The last night

I shot him three times and a fourth time just to make sure

I grabbed the gun from his belt strap and fired it

He never thought I would ever use or even go for it

I run to where he dropped his clothes

I dodged his grip and I knew this time I had won

I turned around and yelled. “I hate you!” Several times

If only mum would believe me. ‘He’s a police officer’ she always said

 It was my birthday, how could he be so wicked?

I closed my eyes and pretended to be fast asleep

My heart was pounding. The plan in my head scared me

He closed the door like he usually did and walked to my bed….

(Odd no? try reading it from bottom to top )

Dirty blood

“This is stupid.” I said to Andy. He took my hand and smiled. “Isn’t love stupid?” He said in a Shakespeare kind of voice. We both laughed. I turned around and took my position. He had drawn a star and a circle inside it on the floor with a chalk. I stood in the circle. He grabbed the book he claimed to be an ancient spell book and joined me in the circle in the middle of the star. “So don’t mess it up oh. You dierr I know you.” He teased. I hit him lightly in the arm and he giggled. “Alright so when I finish reading the spell you will use the pin to prick yourself…” he started. “Yes, yes lick the blood and kiss you.” I ended, rolling my eyes. “Have you read all the conditions” I asked. He shrugged. “Oh come on, it’s a spell. What’s the fun in that?” He asked. This was supposed to be a spell that will make us love no other partner but each other. I didn’t think it would work but then again if it did I didn’t mind because I loved Andy and so did so many ladies in school. He was hot!

Andy was about to read the spell when my phone rang. I looked at him with a silly expression. I took the phone out of my pocket. It was my mother. I signaled for him to hold on. “Hello mum.” I said in the most angelic voice. “Marie where are you?” my mum asked. I looked around. “I’m in school.” I lied. “Really? I went to your hostel and your roommate said you hadn’t been to the room since yesterday. Are you at that Andrew boy’s place again?” my mum said. She wasn’t at all pleased. I walked a bit further away from Andy. “Oh Mum, I just had some assignments to do so I stayed at my course mate Pat’s place.” I lied. “Ei Marie! Be careful. I know now you have all the freedom to do whatever you want. Just be careful what you do. Especially with boys…” She started nagging. I turned to look at Andy. He smiled and waved shyly. How could he harm me? “Mum, I know. I’m just doing schoolwork. The rest of the group is calling me. I have to go ok? Bye.” I said and hung up. I could hear my mum busy nagging in the background. It’s not that I don’t think she has a point oh, it’s just that she’s not always right.  

“You ready now?” Andy asked. I smiled and nodded. For some reason I was very nervous now but there was no turning back. He read the spell in Latin. We both pinned our thumbs and licked the blood. Then we moved in for the kiss. My heart was racing but it felt really magical. When we kissed I tasted his blood and all of a sudden I felt butterflies in my stomach. I felt a cool breeze like we were at the beach. It felt really good. “Wow.” I said when we were done. “Marie, you are amazing.” Andy said. I smiled like a sheep. “So did it work?” I asked sitting on his bed. He took out a towel, sprinkled some water on it and wiped the chalk marks. “After that killer kiss, of cause it did!” he said. I giggled.  

When Andy was done cleaning he turned to look at me. “I want you.” He said and walked straight to me. He kissed me aggressively. “Whoa, calm down.” I said after he bit my lip the first time. “Sorry, you are just too amazing.” He said as he kissed me some more. He held me so tight it begun to hurt. “Andy stop!” I said and moved back. That was when I saw his eyes. They were violet. I covered my mouth with my hand. “Andy look at your eyes!” I screamed. He moved closer to me. “Marie forget about my eyes. Come here. Come to me.” He ordered. My heart was racing now. He rushed towards me but I swerved. The spell book was at my feet now. I picked it up to read the spell and find out how it could be reversed. Andy rushed for me again. This time I couldn’t swerve fast enough. He grabbed my hand and started kissing it. I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t budge. “Marie, I love you Marie…” he kept mumbling. I hit him with the book and run into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me, sat on the floor and tried to read the spell. Andy was banging on the door. 

Everything the spell said we had done. Then I saw a little text at the bottom. The heading was dirty blood. “Spell will turn participants into violet eyed love demons if they lie with another a fortnight before the spell.” I read aloud. “ Cheating Bastard!” I shouted. All of a sudden I heard a ripping sound and a cry from the room. I shook and moved away from the door. The book fell and opened to the next page where I saw a full colour picture of a love demon. It was horrible with violet eyes. My whole body was shaking now. There was a pound on the door again. This time it was much louder. I moved back till I hit the wall. There was one final pound! And the door came off. “Marie, come lie with me. I love you.” The demon said. “Mum, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.” I whispered. I looked around and saw a shaving knife. I grabbed it with my shaking hands. I had two options, his throat or...mine.

He was dying

His grip kept loosening till it was me holding him.
His temperature dropped too. Colder than the wind I looked into his eyes and realized they were far away
He was dying and no matter what I did I couldn't make him stay  

A million things rushed through my mind but yet I was blank
My tears fell on his chest that was reducing the times it rose and sunk
He got heavier, much much heavier but still I held him tight
 He was dying and this was by far my most painful sight

The spark

There was once a girl who met a guy she felt completed her

He was different from all the other guys she used to date

She could be 100% herself around him and it felt so natural

Time passed and even the hard times couldn't split them

Then all of a sudden she got scared of this ever so perfect union

She felt her love for him had changed over the year

He did everything to make her happy but she still felt unsure

Because the romantic spark seemed to be missing in action

She asked for space. He didn't understand but he gave her just that

The first days were fine. She had all the freedom but something was missing

The weeks passed and she had all the answers she wanted but was he still waiting?

She rushed back to him like the prodigal son and explained it all

He took her back because he loved her and because she knew how to win him over

They found that spark and it remained with them as they lived happily ever after

A spark is caused when TWO objects strike each other. 

Waiting to run 5

I turned to look at the man I thought was my lawyer. He was still holding his gun and looking behind at the Police. Surely lawyers didn't do things this way. I was shaking so much talking audibly was a problem. 'What is…what…what is going on?" I managed to say. He didn't say a word. He just took out his phone and made a call. "Yes I have her but we are being followed by the Police, shit!" He said and the car turned too sharply to the left my head almost hit the window. A new Police car had come from in front of us and the driver of our car had to turn.

"The Police are getting closer. Yes, plan B, alright." He said and hung up. "David, code 7." The man said and the driver nodded. He then turned to me. I felt like screaming, "Wait a minute, what the hell is code 7?!" but my voice was lost. He turned to me and raised his gun. Was this it? After surviving a bomb blast, was this the end of my road. I started crying and closed my eyes. I heard a loud sound. The car hit a tree. The force of the impact threw me and the man with the gun forward. I slammed into the seat in front of me. I could feel pain all over my body. The Police sirens got louder. There was shattered glass all over. I tried to turn to the door but all of a sudden my vision was blurring. I fought to keep my eyes open but I failed and everything went black.  

"The boss is giving us pressure. What do you suggest we do?" I heard a man say. "Look, they said we should wait for the man. Let's just wait." another said. I gradually opened my eyes. My body still ached but it was a bit better now. I saw the men. They were standing on each side of me. I was on a bed. Looking around I could tell it was a hospital. "Ahh, see she is even awake." the tall one said. "Just so you know there are Police officers all over the place. Just in case you get ideas." he added. I was going to talk when the short one cut in. "Look we have orders. Let's check if the detective is in." He said signalling for them to leave. The other contemplated for a while and they finally left. There were bandages all over me. Then the memories came to me again. Especially the one where my cousin got shot. The sad memories put me to sleep again.  

I woke up instantly the second time. I had a nightmare. I saw a doctor signing some forms and another man standing next to him. The man was sitting on a chair next to me. "Here you go. But proceed with extreme care." The doctor said handing over to him what looked like my folder. "Sure." the man said and put a tape recorder on the table. I had an idea what was happening. He waited for the doctor to leave and turned to me. "My name is Detective Forson. I have a number of questions to ask you." He started.

To be continued...

My demons

I sit alone in the corner of my room

Through the window I can see the moon

When it gets darkest they all come, one by one

I'm in a dark room waiting for my demons to come

I always get startled, never see them arrive

Then again they don't knock or ask to join me

They just come, sit with me and we talk about me

I'm in a dark room and my first demon just came

"We should be drinking our head off so we dont have to think"

My first demon said. It's all about pleasure for him

Sometimes he makes sense so I grab a bottle

I'm in a dark room drinking with my demon

  Another came making noise so I told him to hush

"Oh come on, don't worry about other people"

That's what the selfish demon said. He had a point so I didn't

I'm in a dark room having fun with my demons

My demon of lies came when I was exhausted

"You guys I have work tomorrow", I said

"Call in sick. You worked hard last week", my demon said

I'm in a dark room listening to all 3 demons

When sunlight comes my demons will be gone

My head aches from the drinking.

My neighbour comes to warn me about my night noise

I was in a dark room but now I'm not so my demons are gone

I'm at work with a headache. I couldn't call in sick

Why do I entertain my demons? They hurt me

Maybe I should get rid of them...with the Light

No more dark rooms. I'm sending my demons away for good

I can't finish anything

I start writing, singing, working but I never finish anything

It's pretty frustrating but I hope its just a phase passing

Some friends said I should take a break from thinking

But will that work? Coz I really can't finish anything

You see this is not the first time this is happening

I start a project ever so beautifully but the problem is finishing

I even locked myself in the room but it wasn't helping

I'm getting upset because I can't finish anything

The hours and passing, the days are breaking

I need my inspiration back, that's all I'm saying

Maybe I'm just...

Box of talents

When my mum told me to work for my uncle in his shop during the vacation I wasn’t very happy until she mentioned that I would receive an allowance. I was saving to buy a new xbox so this wasn’t a bad idea after all. I collected games. As soon as a new game was release I had to get it. My first day at work was boring. My uncle introduced me to all the people who worked for him. There was Mrs. Owusu his supervisor, Jackie the cashier, Dela and Fiifi the porters. It’s really not the biggest of shops and besides the time people came to buy stuff in bulk to resell, Jackie was the only one who really did anything. My uncle really felt proud of his place though. He would always narrate the story of how he started off selling tins of milk and canned tomatoes on a table for his mother and how his amazing business skills was what put my mother and him through school. He never got tired of that story. After 3 days of doing practically nothing, well besides drawing comic characters and watching TV in my uncle’s office I felt bored.

My uncle was usually not around. Jackie would really not talk to me, for reasons I don’t know and Mrs. Owusu was always busy so I decided to go hang out with Dela and Fiifi. They usually sat together outside so I joined them. “Ei little boss.” They called me. I tried to explain to them that I was the boss’s nephew and that it’s his kids they should be calling that. They didn’t seem to understand. They were pretty boring so I decided to just stick to the TV but before I left I saw a girl about my age walk over to them. Fiifi stood up and went to pick some empty boxes for her. She collected them smiled and walked away. I went back to them and asked who she was. Just as I expected they teased me. They told me she would be back the next day.

The next day I waited for her. When she came I said hi. She said hello and asked for empty boxes. Dela got them for her while I asked what she was going to use them for. She seemed surprised. “I...I make gift boxes with them and sell them.” She replied. I smiled. “Do you put glitter and pink hearts all over them?” I teased. She giggled. “I don’t have glitter. I just draw.” She said collecting the boxes from Dela. My heart missed a beat. For some reason she looked cuter all of a sudden. “Let me see some of your drawings.” I said eagerly. She nodded and turned to leave. “I’ll make a box for you and bring it tomorrow. Bye.” She said and left. She was so cool. I noticed after she had passed that I didn’t ask her name. Tomorrow.

I was at work early the next day. My uncle came for a few hours and left as usual. It was Mrs. Owusu who ran the shots at the shop. She was so stern she gave me goose bumps. I brought my big notebook so I could show….the girl my own awesome drawings. She probably just drew flowers and butterflies. I sat outside with Dela and Fiifi after lunchtime. Their conversation wasn’t the most interesting but I was drawing anyway. “Cool.” I heard. I raised my head and saw her smiling. She was looking at my Spiderman drawing. “Thanks.” I said and sat up straight. I noticed a black plastic bag in her hand. She noticed I was staring and handed it over to me. “This is for you.” She said. I smiled and took it from her.

I opened the bag and saw a small black box with a drawing of Wolverine on the front and X-men written on the side. It was so awesome! “Wow!” I said. I couldn’t hide my excitement. She smiled. This was the coolest girl in the world. “Wait a minute, how do I know you didn’t trace it or let somebody else draw it?” I asked. She just sat down next to me, took my book and flipped over the page. In minutes she drew the same Spiderman I was drawing. She didn’t even go back to look at the picture. “Did you just do that from your head?” I asked after I noticed my mouth was open. “Yea, when I see something it stays in my head so I can draw it anytime.” She said. Dela brought her some boxes. “Wait! Don’t go. What’s your name?” I asked. “Samira. What about you?” she asked. “Frank.” I said. “Ok, I have to go now, bye.” She said shyly and turned to leave. I saw the box and called her back. “Samira, I didn’t give you the money for the box.” She turned around. “Oh that one is free for you.” She said and waved. I thanked her and waved back.

For the next few days Samira and I a lot of drawing together anytime she came to the shop. She even showed me how to make her boxes and how much she sold it for. She just got cooler and cooler every day. “What is this? One of your games?” My uncle asked pointing to the box Samira had made for me. “No, it’s just a gift box. A friend of mine made it for me. She comes here every day to collect old boxes.” I explained smiling. My uncle nodded. “What does she do with them?” He asked again picking it up and examining it. “She sells them.” I added. My uncle turned to look at me sharply. “For how much?” He asked again. “2 Cedis a box. Why?” I asked. My uncle put him hand on his hip. “Ei so this girl is making money. One empty box can make at least 3 of these. I’m going to start charging her.” He said and called Dela. He told him to start charging Samira 2 Cedi per box. I was speechless. “Uncle, but you don’t use the boxes. You always throw them away.” I shot out. “But now I can make money from them.” He replied and picked his keys to leave we went outside and counted the boxes. “When I come back I should have 8 cedis ok?” He said to Dela and left.

Samira was shocked by the new rules. She didn’t have any money to buy the boxes. “How about the money you get from selling the boxes?” I asked. She looked down. “I won’t be able to buy a ticket.” She explained. She was almost in tears. Her father had remarried. She lived with him and her step mother. Her church had an annual youth camp at Tamale, where her mother was and she was trying to make money to go so she can visit her. I felt sad instantly. I had both of my parents with me. She needed 60 Cedis for the trip and she just has 24. I decided to help her.

The next day I asked my uncle if I could get my allowance a bit early. He didn’t hesitate at all. I bought 10 boxes and enough water colour to make many boxes. We worked on the drawings together and finished 25 boxes. I took 20 to my mum’s bank and they bought everyone. My mum was so excited when I told her the idea so even though I sold 15 she bought the rest. Samira sold 3 but we had more than enough money for the trip. She was so excited. She could totally afford it now with lots of change.

My vacation ended when at the same time Samira travelled. It was the best vacation ever. I knew I was going back to school to envy my friends whose parents bought them new games but I didn’t care. So when my mum surprised me with an Xbox on my birthday I didn’t know what to say. She told me about how proud she was of me for helping Samira out. I couldn’t believe giving could ever let me get what I wanted.