A mother's wicked plan

Episode 7 A Mother’s Wicked Plan That night, Mama Ebere couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned, thinking about Nneka’s success. "How can this useless girl outshine my Ada?" she fumed. The next morning, she called Ada aside. "Listen to me, my daughter. You cannot let that girl make you look small." "What should I do, Mama?" Ada asked. Mama Ebere smirked. "We will make sure she never shines again." Later that day, while Nneka was doing her homework, Mama Ebere called her. "Go and fetch water from the stream." Nneka looked up. "But Mama, I have schoolwork—" A sharp slap landed on her back. "Are you talking back at me?" Nneka had no choice. She picked up the heavy water container and went to the stream. When she returned, tired and sweating, Mama Ebere gave her another task. "Now wash all the clothes outside," she ordered. That night, Nneka was too weak to study. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but sleep won. The next day, in school, she could barely concentrate. The teacher noticed. "Nneka, what is wrong?" "I’m just tired, ma," she whispered. Mama Ebere’s plan was working—she wanted to break Nneka’s spirit. But what she didn’t know was that destiny cannot be stopped. Something was about to happen that would change Nneka’s life forever.