Daily Stories

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE No word from Father. No glimpse of him at the morning or evening services. His throne sat empty, his absence looming larger;than his presence ever could. But I knew better than to show any form of unease. I made sure my appearances were spotless. I attended…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE He jerked awake, startled to find my eyes fixed on him. He sat up quickly, like a guilty man caught. His chest heaved, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why are you staring at me like that?” His voice cut through the silence, sharp, defensive. “You know…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE Father Soji stretched beside me, smugness still on his face. His arm wrapped around me as though he had conquered a nation. His breath slowed, his chest rising and falling. He thought he was the boss. The lord. The untouchable. But if only he knew…power had…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE The assembly swelled with chants of “Holy! Holy! Holy!” as Father Soji declared Cordelia’s fate. My ears rang, my body shook, but my lips stayed sealed. Guards grabbed Cordelia by both arms. She kicked, she struggled, but they dragged her forward toward the dreaded doors. And…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE “Before we go for the assembly, can I privately mourn her please” I said as the tears flowed without an end… burning down my cheeks like acid. Father Soji’s eyes lingered on me for a moment, then he nodded slowly. “I understand. I will have you…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE In that moment, it felt like the earth should open up and swallow me alive. My ears rang. My chest caved in. My breath caught in my throat. Cordelia. He said Cordelia. Was he joking? Was this some cruel trick to measure my loyalty? Or had…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE I waited endlessly, my ears tuned to every sound in the corridor, my body jerking at the faintest footsteps. But the door never opened. The silence stretched into the dawn until my eyes burned with exhaustion. By morning, I dragged myself up, determined to be at…

© Opeyemi Akintunde I laid on my bed… Sorry not my bed… the bed given to me still humbled by what I had seen. Pretending to be unaware of what was happening was one thing, but having flashes of what I had just seen was another…The compound had become quiet after devotion. Voices had drifted away,…

© Opeyemi Akintunde The boy didn’t hesitate. He grabbed my elbow and, with a rough whisper… “Now!”… He shoved me through a back door I hadn’t noticed before. It led into a narrow service passage, dark and smelling of bleach. We moved like thieves, bent double, feet silent on cold concrete. At a point, he…

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde As Inspired by the DEEP ONE The door creaked open. I froze, my heart in my throat. Tears blurred my vision so badly I couldn’t make out the face standing there. A silhouette, a breath, a voice. “Oh my God!” the voice gasped. “What are you doing here? Do you want to…