The Swindler

“THE SWINDLER” By ABDULLATIF AHMED

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA DEPT. JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION ACJI/05607/2013S abdullatifahmed0@gmail.com

FADE IN:

INT. COFFEE SHOP- DAY

WILLIAM, a short fat man with a bulging stomach walks in. He is wearing a sleek black suit with gold watch, on his neck a gold chain, visible because he has unbuttoned the first two buttons of his tieless shirt. On his right hand three smartphones and on his left hand a car key. Behind him is ABIGAIL, a tall light lady with a thick wobbly bums. She is wearing a short tight dress that is exaggerating her posterior and on her hand a black suitcase.

WILLIAM

Let’s go sit at that corner, yes, yes there.

They walk to the corner booth and take a sit. William takes one of his phones and makes a call.

WILLIAM

You said you were at the coffee shop, where are you? I do not entertain lateness, I’m on a tight schedule young man.

VOICE (O.S)

Sorry sir, I am at the coffee shop, upstairs.

WILLIAM

What are you doing there? Come downstairs at the corner booth.

He hangs up the phone immediately.

WILLIAM

(Gently nodding his head sideways)

These recruits.

JAMES, a young campus student hurriedly walks towards the corner booth with a bag.

JAMES

Good afternoon sir, I’m sorry for being late.

He shakes William’s hand and then shakes Abigail’s hand and gives her a stare.

WILLIAM

It’s okay son, as long as you made it, take a sit. And I don’t like to be called sir, my name is William but people I work with call me Bill. And I hope you will be one of them.

JAMES

It would be an honor to work for you sir, I mean Mr. William. 

WILLIAM

Hehe! My P.A here read your CV and she was impressed. And believe me it’s hard to impress her. But as for me I don’t look at the papers, I look at the person, does he look trustworthy does he act the same. Looks alone can be…

A waiters suddenly comes an interrupts him.

WAITER

Excuse me, what can I get you?

WILLIAM

Oh yes I’m starving, get me a mushroom fillet steak, and I hope it comes with good chips. Yes, and what will you have James?

James quickly looks at the menu.

JAMES

Just house coffee for me please.

WILLIAM

That’s it? Eat boy, I don’t work with hungry people. Bill’s on the boss.

JAMES

Well then I’ll also have a beef burger please.

The waiter then looks at Abigail who just shakes her head to indicate she’s okay.

WAITER

Well then a mushroom fillet, one house coffee and a beef burger coming right up.

The waiter walks away.

WILLIAM

So where was I? Oh yeah your CV is good but do you have the equipment and skills for the job?

JAMES

I have the laptop with the right specifications and the hard disk but I could not find the software you specified in the ad.

WILLIAM

That’s not a problem just give it to Abigail and she will install it for you right now.

James opens his bag and removes a laptop and a hard disk and hands it to Abigail who opens the black briefcase and removes a flash disk and inserts it in the laptop.

ABIGAIL

Oh, this laptop can’t install the software directly, it needs the converter.

WILLIAM

It’s in the car, go get it.

ABIGAIL

I can’t unplug the laptop. It will interrupt the process and we could lose data.

WILLIAM

Abigail, why do you complicate things, just take the laptop to the car and install it from there.

Abigail takes the briefcase and James’ laptop and walks away. The waiter brings the food, William and James discuss while eating. Then suddenly William’s phone rings.

WILLIAM

Hello engineer. I hope you are calling me to say the project is ready. No, no, no. I cannot take this. I don’t care what the bank says, I’m losing millions here.

He hangs up the phone.

WILLIAM

These people want to bankrupt me James. The more that project is delayed the more millions I’m losing. That’s money I could have been giving fellows like you who are willing to work.

The phone rings again.

WILLIAM

Let me sort this.

JAMES

Yes boss.

William walks out of the table talking to the phone and goes out of view. He leaves behind two phones on the table. James continues to eat his burger.

After a long while the waiter returns with the bill, neither William nor Abigail is in sight. James inspects the bill, it reads Ksh1950. He is comforted by the fact that William left behind two of his phones.

More time elapse, the waiter comes to clear the table. James is now worried and decided to take a close inspection of the two phones, the screens are made of paper, they are replicas!

JAMES

My laptop! My laptop! Oh no.

It finally hits him, he has been the victim of the swindler.  

FADE OUT:

The End

“A Town Mouse and A Country Mouse”

Technical University of Kenya

Creative Writing

Dr. Omwoha

Abdullatif Ahmed ACJI/05607/2013S

“A Town Mouse and A Country Mouse”

Dramatic Monologue

(The Town Mouse)

Oh the country, so quiet, so serene, so beautiful. The air here is fresh the ambience cool and calm. I could get used to this environment, well if it wasn’t for their barbaric lifestyle, surviving on roots like mere ants, ants surely.

I don’t think I can live without my sublime delicacies, I would start with oat meal, with a sprinkle of flour. Then I’d serve myself some figs and wash it down with honey. Oh the honey I can just feel it slipping down my throat. Then for dessert dates. Why am I torturing myself while all I can find here is country cabbage, and not even the good type. I can’t wait to reach home, to my larder and show my friend the luxuries he has been missing out on.

Oh my word, why are we using human path to walk. Don’t folks here have the technology to build tall houses and underground tunnels for us? I couldn’t imagine myself walking like this in town with all the traffic, the hustle and bustle. I wish there were tunnels here, travelling without stress, we could have passed by some underground fight club and see the rats fight each other. Anyway there’s nothing much going on here no wonder the humans let us travel on their path.

He just doesn’t know what’s in store for him, all the food he can eat, all the luxuries a mouse can ask for. If it was me I would not come back to live at this ragged place.

Oh there it is, skyscrapers over the horizon, heaven beckons.

  

Poetry

The City

The city rarely slumbers

The noises are never ending

People are at their numbers

When the chaos starts descending

Folks shuttling shoulder to shoulder

In the constant traffic rush

No one seems to bother

To just keep it shush

The larders are plenteous

The food is delicious

As tempting as it may be

It’s just too dangerous for me

It’s better to eat in the field

Roots of your own yield

Than to stay here concealed

With very little shield

My friend I don’t want to lie

I fear for my own

So I bid you goodbye

As I pack to go home.

Interview with the Country Mouse

Thank you for the interview Mr. Mouse, first I have to ask why Country Mouse?

Thank very much for hosting me, you people are always afraid of us. Well my name is quite obvious, I live in the countryside so I’m a county mouse.

Speaking of people is there a distinct difference between the people in the country and the ones you encountered in the town?

Oh yes there is a huge difference. The folks in the country tolerate us. Well actually they do more than just that, some treat us like family they are used to us. But the folks in the town are so cruelly, they are actually a threat to our survival.

Don’t you think it has something to do with the fact that you eat their foodstuff?

You see here is where the difference comes in. Us country mice rarely go to food stores of the country folks and steal their food. We go to the fields and look for roots and gather our own food. But the city mice go eat at the larders, that doesn’t please the humans much and hence the enmity.

And how did you find the city food?

Well I must admit, it was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. But what’s the need to live on the edge like that, maybe mice in the city can manage but for me it’s a big no.

Do you think the city life affects the mortality rate of mice?

From the little I experienced I believe so.

Please elaborate.

Well I couldn’t survive there for a day. Living in such conditions is just a death wish. Apart from the hostile humans there is just too much noise and chaos, everything is always on the move. A mouse needs some peace and quiet.

So what is the ideal living conditions for a mouse?

Basically you look at two things safety and sustenance. It’s all about your life. Food keeps you going, you cannot leave where you cannot have a constant supply of food but then it doesn’t have to be luxurious foodstuff, especially not at the expense of you own life. You see my point, food should not draw you out so that the hostile humans kill you.

Are you not a risk taker Mr. Mouse?

Ha-ha city mice call us country ones yellow mice. They say we are cowards. It is true with great risks come great reward but I’d rather live long with my bantam sustenance.

You really are afraid to die aren’t you?

Who isn’t? And I hear these days the town fellows have devised ingenious means of killing us mice. They have these traps that act like metallic guards that imprison poor mice and torture them. And the worse ones are when they kill you without even being in the room. They put some poison in these delicious foods and you never eat again. Such perils cannot be found in the country.

So are you saying all mice should move to the country?

Well the country is awesome but it doesn’t mean its heaven, especially for those city jacks who are not used to it. For starters those foods they like are scarce here. Then there is the issue of natural predators like hawks and snake that ought to scare them away.

So you are afraid of city humans more than snakes?

Humans are unpredictable, they are intelligence and persistent. As for snakes you can easily know their M.O. Plus snakes only kill for food, there is plenty of that in the country. There are numerous times I’ve passed next to a snake and they just look at you, when they are full they are harmless. But as for human they’ll just kill you wherever they find you. Don’t our lives matter?

Give us your final remarks on this city and country life for mice.

First of all I want to say that no place is perfect for anyone. The city life has its pros and its cons the same with country life. What I can advise you to do is travel around and experience both living conditions and it is from that you can gauge which life suits you best.

If you like living on the edge and don’t mind all the noise then the city life is for you. The rewards are heavenly. But if you are like me and you prefer serenity and simple life then the countryside is what you will prefer.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you too.

  

The Body

Technical University of Kenya

Journalism and Media Studies

Creative Writing

Task: Write About Your Body

Dr. Omwoha

Abdullatif Ahmed Omar

ACJI/05607/2013S 

I can’t remember the last time I saw her because I didn’t imagine it being my last, however I do recall the last day I was to see her. I had saved about three thousand Kenyan shillings to treat her out, being young that was one colossal achievement. I resisted all temptation to spend even a penny of the cash, in fact the day before my mother asked me if I had some money I lend her, but I said I didn’t. I could tell she knew I was lying. That’s just how important the girl was. Sadly, she called me in tears and said, “My father won’t let me out”. I told her it’s alright because I knew it was not her fault even though deep down I was disheartened. “We could always meet some other time”, I said, “There is no need to cry”, I added. Four years down the line I still haven’t seen her yet. Check your tenses. When you decide to use past, follow through with it

We met in primary school, seven years earlier, I was a class ahead but her class could be matched by none. Her sophistication, her elegance, she finessed her way into everything. I don’t know how to describe her beauty but think of the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen and then remove her flaws, and you will be there! If there is any truth to the phrase love at first sight this was it. Unfortunately, when she passed right next to me I froze. I could not move a muscle. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the girl of my dreams caused my body to betray me.

This was the beginning of a series of bodily malfunction. Every time she passed by /sat next to me I had some sort of glitch, like a virus in my system. That would be the time I suddenly lost words or my lips got instantly dry, damn it lips. My legs were like, “Yoh, bro I ain’t goin’ nowhere”. Now that I think about it I’m glad that we were still young and innocent, I can’t imagine other parts of my body malfunctioning, it could have been hard for me to take it, or even give it.

Now apparently I was too busy chickening out to notice that other boys were already making advances on her. Yes, kids do that. In fact there was this particular kid who was either super rich or just super generous. Probably both. He would collect all the girls and just buy them treats. Some days he would just come with chocolates and start handing them out, you know like a Kenyan politician looking for votes. A lot of casual language used here. I will take it with the thought that it’s the style you adapted so that your story can be interesting

All said, she was not gullible. Amidst all the attention and the gifts she got I still felt she ranked me higher. With everyone else she talked normally to and played with but with me she just stared. Long deep stares all from across the room. Every time I caught her staring there was this Lionel Ritchie song that played in my head.

I look at you
You look at me
You can't tell me you ain't feeling butterflies
It's obvious,
We have some chemistry…

This is when it hit me, maybe she felt the same way. So as any boy in my situation would have done I decided to man up. Let the reader know what song played in your head. You could quote one most important/sentimental line

It was a Friday. I chose Friday to launch my attack because I looked good in games kit. I cleaned up well and headed to her classroom. I asked myself “what’s the worst that can happen.” It was rhetorical but my head got me answers. She had a reputation of slapping guys who crossed her line, she had an arsenal of vocabulary and not to mention the oldest trick in the book of reporting to the teacher. With my wisdom I got into her classroom and had small talk with everyone except her. This time it was my head that failed me. How smooth.

Now my excuse was that there were too many people, there was a time we had the entire school to ourselves and I couldn’t even say hi. I don’t know if it was my stomach’s fault or my pancreas I just know I didn’t have the guts.

Well eventually I did grow some… and today I consider my body immune, until we meet again.