SCENE FIVE
John is revealed on his bed by the ray of his lamp. His huge shadow imitates his actions. The shadow brings out a newspaper from the shadow of a briefcase)
JOHN: (Soliloquizing) I am tired of the situation of this country: bad electrical power condition, unethical political atmosphere, cultural differences and so on. Peace is what we need. What we need is peace. Peace! Peace! And to achieve this, we cannot but be self-sacrificial and honest. (He starts reading the headlines) PHCN STAFF TO CALL OFF STRIKE SOON. (He stops reading) They should have continued putting themselves in darkness. (He continues reading) “WONDERFUL! HARRISON RELEASED. Read news on page twenty.” (He stops reading and jumps off his bed) Yes, justice! Justice is approaching, this is justice at its start.
This is the limelight of justice (He jumps back on his bed; his elbow lands on the newspaper) oh, I tore this paper with my eIbow. What an excitement! ( he reads)
“WONDERFUL! HARRISON RELEASED
It is a wonder to every Nigerian today as Harrison, the trending criminal is singlehandedly released by the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS). He said that he deliberately did this to convince people of Harrison’s sincerity in turning himself in and to test his integrity.
However, some influential people in the country have interpreted his action as the most foolish one. He responded that Harrison is a northern side of a magnet. He had the southern side with him. This implied that Harrison would always be at his beck and call. We hope to know what this will turn out to be, because some people threw word stones at the Director-General that they suspected him of being Harrison’s accomplice.” (He folds the newspaper and puts it in his briefcase). This is my opportunity to help. Harrison’s life is full of questions) I think I need contribute my quota to answering the questions. (He rises from his bed and strides towards his wardrobe; he brings out a black leather jacket and a pair of trousers, wears them and strides outwards. He slams the door after him).