In The Line Of The Dead Eyes
What a tale! For several reasons, this one had my blood boiling enough to cook jollof. First off, the similarities between this story and real life (if you know, you know,) were way too eerie. Then we had a crooked assistant AG in the company of globally renowned men and women, some of whom were journalists and human rights activists, yet he himself was complicit in the denial of a man’s basic rights as a citizen. Even worse, he was at the heart of a grand conspiracy to defraud the public in the interest of maintaining power. Not to mention, the president was in on it the entire time. Ring any bells, anyone?
B.Z. Fanti had me siding with the domestic terrorists known as the Dead Eyes, and I was quite invested in the outcome of their plot. They clearly knew the best time to make their entrance, and they wasted no time setting the tone for the evening. They had the perfect hostages with which to make their noise, and they seemed poised to take advantage of that. They were composed, calculated and well-organized, even having a mole in the office of the president.
Then the cracks started to show.
First with the “anti-sweet” individual known as Lycipus. The problem with being in command but having no control is that stupid mistakes are inevitable. She was menacing, but her choice to kill and injure outside of the plan was the first bad move for the group. She could’ve ruined it all at that moment, were it not for the timely intervention of Dephios.
Then there was the problem of the Americans. Let’s be honest, there’s no country in the world that bullies more than them. They can and will commandeer your airspace, your ground space, and any space they must, if it serves their interest. This was a fact that the arrogant president Ansah-Obiaka knew, but thought he could avoid. It was also a fact which Kosys never considered, even with an American being part of his hostages. That would eventually prove to be the undoing of the entire plan, and eventually lead to the demise of almost the entire team. As far as leaders go, this was clearly not the sharpest tool in the box. But, he did manage to create a storm that would give the president a black eye on the international stage, with all the represented countries calling him to blast him. Even with that, he still managed to screw over the country. This tale is literally and figuratively a representation of real-life politics in that nation. It’s amazing that it managed to end with Lycipus getting killed outside of a courtroom rather than in some forest somewhere by nasty henchmen.
I Know All About You
There’s a saying which I’m rephrasing for the purpose of this review: Don’t poop where you eat. The explanation usually has to do with upsetting corporate harmony, but this tale is a clear example of the actual reason. For a man to build a business to that level, only to be taken down by a disgruntled former employee who clearly isn’t cut for that industry, is a special level of insanity. Unfortunate positioning, but avoidable positioning nonetheless.
Willem really could have been a smarter man. Doing his bad deeds first in his office (with Rosemary) and then in town (with the underground club) is crazy. Would it not have been better for him to have left town to be his depraved self, if being a good man didn’t suit him? His wife had borne his children and been his partner for 23 years, yet he still put himself in a position that could hurt her and damage his family. This is what makes it so hard to view Asibi as a villain; she was given the ammo. She was nothing more than an opportunist who saw a flaw and exploited it, although in a manner so petty that it’s hard to accept that she’s smart.
Asibi could not be bothered to lie about her mindset towards work: do your job, go home, repeat. She didn’t even try to pretend that she was unjustly dismissed; she could not care less. All she wanted was the pay, and Willem was in no position to oppose. She could’ve done a lot more, (which I suspect we probably would’ve witnessed if this story went further,) but she chose to be simple. She does deserve credit for bringing an end to Willem’s affair, but that gets diluted by the hypocrisy of her actions. A great tale by the incomparable Dabar.
Hatita of Nain
I was truly grateful that this tale was as short as it was; it was heart-wrenching. Watching Hatita have to process her thoughts in the middle of her ordeal was painful. I had secretly hoped that this was a different bible story so that Eliab would be brought to life much earlier, but that was not to be.
First, we watched hope toy with Hatita by keeping Eliab close enough to life but still much closer to death. Then, after a long sleepless night of growing within her, hope chose to pull the plug. The unimaginable emotions that come with losing one’s only son were laid bare before us, and only friends like Mara and the women who came around could’ve been a help to Hatita. Friends who would know to do all they can for her without asking much of her, friends who would still try to encourage her even though they could not know how.
Then we watched the grieving mother have to follow a procession with her son in a beir, his lifeless body on display for the world to see. As though he were an exposed organ in her body that she could not salvage. It was a tough thing to watch this happen to her in real time as she was still processing her own emotions, something that could’ve taken months if not years. Had it not been for the sudden location of a mysterious man whose aura was undeniable, what would’ve been of Hatita? This man somehow saw her and her son, walked over, and managed to bring calm? To a woman who had so many questions at an extremely sensitive time? When he had them stop the procession, I almost thought someone was going to curse him for being insolent. Somehow, everyone knew that he meant no harm.
They were proven right when he…lifted Eliab out of death and back into his mother’s arms! The wildest part is that he didn’t take a curtain call; he simply smiled at Hatita, tapped her on the shoulder, and left. The whole town got to celebrate the miracle. This was a timely reminder of a lesson that every Man United fan under Sir Alex had to learn: the game is not over until the final whistle. Even until the last millisecond, God always can, and God always will.
The Dungeon Below
The thing about the tales on the State of Dabar is that you can really never tell what’s coming, unless it’s a wholesome story from the start. Also, each author has different tendencies, none of which are predictable enough to accurately call out. BZ Fanti just proved that with this tale of torture.
The story opens with two men who seem to have walked on the wrong street and got captured for their troubles. Or had been kidnapped with no intention of a safe return. It looked like they were going to suffer. I’m not sure any of us expected just how much, or in what ways they would. Scalding water? Then lashes from a bullwhip immediately followed by a dousing in rubbing alcohol? Hell hath no fury like the strange man scorned! And then, the worst of all, a game of salvation which turned out to be rigged; the boys were never coming out alive!
Then, after we had spent all that time convinced that Yoni was deranged, we finally came to learn the truth. After we had spent all this time hoping the boys would escape, we came to learn that a different conclusion was in order. Yoni was simply a man doing what most men would want to do in a situation like that. After it was revealed that the boys were a team of thieves and rapists, I wanted them hanged. And then, I found myself in the one place I dislike: feeling fooled by the plot because I never saw the twist coming! This was executed to perfection. Brilliant piece by BZ Fanti.
Agent Mel
This tale was a fun one. From the setups at the beginning all the way to the big switch up at the end, this tale did not disappoint. The world of spies and greed is always built on deception, and this story brought a boatload of that.
When we were introduced to Silvius Rivers, he seemed to be a man scorned. He sounded like a man who’d been slapped across the face with the help he tried to give to another. That’s the kind of person who would typically receive the sympathy of most people, and Agent Mel was sold on him. If we’re being honest, we were sold on him as well. From the start of that mission, all any of us really wanted was for Morton to be brought to his knees in surrender, and finally acknowledge the man who mentored him. Morton didn’t necessarily help matters by being the exact guy that Silvius advertised. Too bad he looked so guilty that it was out of the question to consider a scenario where he wasn’t. Plus, there was no reason to suspect that Silvius was being devious; how could he have known Morton’s weaknesses that well? How could he have known his every move? How could he have forecasted everything that was about to happen?
Well, we all forgot one fundamental thing about men like Silvius and Morton: like knows like. He knew because he’d been that guy. He knew because he’d studied that guy. He knew because he needed to know his enemy in order to destroy said enemy. We were fooled right until the last minute, when Silvius finally revealed his true colors. It was crazy how well he managed to play his part until he didn’t need to anymore, and he would’ve gotten away with it too if not for the biggest twist of the tale: F. A. Chylton, aka AZ. We’d been seeing a lot of AZ in Mel’s flashbacks, but we never really knew a lot about him. At one point, it sounded like he was another spy. Little did we know that he was the other mogul of the city who happened to be Mel’s lover. Morton’s unfortunate demise (and his eventually proven innocence) was a sour spot for the few seconds until the bullet deleted Silvius from existence. Turned out Morton was just a guy who was genuinely looking to have a good time with a girl he’d met at the Qube, and he got murdered for his troubles. I hope Mel got that “cleansing” from AZ once she got to Bermuda…
The Beginning of The End
The problem with pride is that it never announces its presence until it has dragged you beneath the earth. Pride never tells you how much of you it wants; it gradually takes and takes and takes until it consumes you. Haman, son of Hammedatha, learned this in the only way possible in his situation: the fatal way.
Haman had everything anyone could ever want. He had a wife he loved, friends who were his support, and an enviable influence over a king who ruled over 127 provinces. A king is only as strong as his advisors, and being the most influential one meant that Haman had unreal amounts of power. One word from him could shape an entire realm. Yet, he chose to waste it on pettiness.
His obsession with being acknowledged was the opening that pride needed to slip in, and it filled him to the brim in a hurry. So much so that he wanted an entire race of people annihilated because of one man. He wasn’t content to simply hang Mordecai on the gallows he built; he wanted all of Mordecai’s people gone as well. (Sidebar: If your friends are like Haman’s friends, you need an entirely new life far far away from them.)
Haman’s undoing was the one thing he never thought to look for, and it was right in front of him. He clearly lied about being the reason that Esther became queen, but it gets even sillier when you realize that he could’ve learned of her ethnicity a lot earlier if he’d just thought to find out. How can you discover someone for the king and not know where they are from? He knew she was the queen, he thought of her as a puppet, but he never found out all he needed to know to make his plan succeed. That will forever be the trouble with messing with people of God: there will always be a detail that you never consider, and that detail will always be your undoing. There’s a reason He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…
But What If
Idiocy’s been a concept since the beginning of time. There have always been people whose actions have been such a model of stupidity that they are used as cautionary tales, examples of why it is important not to make certain choices. Joojo’s qualifications for this role are so strong, he may very well go down as the dumbest man in State of Dabar lore.
Meet Joojo, a man who’s got a great job and an amazing woman. His life could not have been better, and he was well aware of it. He randomly heard two bitter men talking about the dangers of women and suddenly decided that it applied to him. Then he proceeded to allow this fear to grow until it became an untamed dragon which razed down his whole life. Not only did he start to show his insecurity in private and then in public; he saved his magnum opus for the lady’s family event. He went full primal ape in front of the potential in-laws and made sure his chances of becoming a family member went straight to zero.
Also, let’s keep in mind that the lady in question actually did everything right. From reassuring him to confessing her deepest thoughts to him to making it clear as day that she only had eyes for him, she did everything she could to make her stance clear. Somehow, he still let the outside voices win. There’s a reason why the wise ones only allow specific people to speak into their lives.
Joojo’s an idiot. Don’t be like Joojo.
Aves Pond
This was one of the lighter stories from 2024, and it was a welcome relief from all the intensities of the other stories. The idea of birds fighting over a pothole-turned-pond was silly enough to be the perfect break from the State. This one came with a lot of truths and its brief nature made it a great tale.
Four sparrows found a pond in the middle of a deserted road. They took a drink, took a swim, and enjoyed their newfound source of pleasure. Then came the pigeons. Dastardly creatures which were clumsy and significantly bigger than the sparrows. They went over to the other side of the pond and tried to enjoy it too, much to the chagrin of the sparrows. Then, to make things worse, came the crows. Bigger than the pigeons, bigger than the sparrows, and not afraid to make their presence known. They could smoke both the other birds if it really came down to brass tacks, and the other birds were well-aware of it. Even with that knowledge, the pigeons and the sparrows were ready to fight over the territory of the pond. Kinda reminds one of the tribal nature of people, and their bravery in standing up for what they believe is theirs, even if it could cost them everything.
Then the roast fest began, and it was an all-out war. No one held back, everyone was ready, and it did not disappoint. The sparrows, with their small selves, brought the heat. The crows responded in kind, which set the pigeons off, and they went after the sparrows. The one detail that’s missing in all of this is that the pond was big enough for all of them to be at. Neither one was crowding out the other, and neither one’s presence made it impossible for the other to exist. They each could’ve enjoyed the pond with no consequences, yet they chose to be selfish. It took a frog to blast them back into reality: the world was wide enough for all of them to share.
Oddly enough, crows have no problem sending frogs to heaven, but this time was different. The frog’s words rang so true that even its natural predator had to give in. In the end, all’s well that ends well.
A Healing Odyssey
State of Dabar is filled with a wide range of stories. From the sweet to the sour, the light reads to the heavy hitters, this state has whatever you’d want as a reader. Redemption stories abound too, an example of which is “Guilt. Grief. God.” A Healing Odyssey has a place among the most emotional redemption stories you can find, and it is worth every minute of your time.
Selorm’s tale begins with a family that was whole. Her father had gotten a chance at building a life abroad for their family, one which they’d all hoped would bring them better fortunes. The problem began when he chose to abandon the mission long before the rest of them were clued in. He went off with someone else, and then Selorm and her brother reached the age where his presence could’ve made such a difference. Would their resentment for each other have been allowed to grow to the extent it did if their father were around? Would their mother have had to work extra jobs and be so stressed out all the time? Would Worlanyo have become so hateful of his sister that he would get to such aggressive levels? Would Xorla’s health have deteriorated enough for her to suffer a heart attack? It was a credit to them that they found a way to move past his betrayal, but the cost was so high that it turned out to be fatal.
Everything that followed after Xorla’s demise was a pain to behold. Selorm’s suppressed anger came right back, which caused Worlanyo’s response to become violent again, and this time it went far enough to cost him his life. As rough as it was for us to witness, Selorm was the one who had to live with the knowledge that she’d lost her mother and her brother, and she’d failed to fulfill the one promise she’d made to her mother the night before she died. That amount of guilt, and the idea of living life without your true family, was enough to send Selorm to the brink. Had it not been for the timely intervention of Theo and Raquel, the world would never have had the chance to experience the beautiful music that would eventually come out of Selorm. The healing journey we watched her go through led her to find her truest passion, and what joy she brought to the world. The surprise by the choir was the moment where she was made whole again, just like she was at the start of the story.
A beautiful story of forgiveness, redemption, and healing.
I Choose You
As far as order of reading went, this was a good one to read after the emotional rollercoaster that was “A Healing Odyssey.” This love story was a relatable tale of new beginnings, budding affection and having to choose, and a reminder that the devil you know is not always better than the devil you don’t.
Kwesi’s entry into Corpus Juris was a smooth one. He got to work with a boss who was willing to mentor him without draining him of his peace, his colleagues were all great to work with, and the environment was supportive of success. Kwesi had walked into a life which most people pray for, and some could only dream of. His debut in court also happened to mark another milestone: the moment his heart was swept away. Even though she happened to be late to work that day, Nana Ayiba caught his eye from the moment she walked into the building. He may not have been looking for anything romantic, but this would turn out to be too good of an opportunity to pass up. He did get lucky though; not many women would freely give out their numbers, even under the guise of professionalism. He was also smart enough to pace himself so as not to come across as desperate, and he somehow managed to pick the one night where she was in the mood to entertain a conversation with him.
What Kwesi didn’t know was that Nana Ayiba’s heart was in limbo. The damsel was truly in emotional distress kind courtesy of her absent (or absentminded) boyfriend who was abroad. Anthony had swept her off her feet three years earlier, but had traveled in search of greener pastures almost a year ago. His absence had come with an unhealthy dose of inconsistent communication, and she was in the unenviable position of having to decide whether to let him go or hang on in hope. It got even trickier as she continued to enjoy her conversations with Kwesi, and then became more difficult once Kwesi made his intentions known. Just as she had begun to consider going with him, Anthony came back and proposed marriage.
Truth be told, I was irritated and untrusting of Anthony, because it all seemed too sudden. He’s inconsistent for ten months, and then he’s suddenly back like he never left, and he wants to make things permanent? There’s always something fishy about grand gestures in apology form. Thank God for Lily and her fascination with a Maltese babe. Who knew that a random social media video would lead to the truth, and Nana’s decision would be made much simpler? Good for Kwesi that he hung in there, and was finally able to have her as his girl. All’s well that ends well.
Basics
For a long stretch of time while I read this one, I’d started to wonder if BZ had gone soft on us. It was a beautiful tale, no doubt, but it seemed a little too straightforward for BZ.
And then I got to the last four episodes and then it all made sense. BZ was just waiting in the tall grass at the end of the story with the spice that only he could provide.
Basics opens with the disturbing urgency of one Mr. Nicky Koomson. The rather arrogant human barged into a law office like he owned it and demanded to see a lawyer. When he finally got to see a lawyer, he rudely ordered the counsellor to help him get divorced. Not for reasons of abuse or violence; sheer rage at his wife was the reason. Thankfully, the lawyer had the good sense to say no. The thing with what we discovered later in the tale is that Nicky’s temper issues, coupled with a deep arrogance and pride, were the true culprits. Yes, his wife had responded wrongly enough times for resentment to fester, but he was really the spark for it all.
To make matters worse, permanent separation was his first recourse; he had yet to even consider getting outside help! Had it not been for his sister, he may have gotten his way and it would have been to his detriment. Thank God Agyeiwaa had the good sense to involve his parents. Speaking of the parents, their tact in handling the entire situation was admirable. They never picked sides, they admonished Nicky and Winnie equally, and then they gave them the key to restoration. Of course, the stubborn couple both refused to consider the advice of the seasoned marriage counselors at first, but Winnie softened up just enough to give it a try. That move set off another angry fight the next morning, but it also led to a good old Sweet Adjeley-style meal that began a truce. (By the way, if you have never checked out a Sweet Adjeley recipe, I really hope you’re already a master chef; you don’t know what you’re missing.)
Nicky and Winnie found out just how well the basics worked; it landed them in a steamy romp, followed by the sweetest apology and prayer…and then another partaking of the cisterns. To be fair, it was only right; months of wrongs needed to be corrected. The Koomsons continued to stay with the basics, and it served them much better than they could’ve imagined. The full circle moment with the lawyer was a nice touch at the end, as was the crossover with Buenortey and Ansomaa. (Hint: You really should check out I Am So Fond Of You…)
Make Things Right
The State of Dabar has had some wild stories of revenge, but this may be the single most brutal one of them all. Whoever came up with the saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” probably reached that conclusion after meeting Mansura Brahimi, aka Alexia. Fred had no chance at salvation and Sena was the unfortunate soul that got caught in the wrong place.
We opened with Fred and Sena, a nice couple who were rudely awakened by the phone ringing. See, it’s one thing for someone to be calling you just when the sleep is getting good. It is a whole other thing for the call to be for someone else, but you were the closest to the phone. I have no problem with Fred dropping the phone onto Sena’s ear while she was trying to go back to sleep. If he must suffer because of her terrible sleeping positions, she must suffer as well (for better, for worse, no?) With that being said, the panic that sets in when you realize how late you are for the airport may only be rivaled by very few others. Especially when it’s happening through no fault of your own. Somehow, amid all that panic, Sena managed to get coffee and reschedule her flight so she could give Fred a backseat ride in the trunk! Priorities…
The entire airport sequence, both for Sena and Fred, is why one needs to check the big board after clearing TSA. It wouldn’t have done Fred any good, but at least he wouldn’t have had to sprint to the gate just to make sure his wife was safe in the air. He got the all-clear that he needed to breathe but we all knew better, kind courtesy of Mildred’s gossip and Marica’s suspect behavior. By the time Fred finally got on that plane, we knew that something abnormal was afoot.
Any plane that had a seating area for everyone else and a deluxe suite complete with a bed, a bar and a couch had to be some kind of special. It was quite the luxurious way for Fred to fly at first, especially after the note he received at the reception. But it would turn out to be the scene of a nightmare. For one thing, I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to have all of one’s senses but lose the ability to move. That is scary enough as is without the added torture of watching one’s drugged wife do things on command while one is physically being tortured. But then, through flashbacks, we got a good look at Mansura’s story and the reasons behind her actions. I can’t say she was justified, but I would have a hard time saying she didn’t have a point. To be set up by someone that one couldn’t accept they were in love with, and then to find out that they’d teamed up with another trusted person? Crazy does not begin to describe what would happen to anyone in this situation. Mansura’s actions still felt like overkill, but at least she was “nice enough” to make sure Sena didn’t suffer. It turns out that revenge may be a dish best served hot after all.
You Are Mine!
So, about infidelity. Under the best of circumstances, it is a no-no. Under the worst of circumstances, it is a no-no. Under the most understandable of circumstances, you guessed it: it is still a no-no.
Now, factor in the detail of witchcraft, and infidelity becomes more than a no-no; it becomes a death march.
There’s a reason why any parent of morally sound conviction first teaches their kids not to go sleeping around. There is also justification for counselors sticking with the biblical rule: one man, one wife. This story is a great example of that justification.
A man went out with his friends, got drunk, had a one-night stand. That’s sometimes the beginning of a love story, a pregnancy, or an STD, if one is single. This one came with two different twists. The first one was that the man in question was married and thoroughly pleased with his family life. Unfortunately, the girl he slept with did not know this, and she thought she had just reached the start of something amazing. It’s hard to blame her for having this mindset; she was just a girl in a bar who met a man in a bar. What she would not have cared to know was that the only reason he was even there was because of immature friends. Without Kenzy and Enoch, this problem would never have had the chance to develop.
Jeremy’s guilt was commendable, as was his commitment to doing everything he could to make sure he did not endanger his family. It may not have been the right move, but his choice to keep his fling a secret was understandable; hurting the woman he’d faithfully loved for ten years would be too hard a thing to do. He would’ve gotten away with it too, had it not been for the fact that the woman in the fling was a witch who belonged to a fearsome cult, The Sisters of the Midnight Coven. While he was trying to move on and add to his family, she was tracking him down and was angered when she discovered that he was with someone else.
He did get at least three warnings to confess his infidelity to his wife so he would be rid of the witch, but his fear of the consequences outweighed his desire to be free. His silence allowed for the torment of his kids, the torment of himself, and then the absolute torturing of all of them together. Imagine fighting a physical war with an evil spirit.
It took his confession to finally save them all, but the price he would now have to pay was a higher one. If not for the intervention of close friends, the confession of his ex-friend, and the softening of Aurelia’s heart, he would’ve lost it all. Thankfully, we were treated to a happy ending, and a fruitful womb. (I guess the man’s service may have played a role in his being forgiven as well.) I’m rooting for a girl too, just so Aurelia’s got a partner of her own…