Free Electronic Gags by Kudakwashe Muzira Page B

well-furnished.
    “Welcome
to the residence of the chief scientist of Brandon Ward Wildlife Refuge,” Freddie
said. “This is the kitchen... the bathroom... and your room.”
    “You
have a beautiful place here,” Melissa said. “I thought wildlife scientists
lived in tents.”
    “When
we are doing field work we sometimes stay in tents. But don’t worry... I won’t
be doing field work any time soon. I shall be your tour guide during your stay
here.”
    “Won’t
I disturb your work?”
    “What
work?” Freddie snickered. “The animals and plants can do without me... they
have been doing that for millions of years.”
     

Chapter 3
    The hundred-thousand-seater
Ward National Stadium, named after the president like so many things in the Ten
Districts, was packed to capacity. Members of the National Party, dressed in
the party’s regalia, cheered as soldiers and policemen performed parades, acrobatics
and mock battles to entertain the crowd. Then came the parachute displays in
which paratroopers displayed their parachuting skills as they attempted to land
in a circle marked in the centre of the football pitch. The air force displays
came next. The spectators held their breath as air force pilots showed off
their skills in aerobatics. The coordination of the jets was perfect. It was as
if the airplanes were robots controlled by one computer.
    This
was only a part of the entertainment on the day’s program. Today was the fifth
of May, the First Lady’s birthday or ‘The Day of the Mother of the Nation’ as
it was officially known. The president and the first lady sat in the VIP lounge
with Cabinet ministers and security chiefs.
    Mrs
Ward clapped hands and cheered at the aerobatics like a little girl. “This is
the best day of my life, darling,” she said, leaning on Brandon Ward’s
shoulder. “Oh is that the police band! I love the police band.”
    Throughout
the day, Cassandra Ward shrieked with excitement at the entertainment the
organizing committee had lined up for her birthday. Then came the time for her
to read her birthday speech, which she did with obvious enjoyment. The Ministry
of Information had prepared the speech for her and she found it difficult to
pronounce some of the words. What she had in beauty, the first lady lacked in
brains. Thirty-eight years younger than her husband, she had married him after
the death of his first wife. Cassandra Ward believed her husband was a
philanthropist who did everything for the good of the nation. She actually believed
that electronic gags were antiterrorist tools that protected citizens from
terrorists. She always showered Ward with heartfelt praises, something that
endeared her to him. The president had married his biggest fan and staunchest
political supporter. She was not like his first wife who questioned everything
he did.
    The
First Lady’s Final, the final game of an annual football tournament, which the
government had launched in Cassandra Ward’s honor, started just after she
finished reading her speech. When the match ended, she carried the trophy like
an excited little girl and handed it to the captain of the winning team, to the
cheer of the team’s fans.
    “I
enjoyed myself today, darling,” she told her husband. “I wish today was twice
as long as other days.”
    “Then
you shall have your wish,” President Ward said.
    “What?”
she asked, dumbfounded.
    “Wait
and see, darling,” he said.
    “You
never cease to amaze me, Brandon darling,” she said, leaning on his shoulder.
    “I
want to make an announcement,” Brandon Ward told his secretary.
    “Okay,
Your Excellence.” The president’s secretary quickly relayed the message to the
master of ceremony.
    “Ladies
and gentlemen, please be quiet for a moment,” the master of ceremony announced.
“I have just received the message that His Excellence, Patriot Brandon Ward,
the supreme leader of the nation and commander-in-chief of our armed forces,
has something to say. Please come