RESONANCE “If you must blink, do it now,” lest you miss a moment. A tiny stone strategically cast unto a water body can cause the most unexpected ripples. And this will probably be the closest I would get to dabbling with a body of water that is not a 9 feet swimming pool. “Resonance”– the sound or vibration produced in an object by sound or vibrations of a similar frequency from another...
On Thursday, we smelt a heartbreak coming and we thought we sheltered you. It was coming and you didn’t pay much attention to it, but you knew. You saw an RIP on a friend’s reel on IG. The first thing you said was “God please don’t let it be someone I know”. You found out that that prayer was answered. Later you asked what kind of prayer it was. ...
“You’ve been avoiding eye contact, why can’t you look into my eyes?”, says a voice deep enough to make your insides tremble. You do not respond. You try to gulp back the taste of last night’s episode down your throat, but your tongue seems to like it. You recall everything: how your bodies folded into each other like palm trees bending over as though whispering secrets. You adjust your naked body...
READING LIST OF THE EIC Hello everyone, Happy New Year! and welcome to our 24/7 year! As promised here is my 2023 reading list. Most of these are essays and short stories. Where a full length is being mentioned, it will annotated. As an editor, one of my greatest joys is reading and curating pieces I believe are worth reccomending. As a house rule, I implore you to look through our...
Here’s to us, one more toast! Another year has come and is about to go as we briefly close our doors on the 20th of December 2023. No worries, we will reopen on the 10th of January to continue doing what we do best, tell stories. Next year is remarkably special to us as it will be our seventh year and we are very excited. There are going to be strong changes with our submissions in line...
Hello! This is the fourth issue of the pencilmarks anthology series and this time, we are bringing you short stories. An anthology of meaning. We hope you enjoy and support us as you have always done. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
RESONANCE: A SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGY, DEC 2023
Struggles of motherhood, Agonizing, however fulfilling. I toiled day and night, So I may reap what I sow. Bodies grinding with sweats, With no pleasure on sight. Despair had been my abode, With no child to call my own. Then you happened, The joy that cometh by morning. Only that I was jinxed, For I bore an Abiku! With a razor, you were scarred Never to return to my dwelling...
CHETA: You spend weekends tasting bliss off each other’s bodies. But this weekend, like the last, you are alone, surrounded by an eerie silence. Davido’s Ekuro is blasting on your boom box: Eh when I look into your eyes. You are a blessing in disguise. You make me wanna do the ring around the roses… Forlorn, you log in to your Instagram. In the reels you watch, the Nigerian couples are...
Sisters by chance, friends by choice. I was two years old when my sister was born, I don’t remember it. I haven’t really thought about it, until now. I imagine it being a sunny Friday, I imagine the sky being the prettiest shade of blue because her spirit is so bright and my sister is the most beautiful being to grace this heavy world. I imagine the birds singing beautiful songs as our...
“Do you remember the feeling of walking under water?” “Yes.” “It’s hard right? But it’s possible. Deep breaths. “Now have you ever gotten stuck in quicksand?” “No.” “It’s impossible, isn’t it? It feels as though you’re trapped with no way out.” Eyes closed. Hands trembling. “That’s how I feel most of the time.” It took a lot to get here. Two months precisely. Two months of staring at each other...
