The man with the net had been fishing for nine days. To him, it had felt like nine years. By the ninth day, he imagined returning home and finding his daughter on her wedding day. He would bring the fish he would catch to the feast, and fulfil what he had promised to his wife… Read more The Man and the Fish

In the snowy mountains of the north, beneath the setting sun, the winter chill gnawed at the bones of the hill folk. There were fifty of them in all, mothers with babes suckling in vain at their chests, elder women whose teeth had long rotted from their skulls, and children whose tears had frozen to… Read more Dreams of the Flame

In the forest something stirred and woke. It breathed a long groan and exhaled centuries with its dead breath. Gathering, it made a pungent wind that caused the leaves to curl and wither. A tubby child of seven was playing hide and seek, nestled in the nook of an ancient tree root. Opening one eye,… Read more The Forest of Grannies

It was the most wonderful time to live in Nyopedi village. It was the worst time to live in Nyopedi village. Everyone was forgiving, thoughtful, kind and considerate. Everybody was terrified. And it was all thanks to Kwame. When Kwame’s bicycle got stolen on the market day, his first and only suspect was Suleimani. So, he… Read more The Curse on Nyopedi

Magic was bred in the earth below the Three Sisters. Three hills, as round and green and smooth as the hills in baby’s picture books, the Sisters had watched over the land surrounding them since before time was invented. The magic was ancient, bloody, pitiless. Sometimes it flowed from a fissure opened by a digging… Read more The Sisters

Hit with the stench of a recently soiled diaper, Addie gagged and pinched her nose. “Addie, you coming to dinner with us?” “I’d have to get ready.” “Why can’t you toss on a pair of jeans like other kids your age?” “I have more class than kids in this age. Running around wearing the clothes… Read more Little Things Mean a Lot

Among the scattered dinner plates she lay, all chipped and broken, as the sky seeped from mango, to indigo, to night. The moon had seen. The moon saw everything. Under the flick, flick, flick of the fluorescent, his now calm hand, palm up, open, remained near her foot. She tried to kick it from her… Read more Unkindness

i Even before time or once Upon a time or even Before long long ago Heaven ruled ten unruly sons Making this place a moonscape. Only moon dust flowered All over the planet, in the Oceans, in the forests, Even in the coldest bear caves. Time’s up said Heaven And sent out a contract On… Read more Dust to Dust

“Yeah, they seemed okay. They paid well, which I guess is the important thing. They worked at being friendly, but something was always straining at them. It’s a small house they’ve got, but then they’re really little people. No complaints, little made it easier for me to clean.” I shifted my backside. As I got… Read more Little People

Surrounded by a primeval forest, Saro lay clutching the muddied dirt, gasping with his final breath, his body numb, the flash of his sword still recoiling in his grip. His master cast a steely eye and spoke a wounding reprimand. “This moment is trivial,” the old man said, “your aches and pains are feeble ghosts,… Read more The Battle