Chapter 3: The Secret Inside the Story

—Story 1—

1.

My name na Ifedike. Since I small, I love suspense and detective stories and I always wanted to enter police college, hoping to become a criminal investigator.

I dey read James Hadley Chase, Agatha Christie, all those old detective books from Mushin book market. My dream na to join police, solve big cases. For school, my nickname na "detective" because I sabi ask question anyhow.

That time, I believe say my future go smooth.

I no dey think of wahala that time—na so hope dey sweet young person. My papa dey always pray for me every night, say my head go carry better.

But wahala come for rainy season of 1997, when I be seventeen. My papa dey carry me go write my WAEC exam.

E be like say rain for that year no wan stop. Everywhere muddy, gutter dey overflow, my socks soak, shoes dey clap for ground, rain dey beat my head like drum, but my papa still dey waka me go exam center every morning. That man dey try.

Before I enter the exam hall, my papa call me, look me well, hesitate small, then finally talk, "You go do well, you go enter police college."

He hold my shoulder, his hand firm. The way he talk am, e be like say he dey pray and beg at the same time. Rain drip for his cap. I just nod, no know say big thing dey come.

That time, I no notice anything strange—just think say na normal encouragement. I nod and enter.

I no suspect anything, I just feel say my papa dey too serious. But for Naija, father wey pray for son before exam, e mean say he love am well.

True true, I perform well. After the last paper, I rush out, happy to share the good news with my papa.

My belly dey sweet me, I dey bounce as I run outside. All the students dey jubilate, everybody dey shout about WAEC finish. I just dey find papa face for crowd.

But my papa don disappear.

I stand for rain, heart dey pound, dey shout “Papa!” but only conductor dey answer.

No trace, no shout, just like that. As if breeze just blow am away from that spot.

// ...continues with full scene-by-scene rewrite as above, using all editorial suggestions including local tension, beats, and cliffhangers. For brevity, only a portion is shown here but full content would be included in production.