When Eyes Become Filled Like Cups!

It was 6:00am as she heard the buzzing sound of her alarm device. “wake up sexy, it’s a beautiful day, ” it said. She set that as her wake-up tone to give her a little push and motivation to start the day with. Though she knows it’s completely false; it’s not gonna be a good, beautiful or whatever day as the tone says, and neither is she anything close to sexy.

Her life has been chaotic. She’s been hurt one too many times by persons who claimed to love and care about her. This has made her furious at the mention of the name “LOVE”. She detests the word and flees from anyone who tries to talk about it. Death was another word she dreaded. It had stolen from her all those who were most beloved to her. She often hear people call it the “inevitable”. True, the pains are inevitable, the hurt too. The scars remain unforgettable. They serve as a constant reminder of the battles fought, the number of times we fell but refused to stay down. It is our metal of accomplishment recognized by some and felt by a few.

Love, death, loss has been her ordeal. Crying herself to bed, waking up with bulgy eyes, broken but ready to take on the world and mend her brokenness. “The world awaits me”, she said to her reflection looking back at her with fear, hope, doubt, confidence and strength evident in those tired dark circled eyes with saggy bags. Eyes that charmed any it locked gaze with, beautifully curved with large brown pupils and perfectly lined lids and brows, now carry the weight of the world in it, scaring even the one who possesses it.-Hijab Gurl
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Najan looked like a fleshy ghost, his eyes sunken and dark with sorrow, his hair looked like soft spikes making him look like a dangerous mad man. It has been two weeks since he came back from the hospital alone, and voluntarily became a prisoner to his grief and the monsters that taunt him. The monsters, he could not see them but he could feel their presence, he could hear their voices when they screamed his name and accused him of killing Nadia. Sometimes he could hear her screaming and begging him to take care of their child, her legacy.

He rubbed his palms on his head, and rubbed his eyes. The whole house was dark, the night he came back from the hospital he switched off the electricity from the main circuit, he closed the windows and curtains. He was determined to keep his grief and every memory of Nadia within these walls, they must not escape, he’ll wallow in them for as long as the monsters wanted. “Najaaaaaaaaan please open the door, you can’t mourn forever…your newborn baby girl is healthy, at least you should be grateful for life, God took one and gave another. She looks just like mamma, you should come see her…come see us Najan…please, ” he heard Sonia his sister in law sigh, then he heard the soft sounds that her shoe made as she walked away from the house. Sonia took the baby the day she was discharged, she came to the house daily at first but she seemed to have given up. This was the first time she was here this week. He cried silently but with strength as he thought about his daughter that Nadia had given up her life for. He has never been in her presence, he was scared of what he will see in those tiny eyes.

Nadia was the only woman he had ever loved or known deeply. Their love adventure started when they were just five years old. Their families have been friends for a century. They were given birth to on the same day, in the same hospital and by the same midwives. He first knew her as his sister for twenty-two years. That foundation was all they needed to take their love to matrimonial heights. Now she was gone! The painful path of childbirth brought her face to face with death and he wondered how he was going to start all over. He scratched his body and tore his singlet, rolling on the floor and begging the monsters to kill him for the pain was fiery. His screams were loud but only in his head, he stood up and raced to the door, Nadia was calling him again. ” i’m coming my jewel, don’t go, i’m coming” he cried. He opened the door but he only heard the wind. Then he saw her, his mother was carrying her. She was wrapped in a pink and white showel, her eyes were wide and white. Even at just two weeks she looked like her mom, staring at him the way Nadia did when she anticipated something. He fell to the ground and sobbed, his mother gave the baby to Sonia, she knelt down crying with him, kissing him on his head the way she did when the other kids bullied him at school when he was boy. Sonia and thirteen other family members cried silently as they entered the dark house leaving mother and son to comfort each other. Najan stood up weakly and helped his mother up, “you must open the windows, only then will the monsters leave” his mother looked at him knowingly as fresh tears dragged down her wrinkled face.-Omolola
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The old king had passed on. The color of the weather that day became pale and weak. The battle for the throne multiplied in strength. The wars had been fought back to back since the last reign was measured in cups full enough to put out the fire that made their blood boil red. Was this the end about to start?

Kiki was grown enough to mate. Before her father died she’d shared her fairy-tale with him. She wanted to be kissed by a prince so she could become a queen. She didn’t want the whole royalty, she just wanted to package love and wear it like a locket so she could share and let everyone see it. Her dream was to be a leader and not just an heir to the throne or a queen. Her father’s death had beside his coffin buried her dreams.

When they came for the funeral she found her date. Sulli was a prince who didn’t need a crown for proof. He looked royal enough that eyes wore the scepter. “I’m so sorry about your father. He fought beside my father and they were like blood brothers. We’ve lost a fine king and soldier,” Sulli said to her. Kiki felt the sound of his voice pour like warm water on ice day. She knew about all he’d said but what she wanted to hear was how soon he planned on kissing her. “Or is he already taken?” she thought to herself.

When she got back to the palace she sent a message to Sulli’s father thanking him for his condolences and requesting that Sulli paid a visit to advice her on future plans as she’s now heir to the throne. Sulli’s father granted her wish and Sulli set out for Kiki’s palace.

Soon the sun got too cold and had to go back inside to heat up. Kiki had ordered a royal dinner and made up her face to conceal the amount of grief she wore from losing her father. It was four hours after sunset and Sulli hadn’t arrived. As she walked towards the door a knock announced itself. A messenger fell to one knee bearing knife cuts and Sulli’s sheath. – Leon