Daily Stories

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD I moved closer to one of the paintings … a portrait of a smiling child, his eyes sparkling like diamonds.But as I leaned in to admire it, something strange happened. The child’s smile began to fade…slowly turning into a frown…then into a cry. The colours of the…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD I wiped my face again. Aunty Favour’s patience on the line gave me courage. It was like speaking to someone who wouldn’t judge me, someone who understood pain beyond what words could explain. “I don’t know where to start…” I whispered. “Anywhere, dear. Start from anywhere.” Her…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD The house was quiet. Too quiet for my restless soul. Deji had drifted off into a light, uneasy sleep on the couch. His phone lay beside him. The Police had come and asked questions.We made sure not to include the paintings in our story. We were waiting…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD I stood there, frozen. Wasiu lay on the ground, eyes wide open…staring into nothing. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Deji bent down, gently closing Wasiu’s eyes like he was tucking him in for sleep. But this wasn’t sleep. This was death, raw and real. Deji grabbed Wasiu’s…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD The creak echoed again. I dropped the spoon I had been washing, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Without thinking, I raced out of the kitchen and into the living room, my breath shallow and quick. Deji sat on the couch, completely engrossed, holding one of the…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD The moment I turned into our street, I felt a new kind of peace. My fingers still trembled on the steering wheel, but this time, it wasn’t fear. It was relief… a relief that we had escaped something dark and painful, and I had brought home something…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD We didn’t need to exchange words. One look between us and we all jumped back into the car. Morayo turned to the teenager again. “Please, where does Sister Bolade’s cousin or her Sister live?” “Just after that yellow bungalow… dem dey live for the last compound with…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD. We stood frozen, staring at the lifeless body of the woman we had just trusted with our greatest treasure. My legs could barely hold me up. “No… No, this can’t be happening,” I muttered, my hands trembling uncontrollably. Morayo took a sharp breath, wiped her face, and…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD. We waited… eyes darting, ears tuned to the faintest of sounds. Only when we were sure Tobe and his crew were long gone did we begin to breathe properly again. “We can’t be too sure we won’t meet them on the road,” Morayo said cautiously. “They can…

© Opeyemi AkintundeAs Inspired by the LIVING WORD. The unexpected sound that broke the silence was Tobe’s voice. It sliced through the air like a blade. “I told you she was lying! It was all a plan! They’ve taken the paintings!” Tobe’s voice thundered from the other side of the compound. His steps were heavy,…