Lista Austin

TITLE: LIFE OF A SINGLE MOM
INTRODUCTION

she had to make every day to give him a life she never had. Her son, David, was only six, but his wide, curious eyes held a wisdom beyond his years. Mary often wondered if he understood the sacr!fices she made—the sleepless nights sewing clothes for neighbors, the skipped meals, and the dreams she’d b^ried so he could dream freely.

Life as a single mom wasn’t easy, especially in a city that never seemed to sleep or care. Lagos was bustling, relentless, and unforgiving, much like the rain outside her window. But Mary had learned to adapt, to fight through the storms, and to find hope in the smallest moments: David's laughter, his drawings on the wall, or the way he proudly introduced her as his "supermom" to his classmates.

She wasn’t b!tter about the past, though the sc@re were deep. Each one told a story: of love, betray@l, heartbreak, and resilience. The man who had promised her the world was now just a faded memory. What remained was her resolve to stand tall, to face each day with courage, and to raise her son to be the kind of man she once believed in.

As the rain eased, Mary wiped a t34r from her cheek, took a deep breath, and reached for her sewing kit. There were uniforms to mend, bills to pay, and a little boy's future to secure. Life as a single mom was tough, but Mary knew she had to keep moving—because stopping wasn’t an option.

DONT M!SS IT fans

Lista Austin

money.
Episode 10: The Fall of Naato (Continued)
Without Lege’s ideas, things got worse.
Clients left.
Competitors overtook them.

Naato tried to think, but his mind was empty.
He realized something terrifying…
He never had the brain.
Only the money.

And now… even the money was disappearing.

Bills piled up.
Staff salaries were delayed.
Whispers filled the office.

“Something is wrong…”
“This company is not the same…”

One by one, his workers began to resign.
The same people who once praised him now avoided him.

Naato sat alone in his big office.
The silence was heavy.

He picked up his phone…
Scrolled through contacts…
Paused at Lege’s name.

His hand trembled.

Should he call?

His pride screamed, No.
But his situation whispered, You have no choice.

Days passed.

The company’s biggest client pulled out.
That was the final blow.

Naato slammed his desk in frustration.
“How did everything fall apart so fast?!”

But deep down… he knew the truth.

It didn’t fall apart fast.
It only looked strong because of Lege.

That night, Naato walked through his mansion.
The same house that once felt like power… now felt empty.

No laughter.
No ideas.
No progress.

Just regret.

He sat in the dark and finally admitted it to himself:

“I lost everything… because of my pride.”

Tears rolled down his face for the first time in years.

Meanwhile…

Far away, Lege sat under a small streetlight.
With nothing but a notebook and a pen.

He was writing again.

Planning again.

Starting again.

Because while Naato lost everything he had…
Lege still had everything he was.

And that… made all the difference.

Writer: LISTA AUSTIN
CITY OF SHADOWS
Episode 6: Escape Attempt

Ebuka packed his small bag with trembling hands. The weight of his reality had become unbearable. The walls of the small compound house seemed to whisper at night. Shadows danced longer than they should. He had stayed too long. He knew it.

That night, when the power went out—again—he took it as a sign. With nothing but his wallet, an old torchlight, and a few pieces of bread, he slipped through the back gate and into the darkness.

The air was thick, like it was watching him. Every creak of the dry leaves under his feet echoed louder than it should. He didn’t care. He just needed to get away.

He took the main road and walked fast, past the silent houses, past Mama Nneka’s provision store, past the mechanic workshop. Then he reached a T-junction. He turned right.

Ten minutes later, he was back on the same street.

The same broken-down bus with its shattered windshield.
The same old beggar sitting by the gutter, muttering words no one understood.
The same brown dog barking madly behind the same rusted gate.

His chest tightened. He turned back the way he came and ran. Left at the junction this time. He didn't stop running until his legs ached.

Again, the same street.

The bus.
The beggar.
The barking dog.

“What is this?” he gasped. His breath fogged in the night air, though it wasn’t cold.

Panic set in.

He tried to speak to the beggar, but the man only stared at him with cloudy eyes and whispered, “You were not supposed to leave yet.”

Ebuka took a different route, cut through someone’s backyard, jumped over fences, and ran into the bushes.

Still—he came out… back to the same street.

It was like the entire world outside that place had crumbled, leaving only this loop.

Then the dog stopped barking. The beggar stood. The bus door creaked open.

A voice echoed from somewhere in the dark.

“You can’t leave, Ebuka. You opened the door. Now you must finish what you started.”

Ebuka dropped his bag. His torchlight flickered.

In the distance, the streetlights buzzed and dimmed.

He wasn't just trapped in a place. He was trapped in something deeper.

And someone—or something—was watching.

To be continued…