The Adverse Effects of Alcohol - Freewriting Entry 1 Sure enough, life has its many ups and downs, and most people need a few shots of tequila or scotch on the rocks to take the edge off life every now and then. But have you ever paused to wonder what alcohol does to you? Let's talk about the physical effects. Now, you're a really beautiful/handsome person until you take too much alcohol. When that happens, you most likely stop looking like the **charming** figure people…
@Ozzyy in July 2020
Empty Bottles, Broken Homes - Entry 2 The noise is louder today... My neighbor's wife screaming at the top of her lungs as he lands punch after punch. The noise today has to **perplex** everyone in the neighborhood, but no one dares challenge that man, not after he's been drinking. There's never a time you'll see him without a bottle in his hands. **People** used to say that there was a time he was forced to abstain from drinking, so he cut his own wrist and drank the blood…
The Outsider He moved when it was dawn, his steps steady and sure. I looked under the door; the lights weren't on. He didn't need any lights, that means he knows the layout of this house. Was it a premonition, did I know he would do it this day? I don't like to believe in such, but why was I awake at that moment? I tossed and turned in my bed, battling with the random emotions in my head. I wanted to step out of my room, but I was afraid what I was going to see when I went…
Voices of the Bottle - 3rd Entry We all have our stories to tell... I once took too much vodka at a friend's birthday party. It was during my first year at up the University, and I was excited to be away from.my domineering parents. The exams were around the corner, and I needed a **release** from the stress that represented. I still can't remember all I did, but when I woke up the next morning, I lost one of my best friends. According to her I said some terrible things, and…
Finding Hope 1 What makes us wake up every morning and not decide to give up and lay in bed all day? What makes us stand up, freshen up and get dressed for work? What makes us sit down in a cramped office cubicle, enduring vicious insults from a boss who should see a psychiatrist? What makes us muster up courage to start that business, and brave the odds to put maximum effort at creating a living out of it? Hope. Hope, they say, springs eternal in the human breast, or…
Finding Hope 2 Now you know all about hope and how to get it. Automatically solves all your problems, doesn't it? No? That's because having hope isn't a status, it's a process and a battle. Life is wired to bring you down, and trust me, the lows will be more than the highs. Whether it's bad luck, or the devil (if you believe in religion), there'll always be something that's out there to attack your little baby hope and send you back to the pit of despair you came from. I…
Nostalgia: School Bells 1 As I woke up this morning, I really didn't have much inspiration on what to write. Mondays are my worst days, and coupled with the fact that the world is battling a pandemic, things literally can't get any worse. Suddenly I heard a bell. Probably someone moving around hawking goods that very few people will be interested in, but those bells transported me a few years back in time. Back to when I was a Secondary school student, or what is called…
Finding Hope 3 `Question`: So the fact that I have no belief in religion means there's no such thing as hope for me? `Answer`: Yes and No Not believing in religion mostly means for many that they can't comprehend the idea of hope. For you to hope in something, that hope needs to be based on the belief in another. You can't hope to buy a new house in the **next few months** if you're not assured of living to see **tomorrow**. If you believe in a Supreme Being, then you have…
Nostalgia: School Bells 2 It's funny how the bells of a hawker trying to sell his goods began these Chronicles. But hey, since I've already started this walk down Memory Lane, I might as well finish it, right? https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/nostalgia-school-bells-1-3495d2be One of the best things about Monday mornings was that the first two forty-minute periods were for Geography class. Guess who wasn't offering Geography? This guy 😅. That should mean I had an hour and twenty…
Whispers of a creative mind Who needs Alcohol when you've got a working imagination? You experience the ultimate release, hands on your keyboard, music in your ears as you type the stories that will inspire others. The fire in your heart translates into the words in your article as you write like never before. Who needs Facebook when you've got Read.Cash? You connect to a network hastily as your heart beats wild. Log in and see that bell glowing red. Telling you that…
Road to a good freewrite After the official announcement of the end of the first Freewriting Contest, I took a break off writing for a while (coming from a guy who is on his 4th article of today😂) to look at my entries to the contest. I know I've not exerted my best efforts, but no matter what happens, I'm convinced I've done a hell of a job (some applause and confetti in my mind). Everyone who posted an entry into that contest should count themselves good writers…
Nostalgia: School Bells 3 Timer set for 10 minutes... aannnd GO! The previous articles in these series must have emphasized the fact that surviving in my high school required a huge amount of working brain cells. If you didn't get that, then get it now: To survive in an African Boarding School, you need a working brain! I finally found out what the hawker was selling, or what he wasn't selling, that is. He goes around buying faulty or broken appliances from people. Well,…
Therapy Sessions `Not a smile, not a frown, nah there's no expression.` `Wicked acts, callous talk, call it bad intentions.` `Mummy cries, Daddy sighs, therapist cracks her knuckles.` `Wonder what they're angry for, this is my depression....` _________________________ This indicates my thoughts __________**_______________** *I open the door to memory lane. I see a door marked 2012 and enter.* Tic… toc… tic… toc Friday nights are the worst. The therapist's stupid clock keeps…
What's Next? Life sure does run by. Just two months on this platform, and I've found a lot of great writers, published a lot of articles and even, recently, came third in a Freewriting Contest. Thanks to @Read.Cash and @wakeupkitty for the opportunity. I wanted to take the day off to set a lot of things in order. Budgets had to be made for the prize money. It's a characteristic of mine to buffet every single money I get, and at this point I have a lot of needs so... My…
Love and Life Happily ever after.... Somehow Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White seemed to be everything perfectly, didn't they? Love isn't always exactly how Disney and Hollywood depicts it. People always say its a beautiful thing and all, but there's much more to Love than those books and movies tell you. Love is sacrifice. When you love someone, you should be prepared to go to unprecedented lengths for them. Love means that effort, time and resources are going to…
The Burial JGWBFVWRIYVHRWVIHRF
A Call and an Answer *This is another one of my trips to the dark alleys of Memory Lane, where my worst memories reside. Other trips include* *Therapy Sessions* *and* *The Burial**.* https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/therapy-sessions-210c19d1 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/the-burial-135377eb *I'm writing this because* @Gwenie *asked me how I overcame my antisocial tendencies* The silence is golden. I sit still at the table while most people leave the classroom for recess. I barely even…
Reunion He was going back to a place he'd hoped he would never see again. He had been sober for four years, having been through an extensive rehabilitation program that took ten months. Before that, he was well on his way to Heaven's Gate, and the drugs were pushing him further down that path. He paused at the door and took a deep breath. *Damn you, Kristina.* A week ago, he thought he had it all figured out. A paying job, a wife and a four-year-old kid. They loved to go to…
Taken *This time I used the 'generate dialogue' service from* https://writingexercises.co.uk/dialogue-generator.php *to draft a little story.* *To increase the challenge, I added eight prompts from* https://writingexercises.co.uk/random-words-exercises.php which were "assist admonish chastise exuberant screeching computer tea rope". *I hope you enjoy it!* ****I got:**** *"Don't be scared. I just need you to come with me for a minute."* ********************************** The…
Taken 2 PROMPTS: organize defraud crush creepy cool doll cappuccino shoes RANDOM DIALOGUE: "I'm not really surprised that you murdered him." All courtesy of https://writingexercises.co.uk/random-words-exercises.php **************************************** "I'm not really surprised that you murdered him." Camille said, watching the news channel which was discussing the car crash outside the Precinct. Sven took a few swigs from the bottle of beer by his side " Sorry I offend…
Nostalgia: School Bells 4 *Coughs* I've been down with the cold for two days, which should explain my absence form Read.Cash for a while. Hoping my absence was actually felt ;) Today, I'm feeling really good. I've posted an article, sort of an apology for not updating you guys for a while. And then I heard the bells, and my mind traveled to these chronicles. https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/taken-2-6fc1ed25 What to write about... what to write about. And then it hit me! You were…
I've been thinking, should I continue 'Streets of Africa'? If you haven't read it, click here to start https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/streets-of-africa-part-one-1a4d7ef0 or search 'Streets of Africa' or scroll all the way down on my wall. And what community do I post it to? Any ideas will be welcomed. Thanks ;)
How do YOU relax? One of the best ways to motivate yourself for subsequent efforts and days ahead is to find a good day to relax. Deviating from popular opinion, my leisure time usually happens on Monday Nights. There's no dispute that Monday is one of the most annoying and stressful days in the week, so I figured I'd make the evenings an escape from the crushing strain put on my body by the lecture and activities of that day. As soon as I get to my apartment, I leave my…
Zenith: The Ideal Life I always wondered what it would be like to reach the peak of my achievements in life when I was a kid. At hat time I was very naive, and I believed when I would have a wife, house, car and kids, I would reach the peak. Let me make it clear: I thought that my parents had reached the zenith, and that was the life I needed to live. A job as a Doctor, a house in the urban area, with friendly neighbors and a dog. A nice car, 2-3 years old, and a white…
Taken 3 PROMPTS: execute astound assist chubby furious sandwich glasses popcorn DIALOGUE: "We could get arrested for this." _______________________________________ "We could get arrested for this." Lucio said as his wife took food to the little girl in the guest bedroom. "Forget about an arrest, we could get killed for this." Mariana adjusted her **glasses** and kept on moving. "I don't know what sort of attitude is this, but I'm going to the Police to report this! I cannot…
The Wolf Bares Its Fangs I felt I didn't need friends, but my parents said I needed to have one. My parents, especially my Dad was the champion and advocate of finding friends, saying that he got where he was because he maintained good relationships with his friends from school and everywhere else. `Coming from someone who had a strained relationship with his own son, that sounded like a hoax to me` But it wasn't really advice, so to say. You see, when my Dad gave advice, it…
Taken 4 PROMPTS: draw, feed, humiliate, narrow, miniature, car, watch, school. RANDOM DIALOGUE: "You're too good for this world." ________________________________ His name was Derek, and he was a detective. He'd barely been a detective for a year, but he had lost almost all of his zeal to 'serve the state' and 'protect the people'. That was because, no matter how many cases he had solved and would ever solve, the system was riddled with corrupt officers in the high places,…
Unapologetic I owe no one an explanation, and neither should you. I'm writing this because of the experience of a friend which I just learned of. He was one of these people who considered the ripple effects of heir decisions before he took any of them. I'm not against the idea, but I'm not its brand ambassador either. Before he took any decision regarding his choices in life, he had to check with everyone: His parents, friends, siblings, everyone. He would literally cancel a…
Youth *Why? Just because I was thinking, 'Why don't I triple the challenge?'* *RANDOM EIGHT WORDS: release astound disgrace dusty gifted bridge necklace clown* *RANDOM FIRST LINE: He'd never forgotten those teenage years.* *RANDOM PICTURE all gotten from* *https://writingexercises.co.uk/index.php**.* *If you're keen about freewriting, try the site.* *************************************************** He'd never forgotten those teenage years. He used to spend the summer…
Beyond the Fence: Rebirth Beyond the dark clouds that brought forth a reign of darkness in my soul, I found peace in the company of friends. It was definitely a long road to discovering relationships with other people, but I finally had friends. Tony, Dave and Josh, they were my friends. The road to forgiveness, freedom and trust in other people was a turbulent one, but the therapist wasn't ready to give up on me. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't giving up on…
Taken 5 PROMPTS: inspire allow smother wicked deafening nuts water rose RANDOM DIALOGUE: "If you leave now, you get nothing." _______________________________ Derek walked to the door in no hurry; he had no reason to want to listen to the geeks from the Network Company tell him more boring tech language as they explained the process of their maintenance and tell him why they had to increase his subscription fee. But today, that wasn't the case. His feet wouldn't even…
High Standards *This article is courtesy of* @Morningstar *'s* *21 commands**. Freewriters let's use his 'prompts' (if I may call them) to test our creativity. This article is based on Point 21.* https://read.cash/@Morningstar/21-things-that-manifest-growth-9e3cd14f As usual, I like to start my articles with a sentence that tends to defy 'ethical', 'normal' standards. So here is the 'forbidden advice' for today's article: **Do not be content with what you have.** I'll trust…
Campus life = Real Life *This post is courtesy of* @Morningstar *'s* *21 things**. You'll be doing your inspiration tank a* ***lot*** *of good by going there to read a thing or two.* https://read.cash/@Morningstar/21-things-that-manifest-growth-9e3cd14f The start determines the end. If I wake up, I dress my bed immediately, and not because of whatever my Mom said, but because I'd love to come back to crash on a tidy bed. I'm this 'big planner' kind of personality, so my…
Snake Eyes *Making lemonade out of lemons is easier said than done...* *I'm not exactly sure how to generate a good story out of this, but my creativity tank is going to be very low after this ;)* For Flynn, the mornings were always for chopping wood. The Electricity Distribution Company could never be trusted to ensure that these remote areas got any power, so it was up to him to get some wood to run his charcoal-powered generator. At least it would provide him a few…
Taken 6 *PROMPTS: accept draw frustrate low flustering clown summer butter* *RANDOM DIALOGUE: "Tell me what you saw, for her sake!"* ************************* Zoe had been in many compromising situations, but this had to be an all-time **low** for her. She had vowed never to ask help from this man again, but life sure knew how to force people to break vows. "Tell me what you saw, for her sake!" Zoe pleaded as he smiled.He really enjoyed her **flustering.** "Oh please don't…
What's wrong with Read.Cash? I have been using this platform for 2 months now, and I can fully affirm that I have not been involved in any sort of upvote-for-upvote scheme so far. So I do not understand why I had to receive this penalty. I always like and comment on @wakeupkitty 's posts when I find them inspiring to show that I actually rea and enjoyed the post, so this is definitely out of the blue. So what Read.Cash is saying is "Even if you like the posts, don't upvote…
Taken 7 PROMPTS: torment plan challenge tall fat school scream earth RANDOM DIALOGUE: "Do you ever think we should just stop doing this?" ************************************ 'Do you ever think we should just stop doing this?" Zoe asked as she sat beside Derek on the front porch of his house which was now crawling with police officers, emergency workers and onlookers. Even without her mentioning it, this question had been ringing in Derek's head since the incident, although…
Action and Reaction The rules of'what goes around comes around' and 'karma' might seem like superstition to some, but in actuality, these principles govern the universe. Newton's third law says that "Action and Reaction are equal and opposite" or simply put, to every action, there is a reaction equal in magnitude and acting in the opposite direction. To lift yourself off the earth (up), you have to apply a downward force, and while in the air, your upward force is balanced…
Application for Sponsorship Hi there! This is my sponsorship application. Username: @Ozzyy Date of joining read.cash: May 9, 2020. Previous Micro Blogging Platforms: Opera News Hub; once a content writer at copywriting.network. https://copywriting.network Writing Experience: I'm a student writer and I've published a few articles on yearbooks; I hope to publish a book on Wattpad too, but that'll be in the future considering my school work. Categories: 1. I'm mostly a…
Taken 8 *PROMPTS: insult mobilize delude fabulous creepy burial hell bucket* *RANDOM DIALOGUE: "You're paying a small price compared with what she's going through."* *********************************************** *"You're paying a small price compared with what she's going through."* an inner voice told Derek as he walked into the reception of Saint Vincent Hospital. That was a brazen attempt to **delude** him from his 'inner detective', but he wasn't buying it. Remembering…
Vanquished The drowsiness attacks from all directions. My eyes fight the battle to remain open, even if they are aware it is futile. I make furtive glances at my textbook, willing what I am reading to stick. I have a test tomorrow, and sleep isn't a part of the syllabus. I struggle to keep awake, almost shouting every word I read in a frantic attempt to make sure that I'm understanding what I'm reading. Even the midnight candle scoffs, my lantern abandons me, as I curse the…
Route 61 The nights were always the worst times to be a transport worker. Francis knew this more than anyone. You had all sorts of individuals coming into your vehicle: the crazy ones who got drunk too early at the party, the suspicious looking things that were almost always arrested at a checkpoint, the prostitutes that did nothing but chew gum loudly; they always loved to seat in the passenger seats, much to his chagrin. It wasn't the créme de la créme of the society that…
The Reign of Rain The crack of thunder woke him up from his midday slumber. *Thunder in the middle of the afternoon?* He briefly glanced outside his window to see that the skies had turned grey and the clouds looked heavy, almost pregnant with cold liquid that would ruin his plans of going out. He checked the time on his phone: 1:14pm. His laptop was still on and he was on his Browser application. He squinted his eyes as he looked closely and saw it was Read.Cash. Damn! He…
Taken 9 There wasn't much traffic, but still, it wasn't like Derek could comfortably pull off 220 with the number of cars that were on the road. Except if he wanted to be admitted at the hospital himself. It was funny how Utopia claimed to be the greatest **power** in the world - a superpower above all superpowers, it called itself - and yet they hadn't rolled out flying cars as a normal means of transportation. Call it an **absurd train** of thought or wishful thinking, but…
Drug Trafficking: Freestyling on Paper! **She had found something that would mean she'd never be poor again - but there was a catch.** Doing business with him had never been without a cost; a cost that went deeper than money. It was a tough call, but she had to make the choice to change her life for good - even if she had to do that. **So she did what she had to do, and cut off all contact with the others.** Just one trip to Colombia with the 'goods' would be all it took.…
Improvements: A Personal Opinion. This has been a trying week on Read.Cash, but it's been worth it. The watchword has been **Improvement.** There is a reasonable argument that we have good writers on this platform, but there are a whole lot out there that aren't performing up to what should be the standard. On this note, I would like to reference an article by @wakeupkitty which should buttress my point. She talked about her distaste for articles written in the YouTube video…
Stress? Stress. We all experience it once a while. To some, its a once in a while experience: getting ready for a job interview or a promotion exam, planning your wedding, etc. To others, it's a daily struggle. Whatever your experience, the fact is that stress is one of life's constants: we all have to experience it sometimes. That's because life is like a lucky draw we play every morning: some days we get good luck, other days it's another story. The differences between…
Why Writing? My header was based on a question I've heard too often: Why writing? Sadly, nowadays many people hardly have any care for what's written: the Bible, Books, Newspapers. Even if it's online! My friend once said he wanted to get videos of all the topics we were to read for a semester, watch them, and write the exam with what he'd watched. If it's not on a screen and in motion, it isn't worth it. Or is it? Writing sort of came naturally to me. I had a keen interest…
A Home or a House? As he sat at the back seat of the bus, his heart sank till he could feel it in his belly. The sun set in a golden yellow sky, and the bus was lively witha variety of people, most of them being students. They casually reminisced on school experiences, but kept the discussion revolving around how they could not wait to get home. Back to 'mommy's cooking' and regular visits to the amusement parks. The driver and older passengers smiled, jokingly adding a few…
Taken 10 "I knew you wouldn't be able to see it through." Zoe said as she stood front of an exasperated Derek who had just finished telling her his account. "That's why I said you should refer this to the SIU." He looked very perplexed, she could see that a **miniature** hurricane was going on in his head, and yet what he had told her seemed to just be dirt on the surface. "I don't think I've gotten any closer to solving this case, and now one thing seems to **tower** above…
Baby Steps *"Slow and steady wins the race"* - Aesop An ascension or progression to a greater height always starts from somewhere. A baby must crawl before he or she learns to walk. And even when they start walking, it's more like a stagger - funny, slow, weak inconsistent movements that are formed by muscles which are srill developing the required strength to be able to balance the weight of the child. At this point, the baby does not endeavor to make more 'advanced'…
'An African Night's Entertainment' Ever since he was enrolled at the boarding school, Kelechi always thought about life *outside* it. The Boys' Hostel was close to the fence that faced the expressway, and from all he could hear, the place came alive at night. Loud highlife music could be heard from the joints outside, and Kelechi could imagine them filled with pot-bellied businessmen who came accompanied by girls about half their age clad in skimpy Ankara dresses. He had no…
Silver Lining; Flash Fiction Challenge He sat on the pavement, looking at the door of her apartment. The bowler hat in front of him was full on crumpled dollar notes dropped by benevolent passersby who sympathized with his condition. He knew he was taking a big risk, and he would pay a price far greater than what was in the hat if his disguise was seen through. But that was just one of the things on his mind: the clouds were gathering, and he didn't have anything on except…
The Flow If I had a dollar for each time someone asked me how I made "going with the flow" work for me, I wouldn't need to be on read.cash. Just kidding. But let's get serious now. A word of caution ⚠️ This is all based on my experiences and opinion, and as human beings vary, so does our fate and luck. This is just me relating my experiences, you're free to try if you wish but you must understand that this is not guaranteed to work for you and you should never depend on it…
Taken 11 There was a lack of words to convey Derek’s expression; he was shocked to the core. There was nothing orthodox about this case at all – he’d been working his ass of trying to find a lead for the case while trying to save is skin from several assassins after his life, and here came a clue literally on a platter of gold. He had every reason to be suspicious. The man was short, but appeared quite fit and muscular. He could have passed for a bodyguard or bouncer. “First…
Sacrifice: Are you willing? Sacrifice. I know some of my readers have the wildest of imaginations (no need to call names when they know themselves), but I do not imply some ancient civilizations practices of blood, human or animal sacrifices to some mystical entity. I’m talking about the giving up of something of value in order to get something of even bigger value. From my experiences, and from the general laws that govern life, something must be lost to gain something.…
Fake Life? It’s always a pleasant surprise when I hear of the moment when the fake life of someone – whether it’s a celebrity or someone within my online community, friends or schoolmate – is exposed for what it is. Of course it’s amusing, not to talk of hilarious - especially when the person’s showy character has gotten on your nerves, but my primary emotion is surprise. I barely manage to live the one life I have without major conflicts – that is, I cannot totally avoid…
Hard work or 'Hard Work' I think I do have a bond with confusing titles, but let’s leave those ties for now. 'Hard Work or “Hard work” ' is something I came up with after ten minutes of deep thought on what to title this piece, so I guess we’ll all just have to go with it. My article is a sort of response to one of the beliefs of most people of my parents’ generation, especially in an African setting. My parents believed (and unfortunately still believe) that the only…
Homecoming Without a doubt it was her. He stared at the picture he held in his hands – the photograph had seen better days, and was yellowing at the edges, but he had done all he could to maintain it. He knew he would need it someday. She aged gracefully; it was a pleasant surprise. 50 and you could still see many of her younger features. She was as graceful as she was the first day he met her. Walking down the street like she owned the city, her chin up and her glasses on,…
Do First Impressions Matter? Whether you're an advocate for 'not judging a book by its cover' or not, first impressions **do** matter. When we see, associate with or come across a person for the first time, our brains develop an opinion or data file for the person before we can control ourselves. Therefore, it's all we see or hear at that instant that we use to form opinions of a person. If we don't see that person again, when someone asks us what we think of that person, we…
Anime Techniques and Moves: The Eight Inner Gates Anime enthusiasts can arguably agree that Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto was one of the best anime in the Otaku-verse. Created in 1995, it created a long story that lasted about 15 years before it was over, and is still being enjoyed today. Undoubtedly the anime went worldwide, and has been enjoyed by many. One of the greatest techniques that featured severally in the series was the Eight Gates (Hachimon) technique. Used by only…
The Big Question I've decided to run a weekly post answering one big question gotten from any source. This is just in a bid to test myself and share my opinions with the Read.Cash community. This week's question: **Should governments make laws to protect people from hurting themselves?** My answer in one word: **Yes!*** ***DISCLAIMER**: I'm aware that my opinion won't go down well with everyone - because they're mine. No, I'm not apologetic or reconsidering any of my views…
In case you're looking for any of my Taken Stories, I've developed a list here so you can quickly access them without me having to post the links of each and every one in every story. Don't worry, I'll be actively updating the list with every post so things stay up to date here. Taken 1 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/taken-1ad0eaae Taken 2 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/taken-2-1498e6ea Taken 3 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/taken-3-09496c21 Taken 4 https://read.cash/@Ozzyy/taken-4-6d6be0f5…
Taken 12 For a second, Derek's entire life flashed before his eyes. This was his third time having a close brush with death that day, and it looked like the third time was going to be the **charm** this time. All because of one g*ddamn Tuesday morning! He inched closer to the Passenger Seat door; if he was going to die, he could as well die trying. As he pulled on the handle, waiting for the loud bangs that would send him to **eternity**, he heard a loud bang. Was he dead?…