To Sink into the Deep

Outsmart

'Photographer to Fugitive Licentious Writer Known as "Finn" Has Been Arrested'

The article detailed the crimes of Preye, Finn's photographer: organising and photographing riots (protests), destroying government property and amenities (putting incriminating photos on buildings), and running a child trafficking prostitution ring (seriously?).

Finn folded the newspaper and put his head in his hands. He knew why Preye had got arrested the while they had been together in the country, the police could have arrested her multiple times alongside him. The second he hightailed out of the country to save his life, the government decided that Preye was important.

His throat tightened as he imagined what they were doing to her; he had an idea.

What could he do?

If international outcry could free her, dozens others would have been free. If he came back to Nigeria and let himself get arrested, there was no assurance she would be released. And it was not as if he had the ability to pull some movie-like stunt and bust her out. Leaning back into his chair, Finn closed his eyes, said a silent prayer and ran through every choice he had to save Preye.

"Fiyin!" Finn opened his eyes. His mother was the only person who didn't call him by his pseudonym.

"Kini e?" He asked her in Yoruba, seeing her worried face as she sat beside him at the table.

"They killed Deola."

Finn's heart sunk. Another one of his activist friends, gone.

"How? Deola has always been too smart to get killed even with all the soldiers they send after him."

"His wife told me they sent him a letter bomb. Before that, the soldiers stop trailing him but two days ago, he opened an envelope with the government seal and..."

Finn's mother closed her eyes and sighed.

They both sat in silence for a while as she rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.

"Preye was arrested." She said this as if it was news to Finn.

He nodded, "I've been thinking of what to do."

As he said those words, an idea formed.

"Mama," he looked at her face, so loving, pride etched in every wrinkle.

Finn took a deep breath. "I may have to go back to Nigeria.

"What do you mean?!" She yelled at him in Yoruba.

"Do you want them to kill you?"

"Mama-" she cut him off, "No Fiyinfoluwa, tell me, do you want to die? Do you want to leave me alone?"

Finn stopped trying to get a word in and looked at his mother, the sadness and fear in her eyes clenching his throat. He knelt down in front of her and held her hands.

"I will not die. Please, just let me try. Ejó. I can not live with myself if I could save Preye and did not try. Please."

His mother looked up, she looked sideways, she looked everywhere else but her son's eyes. Finn kissed her hands. "Please."

She let out a weak

"Okay." 

~~~

When Finn got back to Nigeria, the brigade he was half expecting to bundle him away was nowhere in sight. It seemed like the government had settled on the least public way to deal with those who exposed the truth. Finn gathered a few of his fellow writer activists. They couldn't stay together in one room for long but within a few minutes, their plan came together. The next day, two different articles were published. Their themes were similar: bravery in the face of totalitarianism, how the speakers of truth will never be silenced and Finn. Two days after the articles, a letter with the government seal arrived at Finn's home.

~~~

If not for Chika's article, the government may have questioned the potency of their bomb. Later that day, Preye, who was much worse for wear, was released.

~~~

After quite a scream, Preye still looked shocked at the sight of Finn standing in her living room.

"But, but I read Chika's..."

"It was a fake."

Finn said with a smile.

"But she writes nothing without thorough..." the realisation dawned on Preye.

"You faked the whole thing didn't you?"

Finn's smile only got wider.

"Hold on, let me be sure."

Preye went out the backdoor and came back in with sand leaking out from her fist. Finn, knowing what she wanted to do, covered his face with his hands.

The sand she threw did not go through him.

"Oh, thank God. You're not a ghost."

She ran to hug him.

"We need to make a plan," Finn said as he accepted the hug.

"Hug now," she said, "plan later."

===

I've been a little enamored with Nigeria's militaristic history lately :). Watching a documentary can do that to you. My favourite documentary on Nigeria so far has been The Real Story of Nigeria by Jide Olanrewaju. Do you guys read documentaries? If so, what's your favourite. If you don't watch documentaries, just leave your favorite thing in the comments! 

- KC