Beyond the Odds

Sample · Room filled with Dreams

The fan in Aisha’s small bedroom spun lazily, while pushing around the warm afternoon air. The Outside of the bustling city of Kano roared with the usual mix of motorbike horns, street vendors calling out prices, and children laughing in the distance.‎‎But inside, Aisha sat cross-legged on the floor, bent over her exercise book. She pressed her lips together, scribbling formulas into the margin, then flipping back to the chapter in her science textbook to double-check her answer.‎Her mother’s voice floated in from the kitchen.‎“Aisha, rest small, my daughter. You’ve been reading since morning.”‎‎Aisha smiled faintly. “Just one more page, Mama,” she called back, her pen still moving.‎Her parents were not wealthy — her father was a primary school teacher, and her mother sold akara and pap at the roadside in the mornings. They lived in a modest two-room apartment in a compound with peeling ...

Continue reading