awelewa stood before the shrine and prayed, "Divine goddess, I have endured much to protect our village. Though I am grateful for our victory, my heart aches for the loss of motherhood. Is there a way to ease my sorrow?"

To her surprise, a gentle voice resonated within her being, "Awelewa, brave and devoted, your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. I grant you the gift of guiding and nurturing the children of our village. Though they may not share your blood, they shall forever carry the warmth and love of your spirit within them."

Tears filled Awelewa's eyes as she felt a sense of peace and purpose wash over her. From that day onward, she embraced her role as the village guardian, pouring her love and wisdom into the upbringing of the children. While she may not experience motherhood in the traditional sense, her legacy would live on through the hearts and lives she touched.

And so, Awelewa's tale became a legend, a testament to courage, resilience, and the enduring power of the human spirit to overcome even the darkest of forces.

COMMENTARY: Wow, I'm thrilled.
Judges, let's hear from you.

JUDGES REVIEW.

JUDGE JK ROWLING

Look, I am going to give it to you, I see EFFORT.

And that's what I like. I can see the effort that you put into this work to make it better than the work you had sent in for last year. The punctuations are on point , the work is neat, and the story is quite alright. I love that you are trying and you are pushing yourself to the point that it shows in your work. I really do hope you go far in this competition; more grease to your elbows, MadamFieryLove.

JUDGE ARUNDHATI ROY

😩 What an opening paragraph👏

I really love your opening paragraph but after that, everything sort of went downhill from there.

Don't get me wrong, I love your entry, it's a great one but it was difficult for it to hold my attention because the story was narrated to us. Narrations hardly work in fictions because it doesn't really allow readers to get into the characters' minds and feel for them but despite that, you were still able to do something worthwhile with your entry and this entry shows that you've grown since the last one so keep it up. I'm hoping to get surprised by your next entry(if you make it past this stage)

JUDGE ACTON BELL

Thank you for taking to correction. Thank you for making me smile. You did way better than your first stage and I'm happy about your improvement. Your story wasn't the most spectacular, but it reminded me of Moremi and her sacrifice. Beautiful. Of course, you still have more stuff to work on, but I like your resilience. Keep it up, MFL.✨

JUDGE WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Improvement is what i liketh to seeth. And madam fi'ry loveth, i has't to giveth t to thee. This piece far bett'r than thy lasteth. Th're's a v'ry big diff'rence and i'll commend thee f'r yond. This is quite quaint. Well-done.

Improvement, growth is what I like to see. And Madam Fiery love, I have to give it to you. This piece far better than your last. There's a very big difference and I'll commend you for that. This is beautiful. Well-done.

JUDGE MAYA ANGELOU

This is a lot better than your first entry. I mean, you are not totally there yet, because your story was a little hard to read due to the fact that it was written in narration. We need descriptive writers. But then, I think you are intentional about learning and growth and I like that.

Thank you for not making the judges' vote of mercy be in vain.

JUDGE KAREN KINGSBURY

I do not have much to say about your work. Your punctuations were on point and you arranged your work well. However, your piece did not stir any emotion. The only one it managed to arouse was slight pity for Awelewa.

COMMENTARY: Oh, wow. Let's move to the next contestant.

017 HUNTRESS.
TITLE: GONE.

Two months ago.

Kaka sighed listening to Eve rant. Cars, cars and more cars sped by. It's 1pm. Everyone seems eager to get somewhere.

"Just give me 20 minutes."

Eve hissed.

"Don't worry, when I get there you can shout on me as much as you want."

Eve cut the call.

Thirty minutes later, she got to Eve's house. Kaka took deep breaths, getting down from her car. Eve's blood would be boiling by now. Eve hated lateness and wouldn't be interested in hearing her excuse about how work came up this morning, but she'll calm down eventually. Eve's security man greeted her as she ambled in.

Someone screamed. They went to see where it came from.

Eve should be home. She told Kaka to pick her from here. She wasn't in the parlor or kitchen. Kaka ran upstairs.

"Madam! Madam o!" The security man shrilled from the balcony.

Kaka looked down.

Eve's body lay in a pool of blood. Arms and legs twisted in unnatural angles. Her eyes were open. But void of life.

Kaka began to feel light-headed.

When Kaka regained consciousness, the security man was no longer downstairs. Everywhere was silent. With shaky hands, she called the police.

Present.

Kaka washed out vomit from her face, washing as though it'd make the unpleasant memory disappear. She went back to bed, placed a pillow on her back and continued studying Eve's sketchbook. No vision that Eve drew in it helped her escape death. Burning it seemed like a good idea. But Eve wanted her to keep this, so Kaka honoured that request.

Kaka always wondered if Eve drew her sexual fantasies along with her visions in this book. Eve was quite protective over it. Insisting Ogbemibi, her patron god declared it holy. It's not something mortals can touch anyhow.

The first time Eve entrusted it in Kaka's care was the Monday before she died. Kaka was to hold on to it till further notice. Later that week, Eve decided to go out with her. Eve needed the break, and Kaka hoped that Eve would confide in her after unwinding a bit. Kaka was to pick her up on Tuesday. That was the day Eve died.

Kaka counted to ten. Taking deep breaths, trying to quell her anxiety.

The next picture made her smile. The familiar picture of dad stared back at her. The day he died was on the top. 11th April 2005. Kaka remembered when Eve showed her this picture. Eve's eyes were red and puffy. She was in a blue and white tube top and black shorts. Eve opened a page in her sketchbook and showed it to her.

It was dad. Sleeping on his bed. Eve's drawings were very vivid at 14. She got his face accurately. Even the ugly scar dad said he got from fighting a classmate in secondary school.

"Dad's going to die in his sleep. Tomorrow. His spirit is ready to go home."

Kaka said nothing.

"Nwuzo will escort him to paradise. Our ancestors will welcome him too," she smiled now.

No. Kaka didn't want to accept it. "You're sick in the head."

Eve flinched.

"That man has been suffering from stroke! Instead of you to speak positively, you're here spewing nonsense!"

"But it's true! I thought you'd be happy to see him die peacefully!"

"You thought I'd be happy?! Are you stupid?!"

"You think this doesn't hurt me too?!" Her voice started to shake. "That I can't do anything but watch?!"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Kaka's heart sank to her stomach. She didn't want to make Eve cry.

"If you understood me, you wouldn't talk like this. Grandma's right, you don't understand what it's like have foresight," Eve said quietly. "You're not my blood."

You're not my blood. You're not my family. Kaka laughed bitterly, "So because I'm adopted, I'm not your family?"

Eve looked away. "I know what I saw."

The next day, dad died. Exactly like Eve drew it.

Kaka glanced through more pictures. Tukumo's sharp eyes commanded her attention. They glowed dark purple. An interesting contrast to his dark skin. He did his long hair in cornrows and stood like a general. He wore a purple robe that displayed his horse legs. He had bat wings. A spear and book on his hands. And adorned himself in gold jewelry. At the bottom of the page Eve wrote, July 23rd 2015.

Tukumo is the god of revenge. July 23rd was the day Eve gave her the sketchbook. What connection did Tukumo have with Eve? What exactly was Eve up against?

Two months later.
Nembe town, Bayelsa State.

Kaka leaned against the mango tree, enjoying it's cool shade. It's dawn. Grandma isn't back yet. She scoffed when Kaka suggested following her. "I prefer to hunt alone."

"I understand how you're feeling right now but please, don't be careless with your health."

Grandma smiled, "little girl, no. You don't understand. I pushed out five children. Only one survived. That one grew up and had only one daughter. All, are now dead. There is no reason to care about my health. Who am I living for? If I die, bury me next to Evelyn. Now get out of my way."

"You need rest."

"I will rest when Evelyn's killer is dead! He ran away! Because of you!"

Kaka didn't defend herself by saying not everyone handled seeing dead bodies well. Maybe if she hadn't fainted she would have seen the killer and would be able to identify him or her, but if she had, seen the killer, she'd probably be dead. She sighed, "I don't like arguing. I'm just worried-"

"Move."

Kaka muttered a prayer to Keinkio. Let the god of hunters favour grandma. The old woman shouldn't die today. She's the reason Kaka has been in Nembe this past month. Grandma was the only one she knew, who could give her some clues about Tukumo.

The police are convinced Eve's security man is an accomplice and are currently searching for him. They still couldn't identify Eve's killer or explain what exactly happened to Eve that day, frustrating Kaka even more.

Finally, grandma's back. Striding on her walking stick as she came close. Kaka chuckled. This old woman could transform into a werehyena, Kaka wouldn't have believed it if she'd never seen it herself.

"Welcome grandma," Kaka helped her to her rocking chair.

There was silence for a few minutes. Kaka decided to break the ice. She needed to know more about Tukumo.

"How was your hunt?"

"Fine."

"How did you find prey?"

"Observe. Pounce. Subdue. Feast. If you were my biological granddaughter, you wouldn't ask such a stupid question. You'd have werehyena blood, know everything about werehyenas and I'd train you to become a formidable one."

"I was just curious, I'm sorry I offended you." Kaka smiled, "I wanted to ask you something yesterday. I don't know if now's the right time."

"Ask."

"It's about Tukumo."

Grandma gripped the chair tighter, her eyes grew wide. "What is your business with him?"

"Eve had a vision about him the week before she died. I think he's connected to her death somehow."

COMMENTARY: This is a very beautiful piece.
Let's hear from the judges.

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE ARUNDHATI ROY

Hmm hmmm. I don't even know what to say. Maybe I'd have known what to say if you've written your entry in a way that it'd have been understandable.

That asides, your writing is weak, very weak. Emotions and descriptions were hardly felt any the entire story is just not it for me.

JUDGE WILLIAMS SHAKESPEARE

Tense. A sup'r huge problem h're. If 't be true thee wanteth the past, wend f'r t and followeth through. Presenteth, wend f'r t and followeth through. Picketh thy square'r. Switcheth not tenses anyhow. lt causes a whole lot of confusion f'r people who is't shall readeth thy w'rk. Eke, i very much couldn't feeleth aught from thy piece. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Ev'rything wast weak and bland.

Tense. A super huge problem here. If you want the past, go for it and follow through. Present, go for it and follow through. Pick your fighter. Don't switch tenses anyhow. It causes a whole lot of confusion for people who will read your work. Also, I really couldn't feel anything from your piece. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Everything was weak and bland.

JUDGE JANE AUSTEN

This is weird. I think I saw only a smattering of fantasy in this. But even worse, although I could see it, I couldn't feel the fantasy. Honestly, the best advice I can give you is to read more fantasy. Also, that ending isn't ending. Doesn't feel like the end of anything. Even if it was an excerpt from a novel, it doesn't feel like the end of a chapter. You offed the story in the middle of a conversation. That's not done.

JUDGE KAREN KINGSBURY

Your work didn't know whether to be past tense or present tense. Although, it leaned more towards past tense. The way you kept mentioning 'Eve' felt elementary. The only thing you had going for you was your punctuation marks. They were on point.

Other than that, nothing else. The story doesn't have a particular theme. It didn't stir any emotion in me either. I just wanted it to finish. And that ending? It is so out of place in this stage. If I'm to score this over hundred, you would get a twenty. :-)

JUDGE MAYA ANGELOU

Switched tenses at the beginning. Should have been "Eve hung up" not "Eve cut the call".

Asides all that, I'm sorry but your story is grossly tasteless. There are several ways you could have told us about Eve's death, maybe Kaka thinking about it and giving us a descriptive run down of what happened. Rather, you gave us a rushed, shabby version.

Also, I'm not sure what the story is about, and let's not even get started on that ending. Is that supposed to be a cliffhanger?

JUDGE JK ROWLING

Pay attention next time to your tense structures, you mix tenses a lot. When writing, decide what tense you want to write in, if present or past, and follow through with it, without switching up.

You started off "...Kaka sighed listening to Eve rant." Then, went on to say "...It's 1pm. Everyone seems eager to get somewhere." And all these happened to even be in the same paragraph. It's very hard to enjoy a piece when there are too many switch ups in tense. Pick one, if it's present tense, watch how your work should have been worded;

_*Kaka sighs while listening to Eve rant. It's 1pm. Everyone seems eager to get somewhere...*_

Or are you going for Past tense?

*_Kaka sighed, listening to Eve rant. The time was 1pm. Everyone seemed to be eager to get somewhere..._*

You grab?

Please take note of this next time for better work presentation next time.

JUDGE ACTON BELL

First off, what in the name of werehyenas is this? And it's shout at, not shout on. Take note. I honestly wish you could rewrite this story.

JUDGE JANE CORRY

It was like the past and present tense were fighting in the story, cause why would you start off with past tense and be sprinkling present tense in the wrong places.

The sentence "The day he died on the top." Made me confused, which top please, on top of where?
Plus, this story doesn't fit with the picture given to you.

COMMENTARY: Alright, lets move to the next contestant.

018 BLUE N' GREY.

TITLE: IT'S PAYBACK TIME.

Fifty years ago...
The village arena was packed with people and the air was pumping in excitement. The local dance crew were hard at work entertaining the villagers as they danced energetically to the beats being played on the drums. Suddenly, a shrill silence enveloped the arena. The chief priest had arrived. Behind him was a crew of boys carrying a girl bound in white who was as still as a statue. The chief priest walked towards the altar that had been raised right in the middle of the arena. He dropped his hand and like robots, the carriers laid her down. A staff appeared in his hand and after a short prayer and series of incantations, he placed the staff on her. She twitched violently before going completely still. A cloud of smoke appeared and then the body was gone. The villagers erupted in loud cheers. The sacrifice had been accepted.

It was nine o' clock. The streets of Orunwa were deserted like always. There was no sign of life. Even the stray animals knew to keep away. The wind howled as a dark presence loomed over the whole town. The fear in the air was so palpable, it could be smelt from a thousand miles away.

Adesua stared at the empty streets from her window as she let out a heavy sigh. She didn't understand why she couldn't go for her night bath. She didn't even understand the reason for the stupid curfew. To her, it was just fear and paranoia. She scoffed. She was just going to sneak out and have her bath. She was going to be back before they noticed she was gone.

She grunted as she landed ungracefully on her buttocks. Who said scaling walls was easy? She needed to give that person a slap. She got up and scanned her surroundings. The silence was eerie and it gave her goosebumps. She felt a presence watching her but she couldn't see anyone. A cold shiver ran down her spine and cold sweat began to form on her arms. She shook her head and sighed.

"Come on. Are you really going to let some fable scare you? No one knows if it's true anyways. It could all be a ruse," she said to herself in a weak attempt of a peptalk.

She picked up her pace and began the quiet, lonely trek to the village stream. She debated on whether or not to go through the shortcut which ran through the forest and decided the small path was her best bet if she was to make it back in time. Ignoring the warning bells ringing in her head, she made a detour and began the walk into the forest.

The forest was pitch black and void of any life. She wondered if this was the same lively forest she would run around in with her friends while chasing butterflies. There was a stark difference and it felt unsettling to her. Perhaps, this should have been a sign for her to prompt her to return back home but like every protagonist in a horror movie, she ignored all signs and continued on her dangerous mission with a brave face on.

She was halfway into her journey when she heard it. A soft whisper of her name in the stillness of the night.

"Adesua! Adesua! Adesua!"

It was like a siren call which she could not ignore. Before she knew what came over her, she was following the sound. She veered off the path she had been on and began a journey into the thickest parts of the forest. She soon arrived at a clearing where what looked like an altar was.

The altar seemed to be calling out to her and she walked towards it. She was shocked by what she saw. On the altar laid a girl in white, except that the girl looked like her. The girl opened her eyes, her eyes were like endless pools of thunder and Adesua gasped. The girl let out a bone shrieking laugh that shook Adesua to her core. She grabbed Adesua by the hand and a cloud of thunder warped around them both. Adesua fell to the floor.

She opened her eyes to see a ceiling above her. Adesua's lips curled up in a sinister smile. "I'm back, and I'm here for revenge."

COMMENTARY: NICE. NICE. Were the judges impressed? Let's see.

JUDGES REVIEWS.

JUDGE KAREN KINGSBURY

Your story felt like climbing a hill, trying to reach the climax only for the hill to disintegrate right before you reach the pinnacle and then you find yourself on the floor. Right where you started. I do not have time to start bringing out errors. I will just let you know that the one liners you kept towards the ending of your work were not impactful. It made it have an elementary tone to it. Like, Ada goes to school. John fries akara. It was broken and too simple.

JUDGE ARUNDHATI ROY

What were you trying to do with your entry?

JUDGE WILLIAMS SHAKESPEARE

Thee did add the picture given to thee f'r the prompt, but i didn't seeth t in thy piece.

You added the picture given to you for the prompt, but I didn't see it in your piece.

JUDGE JANE AUSTEN

I like this. The ominous nature of the ending leaves you wondering what's going to happen. Intriguing. The italicized prologue also serves as a foil to help you understand what's occurring at the end.
"The forest... and devoid of any life..." Not void, devoid.

This is a pretty good story, although the events that led to Adesua visiting the stream seem a bit forced. Had she ever been to the stream before? If yes, then why does it scare her now? If no, then why does she have to go? She'd been bathing before that day, hadn't she? To avoid questions like these, imagine yourself going through the same events as your character. What would you think? How would you think? And so on.

JUDGE MAYA ANGELOU

Endless pool of thunder? Thunder has a pool? Can you tell me what that's supposed to mean?

JUDGE JK ROWLING

Something about this did not sit right with me.

I can't pin it down, if it was the rushed intro or the plot in general. I felt it was heading somewhere, but it did not do. I would advise to be careful when dabbling into mind mending plots like this, unless you will end up ruining the entire work. There should be a good build up to the last scene, I had a blank face while reading from beginning to end; nothing made me feel on the alert, for even a second.

Advice? Work on your build up next time. You have a bit of creativity, but you don't know how to use it. Work on descriptions too, employ the use of 5 senses (go to 008 Nutcracker's review for explanation on this).

JUDGE ACTON BELL

Y'all really need to learn how to write flash fiction. Anyway, your story was pretty good. Painted a good picture. This is good writing, too. However, in a competition like this, we're not just looking for good writing. If you didn't watch the judges introduction video on our Instagram, biko, goan watch it. And if you did before, please watch it again. Over and over. Maybe that'll be the start of your redemption.

JUDGE JANE CORRY

First of all, you could have put something like present day in after that fifty years ago, To be more clear. When you said she heard a soft whisper, why the exclamation mark? It wasn't some kind of shrill sound. The ending was a little bit confusing, you could have stated that the spirit entered the Adesua sha.

COMMENTARY: Alright, lets proceed to the next contestant.

019 PINK.
TITLE: THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT.

The night was peaceful as the rain lightly pelted down in Ngene Ugbo village and the people slept peacefully.
But somewhere deep in the woods, in a large cave by the waters, Adaugo and Izuchukwu, knelt before the Seer of god Ogbunabali, with their hands and feet bound and their eyes blindfolded. They had been dressed up, as per the usual procedures for the ritual. With white silk wrapped around their waists and expensive gold bracelets stacked on their arms and legs. Golden paint which had been dotted on their faces like freckles resembled the starry sky against their brown skin. Adaugo was endowed in ancestral gold necklaces with chains attached to one of the jewels, flowing down the front of her chest and to her back, where they were hooked together.

They awaited their punishment. A punishment for a crime they didn't commit. They trembled in fright and their jewels jiggled at the slight movement.

On a normal day, they would have wiped out anyone who dared challenge them, but this wasn't a normal day. Today, their powers were gone and they were helpless.

Ancient relics were scattered around strategically and dried up goat blood splattered on the walls of the Ogbunabali shrine. Candles were lit around the Seer, Adaugo, Izuchukwu, and Okojie, with multiple people in red circled around them.

"75 years ago," Okojie began in their native dialect, "Obaci Njideka, the first daughter of Igwalo Nkiru and great grandmother of Ogenyi Adaugo, sought solace away from her many enemies, so she ran to the great Ogbunabali, 𝘏𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘈𝘵 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. Ogbunabali took Njideka as his child and granted her supernatural powers. He promised that all of Njideka's enemies would fail in any attempt to hurt her and her family as long as all of their hands remained clean.

"Years passed, and all of Njideka's first Daughters and Sons inherited these powers and they continued to serve the great Ogbunabali. That was until Ogenyi Ndidi, the mother of Ogenyi Adaugo and Ogenyi Izuchukwu, killed her husband, Ogenyi Jonathan, with her own hands, thereby ending the pact. In a bid to run away from the consequences, Ndidi ended her own life." He took a pause.

The voice was vaguely familiar to Adaugo as her eyes darted around behind her eyelids, desperately searching her memory for where she had heard it.

"But the rites must be carried out. Ndidi's offsprings must pay the lesser price. Ogbunabali has asked for his children, to spare them from their great enemies that have been waiting to attack." Okojie removed the blindfolds from their eyes.

"Ada!" Izuchukwu cried out and tried to crawl closer to his sister but was pushed down onto the ground, his head landing on a small slab causing him to wince in pain.

"Leave him!" Adaugo screamed at the perpetrator. Her concerned gaze reluctantly left her brother and raised to glare at Okojie. Their eyes met and Adaugo gasped at who she saw. "YOU!"

The man she knew as her mother's distant cousin smiled sinisterly at her. That wasn't the reaction she expected. As family, he was supposed to sympathise with them... to gaze at her pitifully. He wasn't supposed to look like he was enjoying this.

As she took a good look at the other people's faces, they looked pleased.

Okojie took a bronze axe from one of the men as the Seer began slurring out incantations.

"Nooo!" Adaugo struggled against the men now holding her as tears streamed down her face. "No! Let him go, please!"

But nobody listened to her.

"OGBUNABALI,"She screeched. "SEE WHAT OUR ENEMIES DO TO US! How can you let them go?" Her last sentence came out in a whimper.

Okojie pushed one of his legs down on Izuchukwu's upper back to keep him in place and raised the axe high up.

Adaugo could hear the erratic beats of her heart over the now pouring rain as she watched her brother try to hold back his own tears.

He smiled at her reassuringly then closed his eyes.

"To the great Ogbunabali." Okojie said,before swinging the axe down on Izuchukwu's neck.

The force sent his head rolling towards Adaugo, leaving a trail of blood along its way. It bumped slightly against her knees as it stopped.

Adaugo stared wide eyed at her brother's head with her mouth open, gasping desperately for air as her body visibly trembled.

Okojie carelessly shoved Izuchukwu's lifeless body to the side as one of the men holding Adaugo violently grabbed her hair from the ends of her cornrows and dragged her across the rough ground to the slab, but she didn't feel anything.

She felt detached. She kept replaying the moment the axe was swung down on her brother over and over again.

She was thrown against the bloody slab and the pain caused her to snap back to the present. Her gaze instantly landed on Izuchukwu's decapitated head, lying where she was before.

Dead.

He was dead.

They killed him.

She let out a heart wrenching. Letting out all the hurt, grief, and pain into it. It startled the occupants of the shrine as the sound bounced off the walls of the cave. It carried out through the woods and into the village. Adaugo didn't hear her own scream though. She felt her throat hurt badly...but she didn't know why.

But the gods heard. And Ogbunabali gave her back her powers, for one last triumph over her enemies.

The shackles binding her broke as she kept screaming, but the screams changed. It was as though a hundred more people were screaming along with her. Her eyes glazed over as a strong gust of wind whirled around the cave, turning off the candles and nearly knocking the men off their feet.

She rose above the ground and the men cowered in fear at the familiar sight. But she was more ruthless than she had ever been. Once blinded by grief, mercy is long forgotten.

She waved her hand to the right and all the men, except Okojie and the Seer, were thrown by an invisible force into the wall. The impact caused rocks to fall onto them, crushing each and everyone of them as their screams died out.

Okojie was the first to start running before the Seer followed. Stretching her right hand in their direction, the Seer's neck was sliced by a sharp thread of wind and he dropped to the floor, choking on his own blood.

Okojie tripped over his own feet at the sight. "No! Please!" He begged as he crawled backwards on his butt.

Adaugo drew her hand back and Okojie was pulled towards her. He stared with fearful pleading eyes as he dangled from an invisible rope around his neck a foot away from her.

Closing her hand into a fist, Okojie's eyes bulged as the invisible force squeezed his throat. He kicked his legs and clawed at his neck but all his efforts were in vain. Soon his dead body crashed to the ground to join the others.

All the power soon left her as she slowly fell to the ground, kneeling in a slouched posture beside her brother's headless body.

"Thank you, Ogbuna... " she said, trailing off as she breathed her last breath.

COMMENTARY: Wow!! What a beautiful story!!

Let's hear from our judges.

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE KAREN KINGSBURY

There is Chinese abi is it Japanese at the top of your work again. Why? What is it? It should have been written in letters. This is a Nigerian work. Nigerian! Inside your work, I saw Asian characters again. Is there more to it?

Also, you do not need to draw the "No". It looks unprofessional. I yawned when I was reading your story.

'She let out a heart-wrenching'. Heart-wrenching what? So, apparently, your work is a tragedy. That's unfortunate.

JUDGE JANE AUSTEN

Tut-tut-tut. Why must it be vengeance though? I've not seen any story about a goddess simply being a goddess. Anyway, this story is somewhat okay. Using Okojie's executioner talk to give us insight into the background of the main fantasy element, Ogbunabali, was excellent. The fight sequences, however, were not really it for me.

JUDGE JK ROWLING

Is it just me or is something wrong in this stage?

JUDGE ACTON BELL

There is something off with this particular statement, "The rain lightly pelted down..." Pelted bawo? You could have simply said, "The night was peaceful as it rained lightly in Ngene..." Pelted down? Please ma, don't do it again. Write your figures in words: seventy-five, not 75. Got it? You could just say, " he paused," instead of, "he took a pause." Instead of saying a sound "carried out through", you could say, "it echoed through..." Understood? Moving on, I don't know how I feel about your story, tbh. It's just there. But you tried.

COMMENTARY: WOAH! That was... 🌚

That was exciting! But you know what's more exciting?? The fourth batch! Stay tuned for more updates from Project Pen!😊✨