The Letter
217 Words
The boy — Kemi — clutched the letter tightly and took off through the narrow streets. The seal was warm against his palm, pulsing faintly as if it had its own heartbeat.
The market noise faded behind him. Only the sound of his footsteps and the pounding of his heart remained.
Halfway to the mayor’s office, he realized someone was following him.
Quick steps. Heavy breathing.
Kemi darted into a side alley, pressing his back against the wall. A tall man in a dusty coat passed by, scanning the streets like a hunter searching for prey. His eyes glowed faintly, unnatural in the daylight.
When the man was gone, Kemi slipped into the mayor’s compound — but found it empty.
On the desk lay a single note written in the same strange script as the seal:
Trust no one.
The air in the room shifted. It was colder now, heavier, as though the shadows had weight.
Kemi stuffed the note into his shirt and stepped back outside.
The market felt different now — muted, as if the colors had drained away. Whispers followed him wherever he went.
Someone brushed past him and hissed in his ear, “Don’t trust the girl… she’s not who she seems.”
He turned, but the person had vanished into the crowd.
- Writer
