FLASH5: RESOLUTION. DAY 2.

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*Lights come on to Soogun's entrance music. Appearing on the ramp. He strides down to chants of 'Soobaba!' He enters the arena, poses for the crowd with his hands in the air, doing a Black Power.
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"Here Comes the Boom" starts blaring as the lights revolve, flashing multiple colours. The music stops, lights go out and the screen shows four hooded man standing behind a black-and-yellow danfo bus, bearing arms. They are standing in a red puddle and glimpses of falling feet could be seen.

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A voice goes, "Mo mu bazooka wa lo fi ja gunfight.' And as if on cue, something explodes and the screen blanks out. When it comes on again, we see a burning danfo bus and no hooded men.
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The lights come on and Hymar David is already in the arena, staring hard at Soogun. The 'Take him down!' chants start. Soogun looks a bit rattled.*
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Announcer's Voice: Welcome to day 2 of Flash5. Unarugably the hypest thing happening on the side of Zuckerville right now. Can I get a yadda-yadda? *The crowd yells,Yadda-yadda*
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Yesterday, a whooping 379(and counting) comments were recorded. I pity the pesin in charge of counting votes. And good news, some good soul just made the total prize 60 thousand naira( and still counting, Lol) So far, this is the biggest Facebook-based literary prize yet, Hymar must be proud of himself. Well, the stakes can't go any higher than this, cannit? Hymar and Soogun will undoubtedly be REALLY BRINGING it from today. Who wan die in poverty? Who want lose winner-takes-all roforofo?
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So, yesterday's results. Hymar wrote SORRY BABY NO TIME FOR LOVE and scored 138 audience votes(41 pts) and 3 judge votes(30 pts) netting 71 points. Soogun did DOUBLE TROUBLE and got 82 audience votes and no judge votes to earn 24 points. Hymar wins day 1 in demolition man style.
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Today's pieces are 250 words long and are based on a subject I will state after the post so as not to spoil your reading enjoyment.
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The RULES ARE:
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1. Read both stories and say what you think of them. Criticisms? Critiques? Famzings? Badbelleisms?.
2. Vote your favourite of the two(eg I VOTE story 1)
3. Edited comments to change votes are considered void.
4. Do NOT mention who you think wrote which. Such comments will be deleted. Mentioning names will foster biased voting.
5. Do NOT copy and paste the stories and absolutely DO NOT BLOG them without permission. Beware the Block button
6.Soogun and Hymar are only allowed to comment to tag their friends. Or to share laughs.
7. Tag your buddies, do not whine about tags. Tag yourself.
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Let The Madness Begin. Amen.
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SACRIFICE.
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This illness that has been making you drool is still not showing any good sign. Papa, mama, and your seven siblings end up singing the same song whenever they come checking in the hut where you lie,
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"Don't worry, you'll be fine Anyi... you'll be fine."
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They'll then hold hands around your raffia mat and offer prayers.
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Papa should've taken you to the village healer long ago, he doesn't have enough money is no reason to watch you die. He can borrow!
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Now, mama sits on the floor beside you, mopping the saliva dribbling out of your mouth corners with her wrapper. Papa stands at your almost lifeless feet. He faces her,
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"Today is the seventh day Nwunye'm... It'll soon be over...ehn.."
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"I know, I know..ow..." Mama replies, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
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Your sticky eyes part, and you notice the lamp near the window growing dim. The night's darkness begins to dominate your sight as each breath becomes laborious. You're dying. You cast a weak glance at papa and catch a satisfied look.
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Confusion hits you. Why's no one trying something! Your hand helplessly goes out to Mama. She turns away, ignoring it.
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"Nwunye'm, ndo! Once he dies, onye-debia can have this wrapper at the shrine, let him use the drool ...we should be wealthy too..."
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Her already dying cry revives at these life-sapping words. Finally, you give up as papa whispers again,
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"...remember Nwunye'm, we're sacrificing one for the rest."
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BEING STRONG FOR MAMA.
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" She's a child," her mother pleaded. "She's only a child."
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" The earlier this abomination is corrected," a voice said, " the better."
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She heard only snapshots of the conversation between her parents and the elders in papa's obi. Papa had banished her to mama's hut since what happened yesterday by the stream .
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They spoke for long, her mother's wails ricocheting past the elder's angry voices. Then her father's sharp, "It is enough!" was followed by the sound of a slap.
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Her mother had welts on the side of her face when she came into her room later. Her eyes were red.
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" Adanna," she said. "Be strong. Be a woman."

She nodded, even though she understood nothing.
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It was pitch dark when she heard the door open. Reflexively, she reached for mama beside her, but her hand groped darkness. Maybe mama went to pee and was at the door.
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But it wasn't mama's hands that clamped over her mouth and forced her legs open. It wasn't her voice slurring, "This is what women should do," into her ears. It was papa's.
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She closed her eyes and pretended it was Chioma whose girth was on top of her as they frolicked by the bushes close to the stream; being silly, being children.
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She pretended the tearing pain between her legs didn't belong to her, that whatever was trickling down her thighs as he plunged into her wasn't there. She wouldn't scream, she wouldn't cry. She would show mama she,too, could become a woman. That she, too, was strong.

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Today's Theme: A story about how wicked a parent or parents can be