~♣~

3:45pm

 Tochukwu was quickly putting finishing touches. The final one was the blue spray he was currently applying. All was set. Clyde looked good with its bulgy computerized eyes, no nose, a thin lip, two long hands, a micro chip inside its frontal area that shone crystal blue, long legs and then a fully equipped brain to analyze, project and speak.

Tochukwu hurried on to take a bath and was out in no time. Standing in front of a broken mirror, he gently combed his dark overgrown hair and pressed it in so that it could be even. Looking at his reflection, he knew that the bags under his eyes were worth it. Fair complexioned and extremely handsome, he had been the admiration of so many ladies until he escaped for a better life — as he would say.

Wearing a tuxedo and shiny black shoes, he stepped out with his partner in a box, which he rolled along as he walked to the place he had predetermined for action.

~♣~

5pm

The road was extremely packed full with pedestrians and cars all heading home from work. It was the rush hour. Everyone was in a hurry to get home. Cars were honking and drivers hauled out insults to each other. Tochukwu smiled, it brought back memories.

He got a secluded spot, opened the box and coupled Clyde. It hummed and buzzed before coming alive again.

"Wow! What a scenery." It said, pointing at the busy road.

“Walk with me, let's go show them how things should be done. Remember, just smile, be good and stay close to me. We'll meet each pedestrian, one at a time and show him or her the amazing skills you've got.”

“Got it, Brains. It has been stored and recorded.”

They walked back into the busy streets, and immediately, people began to stare.  They kept staring at a young man standing beside a robot almost twice his height.

"You see Clyde, they love you already." Tochukwu smiled proudly.

At this point, everyone expressed shock even as more people became aware.

"Monster!!!!!" A woman yelled with all her strength.

In an instance, everyone snapped out of shock and a commotion broke out — people were running wild with panic. Clyde watched on in amazement while Tochukwu was suddenly taken aback.

"Chineke mo!" A woman cried out.

"Anwuola m!" Yet another screamed!

"No! It's not a monster. It's just a harmless robot." Tochukwu tried talking but his voice was drowned by the uproar. He raised his hands, exasperated.

“What's happening?”

“Just keep calm. The humans are finding it hard to comprehend you.”

Suddenly, a bullet bounced off Clyde's front frame. Clyde turned and saw some men dressed in black, wearing black caps.

"Oh no, it's the Police!" Tochukwu exclaimed.

“We need to get out of here ASAP. Clyde, let's go.”

But Clyde was not listening. He saw that Clyde had faced the frightened Police men and noticed that the blue crystal now shone red.

"Oh no, no, no, no! This can't be happening. I didn't program you for violence, Clyde!" His thoughts were in a mess.

“Clyde! Clyde!!! You can't turn bad on me now. Come back to your senses!”

"These men in black pose as a threat to us and I must eliminate them. All of them!" Clyde was pointing at everyone now.

People were still all over the place, running for safety. Children were crying out in fear, few teenagers were with their phones, video covering the scene and some persons were struggling to come off the ground before they would be trampled upon.

To be continued…

Written by Asher Esther Orohuchari 

Edited by Priscilla Asher Obande