"No One is Home"

Episode 7: The Hunted

Ava and I ran as fast as we could, our footsteps echoing through the deserted streets. We didn't dare look back, fearing what we might see.

As we turned a corner, Ava suddenly stopped. "Wait," she whispered, her eyes fixed on something ahead.

I followed her gaze to a small, rundown café. The sign above the door read "Mae's Place." Ava nodded, and we quickly entered the café.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of old coffee and stale cigarettes. A figure sat in the corner, shrouded in shadows.

Ava approached the figure, her movements cautious. "Mae?" she called out softly.

The figure slowly stood, revealing a frail, elderly woman with sunken eyes. "Ava, child," Mae said, her voice weak but warm. "I've been expecting you."

Ava explained our situation, and Mae listened intently. When Ava finished, Mae nodded. "You're being hunted. The entity will stop at nothing to claim you."

Mae handed Ava a small, leather-bound book. "This contains the knowledge of our ancestors. It may hold the key to defeating the entity."

As Ava took the book, I felt a chill run down my spine. We were in grave danger, and our only hope lay in an ancient book and a mysterious old woman.

How to grow garlic indoors and care .....
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1. Select Bulbs: Choose firm, healthy garlic bulbs suited for indoor growing.
2. Prepare Containers: Use deep pots with drainage holes and fill with well-draining soil or compost.
3. Plant Cloves: Break bulbs into cloves, plant pointed end up, 1-2 inches deep, 4-6 inches apart.
4. Provide Sunlight: Place in a sunny spot with 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, maintaining consistent temperature.
5. Water and Fertilize: Keep soil moist, fertilize every 2-3 weeks with balanced fertilizer.
6. Mulch and Weed: Apply organic mulch to retain moisture, remove weeds regularly.
7. Monitor Growth: Watch for green shoots, pests, and diseases, addressing issues promptly.
8. Harvest: Harvest when foliage yellows, cure bulbs for 2-3 weeks, then store in a cool, dry place.
By following these steps, you can easily grow garlic indoors and enjoy fresh, flavorful bulbs year-round.

Take bold steps today to achieve your goals. Each action builds your confidence and moves you closer to success. In taking risks, you discover your true potential and unlock new possibilities.

Let's us all make good moves on our steps to make it

Small steps everyday

Small steps in the right direction are still steps. Be happy and proud of yourself. You’re doing great, keep going!

We will continue to examine all options and take necessary steps to address these legal challenges, ensuring Nigeria’s rights and assets are preserved,” Bwala said.

Failing is the process of learning, it helps to grow and know who you are. Rise every fall. This process that boost confidence gradually, over the course of your lifetime. Don't stop taking steps forward. Failure is inevitable.

How to start beans farming in Nigeria

The following steps should be taken when starting beans farming in Nigeria;

1. Get a farmland:
To start beans farming, you need to get a farmland. You can acquire, rent or lease your farmland. It is pretty easy and cheap to get farmland in rural areas of Nigeria. In some areas in Nigeria, you can rent one hectare of farmland for as low as N10,000.

It is a fallacy that beans can do well only in the northern part of Nigeria. Beans or cowpea can be cultivated in all regions of Nigeria. If a farmer implements sound agronomic practices, he will get a good yield from his beans farm in any location in Nigeria.


2. Soil Preparation:
Cowpeas grow well in good soil that is fairly loose. This crop does not do well in compact soil. Cowpea can grow in poor soils. This is one of the advantages of cultivating this crop.

The crop can even improve the quality of your soil. After getting your farmland, you will need to remove the weeds. A tractor with plough can be used to bury the weeds in the soil. The buried weeds can improve the quality of the soil.

The soil should be harrowed after ploughing, then a ridge or bed should be done on the soil. Having ridges or beds on the farmland is not a must but it can increase the yield while doing beans farming.

3. Engage people as members of staff:
You cannot do beans farming alone except if you want to cultivate a very small area. If you want to make good money, you need to cultivate at least one hectare of farmland. You will need to recruit people who will work with you on your farmland.

Employing people around the location of your farmland can be advantageous. You can also employ labourers who come from neighbouring countries into Nigeria

4. Get the right seeds:
You should use good beans seeds. Do not buy beans seeds from the open market, patronise only accredited seeds dealers.

Hybrid seeds are usually higher yielding than open pollinated seeds. They also resist a lot of diseases and pests.

5. Get farm inputs needed:
Your beans farm needs farm inputs like fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and nematicides. To plant beans, the type of fertilizers needed should have high phosphatic content. Examples are Single Super Phosphate (SSP) fertiliser or Diammonium Phosphate (DAP).

You can also use a little bit of Muriate of Potash (MOP) at the flowering stage of the cowpea. Avoid high nitrogenous fertilizer and this can negatively impact your beans crop.

6. Manage the farm:
You need to efficiently manage your farm. Do not rely on your unskilled members of staff as they can be funny. Make sure that all your instructions are fully carried out. Your staff can make or mar you chances of making money from your cowpea farm.

7. Harvest:
Sow cowpea varieties have a short growth time. There are 40 days variety and also 100 days variety. The creeping variety has a longer duration time and higher yield. The erect type has a short duration but a slightly lower yield.

You should harvest when the pods are dry and slightly brownish in colour.

8. Market the harvested beans:
After harvesting, you can store your beans for a while and sell when the prices peak. The prices of beans in Nigeria peaks around March – April every year.

Here are some very short motivational words:

1. "Believe in yourself, anything is possible."
2. "Small steps today, a better tomorrow."
3. "You are stronger than you think."
4. "Keep going, success is near."
5. "Your dreams are worth fighting for."
6. "Every setback is a setup for comeback."
7. "Don't watch life from sidelines, participate."
8. "You are one decision away from change."
9. "Chase excellence, success follows."
10. "Unleash your potential, unstoppable you."