This is the creative work that will entertain, teach moral lessons, educate, and give relaxation. Have you read a short play before? This is the one. It is written in acts and scenes. The play is about greed. Enjoy reading!
Act 1 Scene 1
The Adebayo family is in the sitting room sitting before the television except for their father because he died in a car accident. Mrs Adebayo pampers her children since her husband’s demise.
Mrs. Adebayo is sitting on an armchair while her children Henry and Love are sitting on another armchair in the room. The two teenager’s eyes are glued to the television on the wall.
Henry & Love: (Groans as the music video they are watching goes off the screen replaced by a news splash) Oh God! Why now
Mrs. Adebayo: (Laughs at her children) Take it easy you have had so much fun watching the music video. How I wish I could dance like you too but wait let us watch the news.
Newscaster: Breaking news just reaching us indicates that the government has set up a committee on the missing 500 million naira from the government coffers
Mrs. Adebayo: Yeah! Big money! (Shakes her head) Oh! How I wish that 500 million is sitting coolly in my bank account.
Henry :( Hisses) Mum, you are too selfish. How I wish the money is in my account too or in my Ghana-must-go bag
Love: (Covers her mouth in disbelief) Ah! How can you carry 500 million in your bank account?
Mrs Adebayo: Ah you don’t know anything Love. The smartest way to make money in Nigeria is by “taking all you can, canning all you take, and sitting on the can”.
Love: (Shakes) Mummy!
Henry: That is why you are a girl. You don’t even know about life.
Love: But… Henry… they stole the money, those who stole the money are thieves
Henry: (Hiss) And so what
Mrs Adebayo: I wish I was the one who was able to steal such a huge amount from the government.
Henry& Love: Mummy!
Mrs Adebayo: Why are you calling money? You should be thankful to have a mother like me.
The light slowly fades out as the argument continues.
Act 1 Scene 2
This is the home of Mr. Koko unlike the first family, the television is switched off Mr. Koko is a single father since the demise of his lovely wife. The children Esther and James are reading the pulled-out newspaper pages.
They have stooled in before them with a piece of paper and a pen placed on it. As they are reading they are making jottings on the paper before them.
Esther: (Drops the newspaper and stretches) Oh Daddy, let us watch television… I am tired of reading this boring newspaper
Mr. Koko: (From the kitchen) What did you just say? You can’t be tired of reading. I won’t allow you to watch TV until you and your brother are true to what I asked you both to do
James: Ah! Daddy, you are like my English teacher, you always want us to read and read and read.
Mr. Koko: When you watch TV your brain becomes inactive. All it does is ask from the screen, “What next”. But when you are reading, all your intellect is involved. So go back to what you are doing, I need to continue cooking.
James and Esther: OK, Daddy.
The light slowly fades out.
Act 2 scene 1
Henry is in his class, ss2 of his secondary school. A male teacher, Mr. Mike is at the board teaching, James and others are concentrating but Henry can be seen at a corner of the class counting a large sum of money.
Mr. Mike: (Turns from the board to face the class and catches Henry counting money) Ah! What are you doing with so much money in the class, Henry?
Henry: (Grumbles) It is my money
Mr. Mike: Did I say it was mine? What I want to know is why you choose to count that money in the class when you should be learning like others. You never concentrate in class you should have changed ever since your father died.
It is because you know that your father will deal with you if any teacher reports to him. How I wish he was still alive. Well, a test is coming up right now (to the student) tear a sheet of paper and write.
(Writes a test on the board)
You have just 30 minutes to write the test.
(Students begin to write but Henry who sits next to James tries to spy on James’ work.)
Henry: (Whisper) Oh God! My head is blocked. I don’t understand the question. James open your books let me spy on your answers
James: (Ignores Henry, covers his answer, shielding them from Henry who is stretching his neck)
Mr. Mike: Henry! Well done!
Henry: (Jumps up in shock, as a student who has been watching him bursts into laughter
Mr. Mike: Why won’t you have to cheat when you would never listen in class? Now my eyes are on you. If I ever catch you again, your test will end
Henry: Yes sir (looks at James balefully before looking up at the ceiling as if answers to the test will appear written on it. When he sees Mr. Mike is looking away he brings out his phone to search for answers on the internet.)
Mr. Mike: (Walks to Henry in anger as his phone unfortunately rings). You again! Didn’t I warn you and others to switch off your phone? Now give that phone to me.
Henry: (Hands the phone over to the teacher with trembling hands) I wasn’t doing anything with the phone… I wasn’t trying to cheat with it…
Mr. Mike: (Pauses suspiciously) Who said you are trying to cheat?
(Checks the recent app on the phone) You have failed this test follow me.
Light fades off as the tests end and troubled Henry follows the teacher for punishment.
Act 2 Scenes 2
It is lunch at Henry’s school. Everyone is playing on the field. Henry and three other boys are seen at the corner discussing.
Henry: Oh were you there when Mr. Mike punished me
Olu and Uche: Yes.
Henry: That man is so strict that my parents are considering removing me from this school.
Olu and Uche: Ha!!
Henry: Yes they said that I need a school where the teachers are not so strict on students.
Olu: Ha! Henry… don’t go, please. Who will be buying us things?
Uche: Who is going to make us have fun?
Henry: Don’t worry I will still be here for some more while but just be praying that the teachers change and become nice to me.
(It is at that moment James came running by)
Henry: (Reaches out and trips James. James crashes to the floor)
James: Yeah! My knee!
Henry: (Bursts into laughter)
Olu and Uche: (laughs with Henry)
James: (still on the ground) Why did you trip me? Do you want me to break my leg?
Henry: I don’t care if you break your legs. Didn’t Mr. Mike say I would break my neck trying to spy on your work? Why did you cover your work?
James: Because I don’t want you to cheat.
Henry: Cheat? I only want you to open your book so I can spy the answer.
James: That’s cheating. If I open my books I would be cheating on an accomplice to your crime.
Henry: (Changes the topic) I don’t like you I can’t buy anything for you.
James: I don’t want anything also from you.
Henry: If you are my friend you can have so much fun.
James: Leave me alone, I don’t want anything from you. You can spend your money with your friends. (Henry, Olu, and Uche watch as James slowly back off limping)
(Light slowly fades out as the break ends)
This is the creative work, a play, that educates, teaches moral lessons, enlightens, entertains, and gives relaxation.
It is the work that changes the thinking of people. The play is spellbinding and engaging. It is structured in acts and scenes.
Act 2 Scene 3
Mrs Adebayo is sitting on an armchair, watching “African Magic” with her children who just entered. They look excited. They were still fully engrossed in the thrilling sight of the actor until the light went off.
Mrs Adebayo: Thank God the play is over at last. Now, you have time. How was school today?
Love: Fine… only that my teachers are too strict
Henry: Ha… I thought I was the only one. They don’t allow me to do what I like in school.
Mrs. Adebayo: What kind of teacher is that? Don’t they know that their major duty is to ensure student happiness? I am tired of that school; they are carrying their reputation too far.
Love: I was just painting my nails in the class and the teacher shouted at me for being disrespectful.
Mrs Adebayo: I think you need another school where they allow child freedom. I don’t think this is the best school for you to write your external exam. The teachers don’t like you and I wonder if they will help you cheat to pass.
(Love and Henry sigh to themselves)
Mrs Adebayo: When the time comes, I am going to give you more than enough money to buy exam papers, pay those who will help you write the exam, and even get good results.
Love: (Jumps up and hugs her mother) Oh mummy thank you so much. Now I know that you truly love me very well.
Henry: What about me
Mrs Adebayo: Don’t worry I will also help you when you reach SSS3 but for now you are still in SSS2
Henry: But I don’t like that school too. The teachers hate me so much. Today I was only counting the money you gave me and then Mr. Mike punished me. What is wrong with counting money?
Mrs Adebayo: Why should a teacher punish you for counting your own money? Maybe he is angry because you didn’t give him some of the money.
(They all burst into laughter)
Mrs Adebayo: (Laughing) Don’t be stingy Henry. Learn to give… you must be generous to your teacher.
Henry: Ah! Mummy, our teacher does not take nonsense. He would have dragged me to the principal office if I did.
Mrs Adebayo: All you have to do is endure for a while.
Henry: Yes mum
Mrs Adebayo: You should all be like your mother. Just today I supplied building materials for a secondary school extension.
You can be sure that through my company I supplied expired and substantial goods for the building project. I have been able to make three times the normal profit from that work by playing smart.
Love: (Hugs her mum) I salute you more. After all, you will help me to pass my WAEC exam.
Mrs Adebayo: (Spanks her butt gently) Lazy girl.
(Children in laughter as the light slowly fades out)
(The scene changes as Love is seen calling making some calls about the arrangement of a mercenary for the cheating of her exam.
It was there and then she was informed that the ‘miracle centre’ available to host her is in the next state Lagos and she has to travel.)
Act 3 Scenes 1
On the day before the exam, Love took off from her parent’s house to lodge in a hotel near the centre. The journey lasted for about three hours. She got tired and hungry and was forced to buy some junk to calm her down but was not enough.
(Walks into the five-star hotels which were recently built as a four-story building.)
Attendant: Hi, Miss Welcome to IBIS Hotel.
Love: Thanks
Attendant: How can I help you?
Love: I want to stay here for a night.
Attendant: The first floor, second and third has empty rooms. Which one would you love to stay in?
Love: The third will be okay for me.
Attendant: okay then take room 139.
Love: (Carries her bag and collects the key from the attendant) Thanks.
(Love sat inside the room on the bed but was not able to sleep because of hunger so she called the waiter using the bedside telephone to bring her spaghetti as she waited anxiously)
(Her phone went buzzing.)
Mrs. Adebayo: Hey baby girl. You didn’t bother calling.
Love: Sorry Mum.
Mrs. Adebayo: How was your trip?
Love: It was fine mum
Mrs. Adebayo: have you checked into any nearby hotel
Love: Yes. I am in IBIS hotel Lagos.
(There was a soft knock on the door.)
Love: (Excuses herself from the call) Yes
Waiter: Madam Can I come in
Love: Yes, you can
Waiter: This is your order.
Love: Okay please help me drop it on the table
Waiter: (Drops it and leaves the room) Bye
Love had just started eating the meal when there was an underneath cracking which caused loud noises as the building collapsed and went down violently.
The whole four-storey building under a minute turned into a heap of sand. With no survival as nobody risks their life as saviours.
Act 3 Scene 4
The home of the Kokos. The family is seated watching news at night James and Esther are on a sofa together, as they discuss with their father.
Esther: Daddy, you don’t allow us to waste time watching movies or music channels but you don’t stop us from watching the news.
Mr. Koko: (Smiles) That is because you have a lot to learn when you watch the news channel. How is your preparation for your WAEC?
Esther: oh, fine Daddy, I know I will have excellent results.
Mr. Koko: (Covers his mouth in shock at the picture that appears on the screen) Hah! Yeeh! Poor girl!
Esther: (Jumps up in shock) I know this girl. She left my school for a miracle centre.
Mr. Koko: (Signals to Esther to keep quiet) Let’s hear what happened.
Newscaster: The dead girl and others were reported to be victims of a building collapse in Lagos of a hotel. No information has been gotten yet from the families of the girl…
(The family of Anishe is also watching the TV)
Mrs Adebayo: (Weeping) This is my daughter
Henry: (Weeping) Is that not Esther?
Mrs. Adebayo: Ah! Ah! Ah!
Henry: (Weeping profusely)
Mrs Adebayo: I killed my daughter because of my dubious attitude.
Henry: (Still crying.)
{Light fades out finally as this will be the last time the Adebayo family will sit down and be watching television because from the investigation Mrs. Adebayo was later arrested as the supplier of the fake product.
If you were Henry what would you do? At age 13 in SS2 with no father, mother, or sister and seized parental property
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Editors
