BLACK SUMMER
EPISODE 1 

In the deep warm cold of the night Lucia wrapped herself tightly in the couch’s embrace, wrestling with the question of whether she could survive this night once more. It was yet another fearful evening, steeped in dread, as she faced the solitude that enveloped her. There was no one to talk to. Her mother was on her frequent business trips. Her best friend Margret, had not been picking up her calls. Lucia knew Margret had traveled to visit her aunt in a remote village in Sokoto, yet she clung to hope, as Margret had promised to return just before nightfall. With a heavy heart, Lucia left another voice note, yearning for help. She wished she had the keys to the door too but no, her uncle had taken and hid them; he had onfined her in the house like someone placed on quarantine. She wondered why her school principal insisted summer lesson would not hold because of the loss of a student. At least two weeks was enough to mourn. If there had been a summer lesson, she would have at least reported the matter to her favourite teacher. She thought.

A sudden shadow flickered across the room, and Lucia screamed in terror. “Please, I beg you, I don’t want to do this anymore! Forgive my father… let me go! Mummy! Daddy! Somebody help!” Her cries echoed in vain, swallowed by the vastness of the mansion her mother had built. As panic surged, her strength began to wane.

****************

George stood frozen, eyes fixed on Lucia as she lay vulnerable on the floor. He had wrestled with his desire for vengeance against his brother Kelvin, but now, seeing Lucia’s plight, the weight of his choices bore down on him. He remembered the bond they had shared before Kelvin seized the opportunity to marry Elena, Lucia’s mother, a betrayal that left him shattered. He had only sought his brother’s assistance but he took chances and married her instead.

Tears welled in his eyes as he watched Lucia, blood seeping from her wounds. He never intended for her to suffer; she was an innocent caught in his web of retribution. With trembling hands, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, eyes darting to the small pillow on the floor. What was he doing? Lucia, in her desperation, crawled toward the door, fighting against the pain. But he was faster, closing the distance between them.

“I’m sorry, Lucy. I never wanted this”

To be continued…