Chasing clout with clowns
Returning to fame has been the biggest challenging task for Stanley, popularly known by his stage name Stanbaba who's into comic skits and he has a large number of followers both on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. He lost his flow when his newly married wife gave birth through cesarean section where he spent everything in his account to save his wife and the newly born baby.
Ever since the family saga which took him off for 1 year, he tried pushing back to fame with different clips but every single clip he dropped didn't get half of the views and engagement that he usually gets on one post when he was very active.
On a Saturday morning, time was 5:00 am when he woke up with a thought he had gotten from his dream as a way forward to his break out. He tapped his wife who was still snoring deeply. She flickered, muffled some words murmured that were only understandable by her.
"Honey, it's too early, allow me to sleep more please," she said and folded herself the more with the blanket as she laid sideways turning her face in the opposite direction.
"Please wake up. There's an idea I just got and I want to implement it today" He tapped her again, this time with more force.
"Idea? On the family or your skit revival means?" She responded with a faint voice.
"It's on the revival of my career and I...I...I... I don't know how it's going to end up because others have done it and not all of them came out well, but it's worth trying" He stammered and all his wife could say from the undercovered of blanket was, "Life is a risk, go ahead".
"Ummmmm... you're going to be deeply involved in this and it's all about chasing clout with clowns which you and other media persons are going to be the clowns"
His wife upon hearing that, uncovered herself from the blanket and with curiosity, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"It's very simple, you're going to put out a video of me lying in a coffin, with cotton wools on my nostrils, mouth and ears, acting dead and after my news goes viral by social media freaked people, I would come out and say it's a prank" He said sitting very close to his wife, with his hand wrapped around her to hold her in case she wants to vibrate on the idea that seemed devilish but he was shocked at how his wife didn't react negatively or harshly but instead, she appeared supportive with only one question, "are you sure it's going to work?", which melted his heart.
That was all he needed to implement the idea into work.
Around 8:00 am, they got prepared, the wife backed their 3-year-old baby girl on her back while they drove off to a coffin shop in a very far away land, a rural area where they were very sure that the people there were not prone to social media. The journey lasted for 2hrs and all through the journey, they didn't talk much, the music system was on average volume and a soft song filled the air.
Immediately they got to the entrance of the village, a roadside coffin shop with a small size hut-like house built with just zink and wood caught the wife's eyes.
"Honey, this one looks very local, let's use this one" The husband had drove past it already until the wife pointed at it.
He drove back and found his way into the man's shop.
The coffin seller came out with a smile on his face, it's not everyday he gets patronage in the morning. The man is elderly and his roughened clothes were like that of a farmer which ensured them that they're in the best place.
When they told the coffin seller that they were to rent a coffin for just 30 minutes and not buy it, he became surprised because he hadn't heard of that.
"Rent a coffin to do that? Who's going to use it and where are you taking it to? No, I only sell and I don't rent out" Although he wanted them to still patronize him, he couldn't stand the rent thing, so his voice of enquiries was mixed with high and low tone.
"You mean, you haven't rented coffin to movie producers before? We are to use it for a movie and we are not taking it somewhere, it's here we are going to use it" Stanley convinced him the more by bringing out some stash of cash from his pocket which acted as an enchantment to the coffin seller.
He agreed with a good pay. They took one of the coffins into the deepest closet in the wooden shop, Stanley put on white hand gloves on the two hands and white socks on the two legs, his wife fixed the iPhone on the tripod while the coffin seller was arranging the floors and background on the space to make it more real. The wife robbed an ointment that's capable of bringing out tears, on her eyelids.
Stanley lay inside while the coffin, the coffin seller went in to monitor the camera and the wife, started crying with tears soaked on her face, shaking the coffin and trying to drag the corpse inside, the coffin seller went in to console her, trying to drag her out of the coffin side while the wife intensified her cries, making it louder with her legs and hands flickering everywhere, meanwhile, their three years old baby was kept close to the coffin too with her cries adding more sorrowful emotion to the drama.
After they were done recording all that, they paid the coffin seller and drove off. The wife was driving while Stanley was glued to the phone while editing the video to be posted as soon as possible.
Still on the road, Stanley was done editing and he tapped his wife, "I'm done and I'm about to post".
"Sure, go ahead," The wife said nodding her head while focused on her stereo.
As soon as the wife agreed, Stanley uploaded the clip on the wife's page and shared it on his page and immediately, his phone began to buzz with calls. He knew that there was no way he's to pick up such calls so he ignored the call. The wife's phone was ringing as well and as she tried to get her phone, she lost control of the stereo and their car zoomed into the bush and hit a palm tree.
Three days later.
The husband woke up in coma to see himself lying in a hospital bed with his mom and siblings standing beside him.
"What ha...?" He was about to ask what happened to him but a deep sigh came out and his brain quickly recollected how everything played out before he was knocked out.
His mom and siblings upon seeing him conscious, rushed towards him with excitement.
"Mama, where are my wife and child, hope they're okay?" He asked faintly.
"Yes, they're. She only sustained a bruise on her forehead which earlier knocked her out but she's been conscious since yesterday. Your baby is fine too" The mother said amidst tears wanting to lambast him on what he put out on social media.
"Mama, I'm so sorry" Tears of regret and shame rolled out of his eyes.
At that moment, social media wasn't a thing of concern to him, he was grateful that the accident didn't take his life and that of his family.
My entry to "Clowns" prompt
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
I almost thought his name was Sabrina 😂
I knew messing with death was going to land them in trouble, but I did not see the part where they both survived coming.
There are so many things we should not joke with no matter how many likes and views we want to receive.
Oh God! Why didn't I think of using this name for his wife?😅
Actually, I wanted to make the ending a disastrous one where even the baby didn't survive but I decided to be human and follow Nollywood standard.😂
Thank you for stopping by, whale 🙌
I know where to catch you if you try it 😂
Problem o 😂
Lol😂
Me that's resuming level 1 tonight or tomorrow. I'm not sure of my availability during weekend, so I need to create chance sharp sharp
I hope you won't have chance so you go back to green and rest 😂
Lol😂.
That wish or prayer has been snubbed in heaven
Stanbaba is such a funny name first off😄.
Faking death for what ever reason shouldn't always be the first option for a person. Luckily, stanbaba learnt never to try it again.
And this is what people are still doing all in the name of hitting fame.
Don't know if you heard of the recent one in Nigeria music industry...Oladips. Even after the saga, his carrier died the more😅
Thank you for stopping by.
Been a while, I hope you've been good?... calling one of these days
I didn't hear the oladips gist😂 How is someone dying the more😂😂.
Sorry for the late response and I'll be looking forward to it.
He faked his death to release an album. He died and resurrected after a week. When the news came out, he was dragged and the album was quickly pushed into extinction 😂.
I've been choked up and lazy to move around. But I sensed you've not been active...till now I didn't go to your account to check but I feel it's true. Hope it's academic and not health issue that's keeping you away?
Woaaaah😂😂😂. I'm sure the album didn't even make sense like that😂.
And yes, you're right. It's for academic purposes 🤧, but I shall return soon.
That name, Stanbaba struck me. However, we mustn't use death as a tool to get away or get what we desire.
Recently, a familiar person was trying to evade arrest, he had to fake his death in collaboration with his biological brother.
Sometimes I wonder if these people are not scared of the real death himself because doing this is more like telling death to come.
God abeg.
Thank you for stopping by
It's a pathetic situation. I can't place why they don't just take responsibility than falling death.