PROJECT PEN STAGE ONE

STAGE ONE

PART FOUR

BLIND IMPRESSION STAGE ✨

Here we are again, and tonight, we bring to you the final episode of the Stage One of Project Pen 🎉🎉🎉

So, you know the drill. The title of the Sentence Prompt is The person in the Mirror wasn't me, and we will give out the List of Contestants 015 to 030, before diving right in to continue seeing the entries from where we stopped in the last page, and getting to see the Judges Reviews. Are you all ready??? Let's go!

015              Zirachi

016              Little Creator

018              The Wordsmith

019.             Black Rose

020              Temi_Creates

021              Netsuke_Writes

022              Vinylwriter

023              FayWrites

024              Girlinluv

026              JaneTheVirgin

027             CY

028             Paz

030             Kayen

Now, continuing from where we left off, let's invite......

023 FAYWRITES

SENTENCE PROMPT: THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WASN'T ME.
TITLE: THE DEMON WITHIN

The person in the mirror wasn't me! The murderous glint in her eyes, her disheveled appearance, and the devilish smirk. It just couldn't be me. My once cute dress was now rumpled and stained with blood, the same blood that had splattered onto my face when she- I -...

She grinned at me as if to say 'I did it, now you can deal with the repercussions'.

"Blaze! how could you? Why did you do this? Why are you hellbent on ruining my life?" I cried but she showed no remorse, just satisfaction, the kind of look a wild cat gets when it finally has its prey hanging limply in its mouth. She was enjoying this, seeing me so distraught.

Someone banged on the door suddenly and my brain went into overdrive. My body shook with fear.
No! No! No! I can't go to jail! I can't go to jail! Focus Zara! My head was spinning and I was struggling to breathe.

"Is someone in there? I need to take a leak!" An unfamiliar voice barked through the door. Thank God I had the perception to lock it.

"Sorry! I'm going to be here for a while" I hollered back. I was sweating profusely now. Did he hear the guilt and anxiety in my voice? My heart was pounding so loudly that I could hear it in my head.

"Damn bitch! This isn't the fucking hospital or your bedroom" he swore and left.

The reality suddenly dawned on me. That annoying guy could have walked in, taken one look at the scene, and erupted like a fucking volcano.

"Fuck you, Blaze! This is all your fault. This is your fucking fault!" I ran back to the mirror, whispering angrily and she just giggled...then she was laughing. At me.

I had never felt such hatred towards someone or something before, I always believed there was good in everyone but I had been wrong. There was no good in Blaze, just pure unadulterated evil and she had chosen to ruin me.

"It can't end like this, not after everything I've worked for. I can't go to jail." I mumbled to myself. My eyes burned with unshed tears and my nose was running.

My eyes slowly strayed to the body that was sprawled on the other side of the room. Ian lay in a pool of his blood and I felt sad for him. Albeit an idiotic rapist, he didn't deserve to die- at least not like this.

I walked towards his lifeless body- viciously mutilated, you could barely recognize him. But I couldn't spend time worrying over a dead Ian, getting out of this situation was my top priority.

"I need to get rid of all the shreds of evidence" I murmured to myself as I searched frantically for the knife. I had tossed it away in fear after I gained full control of my body.

I found it at the door of the shower and that was when it hit me. What if they find my prints on his body? I wasn't sure fingerprints could be detected from the human body but I wasn't going to take chances.

I bit my already short nails, digging into my skin. I need help fast and demonic Blaze wasn't an option.

My phone buzzed and I took it out from where I had hidden it, inside my bra. Katie was calling, bless my luck.

"Babes, where the hell are you? I've been searching all over" she drawled. Katie was obviously drunk or tipsy, either way, she'll make a great accomplice.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm in Ian's parent's bathroom but I need you to do something for me." She was quiet for a while...

"Did Ian try something because I swear I'm going to hit him so hard his mama's gonna feel it." Drunk Katie was also pretty aggressive.

"Yes. No. Kinda, I'll explain when you get here. Please, get a disposable bag from the kitchen and vinegar. Don't forget the vinegar."I hung up and gathered some towels for cleaning while I waited.

My phone buzzed again and I answered the call. " Zara, I'm at the door," she said.

"You better start explaining Zara, what do you need a disposable bag and vinegar for? And what's with your bloody appearance" I simply pointed her in Ian's direction.
"Jesus fucking Christ Zara, you killed...who the hell is that?" Of course, she couldn't recognize him.
"Why don't you just go to the press and announce it to the fucking world, and it's Ian" I grumbled.

"You killed Ian? I didn't think you were able to hurt a fly but you killed someone?" She looked shocked and there was something else in her eyes. Fear.

"It wasn't me Katie, I swear. It was her, it was Blaze. I didn't even comprehend anything until it was done." I pleaded. Hot tears rushed down my cheeks. If there was anyone who had my back all these years, it was Katie and now she was afraid of me.

The pain in my heart was too much and I collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"You are trying to tell me that your supposed 'alter ego' killed Ian? This is fucking Nigeria Zara, no one is going to believe that pathetic story". She whisper yelled. I could see the frustration on her face as I sobbed harder.

" You have to help me, Katie. I've come a long way, it can't just go to naught." I begged on my knees...

"Zara, this is different from when you gave Jordan a black eye or when you broke Sarah's arm...this is murder! Jail worthy and I'm not about to become an accomplice" I knew my friend and she wasn't leaving this place without assisting me.

"I promise I'll get treatment, I'll even go for an exorcism after this, please help me. I can't go to jail, especially for Ian's death. He tried to rape me and Blaze just took over."

Manipulation had always been my forte and I could see Katie's resolve crumble after hearing the word 'rape'.
"I can't believe I was feeling sorry for the animal! What do I do with the bag and the vinegar?" She looked disgusted.

"Thank you! Thank you! You are the best" I kissed her cheeks and explained my plan which was pretty simple but effective.

We hauled a heavy Ian into the bath, doused him with vinegar and water, then cleaned the entire bathroom.
When everywhere looked spotless, I cleaned myself up and borrowed a gown from Ian's mother's wardrobe. Katie and I sneaked out of the party undetected with the knife, towels, and my bloody clothes safely hidden in the disposable bag.

Luckily, Ian had disabled the CCTV cameras so I didn't have to worry about that.

The moment we got to our small apartment we threw the bag into the fireplace, took hot showers, and watched 'Friends' while we drank our hot chocolates.

The next day, it was all over the news.
25-year-old Ian Akintobi has been found dead in his parent's house early this morning. His body was brutally mutilated. The police are still investigating the case.

I wish I knew that was just the beginning and that the demon within me had much more in store for me.

The End.

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE ORANGE

Honestly, this story was a bit of a struggle for me to understand. It felt rushed a little. The punctuations were missed out in places; there was no period or comma after the close of a dialogue, and lowercase letters were used in some places where uppercase letters were meant to me.
I didn't get the plot. I mean, I couldn't understand where the story was going. I was a bit lost reading it. It wasn't a bad story. It was okay. I feel it could have been better.

JUDGE PURPLE

Did I feel everything? I did. Was I satisfied, no I wasn't. This is a beautiful storyline, I cant still fathom why I wasn't satisfied. Your grammar was top notch, punctuations, just a few errors. Something felt missing. But this is a unique piece, though the amazing storyline, beautiful grammar, and your work seemed perfect, so the fact I felt something was missing could be overlooked.

JUDGE GOLD

I love how fast-paced and tense your story is. And besides, you did justice to the prompt.

JUDGE BLACK

This story made me laugh. I can't pin down why exactly but it was just funny. And I'm sure that's not the reaction you'd be expecting from a reader. I think the story was funny because it was bland. I'd already assumed that this was a foreign story until I saw, "This is fucking Nigeria, Zara." That cracked me up as well, I'm sorry. If you want to write a Nigerian themed story, make it obvious that yes, these people are in naija. You could do that through their names, through dialogue (throw in a little pidgin here and there), etc. Don't try to whitewash what's supposed to be a Nigerian story. Overall, you could've done better.

JUDGE WHITE

I like the dark, gory theme you went with to interprete the prompt. At first I thought the title would be interpreted figuratively until I started reading and was like _"Eweyy! There is actually a Demon inside this babe."_ .

Your word use was easy to understand and that's very good. Your punctuations could use a bit of work. Sometimes you didn't use any at the end of a dialogue, and when you did, you'd put it after the end quote (" .) . It's supposed to be at the end of the sentence and before the end quote. And also, the unnecessary use of ellipses (...) .

But generally, it was a very good story.

024 GIRLINLUV

Sentence Prompt: The Person in the Mirror wasn’t Me
Title: The Girl I Should Have Been

The person in the mirror wasn’t me. The smile, the look, the body all screamed fake. But then, no one cared anyways. No one cared about this girl who was hurting. No one could see past this façade I put on. They all thought I was fine. But in reality, I wasn’t.

“Teni!!!” I heard my mum scream my name from down the stairs. “I’m coming”, I screamed back. Taking a final look at the mirror, I sighed. I looked perfect by mum’s standards. I walked out of my room, the silver mermaid gown I had on trailing behind me and my silver heels making clicking sounds against the tiles. I got down to hear claps and shouts of Happy birthday Tee from every corner of the house. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I was speechless.

My dad walked forward to meet me at the foot of the stairs and handed me a bouquet of purple and white lotus flowers. “Happy birthday my princess”, he said and gave me a comforting hug. I smiled, leaning more into the hug. “Thanks dad”, I replied as I held back tears so I wouldn’t ruin my makeup. Releasing me from the hug, my dad held out his hands which I took as he escorted me to the living room which had now been rearranged like a grand ball room for my party.

My mum came over to meet us at the center of the room as she grabbed me away from my dad to go and greet some more important guests. I scoffed. Typical of my mum to take decisions without involving my dad. I always wondered why she got married to him if she was going to treat him like that. I found that attitude of hers very disgusting. Leaning over to her, I asked the question that had been bugging me since I got out of my room. “Mum, I thought we agreed on a simple family dinner. What’s all this?” I questioned. “Well, I didn’t agree to that. There is no way the 18th birthday of my only child would be a simple family dinner”, she replied and dragged me off to the congregation of her friends. I should have known these were the people she was talking about. I wondered how these people were more important than her husband.

The next thing I knew, I was greeting business moguls and important people in the fashion industry. I was beyond exhausted and my feet ached from having to walk around in ten inches heels. Excusing myself, I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen stool and sat down, my mind going back to the conversation I had with my mum as we walked towards her friends. “Teni, you’ve got to greet these people well. They are the movers and shakers of the fashion industry. They would be a great help in furthering your career when you finally debut as a model. Do you understand?” she had sung into my ears as we approached them.

I was tired of it all. I felt so suffocated and the day was just starting. I thought of the past 17 years of my life and how my mum had treated me more like a doll than a child. My weight when I was given birth to was 3.5kg, pretty big for a newly born child. I grew up to be a size 12. My dad didn’t mind and always spoiled me with goodies but my mum always disapproved of me eating them. Once I clocked 8, my mum placed me on a strict diet and exercise plan. She constantly drummed it into my ears that I was born to be a model. But that was her dream and not mine; I had no say though. She made me take fashion classes and made sure I maintained a weight of 40kg. On most days, I would not take anything other than fruits and water. I felt so caged but no one knew. Looking outside at the party which was now in full swing, I knew I couldn’t go on anymore. I couldn’t go back to the party neither could I go back to being the Teniola Williams my mum had created. And so, I decided to finally to end it. Grabbing the sharpest kitchen knife from the counter, I plunged it deep into my stomach. Surprisingly, I couldn’t feel the pain and so I pushed it in deeper. I smiled as I saw my blood stain the silver dress I had on and spilling on the floor. Soon, my legs gave way and I collapsed to the ground. The last thing I saw was a reflection of the girl I should have been on the glass doors smiling back at me. I smiled back and then embraced the darkness enveloping me.

The End.

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE PURPLE

Everything felt so sudden and jam-packed. One time she was staring at herself and not recognizing who she was, and another time she plunked a knife into her stomach, it was so sudden that I didn't even get to feel her pains, no emotions. You didn't elaborate if she was going through anything. Suddenly she stabbed herself. This could have turned out amazing, but wasn't executed properly.

JUDGE SILVER

The final sentences were really good. Your ending was thrilling but something felt missing in your story. Wasn't sure if the jam-packed presentation was what threw me off or the abruptness of her decision.

JUDGE WHITE

I liked the story, what it encompassed and I appreciate the effort you put into trying to.

But, one issue you had was the fact that you muddled  all your dialogues together into one paragraph.

Dialogues are meant to be standalones, not inside each other or in the same paragraph. It made your work look too congested and wordy instead of spacy and neat. This made the work a little hard to read.

Your paragraphing also needs so much work. The last paragraph was too long. You could have spaced it out so it won't look too much and long. It was almost like you were trying to rush everything and finish it in that one paragraph, which you actually did.

Another issue is the fact that there was so foreshadowing leading to the ending. I didn't see the whole story ending the way it ended, with Teni killing herself. It was so abrupt and sudden.

The story line was a good one, it had so much potential but you could have delivered better.

JUDGE BLACK

Just like that though? I felt like the story was going relatively well until she just stood up and stabbed herself in the kitchen and smiled while doing it. You had a nice—although cliche—plot, you could've done better with the prompt, but what didn't sit well with me was the ending.

026 JANETHEVIRGIN

SENTENCE PROMPT: THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WASN'T ME.

Title: Doubleganger

“The person in the mirror wasn't me” I stuttered trying to convince myself as I closed my eyes. That face looking at me was not the sweet and cheerful Kate people know me as too.

---------

Sunshine, that was what people thought I was. They said my smiles and cheerfulness could make everyone happy. I loved being happy, I loved to smile and I also loved Chibuzo. He was my happiness, he was thoughtful and handy at home. he brought out the best in me.

We had dated all through high school and it was no surprise to friends and family when we decided to tie the knot after my graduation from college. Seven years and we are still together at least that’s what it seemed.

In our first year of marriage, we had a stable home alongside two puppies, Max and Lola, as a result of his love for animals. He had a job at a law firm down town. The first year of our marriage was the best, we had a routine -work, home, have fun, sex at night and family visits. Chibuzo was humble and kind, he loved my pounded Yam and Egusi. He would always kiss me when I served him and never forgot to say thank you after the meal. He cared for me so much I wondered how I got so lucky. I could proudly say I was the luckiest of them all.

In our third year of marriage, my luck had reduced to half its original size. Three years in marriage and I could not give the one thing I was expected of, I could not give a child to my husband. I was broken, yes me. I was the problem. I was infertile A.K.A I could not get pregnant.

The look on his face when we found out was heart breaking. Chibuzo’s eyes held sadness, his shoulders slummed as the doctor kept repeating how sorry he was-like he was the cause of my predicament. He slowly drifted from the world. He did not visit his family for two months, lost interest in sex and even stopped work during that period.

As for me, I was a broken glass beyond repair. I had  shame written all over me, it was in the way I walked, the way I talked amongst friends and I couldn't even face Chibuzo anymore. I was a disgrace to women and they made mockery of me.

My mother in-law suggested we visit a dibia at Masalachi junction after all the medical failures we had gone through. She even brought a girl from the village once to replace me. Now six years into barrenness, I was the topic people used to quote as example of childless women, Ah What a Life.
Chibuzo had resulted to constant beating and insults after that one visit to his friend, they had a fight and his friend called us a childless couple. He turned the blame on me. That night he beat me to a pulp. I wanted to call for help, I wanted to run but I couldn't. I loved Chibuzo with my heart. I was willing to die for him. To die for our marriage.

Chibuzo was further away than he had ever been, he hated my touch, my kiss and even my pounded Yam and Egusi. In times where he tried to touch me, it ended up in tears. He would tear my clothes and force himself on me. He said I could as well be a prostitute to him since I was not  capable of bearing children.

I was seated on the grey couch when he came in tonight, drunk and loud. He walked in as if calculating his steps as he came over to the couch. He sat down, his cloths reeked of alcohol and sweat. At instinct I wrinkled my nose in disgust. He pulled close to me raising his one hand slowly to my face and cupped my left cheek. I knew this was the alcohol acting in him -the Chibuzo I have grown to know these past seven years loves to beat, insult and rape me. His touch, delicate and masterful still made me nervous somehow, it made my tummy tight. I hope this night would be different, I wanted him back.

He leaned closer and gave me a brief peck on my lip, then another. I could taste the alcohol on his tongue it was Guinness, his favourite. He lips connected with mine and stayed. He kissed me with so much passion. His other hand smoothen my left hand slowly, moving upward and landed on my neck. The atmosphere of the room changed immediately. He was choking me. The muscles of his finger tighten around my neck, his breath doubled and his eyes held fury in them. He glared at me with tight lips and wide eyes.

The skin around my neck burned with pain. My eyes held hot tears which eventually spilled on my cheeks. I was struggling, I used my hands to try to free myself off his hold but his grip grew even tighter. I started punching his chest, his face, everywhere. I was choking and I needed to get out of his grip. My fist connected with his throat and he fell on the tile floor. He held his neck as he struggled to breath. I had just given him a throat punch just like in the movies.

Seeing him helpless on the tile floor gasping for air, I rushed to the side stool and grip the glass flower jar and smashed it on his head. I did it again and again with hot tears and mucus oozing out my eyes and nose. I smashed his head and thought of how he ridiculed me in front of my friends, the slaps he gave me each time I tried to defend myself.

--------

Sighing, I flutter my eyes open staring at the hideous purple-black rings on my neck through the rear-view mirror. It's been twenty minutes since I fled my home leaving an unconscious Chibuzo on the floor. I had panicked, I didn't want to hit him. I didn't think the jar could cause such a bloody scene.

As I gazed at the person through the rear-view mirror of my car with patches of blood on her forehead and lips. My grip on the steering tighten, I looked different, there was no trace of Kate starring back at me, only a body, an empty vessel. A murderer, that is who I had become. The person in the mirror wasn't me. The Sunshine had now turn Dark.

THE END

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE ORANGE

First off, you gave us a headache submitting your work with the wrong serial number. You are 026, not 028. It's all good. Just be careful next time, if you make it in.

Moving on, the major issue I had with this work was the punctuations. Too many commas where periods were meant to be. A period comes after the close of a sentence, not a comma. Please take note of this.

For example, where you wrote;

I hope this night would be different, I wanted him back.

This could be better written this way;

I hoped this night would be different. I wanted him back.

Or,

I hoped this night would be different; I wanted him back.

If you noticed, another thing I did was to change your tense there. The tenses in 'I hope this night would be different' and 'I wanted him back' are different. Why? If you are going to use one tense, present or past tense, stick to it, love.

It's either, 'I hope this night will be different. I want him back.' (Present tense).

Or, 'I hoped this night would be different; I wanted him back.' (Past tense)

So which one are you for? Pick one, stick to it from the beginning to the end of your story. There were many places where you messed up the tenses and switched unnecessarily. Don't switch up between Present tense and Past tense. Be careful to stick to one from start to finish. Understood? Good? Awesome.

JUDGE WHITE

First of all, I think you meant the title to be Doppelganger. That's the correct spelling of that term.

I really liked the story, but it seemed rushed. The change in Chibuzor's behavior seemed really abrupt to me.

Yes, a situation like their so can change a person. But this is someone he has been with for years, someone he has loved for years.You described him as thoughtful, humble and kind, but suddenly, he's a terrible person. It was drastic, even up to the fact that he started beating her.

I think the story is a good one, but could have been executed better. It has a lot of potential to be.

JUDGE BLACK

I like this story but mucus doesn't ooze out of the nose, LOL, I'm sure it was just an error. But seriously, I felt every bit of your character's pain even if I think the narrator killing her husband was almost out of character but it's completely understandable considering everything she'd endured for six years. And I like the fact that she was looking into a car rear view mirror and not a normal mirror like others. It's a little different but it stood out to me. Well done.

JUDGE BLUE

And I shouted, What a life 😭. Six years of barrenness, that's like the worst thing that can ever happen to a couple. It was painful to watch a once loving couple turning into strangers and punching bags 😭.  I loved it.

027 CY

SENTENCE PROMPT: THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WASN'T ME.

I gazed at the fireball-like sun as it sank behind the tall trees leaving bright blue and orange streaks in the sky. It was nice to watch the sun set with someone I held close to heart.
'Atare,' his gruff voice wafted through my ears . The manner in which he called my name sent shivers running through my spine. Why did he always get to me? Why was I always replaced with a doll when he was close? Still again, I decided to play his puerile games.

I shifted my gaze to him. His eyes closed with mine. The look in his darkhooded eyes radiated great lust. It was cute the way he sucked on his  lower lip.

My round lips curved upwards and I said to him, 'do you want to crash in at my place?'

He nodded his head rigorously and it was quite a pity how his brain was easily addled. What an idiot!

My plan worked perfectly as it always did. That same evening, he followed me home.

Home. A shabby one-room apartment with little furniture and bad lightning. It was demarcated into a living room and bedroom by see-through curtains.

He glanced around the place quite disappointed. He expected more from someone like me but what if I said the 'me' he knew wasn't who I was anymore.

'Hey, I would be right back,' I assured him with a smug expression dancing on my face.

He didn't say a word but just nodded continuously. It really irked me but I concealed my disdain. I didn't want to blow my cover.  I disappeared to the otherside of the room through the curtains, leaving him alone to his wild thoughts and probably the rats that scurried around the room.

Minutes later, after realising I had been keeping him waiting for a very long time, I came out of the kitchen ensuite. Through the fine linen curtains, I could see his tall manly figure moving closer to the curtains.
As he drew closer so did I. Every step he took matched with mine. This continued till he had his hand clutched to the curtains about to pull it open. I couldn't let him ruin the surprise so easily.

Grasping tight to the sharp kitchen knife tied at my back, I waited calmly for him to pull the curtains apart and reveal his full-fleshed self.

The moment I got sight of his figure, I launched the knife into his chest. His face lost colour, his eye pupils dilated, his mouth maintained an o-shaped position and his hands clasped around the knife, struggling to pull it out but with all the strength within me, I deepened the stab.

I withdrew the bloodstained knife from his blood-drenched chest. He staggered backwards and fell to the ground. He moaned loudly as he thrashed on the floor like a headless snake.

'A..at.....tare..' he stuttered my name with blood swimming in his mouth.

Omo! This guy get mind o.

'Mmh?'

'W..why?' He asked me.

Which kain JAMB question be this?

I knelt down beside his dying body. I said to him in a dark ominous tone, 'does little lover boy want a bedtime story? I won't lie to you, this story doesn't have a happy ending.'

My mood changed quickly as I began to tell the tale of how the monster became so terrifying and would devour any man he came across...

"It was the year 2006. That very year, I realised that I might have been the most righteous person but there was a demon locked up inside of me and the slightest thing could unleash it.Keeping it locked up kept me sane and happy, but that didn't last for long.

Remember, it was close to our last days in secondary school. I was feeling more than accomplished. Nothing could ruin this moment. Like what could possibly go wrong? I would ask myself each time  I woke up to a beautiful brand new day or see the end of an accomplished one. I was so blinded by this naiveness I couldn't see the dark side.

It was you. You and your damn minions. All of you were the dark side. You couldn't just last for a little while without hurting somebody. You turned my own friend against me, at least that was what I thought she was before she backstabbed me. No harm done. I stabbed her back. I killed her.

I understood everything now. When she said, ' Babeesss, Akpan is having a sick party tomorrow night. You will be there, won't you?' Her smile was as wide as the wound I left her with when I stabbed her to death.

A night party! Night parties was one thing I couldn't stand, especially the ones clasamates threw. The loud jamming pop music, the ever jazzed up crowd, the whole place reeking of alcohol, the unholy scenes wherever I turned to. The worst of them all was the body contact. I couldn't stand being shoved into. It was clear, parties weren't my thing. I didn't know how she did it or the jazz she used to get me to that party.

I regretted it even before you came along. Cladded in white tee's and blue jeans, you walked over to me seated on one of the vacant couches. You said, 'hey,' then I paralysed. Was it a miracle? The hottest and most popular boy in my secondary school said ' hi.' Foolish me didn't know how dangerous that 'hi' was.

I eventually found out that night. We managed to have a decent conversation, laughed up about stuffs then took shots of some drinks you got. Drinks you mixed with cocaine. The next thing I knew, I was laid on a bed, the partying crowd wasn't partying no more. They surrounded me as they cheered you on. You were on top of me, riding on me. It was so painful I lost consciousness. Even before all senses shut down, I heard someone in the background yell, 'Na me next o !' Then I saw my best friend laughing something up with some other people. She said,' Guess she is no longer the last virgin in class.' I couldn't take it. I............. ."

Before I got to finish the story, he was dead already. Why did they always die before I finished the story.

I stored his dead body in a sack and kept it with the rest in the bathroom. The odour was as bad as their hearts.

I reached out to the bathroom cabinet, opened it and brought out the small plastic bag of cocaine. I opened it up and my nose dived right into it, inhaling the white substance in it. I rose my head to behold the ugly image that was staring back at me in the mirror. Her eyes as red as blood, her face as dark as night. It was me. The monster was me. But, it couldn't be. The person in the mirror wasn't me.

It wasn't me. I swear, it wasn't me

'Don't deny your true self Atare," she talked...

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE ORANGE

I have so much I want to say about this story. Abeg, be patient with me to the end.🙏

First off, the writer has a wide imagination and I highly commend them for that. I love that! The plot of the story is unexpected, unique, and I absolutely love it! I love how the main character is on the revenge quest. I love how we were made to understand there was a demon inside her (I couldn't tell if that was literal or metaphorical), but the part when she looked into the mirror, saw the demon and said it couldn't have been her, I felt it. I liked this story! If I am giving this writer a pass, it's for creativity.

Now, that aside, the execution of such a beautiful story was not too strong. Unfortunately. At some points, I found it difficult to understand what was going on. That's why I couldn't even tell if the demon was literal or metaphorical because it was not illustrated well. I mean, there are ways we could go about this kind of thing; the writer could be straight with us and tell us if it is a literal demon or not, or it could be left for our imagination to come up with conspiracy theories on that. However, the writer did not give me enough points to back my conspiracy theory up, if I had one. That was one of the cons of this work.

The idea was nice. The execution failed. It wasn't professional enough. One of the reasons was because the writer failed to give more insight to the deviousness of the lead character; this could have gone a long way to build up this work. I am not saying they should have told us or showed us straight up that they were evil. What would be the fun in that? I am saying that they should have dropped it bit by bit that there was something wrong with the female lead upstairs. Slight, minute hints here and there. Like, perhaps, them watching an ant wriggling on the floor and laughing to themselves. I don't know if I am being understood.

The writer tried a little with this, but not enough. In some places, the main character seemed 'strange', and that adds solidity to what she eventually did — killing him, and I like how the writer showed us the slight irritation that the female lead had for the guy she killed; that one especially was a bonus, but I feel it should have been hinted at, just a little bit more.

In general, the main character's character execution should have been given its best and all. Of course, do not show us too much. Just, you know, use sense. Be sly. Be smart. Be subtle. But just make it clear enough for conspiracy theories to abide. 

If the writer had pulled off the character execution of the female lead before she killed the guy, it could have gone a long way to salvage the execution of the work.

Another thing that made this work's execution weak was the wrong use of punctuations. I noticed that single quotation marks were used for dialogues, instead of double quotation marks.

Dialogues look better when presented with double quotation marks. For example, it's not, 'Hey, I would be right back.', but instead, it is, "Hey, I would be right back."

Finally, I like this writer's descriptions, it gives good details and that's a plus. However, one thing with description is that one has to be careful to not go over the top with it.

For example, in the beginning where the story started;

I gazed at the fireball-like sun as it sank behind the tall trees leaving bright blue and orange streaks in the sky....

I mean, theoretically speaking, no one can stare directly at a sun. So, I suppose that it was close to Dawn, and the sun was going down. I deciphered that on my own, but your work didn't show me that. I could even be wrong. Who knows?

Nothing could have stopped you from putting your intro this way;

I watched the sun sink behind the tall trees that were like shadows in the coming dark, the sunset highlighting its silhouette......

We clearly get the image that the sun is setting and that's why it's easier to look directly at it. Also, 'Shadows in the coming dark' makes us understand that it's becoming evening; it's getting dark. The red and blue thingy too is summarized by stating there's a 'sunset', and the 'Sunset highlighting its silhouette' (of the trees) even further elaborates that it's evening-ish, and even if it's dark, one can still see the shape and silhouette of the trees because of the bright sunset.

This way, your message is passed across easier, clearer, and it looks fancier too. Just be careful with your descriptions, so you don't end up making them too unrealistic.

All in all, this work was a good read.

JUDGE BLACK

CY, I liked your story. It looked like something I would write because I have a thing for unexpected plot twists. But... I have a couple of questions.

One: How do you go back to a girl you raped in secondary school with so much confidence as to want to sleep with her again? Maybe I'm wrong and he didn't know she was the same girl but it's not my fault, you didn't make that clear. The way I read it, there was no indication that he didn't know it was her. It even looked like they'd been dating. But I had to read it again and it didn't look that way anymore. I was just confused.

Two: You said she stored the body with "the rest" and the odour was as bad as their hearts meaning that her former best friend's body (and who else??) is in the bathroom as well. So, if the odour was as bad as you indicated, wouldn't that be the first thing they'd perceive on entering the place?

Three: How did she know she was drugged with cocaine?

Four: You didn't start the story with the sentence prompt like you were asked to and I can see your reason. Although I felt like you dived into paranormal when you said her reflection talked, I'll just assume it was the cocaine taking some kind of immediate effect.

Anyway, well done. It's the twist that I liked about the story. It was creative but to be honest, your story didn't exactly embody the prompt.

JUDGE WHITE

I really love the way the story built up to where she stabbed the guy. I Love the way you placed hints of what was to come from the beginning to when the actual event happened without giving to much away, still being able to shock us with that action.

Though, you were supposed to start the story with the sentence prompt but I'm guessing you missed that part of the instructions. Even with that little lapse, you were still able to deliver successful, using the prompt to form a story woth that particular theme. I really liked the use of figures of speech and the simplicity of your sentences.

I think the only issue had with your story was the use of apostrophe (') instead of the quotation mark (") for the dialogues. Please note that they are not one or and the same. They are different and they are used in entirely different contexts.

Generally, I loved how dark the story was and how you did justice to the prompt without actually using the prompt. Though, for the sake of the future, please read and follow all instructions next time.

JUDGE SILVER

The idea of the whole story was intriguing, but I just wished you tapped into her dark thinking right from the beginning to have an insight into her personality. At some point, I was confused especially when you made mention of her possessing a demon of some sort, felt more literal than figuratively.

But even though you could have presented it better I still liked the work.

028 PAZ

Prompt:
THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WASN'T ME

Title: One way game
(Sub: A friend indeed)

“It wasn't me!,the person in the mirror wasn't me!,it just couldn't be...”

I stared firmly at the half broken mirror,with blood half smeared over it. I had tried to wipe it off with my hands,but.. that just kept blurring it up.

I caught a glimpse of the person in it.
A dark skinned lady, wearing full make up over her creased up face.
She had on a deep frown, on her choked up lips,black from lack of care,hiding under an ocean blue lipgloss.

Her eyes had giant cycles around them,which also appeared cloaked in,and watery,dripping deep black mascara down her dried up cheeks.
Her hair was the only thing that excluded her from joining the race of hags.

It wasn't me!,the person in the mirror wasn't me!,it just couldn't be...

I flung it off,in rage.  I just couldn't bEAr... the pain anymore,the guilt fed on my sOul.. on every heartbeat.

Taking another look at my surroundings,
It was a dark dusty room,with a half peeled off rubber tiles,
A sink roof, harbouring baby holes, leaking water into the room every which way.

I crawled down slowly,as the cold crashed hard into my stone cold and crummy looking skin.

Hugging hard on myself,on the cold floor,as every nerves in my skin craved to be on a bed, rapped up in my blankie...

How did I ever end up here?....

        .   .   .   .

Few months back
         .   .   .

Sango otta!, San..go!,San..go!

Was all I could hear,as I struggled to make it out of my busstop to the general hospital to meet a friend of mine,who had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

We had gone partying the night before,and got caught by the rain on our way home, now he's in the hospital drinking drips through his veins, I'm guessing you can tell why.

After a long trek,I found myself standing in front of a story building,painted up im blue,and black below.

It looks majestic compared to the way it looked when faith was first admitted.

Was it the sun?,my eyes?, Or the work of the middle aged man,in a shabby clothing?, I later noticed climbing up a ladder with a paint bucket...

I rushed in,and right from the corridors I could smell drugs and those other weird stuffs general hospitals reck of this days.
How do anyone manage in here?!

       . . .

Room No..2b... ha..s become a re..gular visiting place for me,since I met Seyifunmi,during my freshman year, in Obafemi Awolowo University.

She was a fair skinned lady,with lovely hair,a nice pink lips, always wearing an inviting smile.

She's a lady any man would drill over when it comes to facial appearance,or body structure,and to top it,she had a kind heart,was smart,and...she was friendly, let's not forget she also got good morals,yah..every man's dream....,
Except that wasn't completely the case,yes she had all those qualities,but nobody wants to listen to some history,do they?,they want to see,not hear.

Although I And Seyi Are Two Tribes apart,with opposite characters and status,we got along real good.

I tried to go along with her new way of doing things,to try to make her see reasons not to enjoy those stuffs, but... it.. ju..st never worked.

Even today. I could've never known how much it would cost to try to make her see reasons,but.. I just wanted her to see reasons.

            .      .      .

I walked into the room,and faith face,like other times looked sober. I hope I didn't get him into much trouble this time.
And like other times,he passed me a well formed up smile...

                 .  .*.  *.     .* . *.  .

5am
Down an old road,in a well furnished room.

My thoughts remained on what he sneakily threw at me again yesterday...

Few hours ago

Seyi and faith has shared a few complimentary words,and some friendly chats each on how they got punished by their parents,and soon, they were out of topics for a context.

Faith saw it as an opportunity to talk to her,
“So.....,was it really worth it?”

“was what really worth what?” she replied confusingly

“The party. I mean,you said your mom was really angry,she wouldn't even speak to you, And we lost wa...y mo...re than we ga..ined” faith concluded stylishly, dragging the last parts

“Just stop!!” she yelled accidentally, “sorry, I'm just..” then her phone vibrates with an incoming call,she stared at it for a while,then waved faith goodbye

(Little did I know it was the very last time I was going to hear him speak)
.    ..    .

While my head was trying to keep my thoughts in check,my phone began vibrating...
One new habit I've grown into of recent.
I picked expecting to hear a guy's voice, I did get that, but instead of a youthful masculine..., I got the voice of a fully grown old man, asking me of my connection with one Faith Okonkwo who had just died......

    *** *****   xxxXXXxxx ***** ***

I was going to finally do it.
I was going to slit that vein on my wrist...

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!,I missed again!

Screw you Seyifunmi!,you can't even cut through a vein right.

I took a good look at my hideout, it was the uncompleted building opposite the hospital,
That's how far I could get.. before breaking down, Once I confirmed with my own eyes.. my best friend was gone.
And for what?,A boring party.....

I was going to finally summon that courage,we both went to that party, we both die due to it.

I was going to..,when something odd happened ..

I could see faith on the bed fighting for his life,..but doing such a critical moment,he was talking about not yet changing my mind,and it was like he was talking to someone

“I just wanted her to see reasons,
No!,I can't leave until I'm sure she's going to make it,ple...ase,just one more try...” he concluded pleadingly,sighed heavily,and everything after that,was still...(~~~+-----------)

I'm guessing that was it. Is last draw.

What was that?,and what was he talking about?....

I didn't figure that out until a couple of years later,when I also faced it, during my baptism in Saint Patrick's church,Orile, Agege..

Then I understood that I wa..s the one who truly needed pitying.......

   *** *****   xxxXXXxxx ***** ***

Who do you see in that mirror?.....
                 
   _ _ _ _ _

“And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God" Titus 2:11

                        Fin
      
The End

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE PURPLE

I don't know if you were rushing to meet up with the deadline. Because it felt like you didn't edit the work. A lot of errors were glaring at me.

There is something I noticed. I would be looking forward to you taking note of this and learning. Because you have got potential. I know it's not easy to come up with a story, let alone write one. So I give you a credit for doing that.

I noticed your commas were always joined to your words, for example.

It was all I could hear,while I struggled to.

Instead of;

It was all I could hear, while I struggled to.

Do give space after your comma, hope you understand. Because it occurred throughout the story. I noticed you dropped capital letters in between words. We use capital letters mainly for the first letters of a sentence, names, days, months, as well as some abbreviations. The errors in this story were so much that, they couldn't be overlooked.

JUDGE WHITE

It was extremely hard to read this story with how disorganized everything was.

First of all, you are writing a prose, not a poem. I noticed that after the ending of one sentence, you move to the next line to start the second sentence. Then when you are also done with that one, you go to the next line again. So basically, all the sentences that were meant to be in one whole paragraph were written line by line like a poem.

Your punctuations were also very off. The first line, you kept putting the exclamation marks and commas side by side and I saw repeat of this throughout the story. Also, the unnecessary and unsolicited use of ellipses *(...)* . You were using ellipses to break words up for no reason. Eg;

"wa...y mo...re than we ga..ined".

"No..2b... ha..s become a re..gular".

"but... it.. ju..st never worked".

Maybe you were trying to show that the words were being drawled/dragged out but it was so unnecessary.

Plus, ellipses *(...)* is three dot only. No more, no less. Still on Punctuations, you hardly kept space between a punctuation mark and the next word, mostly commas anyway. Eg; Note where I bracketed.

*Hugging hard on (myself,on) the cold (floor,as) every nerves...*

Instead of;

*Hugging hard on (myself, on) the cold (floor, as) every nerves...*

And on grammar, when you want to start a new sentence, you start with a Capital letter which you didn't do most of the time. And sometimes, you used capital letters in-between the words; "bEAr", "sOul".

All of these made your work so hard to read and difficult to comprehend. I'm sorry, but your work was very messy.

JUDGE SILVER

Excuse me please but I think something went wrong with your keyboard somewhere. It's either that or the presentation of this work is very poor. The spacing, punctuation, and paragraphing just threw me off the bus. This piece needs serious editing and work.

JUDGE BLACK

I don't know if it's possible but it looks like this was written in just ten seconds. I'm sorry but everything was off especially the punctuation and it made it impossible to read not to talk more of understand, I'm sorry. I do hope we get to see you do so much better.

030 KAYEN

SENTENCE PROMPT: THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR WASN'T ME.

The person in the mirror wasn’t me. This isn’t who I used to be. I still see the same black hair, the same dimple in my left cheek, but I don’t want to believe it’s me, I can’t believe it’s me.

My eyes look tired, my face buried beneath layers of make up. 

My shoulders are slumped, the bags under my  eyes so big that even make up can’t hide them. 

I used to look  alive– I used to feel alive.

I slowly peel off my clothes, being as careful as possible not to irritate the large red bruises on my back. 

I turn back to examine the damage, the bruises and already existing scars on my back creating an eerie design with my protruding ribs.

I know in about in three minutes he’s going to walk into this room and he’s going to tell me how sorry he is.  

He’ll tell me it’s not going to happen again and I believe him. He won’t use a belt on me next time, he’s too creative for that. Maybe next time he’ll use a wire or hurl the nearest figurine at me.

I should probably fight him back, maybe even leave. But society isn’t gracious to women who leave their homes. My parents won’t be merciful to a daughter that embarrasses them.

As if on cue, the door to the room opens and he steps inside. He makes his way towards me and wraps his arms round my waist.

“I’m sorry,” He says, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “ I don’t know what came over me, I just couldn’t handle the thought of you talking to that man.”

“I told you he’s my co worker.” I reply, and I feel him tense up. He doesn’t like being told he’s at fault. 

“ Is that why you were whoring yourself out to him? Letting him touch you in places he shouldn’t?”

I don’t bother saying anything, I don’t tell him that the said co worker just held my hand. I don’t remind him that I found a pair of earrings that didn’t belong to me in his pockets the other day. I wonder how I got myself into this mess.

He looks up and we both stare at our reflections in the mirror. Lord, he’s still so beautiful.  

When he sees the wounds on my body, the fight leaves his body, guilt clouding  his features. It’s already a habit, a routine. He begs me, he promises me it won’t happen again, he kisses my temple, my neck, my lips. 

“I don’t want to lose you.” He says.  I hear the threat in that sentence.  Leave me and I’ll make sure you regret it. “This is going to be the last time. I promise. Please don’t  do things that make me angry, you know I hate hurting you.” It’s my fault, I’m the reason he hurts me.

He actually believes that every time he apologises will be the last time he’ll hit me. And as usual, he conveniently leaves the room so I can get ready for work, cover up the master piece he left on my body.

When he leaves, I continue to stare at my reflection in the mirror. The former me wouldn’t have tolerated this, the younger me would be disappointed in me. I’ve become a  watered down version of what I should’ve been, what I could’ve been.

I remember how this madness started, a new year party and a pretty black dress...

It’s 2015 and I’m at a new year dinner party. I’m wearing a black dress that hugs me in all the right places and it’s stops mid thigh. I know I’m beautiful. 

My friends and I are having a wonderful time.  We dance, eat, make new friends, exchange numbers with people we’ve just met. I’ve just graduated from the university but I’m not going to law school, I’m going to be a model.

This year is going to my year.

It’s past midnight and I want to go home. I spot my friend and catch her eyes. She’s talking to someone, but i can’t make out his features. I tilt my head towards the exit.

She excuses herself and makes her way towards me. She links her fingers with mine, but instead of leaving she pulls me in the direction she just came from. 

I try to protest but she hushes me. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

°°°°

“Dinma this is Patrick, Patrick this is Dinma.”

I remember wondering how a man could be so good looking. 

°°°°

Three months later, he asks me out on a date. He’s charming, he manages to make me laugh throughout the night.

He tells me about himself. He’s the last child, he hates pizza, he loves his mother. He’s into politics, he’s running for a seat in the house  of assembly this year.

He asks me about my dreams. “I want to model though, I’ve already applied to many agencies but I haven’t gotten any reply. I doubt I’ll be recruited, the competition is tough.”

“You’re really beautiful. I don’t see any reason why you would even think you’re not going to be recruited.”

We kissed that night.

°°°°

I stay up late talking to him every night. I wake up early because I’m always excited to see his good morning text.

°°°°

 I receive an email from one the agencies. They liked my Polaroids. They’re going to scout me. 

The first person I call is Patrick. I’m telling him, barely able to contain my excitement.

He tells me he’s so proud of me. “Do you know I absolutely adore you?” He asks. That makes me feel fuzzy inside.

 I think I’m in love with Patrick.

°°°°

We get married the next year. I start modelling for a multimillionaire skin care brand. Patrick gets elected into the house of assembly.

°°°°

We’re about to go for a friend’s party and I’m wearing a blue sleeveless gown.  

“I don’t like what you’re wearing. Change it.”

“Why?”

“It’s showing too much skin. You always show too much skin.”

“This is what I’ve been always been wearing, even before we got married.”

“Exactly, before we got married.”

°°°°

It’s late and I hear him driving into the compound. 

11: 59, the digital clock reads. I stayed up waiting for him. I stare at the pack of  condom I found in his suit pockets. We never use condoms.

He walks into the sitting room and doesn’t say anything to me when he sees me. We haven’t spoken to each other in almost a week.

“Why was this in your suit pocket?” I ask, brandishing the condom between my fingers. He doesn’t say anything. 

I repeat my question and walk up to him. I push him but he sighs. I push him again but he still doesn’t say anything. I feel tears gather in my eyes. 

“Patrick!” I scream, slapping his face in the process. Immediately, he slaps me back but he doesn’t stop there. He turns into a wild animal, hitting me, punching my face, kicking my torso.

I scream until my voice becomes hoarse.

Later that night, he apologises on his knees. He promises never to hit me or even cheat on me again. He doesn’t understand what came over him. I see the guilt eating him up, the regret in his eyes. 

I believe him. It won’t happen again. 

°°°

I wear a pair of shorts while cleaning the house. I notice him staring oddly at my thighs. 

I ask him what’s wrong. 

“Don’t you think you look a bit fat in those shorts? Maybe you should start going to the gym.”

I never wear those shorts again. 

°°°°

 It’s funny, he used to give me butterflies in my tummy. Now the only thing he gives me these days are scars all over my body.

I try to use to make up to hide as much as bruises I can. I have a shoot today, and I need to look perfect.  Makeup used to be a choice, now it’s a necessity. 

Before he goes to work, he apologises.  He doesn’t know what came over him. It won’t happen again.

I believe him, I love him. I’m a fool.

The realisation that I’m never going to escape this man haunts me. My parents won’t believe me, his parents believe me, any sort of scandal can ruin my career. He will ruin my career.

Patrick is an artist and I have become his canvas. 

From the mirror, I see a bottle of sleeping pills on a shelf. I wonder, how many will it take to make sure he doesn’t wake up again?

JUDGES REVIEWS

JUDGE ORANGE

Inconsistent use of tenses oo. It was so rampant. Please take note that you have to use one tense, from start to finish. Punctuations too. Like most of the stories I have read from this batch, there is the consistent use of commas when a sentence should close. Close the sentence. It's really easy, okay? 

Overall, I liked the plot. The work could have been executed better, but the plot was solid. Good job there. 

JUDGE GOLD

Except for the fluctuations in your use of tenses, I can't think of another fault in your story. I love how you pulled writing it off. I could feel her despair, helplessness, sadness, and pain. I'm really intrigued by how you wrote the story.

JUDGE BLACK

All I can say is wow! I really like this story. It's touching and well-written though I expected something a little more unique with the execution of the sentence prompt. Nice job. 

JUDGE WHITE

The story was good, very enjoyable. I think you tried to deliver it in the best way you could and you did. I really liked the way it ended in a question, leaving the readers to imagine of she killed him or not.

The only issue I have with this story was the switch in tenses. The prompt was in pastel tense, you started with it as a paste tense but in the course of your writing, you were switching back and forth between present and past. Even the flash back that was meant to be in past tense, you used present mostly. You should have stuck with past. Please work on finding your footing in this area. Know which tense is comfortable for you to write in and stick to it.

Asides that, you have a good story with a lot of potential.

Well, there you have it! We have come to the END OF STAGE ONE OF PROJECT PEN!🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊

Which of these entries were your overall favorite?? Who are the people you bet your money on are making it to the next stage???? Comment down below!

This week is going to be HOT!🔥

*Anticipate our Batch B Diary Night on Tuesday, 19th of July.

*Anticipate the List of Successful Green Liners and Danger Zone Red Liners on Wednesday, 20th of July. (To know which Contestants have already made it into the Stage Two, Green Line, and the ones that are in the danger zone, Red Line, and at the risk of being evicted).

*Anticipate Project's Pen very first Eviction Night on Thursday, 20th of July. Note that ONLY TWO CONTESTANTS WILL BE EVICTED!

 *And on Friday, we will get to have our first Lecture Night!

Stay tuned, people! This is PROJECT PEN! Step into the Spotlight and let your light shine!❤️💫✨