Stories from Nigeria

Amira

It started with a smile; a lopsided grin full with teeth and joy lit eyes. He promised to take me for popcorn. He promised me a lollipop. He stretched out his hand and beckoned unto me " come sweet girl, wouldn't you like to eat some chicken?" Chicken in June and a Monday no less, what a treat. My heart, tongue and stomach were already following him but my hand hesitated. " Uncle, my mummy will beat me!!" I whined. He smiled again, that sweet compelling smile " Don't worry, she won't know. Besides we are not going far, just to my house and we are back." Reassured that the whip at home would play with my back, I slipped my hand into his slightly sweaty palm. Smiling voraciously, I let him tug me behind him like a goat led to the slaughter house.

We got to his one room apartment and he bolted the door behind us. I wasn't worried, chicken awaited me. He brought out the chicken drumsticks, a whole lap usually reserved for only Daddy the few occasions we had eaten chicken back home, laid on a chipped white ceramic plate staring at me. It looked crisp yet tender, just waiting for me to devour it. He sat on the floor and watched me as there was no other furniture in the room apart from the bed I was sitting on. He sat patiently not even saying a word waiting for his prey to fall into his snare. I took a huge bite of the perfectly prepared chicken. I had fallen and it spiralled so fast downhill from that moment

"Amira" his velvet voice called and I looked up with a mouth full of chicken, still chewing, still holding the chicken close, still suprised this wasn't a dream. " Do you like grown up games?" I was 6 years old and he had just blessed my palate with the gift of chicken. I nodded my head, still chewing. He came up to the bed, " I want to show something and I want you to play with it. Remember this is a big girl game. " Yes Uncle" I could care less about his game, I just wanted another chicken. He took off his shirt, then removed his belt. I had stopped chewing now, my attention was sorely on him. He caressed my cheeks. " Do you know you are very pretty girl?" I gulped, his smile wasn't sweet anymore, it was now feral. He brought out a fat stick from his trousers. " Kneel down and lick it." Lick that wrinkled, irritating stick, yuck!! Never, not even for chicken. "Uncle please I want to start going." "Amira just lick it small na." " No ooh, I want to go before my mummy come back" I stood up but he held my hands. "Where do you think you are going?" I screamed and he lunged at me tackling us to the ground as he tried to close my screaming mouth. There was panic in his eyes. There was panic in my voice. There was a knife on top of a pile of dirty plates shoved under the bed that I can see now that I was on the floor. In the blink of an eye, the knife was in his hand and I was screaming louder. The next minute, he slit my throat with it.