Friends

Seconds’ fleet, minutes follow, hours fly, days pass, months escape, years run by and time seems to disappear. Life becomes a blur of routine and events. In the blink of an eye, we race through reality and are left with just memories. Faint memories of our actions, desires, feelings, and moments. Moments, that define our lives that shape up our very existence. We forget to stop, even for a little while and enjoy these wonderful moments. However, there are those particular people in our lives. People that slow us down, by simply being part of every moment. They were there when we were in sorrow and pain, when we cried and nobody else noticed. They were there when we felt abandoned and lonely; they even remained when we hurt them. And now they are with us through our every smile, every laughter. They are there to witness us win, to watch us progress and to help celebrate our success. They make us enjoy every second, want to cherish every minute, to relive every day. They give us wonderful months and happy years. They freeze time, so that we could grasp the memorable moments. With them in our lives, Time becomes an eternal chain of unforgettable memories and experiences. They ensure that we are not lost in the ever increasing pace of life. Our true friends make time in this world worthwhile. 

Hate (excerpt)

I lay there, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. I must have been out for close to four hours. I tried sitting up, but a sharp pain cut through my waist. I stared out into the darkness, wrapping myself in its emptiness. As moments passed, the throbbing pain in my head began to subside and then I started to think…no, I started to remember. The memories came like flashes coming and going without me actually grasping them. The first flash was of the news headline on television; the reports of violence spreading through Zaria town. The next thing I remember was a phone call I had received, I didn’t know whose voice was on the other line, but I was sure that it was a warning. The chanting and explosions coming from the streets outside sounded very near and the next thing I knew my door was broken down. Suddenly, the pains and bruises I felt on my body faded instantly and an unimaginable agony seized my mind, brain and heart all at once, as the memories came flooding back in an uncontrollable flow of emotions. Even now my body was gripped with raw fear as I remembered the sight of the men that stormed into my room, holding sticks, wires and broken bottles. I felt the fresh pain and aches on my body as I remembered how the men beat me with sticks and their fists, mercilessly beating me to the ground. Then my fear turned to sorrow when I remembered the men unzipping and unbuckling their trousers, each one going right after the other. The feeling simultaneously turned into disgust and anger as I remembered the stench of alcohol on their breath, their yellowing teeth and the unpleasant sound of their sighs they let out when they climaxed. The look in their eyes was without emotion, just a soulless, hungry stare. As I felt the tears run down my cheeks, I tried sitting up again, this time baring the pain of my bruised body. My thighs felt sticky, from the excess blood I must have lost. The dark silence made my thoughts louder, made my memories more vivid, made everything clearer. My body was weak, but I willed my mind to be strong amidst the pain, sorrow and anger. For something else fuelled my mind, my heart. All my emotions were all burnt up into one feeling; one that would give me the strength to face this; a feeling that would defend me. As I looked on to the darkness, I quietly embraced and wrapped myself in raw hate. Hate towards the men that raped me, towards life for dealing me such cruel fate. Hatred was now my only protection.