A Collection of Short Stories
Tales-from-the-Other-Side-2015 Tales-from-the-Other-Side-2015
Hymar David Angels of Redemption more pronounced. “We are the messengers of Allah,” Mallam Ibrahim starts speaking. “We are sent to bring judgement on this world of infidels.” You don’t get it. How’s your father an infidel, or your mother? Quiet people who lived devout lives. Your father was always scolding you and your sister, but he never once hit either of you. And your mother had a voice so soft, every word was music, beautiful music. You listen to him. His voice rises and rises like firewood smoke ascending to become clouds. The boys shed their sober demeanours. Their voices rise in cheer and defiant chants. Reflexively, you join in. Your voice is not yours, it is too loud, too impassioned, too much like theirs. The women finish the cooking and pass steaming platefuls around. The food scalds your tongue and makes your eyes to water. But you eat every grain, even flicking the runaway pieces on your shirt into your mouth. As you do that, your mother’s voice echoes in your head, “Stop eating like a beggar,” and nostalgia washes over you again. For a place that used to be home. Night comes, you lie awake, staring at the stars from an aperture in the roof where the grass parts wide enough. Sleeping bodies surround you. Sleep robs the boys of their aggression and bloodlust. They are boys once more. Boys whimpering in their sleep, boys sleeptalking. Boys lying there, innocent, pure and at peace with the world. Your playmates. And friends. 7
Angels of Redemption Hymar David Tomorrow, they will wake up and become—will have to be— soldiers. Hardboiled and cold. They will cradle machine-guns and chant defiance and cheer mallam Ibrahim when he makes his speeches. If they remember anything from life as they used to know it, they will not show it. They will join the older men to raid villages for supplies and recruits and killing sprees. And you will join them. You will learn war overnight. You will learn unquestioning devotion to Allah’s cause, battle chants and amnesia. You will become one of them. Hymar David grew up in Lagos and Ogun states. He spends more time causing trouble on Facebook than he does writing. Luckily, it pays; the causing trouble and, sometimes, the writing. 8 Tales from the Other Side
- Page 1 and 2: A Collection of Short Stories
- Page 3 and 4: First Published as an e-book in 201
- Page 6 and 7: To the one who made it against the
- Page 8 and 9: He turns around. It’s been callin
- Page 11 and 12: Angels of Redemption Hymar David An
- Page 13 and 14: Angels of Redemption Hymar David an
- Page 15: Angels of Redemption Hymar David Sa
- Page 20 and 21: Eketi Ette Behind The Scene Be care
- Page 22 and 23: Eketi Ette Behind The Scene not bee
- Page 24 and 25: Eketi Ette Behind The Scene In this
- Page 27 and 28: Birthright Miracle Adebayo
- Page 29 and 30: Birthright Miracle Adebayo *** The
- Page 31 and 32: Birthright Miracle Adebayo was burs
- Page 33 and 34: Birthright Miracle Adebayo “I won
- Page 36 and 37: Cracks Sibbyl Whyte
- Page 38 and 39: Sibbyl Whyte Cracks customary famil
- Page 40: Sibbyl Whyte Cracks baby-snake and
- Page 43 and 44: Double Promotion Shittu Fowora Spre
- Page 45 and 46: Double Promotion Shittu Fowora She
- Page 47 and 48: Double Promotion Shittu Fowora week
- Page 49 and 50: Double Promotion Shittu Fowora For
- Page 52 and 53: Fourteen Years Bankole Banjo
- Page 54 and 55: Bankole Banjo Fourteen Years speak
- Page 56 and 57: Bankole Banjo Fourteen Years But he
- Page 58: Bankole Banjo Fourteen Years rolled
- Page 61 and 62: Jibril Olisaeloka Onyekaonwu Hide u
- Page 63 and 64: Jibril Olisaeloka Onyekaonwu I groa
- Page 65 and 66: Jibril Olisaeloka Onyekaonwu “You
Angels <strong>of</strong> Redemption<br />
Hymar David<br />
Tomorrow, they will wake up and become—will have to be— soldiers. Hardboiled and cold. They will<br />
cradle machine-guns and chant defiance and cheer mallam Ibrahim when he makes his speeches.<br />
If they remember anything from life as they used to know it, they will not show it. They will join the<br />
older men to raid villages for supplies and recruits and killing sprees. And you will join them. You<br />
will learn war overnight. You will learn unquestioning devotion to Allah’s cause, battle chants and<br />
amnesia.<br />
You will become one <strong>of</strong> them.<br />
Hymar David grew up in Lagos and Ogun states. He spends<br />
more time causing trouble on Facebook than he does writing.<br />
Luckily, it pays; the causing trouble and, sometimes, the writing.<br />
8<br />
Tales from the Other Side
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