Alaye by Fredrick C. Nwonwu

It was still dark enough for the neon lights to reflect off the paved road, throwing crooked shadows off potholes that scattered like puckered pox scars on the coal-black tarmac.

Across the road, to the left of an abused public toilet, a huddled figure lay, prone, dead to a sleeping world. The weak light failed to hide the figure's feet with thick calluses and deep cracks. Large, mutant-like mosquitoes perched on the exposed softer areas of the feet, they sported distended tummies and swaggered with sated blood delirium. The figure, a man judging by his built, appeared to be immune to the bites of these giant vampires, for apart from the occasional gentle heave of chest, he lay perfectly still.

This story has been selected for the annual StoryTime anthology African Roar 2012, please go to the African Roar site for more info.

Alaye was written by Fredrick C. Nwonwu.

Copyright © Fredrick C. Nwonwu 2011.

Fredrick. C. Nwonwu is a creative writer based in Lagos Nigeria; he experimented with poetry, scripts, short stories, report writing and other genres before deciding his mainstay is prose.His works have appeared in various mainstream writer's sites and the anthology A generation defining itself.

He is presently earning a living from his other love, article writing, while taking as much time as possible to add pages to his novel in progress Rivers of Blood and a collection of related short stories Tales from the Seven Hills.

Fred believes his writing speaks for him, since he is very shy and usually has very little to say when in the midst of strangers.