Aliyah

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

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School was fun throughout the day. If not for anyone buh it was for Aliyah. She cracked jokes, made fun and gist.

Soon, the bell rang signifying closing period. Students arranged and packed their stuff.

Tife and Aliyah including some of their friends walked home together. Their gist seemed not to end.

Soon, the sun grew hotter. They felt exhausted. Once they see any tree, they’d stop and rest.

Aliyah wished she hadn’t spent all her money but she had to. Some of her friends were hungry and she had to pay for them.

“Aliyah, you don tire o” Grace, one of her friends said.

“Ajebo no dey get strength like that” Another one, Gift, said before Aliyah could say anything.

“Na your papa wife no go get strength, werey omo ibo” Aliyah fired jokingly.

They laughed and continued walking.

After some minutes walk, Aliyah sighted a mango tree. She smiled mischievously.

“Una see wetin I dey see” Aliyah asked

“Your glory?” Gift asked

Aliyah glared at her.

“Wetin you see?” Tife asked

“Una no see that mango wey dey inside that compound” Aliyah said, ignoring Gift.

“Mtcheew… Shuu… See this one o” Gift said

“Wetin happen?” Aliyah asked

“No blame am. She no dey follow us trek na” Grace said

“E be like say God wan confuse Una papa. Wetin happen na?”

“Babe, na old soldier compound be that. The man stingy. E no get joy at all. The day wey we go beg, na whip im comot use chase us” Gift explained

“Una don try to climb the tree, pluck am” Aliyah asked

“Babe, forget that. Who wan try that? Make we waka joor” Gift said, pulling her hands.

“This mango wey I see, I must taste am o” Aliyah said

“Devil get mansion for your heart o. You wan die” Gift said, frustrated

“Tife, grace, if I pluck this mango, Una go lick?”

“Yes” Tife answered while grace nodded positively. They were exhausted and also needed something to replenish their energy. Passers by stared at wondering if the sun had no effect on them.

“Even the mangoes sef dey call us” Tife added.

“Death in mango form” Gift muttered.

“Werey, shey you dey with us?” Aliyah asked

“Ah no get choice na. 3 against 1” Gift surrendered.

Aliyah smiled knowing she won and would taste the mango.

“Make I check the building premises first” Aliyah said as they walked towards the building.

The fence wasn’t that large and branches of the mangoes were outside, hanging on the fence but one would have to get on the fence first.

After doing her survey. She took off her bag and gave Tife.

“Tife, go stay across the road. If yawa gas, pick race” She said to Tife who collected her bag and ran across to stay at the other side of the road.

“Grace, stay for the gate dey peep through the hole. Werey, dey pick the mango. First of all carry me for your shoulder make I climb the fence” She said “No lick am o” She added as she sat on Gift’s shoulder.

“Girl, you get weight o. Wetin you dey chop?” Gift grunted

Aliyah smiled as she got on the fence. She looked inside the building. It was large and beautiful buh not as large as theirs.

“Babe, wetin you dey look na?” Gift asked

“Chill”

Aliyah got hold of the branches and swing like a monkey. Gift was surprised. She never knew she could be so flexible.

“Monkey o” Gift hailed

Aliyah sat on the tree comfortably and took a breath before she started plucking the mangoes as fast as she could. She threw it down as she plucked it. The tree was full of leaves thereby blocking her from view. Only her could see clearly from above.

“My bag don full o” Gift said but Aliyah didn’t hear. “Make I comot my book?” She asked but Aliyah didn’t hear her.

“The man don come out o!” Grace raised the alarm and ran. Gift resounded the warning, carried her bag and took ran. Tife also heard them and ran. No one bothered to look back or wait.

Meanwhile, Aliyah heard them buh she couldn’t escape quick as she was caught unaware by red ants. She had tried not to scream and was busy killing the ones that’s on her body. She felt a pain and whimpered. An ant had found it’s way under her hijab and had bitten her on the neck. Another one. Another one.

“F–k shit!” She cursed silently as she removed her hijab. She gently, without letting the tree shake change her position. Now, she had a clear view of the whole compound.

She could see the man sitting on a chair reading a newspaper. He doesn’t look old. Though he’s old but doesn’t look old. His beards were dyed and his face was plain.

“E be like say this man don fight Biafra war o. See as him face stone.” She thought.

“Chai! How I go comot here now? Evening don knack o. This girls no even get liver. Dem no fit wait for person” She lamented staring at the man who seemed to be enjoying his paper and wasn’t going in anytime soon.

“And I never even taste the mango o. E fit no sweet Gan sef” She said as she plucked one and started peeling it making sure the peel doesn’t drop on the floor.

“God no go shame us o”