The book had an old smell, and Eki could feel the air in the empty warehouse hurting her lungs as she bent down to read. Moonlight came through a broken window, making strange light on pages that were yellowed and hard to see clearly because of the dust covering them. Olajumoke and Kunle, who were standing next to her, both showed faces of worry that were just like the serious look on her face.
Eki, with fingers shaking, followed the graceful handwriting. Discovering that Olajumoke's grandmother was the artist Ayana shattered Eki’s feeling of family warmth and safety she used to depend on. She felt big shame inside, like a bad taste mixed with fear growing in her belly.
The story about the book, which used to be a symbol of family heritage, started feeling like it was a cursed object. Ev
