30/04/2026
My name is Tunde
and the day I stood at the back of a crowd watching people cry over my death
I realized I had been erased from my own life.
It started with a simple trip.
I had been working in another city for three years, sending money home every month to support my family my wife, my younger brother, and my aging father.
I trusted them with everything.
Every last cent.
One evening, I called my wife.
Hello, Iâll be coming home next week. I miss you.
There was a pause.
Then she said, Thatâs good.
Her voice didnât sound excited.
Just flat.
I ignored it.
Maybe she was just tired.
A few days later, something strange happened.
My calls stopped going through.
My messages were not delivered.
Even my brotherâs number unreachable.
At first, I thought it was a network issue.
But days passed.
Nothing.
Worried, I decided to go home earlier than plannedâwithout telling anyone.
I wanted to surprise them.
I didnât know I was the one about to be shocked.
When I arrived in my village, something felt wrong immediately.
People were gathered.
Dressed in black.
Some women were crying.
My heart started racing.
What happened? I asked a man standing nearby.
He looked at me confused.
Who are you? he said.
Iâm Tunde, I replied.
He frowned.
Thatâs not possible.
My chest tightened.
What do you mean?â
He pointed toward the compound.
Your funeral is happening right now.
I felt the ground disappear beneath me.
Slowly I walked closer.
And there it was.
My picture.
A large framed photo of me placed in front of a crowd.
People crying.
Mourning.
Calling my name.
I couldnât breathe.
Iâm alive I whispered.
But no one heard me.
Then I saw them.
My wife.
Dressed in black.
Crying but something about it didnât feel real.
And beside her
My younger brother.
Standing too close.
Too comfortable.
That was when fear turned into something else.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
I stepped forward.
But before I could say a word
I heard something that made my blood run cold.
A man in the crowd said:
After everything, at least his family will finally enjoy the money he left behind.
Money?
What money?
And in that moment
I realized something was terribly wrong.
Because I was standing there
Alive
While my life was already being shared.