Blood May Not Be Red.

Lagos. 7:30 pm.

The room was brightly lit when Aduke came in, her eyes were glazed over, and suffering from some weariness syndrome.

Her feet dragged across the carpet, as she meandered her way around her tight apartment , and on to her room. If she hadn't been so tired.

Overworked by her boss;Madam Patricia, who kept making her run down the stairs to the stationery for more A4 papers, the torture heightened during traffic, crammed in a bus filled with impatient home goers making calls, talking loudly, sitting their many children at very uncomfortable positions, coupled with the incessant noise from the street hawkers urging her and the other passengers to "Buy gala"
"Buy Hankie"
"Aunty sweet chin-chin oo" and so many other cacophony that left her on the edge of fainting.

She was taking a shower, cold, and without her favourite liquid body wash, she just lazily rubbed her cocoa skin with Eva soap, and if she hadn't wanted to get the bath over with She might have noticed the soap suds on the Pink bar.

Her feet made no sound as she controlled it towards the kitchen, only then did she notice that something was amiss.

The gas burner was hot, the lights were turned on, the fridge which she always turned off was whirring away happily,there was spaghetti in the pot, the one she made sunday stew with.

And what had her scurrying back to her room, was the set table, at the dining corner of her fairly large kitchen.

"Oh God, Someone is in my house. " She breathed as she ran, for her phone.
She couldn't find it in her bag.
Not her coat.
It wasn't on the bed, not the headboard, she even checked the bathroom, on the sink, she went back to the kitchen, trying not make any sound lest she alarm the unseen intruder.

Her heart was beating faster than a drum to an atilogu dance.

Breathe she commanded herself, breathe. But it wasn't working.

Then something made a sound, like a laughter, a sinister, and threatening one she'd almost flown out the window when she realized it was the horror ringtone from her phone.

In quick strides she made it to the sitting room where it was peacefully charging by a far wall.

The message that flashed on her screen was from Ochuko, her man. And it read: Hope you enjoyed the food, and the surprise. I also made the bed, and put some chocolates in the fridge. Love you.


She was sagging with relief when she heard the laugh again, but not from her phone.