Triumph - Episode 4

Much later, two dark, swarthy men emerged through the dense crowd from an opposite direction with a metallic stepladder- about twenty yards

away from the acacia tree - their brawny arms maintained a firm grip on the metallic object and a short, bald, portly man in a brown suit was

bouncing confidently at the heels of the two men.                                                                                                                                                     

 ‘’Come on, step aside! Move it!!’’ The two men carrying the ladder kept bawling out to everyone in their way as they pushed and shoveled their

way through the crowd.                                                                                                                                                                                               

The three-man procession came to the middle of the compound, about ten meters away from the tree where Kenneth, Marcus and Mathias stood,

and the short man in brown suit slammed his shoe on the ground, pointing a stubby hand that was the size of a bunch of avocado down, at the

spot. The two men got the hint and immediately planted the ladder

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/triumph

. As soon as it was mounted, the two men stood formidably by it to further prop it

up. The portly man in brown suit was handed a microphone which he held firmly in his grip, gazed up at the standing ladder, then turned at the two

men sharply, ‘’Keep it in position from the time I ascend till when I descend. Make sure no one else come near it!’’  He bawled eyeing the teeming crowd with distrust.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The two men nodded and the man in suit promptly began mounting the ladder, climbing rather labouriously, with his eyes warily focusing on the

steps as he climbed them.                                                                                                                                                                                       

Slowly, he climbed up to the peak of the ladder, straightened up, and sighed happily as he stood astride it. He then turned on the slender

microphone in his hand and a loud blare rasped out at once from the speaker hung on a pole rigged nearby. The cacophony from the speaker

briefly drowned the din. Gently, he looked down and regarded the hordes of heads below which had already tilted up towards the apex of the

ladder, his eyes thus meeting a raft of expectant eyes gazing at him under the late morning sun. For minutes he remained still, he knew he was the

cynosure of all eyes- a towering statue. Smirking, he checked his watch, and then said rather unhurriedly into the microphone: ‘’Ladies and gentlemen!’’ The pronouncement made the din to pare down but he wanted absolute silence.                                                                             

 Once more, he glanced down at the men at the foot of the ladder and tapped the microphone with his index finger, the men got the hint, ‘’already at maximum amplification, ‘’one of them screamed at the top of his voice, helplessly shaking his head.                                                                 

 ‘’Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!’’ he roared into the microphone. ‘’The sound system is already at the maximum output, if you don’t quit making noise, you will not be able to hear the information I have for you, and if you don’t have the information, then you won’t be able to write the test! . . . Ladies and gentlemen listen up! Show decorum!! . . . Be quiet!!!’’ he hesitated briefly for the hubbub to abate, then continued, ‘’the reason why you trooped out in this number is puzzling!’’He said, but the response he got was a wild yell and had to wait  for the yells to die down before proceeding, ‘’we sent invitatory text messages to one hundred applicants, how come one hundred thousand people showed up?! If you did not receive an invitatory message from us, then you’re an intruder!’’                                                 

 Another wave of long, loud yell followed from the crowd, this time much weirder than the previous episode.                                            

 ‘’The point I’m making is this; you’ve made things impossible by crashing in as you have done. See for yourselves how you’re packed like sardines. Majority of the people I’m seeing standing before me are not supposed to be here, how could you all have come here when you’re not invited?’’ he said, eyeing the sea of heads below scornfully.  

 ‘’Without wasting time,’’ he roared, ‘’I’ve been directed to inform those of you who did not receive messages from us, I mean all intruders, to leave this venue at once and to stay  as far away as possible from this venue! I repeat anyone who came here without receiving invitation should turn around and go back home and sleep or do anything else!! We have the list of bonafide candidates who will want with us, so it’s only a matter of time before we drive out gatecrashers!’’ he said, with a wide grin on his face.