WRONG & RIGHT - By Johannes Nangombe

Written By: Johannes Nangombe

Category: Poetic experimental short story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Johannes Nangombe, writing under the name "WRONG & WRITE," offers a captivating piece titled "WRONG & RIGHT," featured in the Poetic Experimental Short Story category. This work is part of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, a prestigious platform celebrating diverse voices in creative writing. Johannes's story delves into the profound themes of identity, struggle, and transformation, inviting readers to journey alongside the protagonist in their quest for meaning and self-discovery.

About the Work

"WRONG & RIGHT" is a vivid narrative that intertwines poetic elements with prose, creating a rich tapestry of imagery and emotion. The story explores the tumultuous journey of Jacob, a character wrestling with fate and divine forces in search of purpose. The experimental style evokes a sense of introspection and wonder, as readers are drawn into a world where the boundaries between the ethereal and the earthly blur, highlighting themes of resilience, identity, and the human condition.

WRONG & WRITE

Original Submission by Johannes Nangombe

WRONG & RIGHT

Dark be a summer's night... Dawn came late...

By the time it set foot on the land...

There was already light...

And spills of blood on the ground... WRONG & RIGHT

The man held his ground...

The God stood looking proud... Like...

How can one with a voice so little... Sound so loud...

Loud...

Loud...!

The divine encounter:

Jacob had grown tired...

A boy born by one with a mighty name... A nurturing mother... and a fighting brother...

And yet...

His world just wasn't the same...

As those above him...

He lived in the slumps...

Where even a whiff of fresh air was a miracle...

Kids would beg for something to eat... while the parents drank to a point they couldn't sit...

Let alone sleep... with open minds and welcoming bodies...

He had done this to himself...

The brother he thought he had... was no more... Sworn enemies they were...

Greed had its consequences...

And in the end...

Jacob ran from his own blood...

Out of fear for his life...

A young soul...

Forced to grow alone...

He ate from the floor...

And bowed and licked the toes of those with colorful robes...

Just so he felt like he belonged...

A lonely soul he was...

His only acquaintances were his worries...

But...

Among endless loneliness...

Jacob had found a brother...

A real brother... one that wouldn't threaten his life...

For only it could see his life...

They shared the same body and eyes...

If anything... this brother was the only reason he dared stay alive...

In his mind he was...

Through endless strife...

He eventually began to hear a voice...

Every now and then... it'd hand him a walking stick... just so he stands...

The wind maybe... or was it just the beginning of madness...?

It could matter less...

For at least madness cared enough to visit... and even that is a blessing...

The Voice:

Look at yourself child...

Thrown out, forgotten...

And left to die...

Jacob:

If you have come to mock...

Then laugh to your heart's content... I could care less what happens anymore

( Jacob's head falls )

The Voice:

laughter you say...

And why would I dare...

Laugh in the face of a warrior...

Destined for war...

Bite your teeth child...

And endure...

For this is not your fate...

But know this...

Only you have the keys...

To the doors of change...

( The voice vanishes... and Jacob is left... seated... in a pile of trash... his home it was... he looks at them pass by...

They looked at him... but all they saw... was trash... He looked at them... and all he saw... was disgust... )

Facades dressed in flesh...

Bones being crushed by the sheer weight of reality... Jacob observed it all...

Until he could no longer stand it...

So he planned it...

A climb or a fall...

Was it greed...?

Or merely a potential that's alluring, but stranded...? He yearns...

Because why...?

Why has he always felt empty...?

Like he never had anything...

The questions are making it hard to breathe...

So he stands up...

And looks around...

But all he saw were...

Dark gloomy bones...

Hidden behind colorful flesh... and foggy smiles... Surrounded by walls and a harsh dry land...

Why...?

Why does he have so little...?

He raises his hand to the skies...

The light...

He looks at it...

As it passes through his fingers...

But why...?

If the light shines this bright...

Then why is his world so dark...?

He wants something brighter...

Maybe even luck...

He barely sees his own feet any more...

Many more came before...

But none managed at all...

To bare-handedly wrestle fate on the floor...

But Jacob...

He had grown quite tired of it all...

Ready to throw his life on the floor...

Or gain it all...

A child... walking by... he notices the man... And pulls on his dirty robe...

While pointing beyond the hills...

Jacob... he looks at the child... what was he trying to say... he thought...?

The Child:

Every full moon...

Beyond the hills...

A God bathes at dusk...

Some say that...

If you touch his wings...

You will receive a endless luck... And a divine blessing...ll

( Jacob... distracted by the lore... he stares beyond the hills... and asks )

Jacob: What kind of a blessing...?

( He looks to the child... but the child was already gone ) a mystery indeed...

But... was it true...? Will he truly receive a blessing...?

Determined to change... Jacob picks up his feet... and walks to his fate...

Time passed...

His feet cracked... but his soul remained unshaken... His lungs begged for rest... but he has to keep

walking... and so he did...

By dusk...

He had reached it...ready to lose it...

Or gain it all...

He stands tall...

At the edge of the sacred river...

Jacob stood with conviction...

Shouting... in search of the proclaimed God...

Unaware...

That in this very river is where he bathes... More so...

Dusk had left... and as a result... the sun began to fall... taking with it... its light...

But another light emerged from that dark...

A holy torch...

It rose from the sacred waters...

It noticed the young man...

For who could dare not hear...

The cries of a wounded soul...

But more than intrigue...

Frustration is what this holy torch emitted... For who could dare intrude on such holy grounds...?

So it spoke:

" Who dares intrude on my cleanse... ! " ( His voice shook the air )

Jacob...

Shaken by the purity...

Of its tone...

He moves a step back...

With a face emitting a look of fear...

He wonders...

Is this he does...

Blasphemy...?

No...!

How could it be blasphemy...?

If the gods never answered his cries to begin with... Jacob fears no such thing...

So he folds his fists...

Tightens his jaw...

Straightens his back...

And finally...

Jacob spoke...

Jacob: ( Shouts )

It...

It is I...

Jacob...!

Here to grab fate by the collar... And toss it... on the ground...

Are you God...?

The God:

Ouw...!

A mortal child...?

Why do you...

Stand before me...?

Tell me child...

What has muddied your feet... And your face... you seem...

Ready to kill...

Your little darkness flatters me...

But I am not to be disturbed... When I cleanse...

So Go back...!

Consider my mercy an eternal blessing...

Jacob:

I repeat...

My name is Jacob...!

Son of Isaac...

Descendant of Abraham...

And I've come to kill fate...

I've grown tired of this life I live... I refuse to end...

What hasn't pleased me...

Instead...

I will hunt down the root of this cause... And walk with its carcass...

Tied to my back...

For all to see...

If you are God...

Then you are all that I seek...!

The God: ( he lets out a laugh )

(Hahahahaha)

Impudent little mortal... Your conviction is alarming... But...

I like your resolve...

Say you this...

Fight me then...

Hold your heart to your chest... And the air to your lungs... Make your mind empty at best...

Hold up your hands...

And wrestle with God...

Entertain me child...

And if you can hold out until dawn...

Then...

A new fate shall indeed... leap into your worthy arms... Fail to do so...

And a peaceful rest by my hands... You shall have...

( Jacob... nods as he looks him in the eyes... Whilst he clenches his fists... and empties his mind... )

God stands from within the sacred river... His feet touch the land...

An act not known to man...

Clouds form in fear and curiosity of such an act... Thunder and lightning sit in patience of what's to come...

The ground shakes in excitement...

While the rivers dance in awe...

A mortal man...

Dares to stand against a God...!?

RIGHT & WRONG

God and man...

The man demands from a God...

Will his life end...?

Hmmm...

We shall see...!

As Jacob stood there...

Ready to throw it all away...

Or gain it all...

He hears something...

Almost like the wind had begun to whisper...

It was a voice...

One that only he could hear...

It said

The Voice:

I've seen you grow...

And I've seen you fall...

I've seen you roam...

And I've seen you go...

But never once have you stopped... And in the end...

This is where you flowed...

Look at yourself child...

You are now a man...

A man that stands in front of what they call God...

Stand tall...

Stand tall Jacob...

Take this flame...

And burn it all...

For what be providence... When you stand in front of it...?

Use every inch of your body... Let him reap your flesh...

Let him break your bones...

And if u fall...

Then his wings shall fall with you... For you are... Jacob... son of Isaac... So... stand tall Jacob...

And so the voice vanishes with the wind... WRONG & RIGHT

A plain expression on the face of the almighty... And one of desperation and hope, on that of the being that refuses to die...

Will he fly...

And sit among creation itself...

Or will he die in the arms of regret...? The atmosphere is filled with heat...

Jacob holds his head...

And pulls out all doubt...

Until he became a man without...

And so...

He hardens his heart...

Readies his fists...

And runs...

He runs...

While the God awaits...

He throws a powerful punch...

But the God dodges...

The God grabs Jacob by the hip and tosses him on the ground...

But conviction still fuels the man...

He picks himself up almost instantly...

And again...

He runs...

The fight has begun...

A man and a God...

Wrestle through the mud...

Mountains collapse...

From the sheer weight of blood...

The night engulfs them...

But light emerges from the clouds... For even the stars seemed curious...

The heavens poked out their heads... Ready to see it all...

A God and a man brawl...

They roll...

Stumble and fall...

Their fists cause tremors beneath their feet...

Who knew a mere mortal man could punch so passionately...?

The God wore a smile on his divine face...

He had gotten his attention...

The almighty stands...

And looks at the man before him...

Never once had he thought...

That in all of existence...

He would once enjoy such a feast... Let alone with a mortal...

No...

This wasn't just a mortal...

This person that stood in front of him...

This here was a man...

A man that deserved his full excitement... So...

He laughs...

In sheer awe and pleasure...

Then... he stops...

And looks him in the eyes... he smiles... For what a being he was...

Jacob...

Confused by the sudden silence and change of demeanor...

He moves a step back...

The God...

He stands...

And looks to the skies...

While reaching out his hands...

Almost as if... he was calling upon something...

The air...

It shook...

It ran far away from the God...

Jacob...

He could feel something coming...

He blinks slowly... while breathing out of exhaustion...

Then... he looked around...

And then... to the ground...

It was shaking...

What was this...?

What is happening...?

He then... turns his head up... to the cause of all this...

And there he saw...

A light... it's as if... the God was shedding... The skin he wore...

It began to peel off...

Until it fell... to the ground...

And out came...

A bright figure...

With long arms...

Twice Jacob's height...

He spread his arms wide...

And out came even larger wings... And so it spoke...

The God: You...

You are a blessing to me child... And for that...

I show my gratitude to you... But out of respect...

I can no longer give you only my back... So ready yourself child...

For blood is all you will see...

Jacob... he swallows air...

And changes his posture...

Something is coming...

The God...

He smiles...

And runs towards him...

Jacob...

He stands his ground...

In a flash... the God could hear him breathe...

He throws a few fists...

But just barely... Jacob dodges...

Jacob moves back...

Attempting to distance himself... But the God follows him...

Jacob reacts...

But it was too late...

The kick had already landed...

A kick to the hip...

Jacob now limps...

But still refuses to go down...

The God moves closer

Attempting to kill...

But Jacob uses his teeth...

A bite to the neck...

And the God now bleeds... White light comes out...

And by the time dawn came...

Jacob had already become a new man...

Israel...

Israel...

Israel...

Stand up my son...

You have fought well...

Now go on and live...

WRITE & WRONG...

The man awakens on top of a hill...

He stands...

And looks around...

But all he saw was an endless land...

Wait... was there not a river...? Where has it gone...?

Was it all a dream then...? He wonders...

His hand instinctively touched it...

He feels a pain...

And looks to his hip...

Blood stains remain...

Jacob...

Has wrestled with God...

RIGHT & WRONG ~Simaneka...

17 December 2025

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a distinguished event that brings together writers from around the world, celebrating the art of storytelling and poetic expression. This competition serves as a platform for emerging and established writers to showcase their talents, fostering a global community of creative minds. Participants are encouraged to explore various forms and themes, contributing to a vibrant tapestry of literary excellence.

Thank you, Johannes Nangombe, for your contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 with your piece "WRONG & RIGHT." Your work stands as a testament to the power of storytelling, offering readers a profound exploration of themes that resonate deeply with the human experience. We look forward to seeing more of your creative endeavors in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.