Love, Terror and A Girl Named Shiko – June Photo Drama

I wonder if anyone else is suffering under the weight of the July freeze. I am. Which is why I am grateful for hot coffee, and an endless supply of things to read. Amongst the things that I read last week were the entries from the June Photo Drama. Several of the stories impressed me with the authors’ ability to spin word pictures in less than a thousand words. There was a hit and miss as well, but I am going to leave you to be the judges.

Here are the six stories that were entered into the June Photo Drama. I am going to post them here as they were submitted. The exercise is for you to read all six stories and comment constructively on them. I have 2 complimentary season tickets to the Storymoja Hay Festival 2013 for one reader who can comment on all 6 stories in a manner that assesses style as well construction of the story.

I also  have 2 complimentary season tickets to the Storymoja Hay Festival 2013 – September 19-22 for the story that will win the contest. The winning story will be chosen by members of the Storymoja Editorial Team and will be announced later in the week.

So here goes:

One man, One Night, Three Attacks: The reverberated scream struck him almost as the bang split the cold Nairobi air.  Mukwhasi ducked in the pavement without noticing the nail fragment pegged in his shin.

Her Mother Died on Monday:  For some reason they thought you would be the best person to break the news, never mind that it has been two years since you last saw her.

Slum Dog’s Slam Dunk: The bell knelled at last. Jimmy heaved a sigh of relief. The last fifteen minutes had felt like an hour. He desperately needed the loo.

Neighbouhood Feud: At first she trod with preparation into the serenity that herself and no one else suffered. She inspected the compound with glimpses and listened like one who smells a rat.

Of Girls and Women: You would think my hair has insulted her from the way that she keeps pulling it. How it manages not to get plucked from the scalp, I don’t know.

A Queen I Can Eat: A hot cup of tea to warm me up on a cold Monday morning was all it took for my heart to fall in love. The feeling of warmth flowed in me like the frequent voltage surge…

Enjoy reading!