Mildred Achoch

“The Assistant” by Mildred Achoch

He was an early-riser but today, he woke up way before dawn. Nerves. It was his first day as the assistant of a rock star, front-man of the biggest rock band this side of the Sahara. DUSK He looked back on his first day at work as he waited to meet his boss. The day had been filled with various on-boarding activities. He was introduced to the assistants of the other band members. He was grilled by the band’s publicist as said publicist was in the middle of putting out a publicity fire set by one of the band members. He was given a tour of...

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“The Institute” by Mildred Achoch

The graduate student followed the clues and discovered a sound-proofed, hidden room in the university’s library. The room was full of dusty musical instruments, many of them from Africa. There were old recording devices and older books on the shelf. In the following weeks, the graduate student was to become obsessed with the contents in that hidden room. His social life dwindled to nothing. His thesis was inspired by what he had found in that room. He went on to establish M.I.M.I. – the Music In Medicine Institute. Years later, a lady from...

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“Surveillance” by Mildred Achoch

She. I. She sensed She couldn't believe It was bound to happen. It had been twenty-four years since she'd last He woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, his hands He is African rock royalty. Even after the long absence, his presence lingers in the hearts and minds of his fans.  I miss you. He is a silhouette sitting on the railing of the balcony overlooking an island. His island. He takes another sip from the half empty bottle of wine then shouts: "At least I wipe the fog off the bathroom mirror and my mind. This is the end, isn...

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“The Wedding” by Mildred Achoch

"You know I have...issues." "So?" "So stress and...issues don't go too well." “Who says it will be stressful?" "Are you being serious right now?" “Okay, okay. Maybe weddings can be a little bit stressful." "A little?" "Fine. A lot stressful but you can handle it." "What makes you so sure?" "Come on! This band has performed in front of thousands of people. You have never cracked under that stress." "That's the good kind of stress. Playing music calms me. Playing best man? That just scares me. What if I mess up your big day? Your bride will ne...

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“In the waiting room” by Mildred Achoch

1 Are you there, God? It’s me, you know who.  No, we are not doing this again. The first time I let it go. Okay, I have not let it go. I kept silent. Did I talk to you about it? No, I just let you do as you please, you being King of everything and all. You know everything. You know what I’m going to ask even before I ask it. I’m going to ask anyway. It’s the only thing I can do right now. You gave me the gift of partnering with you to save lives. I couldn’t save…her. Now, I can’t save my best friend. You can. Do not make me go throu...

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“Her Reflections” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #105

I wipe the fog off the bathroom mirror and my mind. This is the end, isn’t it? Well, I am going to go out with a bang. “Isn’t it wonderful how they have finally settled down? I’ve been following their story right from the beginning. So inspiring. If two people who are so different can commit to living their lives together, for better or for worse, then I think our chances are quite good. We already have so much in common, right?” No reply. He is distant. Well, more distant than usual. Distance is part and parcel of his world. Wh...

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“Silhouette” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #92

5. I miss you. He is a silhouette sitting on the railing of the balcony overlooking an island. His island. He takes another sip from the half empty bottle of wine then shouts: "At least I own an island!" He is an island of grief in a sea of happiness, resilience, normalcy. That one thought, "I miss you" is an island in his mind, surrounded by the tepid waters made up of all the other mundane thoughts he has; thoughts of beats and lyrics and female fans, so many female fans, so many willing female fans... His fingers drum an impati...

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“#prodigalrockstar” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #88

He is African rock royalty. Even after the long absence, his presence lingers in the hearts and minds of his fans. No, not just fans. They are his subjects. His enemies go so far as to call them his minions. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. All he wanted was to live and work and play without the suffocating mask of royalty, to enjoy the priceless peace that he had travelled so far to get. But one of his enemies found him. "What is this place? What are you doing, hiding here in the back of nowhere?" He offere...

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“Doctor Drummer” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #72

He woke up in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, his hands trembling, his head spinning. He hadn’t woken up like this since the days right after the love of his life was… No. No, he wasn’t going down that rabbit hole today. He got out of bed and headed straight for his drum kit. For the next hour, he pounded that nightmare right out of his system. With every beat of the drums, the details of the nightmare became clearer and clearer and also begun losing their power to fill him with terror. Playing drums had always been therapeutic for...

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“The Toddler Whisperer” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #69

[NEWBIE entered Official Assistants of The Band Members (OATBAM) Chat] Rules of the chat: What is said in this chat stays in this chat. Betrayers will be shot, I mean, will have to buy the rest of us shots. Owners of overly bad spelling and grammar will be shot… by the Grammar police. *smiling face emoji* *see no evil monkey emoji* *hear no evil monkey emoji* *speak no evil monkey emoji* Newbie: Hello? [KAREMEHOME entered Official Assistants of The Band Members (OATBAM) Chat] Karemehome: Hey newbie! [MOSHIMOSHI entered Official Ass...

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“Perfect Danger” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Heartbreak Hotel. Yes, that Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel. It was real. Anyone who’s ever had a broken heart can testify. Apparently, she was skilled at keeping it in the family. Or in the band, as it were. She deserved her broken heart. After all, she had broken one of the band’s cardinal rules: no office romances. Twenty-four years ago, the lead singer of her band had broken her heart. They were both sixteen. Twenty-four years...

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“Weakest Link” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #67

It was bound to happen. He had spent hundreds of hours watching their security footage, listening in on their conversations, listening to them arguing as they made music. Then he began listening to their music. The first time he heard the first song off their first album, he experienced synaesthesia. The song tasted like that time when he was fourteen and managed to hack the servers of a certain multinational corporation. He gained a lot of fans in the hacking world. Becoming a fan of the band you have been commissioned to destroy is...

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“Secret” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #66

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that she was seated here, in the boardroom of the biggest rock band this side of the Sahara. She couldn't believe that she was seated in the boardroom that was in the private jet of the biggest rock band this side of the Sahara! It took all her will power not to go into full fan girl mode. Right in front of her were faces that she had admired from afar for most of her teenage years. In all her twenty-one years, never would she have imagined that the day would come when she would be seated in ...

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“Graveyard Shift Therapy” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #65

She sensed his decision to spend the night in the graveyard. It was a bad idea for her to join him there; so of course she left her room and headed straight to the graveyard. She would deal with the consequences later. “Are you ready?” She did a quick internal checklist. Heart rate: skyrocketing. Palms: sweaty. Vision: blurrier by the minute. Hands: shaking. All unnecessary, but it was hard to discard a lifetime’s worth of reactions. Muscle memory. She nodded. The world spun. “Are you sure?” She made a sound that she hope...

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“Colossal Chance” by Mildred Achoch

Submitted to Contest #54

I hate being an intern at the Second Chances TV show. “The entertainment company boardroom is the new Roman Colosseum. There are lions and gladiators and death, lots of death - of reputations. Keep your mouth shut, ears and eyes open. We are about to meet the most ruthless gladiator of all.” That was the pep talk my internship supervisor gave me as we were preparing to go into the boardroom. I had been an intern for less than a month and I was equal parts impressed and traumatized by the behind-the-scenes happenings at one of the top TV ...

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