Bound by Fate

The final anthology from the Kepressng Anthology Prize 2022 is a gripping collection of award-winning stories and a bonus tale that explore fate, consequence, memory, identity, and the fragile nature of human choices. Blending realism, spirituality, psychological tension, romance, and the supernatural, these stories reveal how lives can be transformed by love, fear, ambition, sacrifice, and destiny itself.

In Fate and Furies by Adam Sunus, an aunt’s desperate attempt to protect her nephew from a dark prophecy only drives him closer to the destiny she fears most. Bade’s Intercessors by Oluwatoyin Magbagbeola examines the dangerous ripple effects of a mother’s interference in her son’s marriage, as her actions unknowingly reshape his future forever.

In the haunting My Head Is My Intercessor by Omobolaji Olofinnika, a reincarnated entity stands trial, forcing difficult questions about identity, morality, and existence. Trauma by Adekola Temitayo delivers an emotional story of an unlikely friendship between a brilliant boy living with a devastating blood disease and a troubled delinquent whose bond changes both their lives.

Yewa’s In-Dwelling by Ayo Ore-Ofe explores the devastating consequences of a mother’s desperate desire for children, uncovering a legacy of pain that echoes through generations. In Scent of a Flower by Pritie, workplace tension and emotional neglect lead a young woman into a complicated romantic entanglement with her boss’s boyfriend, blurring the lines between desire, loyalty, and self-worth.

Meanwhile, Death Didn’t Do Us Part by Chiamaka Muoneke tells the eerie story of two strangers who share memories of a life they never actually lived, while Don’t Fight Today! by Foyeke grounds the collection in the realities of modern life, following a plus-sized woman navigating harassment, workplace frustration, and public humiliation with resilience and quiet strength.

The anthology concludes with the bonus story, The Wanderer by Agnes Kay-E, a mysterious negotiation between an ancient entity and a cautious but gifted young woman whose choices may alter both their fates.

Together, these stories form a rich, emotional, and imaginative collection about the unseen forces—fate, fear, love, trauma, and hope—that shape human lives in ways both devastating and extraordinary.