The Maniacs Diary

Acknowledgement

I am deeply grateful to my father, God Almighty, and His son Jesus Christ,

Mr. Augustine O. Leleji, my earthly father — their unwavering support and encouragement have been my guiding light. They believed in me even when I doubted myself, and for that, I owe them everything.

To my dearest friend, Efemwenor Gold — thank you for shaping me into the author I am today. Your friendship, inspiration, and creativity have been the pillars of my journey. I couldn’t have done this without you.

To my family, well-wishers, and readers — you are the heart of my writing. A special shoutout to:

@LunaMoonGoddess1, author of Claim You Under The Blood Moon — your talent and support mean the world.

@Abdo, author of The Secret Of The Phoenix — your encouragement has been invaluable.

Dark Cheese, author of Invasion — thank you for your belief in my work.

And to every amazing reader who has cheered me on, you are my strength and my motivation. This book exists because of your love and faith in my storytelling. Thank you for making my dreams a reality.

Dedication

To all the siblings out there who can’t go five minutes without bickering but somehow still love each other (maybe).

And to my readers who actually laugh out loud while reading, because let’s face it, your chuckles are what make this chaos worth it.

Xoxo,

A fellow maniac.

Cody's Diary

Day: Saturday

Mood: Annoyed | Hungry | Misunderstood | Beard ignored again

Sup, Diary?

Just so you know, I bought this diary like... five seconds ago.

I've already paid, I’m not usually the guy that says “keep the change”, trust me, you don’t wanna know why.

FYI, I'm standing here waiting for my change, but I couldn't wait to start writing in you. Right now, you're right against the supermarket wall (like K-drama romance) while I write on you as if you're my life support.

Yeah.

That's how desperate I am.

Why?

Ever since I turned seventeen and filled the last page of my old diary, I vowed never to buy another one. I thought diaries were for kids. I'm a grown man now. I even have a little beard now!

So why would I need a diary?

Well...

After just a few days without writing down my thoughts, it felt like hell. It felt like the world was ending. It felt like my brain had opened seventy-three tabs, all playing different songs, and nobody could find the mute button.

Without a diary, random thoughts kept attacking me from nowhere. Weird things started happening. My brain refused to shut up.

That's when I realized...

I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

I HAVE TO SWALLOW MY MATURITY PRIDE.

I really need someone...

Sorry.

I mean something...

...to confide in.

Confiding in an actual human being would probably end with me in jail somehow. I've never tried it before, and honestly, I'm not willing to take that risk.

Trust me, even confiding in the most confidential therapist is a deadly risk.

I also can't imagine someone finding out my sins or reading my diary.

That's exactly why I hide it in the most obvious places possible. Nobody suspects something that's sitting right in front of their face.

Unlike Brody.

Yeah.

That's how smart I am.

The Cody Security Equation™

Obvious Place + Zero Suspicion = Maximum

Security.

People hide valuable things.

My diary isn’t valuable...

To THEM.

Boom.

Protected.

I mean... who hides their diary under their pillow?

Under their bed?

Really?

If I wanted to be that secretive, which I absolutely don’t want to, I’d hide my diary the same way they hid the gold in Vincenzo.

You know... beneath an entire temple.

First, you’d have to discover a secret underground vault that nobody knows exists. Then you’d solve a puzzle worthy of a genius, survive enough twists to lose your sanity, and finally stare into an iris scanner that judges your eyeball like it’s interviewing you for a government job.

“Access denied. Your eyeball isn’t dramatic enough.”

Then the floor would rumble, ancient doors would slowly slide open, and there it would be...

My diary.

Ta-Daaaaaah!

Protected by lasers, steel doors, fingerprint scanners, voice scanner, brain scanner, butt scanner, facial recognition, iris recognition, password only I don’t know, and probably a grandmother asking, “Who are you looking for?”

Not that I’m lazy, but that’s too much work for me.

Besides, if someone is willing to go through all that just to read about my deadly sinful thoughts...

They deserve to know them.

And besides...

Brody has a diary, too.

So there's absolutely nothing wrong with a seventeen-year-old owning one.

Right?

"Here's your change."

A man wearing glasses so old they probably witnessed dinosaurs interrupted my writing.

I didn't even realize he was talking to me until he practically shoved the money into my modern-day glasses.

I took the change and stared at him as he casually walked back to the cashier.

I wanted to say something.

I wanted to do something.

But I had way too much to write down.

Besides, I don't cause drama.

I solve evolutionary problems.

There's a difference.

"Sir! You served someone MY AGE and called her 'ma'am.' If I'm not mistaken, you even said, 'Thank you, ma'am.' But me? You couldn't say, 'Here's your change, sir'?

IS MY BEARD NOT VISIBLE ENOUGH?!

I'm giving this supermarket zero stars.

This is discrimination against facial hair.

If I become President one day, which is obviously going to happen, my first law will require every citizen to address bearded young men with the respect they deserve.

Maturity shall be recognized nationwide!"

...

That’s what I wanted to say was, but instead...

I grabbed my change, said absolutely nothing, and hurried home because I desperately needed a proper table to continue writing.

I walked out of Roban Stores and into the busy world of Udu, a local government area in Delta State, Nigeria.

Now...

I love Nigeria.

I'm a very proud Nigerian.

Yay! ♡  ♡

But...

Delta State and I have a complicated relationship.

The government seems to be running on "We'll figure it out tomorrow."

The roads have so many potholes that Google Maps should classify them as lakes.

The market is so loud that even your own thoughts have to shout before you can hear them.

Even the colours around here look tired.

Meanwhile, mosquitoes don’t bite people anymore.

They conduct job interviews before choosing a victim.

The traffic in Enerhen has one mission in life:

To convince you that walking barefoot is actually faster.

NEPA:

My personal translation?

Never Ending Power Absence.

Their employees deserve Olympic gold medals for timing.

They don’t take the light at the beginning of the movie.

They don’t take it in the middle.

They wait...

Patiently...

Until the hero says,

“Wait! I know who the killer is...”

POOF!

Then you are left with continuing the movie in your imagination.

Don’t get me wrong...

I'm a proud Nigerian.

Yay! ＼(^o^)／

According to my investigation, experience, intelligence, maturity, and scientific calculations, this city was clearly not designed for someone as magnificent as me.

But...

I have to stay.

Someone has to fix this place.

Starting with that supermarket attendant's behavior.

I'M STILL NOT OVER IT! :(

The only advantage this city has is that I'm currently filling its air with my scientifically advanced scent and unbelievably powerful brain.

Therefore, the number one attraction in Delta State is me.

Cody.

The cool.

The brilliant.

The handsome.

The genuine.

The future President.

The future Nobel Prize winner.

The owner of the world's most underappreciated beard.

The only human being whose IQ occasionally frightens calculators.

Me.

You're welcome, Delta State.

People say Delta State is chaotic.

People say it isn't safe.

People complain about traffic, crime, noise, bad roads, and electricity.

But there's one chaos nobody notices.

One chaos everyone ignores.

One chaos that has silently been destroying peace for years.

The chaos...

Between me...

And BRODY.

Now you're probably wondering...

Who the heck is Brody?! :(

I feel you my dear,

Well...

Brody is...

Oops.