🔍 Let’s Find Kewa _ _ ♯shortstory
🕯️ Introduction
What starts like a thrilling mystery on a rainy evening soon becomes something entirely unexpected. In this story, we follow a girl named Kewa through friendship, rivalry, and an apparent abduction. But nothing is as it seems…
Grab your thinking cap and walk with me — because we’re going to find Kewa.
🌧️ Part 1 – Out at Night with Kewa
It was one of those cold, damp nights in early June. I stood in front of my father’s house, facing the tarred road, wearing nothing but my nightie. My long, dark, lustrous hair dangled loosely across my shoulders. The rain had just slowed to a drizzle, and though it was late, a few wet passers-by and cars still made their way along the road.
Our house had three tenants—two were married, and the third lived with his fiancée. One of the married women displayed her wares outside on a raised pavement that faced the road. The house itself was an old one, originally built with mud bricks but now patched here and there with cement blocks. The roof was made of corrugated iron sheets, but with no ceiling beneath, the rainwater leaked through, drenching parts of the passage inside. The floor remained wet and muddy. I often longed for the day when the entire building would be properly refurbished.
One could easily guess we lived in a suburban area on the outskirts of Ibadan city. The vehicles plying the road were as varied as they were noisy. Some coughed up thick smoke like factory chimneys, rattling along in a way that matched their battered looks. Yet, their drivers still managed to behave like kings of the road—always on the edge of a fight. Among them were sleek, exotic cars with tinted windows—vehicles I knew belonged to the wealthy folks living in the nearby estates that sat like islands of affluence in our everyday chaos.
The air carried the sound of distant street chatter, sometimes bursting into sudden noise, whether from the roads or from inside our own house. The blackout that night wasn’t new to me—we were used to it. Even when there was no fault, power rarely came our way. What little electricity we had was probably thanks to our proximity to the estates. Neighbourhoods farther out had been lamenting total blackouts for weeks.
Despite the darkness and the cracks in our walls, and the creaking, perforated wooden windows, our house was lit—thanks to the old energy generator outside. Not many buildings had power that night, but if you looked far into the distance, the estates shimmered, their homes constantly lit—by PHCN, solar, or automatic generators.
Still, I stood there in my nightie, staring into the wet night, absorbed in my little world.
Part 2: As Usual
“High five!”
Kemi and Vivian clapped their palms together, grinning.
Kemi handed Vivian her marked answer sheet. Vivian’s eyes scanned it, and immediately her face lit up.
“Oh goodness—seventy-nine!”
“Wow!” the class chorused.
Kemi still had two scripts left. She checked the next one and snorted.
“As usual.”
“Who is it this time?” someone asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Kemi smirked, tucking the sheet under her armpit and checking the last one. “Oho, finally! Our class genius.”
“What’s her score?” the others clamoured.
“Ninety-seven!”
“Jeez!”
“Jesus!”
“Chineke!”
“Chisos!”
Kemi walked over to my seat and handed me my script, saying nothing.
Then she pulled the other one from under her armpit.
“Now, back to Miss Know-Nothing,” she announced.
“Aw, come on, Kemi. That’s too harsh,” someone muttered.
“Too harsh?” Kemi raised a brow. “I’ve hardly said anything.”
“Well… What’s the score? Twenty-two? Nineteen? Thirty-one?”
“Seventeen?” someone added.
“Duh,” Kemi cut in. “Twelve!”
“No way!” the class gasped in unison.
“It’s true o,” Kemi replied, putting on a mock-serious face like a clown.
“Oh, bless me, Sweet Jesus,” Chimamanda said, crossing herself like a priest. The class roared with laughter.
Kemi strutted to the girl’s seat and slapped the script onto the desk with a theatrical laugh.
“You need special deliverance, girl! I suggest Babalalude, Alapini, Atefiniwoleado… or maybe Abijawarabiekun!”
The girl slowly picked up the paper, glanced at it, sighed, folded it, and tucked it into her book bag without a word.
“You see, Kewa, it’s pointless trying to help her,” Aluko said, smirking. “Well, maybe not pointless. At least your scores have skyrocketed.”
The class laughed again.
“Soon Miss Dull-Head will send you to some dungeon,” Kemi added, grinning.
I sighed. That was how it had always been.
I came first.
My new friend—always came last.
🧠 Part 3 – Wait and See!
The classroom was as still as an unperturbed sea, even though every student was seated. I sat with my new friend, solving mathematical problems together. Oddly enough, I was learning a lot from her—this girl who everyone thought of as dull. Mathematics, which had always been my Achilles heel, happened to be her strongest subject. Yet, ironically, she was always last in all other subjects.
A sudden clinking sound at the door made every head turn in unison.
Our class teacher, smartly dressed as always, walked in with a stunningly beautiful girl who looked just my age, height, and complexion. They both paused in front of the class.
“Good morning again, students.”
“Good morning, ma,” we chorused.
“This is a new student,” she said. The girl introduced herself as Bimbo.
“Find a seat,” our teacher instructed.
Bimbo glanced around, then made her way confidently to the empty seat beside me. My friend—who had earlier been sitting there—had returned to her own seat behind mine. As the teacher exited, all eyes stayed glued on the new girl.
“Hi, Cassandra,” Bimbo said, flashing a bright smile.
“Hi, Bimbo! Welcome to my school,” Cassandra replied, beaming.
“Aww,” I said in admiration. “That’s the first time I’m seeing such light in her eyes. Thank God she finally found someone she knows.”
Bimbo giggled. “How has she been coping with her studies?”
“Ac—actually,” Kemi cut in. “Woefully. I mean, I’ve never met a worse student.”
Bimbo laughed harder. “Don’t worry—she’s about to shock you all. Cassandra has been like a car without an engine. Still a car, just not functional. Well, her engine’s here now.”
Cassandra smiled, glowing.
Bimbo turned to me. “You’ll soon disappear from top spot,” she teased, then added, “Want to know why her mum pulled her out of our former school?”
She didn’t wait for a reply.
“It was always war between us—like two rams locking horns. Her mum thought the competition was becoming unhealthy. And I usually won, to be honest,” she said with a wink.
“It’s a lie!” Cassandra shot back. “Wait and see!”
Everyone froze.
It was the first time she ever responded like that.
🚪 Part 4 – The Beginning
Exactly a week after that cold night with Kewa, I felt bored. I had studied enough for the day. After neatly stowing my books in the little shelf beside my bed, I wandered out to the front of the house, only to become the subject of the tenants' casual gossip.
“She’s always in her room like an eleha,” teased the shoe-seller tenant, arranging her wares on the pavement.
“Don’t mind her—that’s why she'll be taken away,” the other woman added, chuckling.
“Taken away by who o?” I asked, laughing.
Just then, four elegantly dressed women strolled down the street, clearly heading to an owanbe.
The shoe-seller squinted at them. “How I wish their shoes get damaged, all of them, and they come rushing to buy replacements here!”
“Haha!”
“Even if they look for a cobbler, I’ll just say there’s none around this vicinity!”
I chuckled and slipped back into the house. That woman was better suited for a comedy stage.
Looking to kill my weekend boredom, I quietly exited through the backdoor. The yard was calm. Weekends in my neighbourhood always felt deserted. Most families took their kids to work or travelled. Only a few government workers were usually around.
Then—bang! A gunshot.
It came from the front of the house, followed by a rapid series of more gunshots.
I was a few yards from the backdoor, but I could hear and see the chaos. People and animals scurried in all directions.
I dashed for the door, but just as I reached it, the single tenant shut it.
I pounded on the door.
“Open up!”
“I’m sorry, Kewa. I can’t,” his voice came hurriedly. “I have to go. You can use the front door—it’s still open. Just look behind you first.”
Then silence.
The gunshots had stopped.
“Just look behind you first.”
The words echoed in my ears. What was behind me?
My heart thumped. I had never felt so nervous, so aware.
Then I felt it—the cold press of metal against my neck.
“Don’t make a sound. Be a good girl.”
The voice was husky. Too husky. It sent chills down my spine.
★★★
And that was it—the beginning of our search for Kewa.
🕵️♀️ Solve the Mystery: Let’s Find Kewa 🔎
Let’s go back and re-read the four parts. Somewhere in there are clues that tell us who kidnapped Kewa, why, where she might be—and how to interpret what actually happened.
Part 1: Who kidnapped Kewa?
Let’s start by identifying the kidnapper. It’s in the dialogue.
💡 Hint: “You’ll soon disappear...”
Part 2: Why was she kidnapped?
There’s a motive hidden in their conversations. Remember what someone said about Kewa being taken?
💡 Hint: “That’s why she’ll be taken away.”
Part 3: Where is Kewa?
Think of the exact words used by the classmates.
💡 Hint: “...will send you to some…”
Part 4: Let’s Bring Her Back
Let’s reinterpret the story.
💡 Hints:
- The event happened in June, one of the coldest and rainiest months in Nigeria.
- “Gunshots” may not be real—just toy guns.
- People running might be rushing to bring in clothes or avoiding the rain.
- The man who shut the backdoor was heading to a party. Why would he close the door on Kewa if real danger lurked? And would the front door be left open?
- The “cold metal” could easily be a toy gun or even a spoon, and the voice? A prank or harmless play, possibly by a younger sibling or neighbour.
Now, read Part 4 again with that lens.
💬 Final Thoughts
Was Kewa kidnapped? Or was it all a misunderstanding?
That’s the magic of storytelling. Sometimes what we think is a tragedy… is just a twist in perception.
📣 Your Turn! Let's Talk
🗨️ What do you think happened to Kewa?
💬 Did you figure out the clues before the reveal?
💭 Have you ever overreacted to something small that felt big at the time?
👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your theory!
🔄 Share This Mystery
Loved this story? Share it with a friend and see if they can solve the mystery faster than you did.
🧩 Let’s Find Kewa — only the sharpest minds can. Lol! It's good to have some fun once in a while, don't you think so too?
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