Mara's Classics

Mara took a deep breath. She fingered her mouse and pulled the cursor to the left side of the screen. She touched the icon, "Submit now." As usual, it was beeping rhythmically, copying the pounding heart beats of tense students who sweated over their exam questions. Mara smiled at the icon and flexed her fingers before she clicked on it for the last time, as a year one student. The air was fresh and sweet as she descended the stairs of Nnamdi Azikiwe library and stepped through the large door. She breathed it in and smiled. "Freedom," she mumbled. With her friend, she rushed to the front of the library where her other classmates were assembled. In the middle of the gathering was Steve, the class rep. Everyone looked at his grin in anticipation. The he opened his mouth. "No longer freshers!" Steve shouted with his knuckle thrust in the air and the students cheered. They caused quite a scene as they screamed, danced and sang, "One year don waka! We stil

Jude closed the office door leaving only his letter behind him. He went back to the classroom slowly. He appeared moody and down. His steps were slow and apathetic and his mind was cloudy with troubles. "It's done," he thought and hoped the look on President Kachi's face didn't mean refusal. He really wished Kachi would simply accept and raise no issue on the matter, especially to his coursemates. He had told him that, and Kachi had only said, "I'll get back to you on this later. Until then, I hope you will reconsider." He sighed when he thought of Dinah. He hadn't told her. He was afraid of her getting disappointed but there was nothing he could do. He also didn't want anyone to dissuade him from his decision. She could do that easily. NENE'S JOURNAL I saw Jude leave the NALLS office today. I frowned at his gloomy countenance. "Hello," I said with a smile as he passed where I sat. He managed a smile and waved back. I stared aft

"They don't understand," Jude fumed. "Take it easy, Jude. Don't work yourself into a temper," Cheta said. Jude stopped pacing and barked, "No! They don't understand! Were they not aware when the public address system got soaked? I had to use my money and time to fix it. Now, it's not working at all and the lecturers are giving me too much trouble over it! I understand I made a mistake by making the class dues three hundred. I am now giving them a wrong impression, but their accusations baffle me! Like why would I want to extort them? I have a father who works hard to provide for me. Before I came to this school, I was feeding well!" "Jude. Calm down, guy. I'm not the one at fault," Cheta said. Jude took a deep breath and said, "Sorry. I'm just... Sorry, guy." With that, Jude went to the balcony of his lodge to get a breath of cool air. Hopefully, that would calm his rage. In the evening, when he had quite f

On Monday evening, Diana sent pictures of the After-matric party to the group chat. It had been a success. The people that didn't attend could finally see what they had missed. Nene watched a video among the pictures and knew she had missed so much fun. She didn't mind anyway. The few things she had heard that happened at the party (which had been told in whispers) had been too much for her scrupulous conscience to bear. While her attention was on the cool night party, everyone was commenting on a certain picture of Jude and Dinah. It had been taken when they were unaware. In it, Jude held on to Dinah's arm while she seemed to be pulling away from him. They were smiling at each other. One could easily feel the affection they had for each other. Natasha 🌹: Aren't they so cute? Melisa xx💋: They're obviously in love. Titi 🙃: The finest couple in the den. Josh 😎: Jude, let go of my babe. Dinah: @Josh😎, wetin? 🙄 Lola 💕: Josh, you don't want Jude to co

PERKY'S STATUS  Make way for the newest lioness! Roarrrr! You bet ya! This Peculiar lady is celebrating her matric today! Viewer's discretion is adviced for the following posts. I wouldn't want anyone to scorch from the flames of my beauty cos I look 🔥🔥🔥 NARRATOR There's no day in a fresher's life like matriculation day. It is the only day freshers get to look splendid, wear green gowns and sing, "Hail varsity of Nigeria!" Cheers of congratulations were showered on the matriculants. Yes, they were officially lions and lionesses. They had been initiated into the culture and traditions of the varsity. It was time for the main deal and the lecturers could finally change their soft hands. After the faculty matriculation event, the tradition of taking pictures commenced. There were photographers and  photo stands everywhere. It was necessary for every student to have at least one picture to immortalize this once-in-a-lifetime event. For those whose parents c

As the days wore on, life became more stressful in the den. The freshers were finally disillusioned and they saw why it was called the "Den." Survival of the fittest was the order of the day from the first to the last lecture of each day. There was always a struggle; to be in class before the lecturer, to find seats in class, to sign attendance, to submit assignment, to do literally anything. Many of them hadn't bargained for it. They made this clear to their class representative. Unfortunately, they did it in a way that made it seem like they didn't know, or care to know, that he was a student like them. Being an ambitious friendly and kind leader, he struggled even more to serve his coursemates well. He didn't understand that no matter how hard he tried, he would never win all their approvals. NENE'S JOURNAL Today was bad. My trust had been betrayed by the person I admired and respected the most. It was too much to bear. It was even worse than listeni

 It is quite a tale I have for you. Who would have wished for all that excitement and yet would want to run from it when caught up already? It is 1813 in Regency London. It is also another mating season. Our amiable Queen Charlotte is hosting a ball to amuse the high class of London and to give high prospects to the debutante who meets her fancy. It is a tradition that every year, a certain lady is crowned the diamond of the season. This is an important time for bachelor ladies who wish to be respectfully married. I happen to observe that the marriage market always has a high supply of spinsters and a short in beaus. No wonder Jane Austen always features female heroines whose major accomplishments are being suitably matched. An entrance is everything for a lady on her debut appearance in society. Daphne's entrance before Queen Charlotte is reminiscent of Charlotte Morland's debut entree to the Upper Rooms in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. In Daphne's case however it is

PERKY'S STATUS Lin 101 online assignment is the worst! Just when I was complaining to my noble alma mater over the unfairness of the deadline, bam! GSP 207 presentation hit me 😭 Well, this lioness's not backing down. How hard can it be? I feel confident thanks to Dave, our very helpful NALLS 024 friend 😌 I have a question though. Is he just being helpful or is there an ulterior motive? 🧐 NARRATOR "Why can't all the lecturers use one class list?" Dinah whined as the cyber cafe owner told her the price. "You can ask them," the guy said with a chuckle. Dinah frowned and sent the soft copy of the list to his system. He kindly offered her a seat which she accepted. On a regular day, she would have refused but she was much too tired. She had been to several lecturers' offices listening to their various requirements for the class CA compilation. She hadn't even been able to attend a lecture! She had sworn to make her father proud by never missing a s