Mavuku Tokona

Podcast

Book Project: Synopsis

In a city where criminals and civil servants are impossible to separate, where the thin righteous line of right and wrong converges daily by prominent public figures in society, the possibility of a righteous man has is now just a myth parents now tell their children to help them sleep better. The lie serves as a catalyst for hope that one day that knight in shiny armour would come and break the conformity of silence, greed and corruption that has contaminated the hearts of the current and potential role models in the social order of the city.

From law enforcements officers to judges and priests, the long-jagged hand of corruption has patted some of the most influential people of this city on their backs for their evil deeds. As for those who have struggled to keep a clear conscious by turning away from the malevolence of the cosmopolitan metropolis, they either had their careers hacked by upper management or ended up in the daily gazettes classified column obituaries section, as for the stringers of the Daily Times, they are some of the best in the business, but it’s a shame that they have been bullied into reporting within the parameters and interest of the incumbent mayor of the wretched city. The editorial team might as well print his daily itinerary while they’re at it, the journalists know all too well of the consequences of going against the mayor, so everyone toes the line.

If there was ever an arrogant, shortsighted, sarcastic, and brute of a knight who could easily, falsely identify as a beacon of hope, that would be Ben King. King is a wide-eyed reporter who is eager to make a name for himself at the Daily Times and the city. However, the cocky newshound hadn’t found a suitable profession since his first semi-professional engagement at an age earlier than most.

The ‘jack of all trades and master of none’ found his calling after an intoxicated excursion of several unknown alcoholic beverages that may have been the right dose to knock some senses into the man. A hang-over and three years later of additional studies, King landed himself on a poor excuse of an office chair and in the epicentre of the U-Va City’s Daily Times newsroom. Although in several attempts to place a foothold in the working environment, King is confounded with boredom after a few months on the job. At that point it seemed that nothing could quench his unrelenting thirst for excitement, well almost nothing.

This daredevil enjoyed a heart-thumping thrill every now and then, but his true passion of writing landed him at the papers. When his job became too systematic and repetitive, he found a way to squeeze some excitement out of it by confronting his story subjects in secret and unleashing his own form of justice upon them through extreme violence and then he would write about it. Each paragraph he meticulously wrote, he made sure to transition into actual events that were precisely calculated and at most times foiled by the mastermind himself. Nevertheless, as the dirge echoes of his hand chosen assignments, King discovers a side of him he never knew and battles to control the vigilante within. The search for truth and justice spearheads the reporter down a rabbit hole he curiously continues to venture through, at the same time unravelling more of himself he never knew existed, and discovering a secret society that recruits him to help mould their version of the perfect city. King then gains a surprising ally who keeps him from becoming like the monsters his hunting and in the process discovers the truth about the infamous clandestine society that’s controlled by a man known only by the initials O.S.

The villain behind the initials would go to any lengths necessary to rid the city of selected individuals, even if it meant eliminating anyone that got in-between his unblemished version of U-Va City ... if that ever exists. That leaves King with an even bigger threat, after his initial debut of his vigilante skills on his first assignment, it caught the attention of the society who then hires King and doesn’t take no for an answer. Just when King thinks that his life as a personal manservant for the secret society is the highlight of his life, he then encounters the last person he expected to meet who helps him out of his deadly conundrum.

Chapter 1: Memory Lane

The earliest childhood memory I have is from my fifth birthday party. This stroll down memory-lane was triggered when I saw a picture of a kid in an orange vest staring at a double layered chocolate cake that was smothered in dark icing with a candle mounted at the top. The child isn’t smiling, why is that? It’s his birthday, he’s the centre of attention but he just looks at the cake, almost like he’s sad. I can relate because that’s all I have in my memories, sad birthdays and now I’m wondering why as well? This maybe the worst time to daydream while I’m at work but I can’t help but let my imagination run wild since I have successfully convinced myself that I’m utterly bored out of my mind. Testament to that is my two cents of my workmates photograph of her kid. I have enough ink in the newspapers, coupled with online stories to yearn for something more challenging.

Excessive hours at work and zero training has my body looking like I shouldn’t take my shirt off, and the extra weight just adds to the list of problems that are currently blessing my life, from an increased chance of getting lung cancer with each cigarette to no exercise and another step in the right direction to a cardiovascular attack. If only money could buy time, maybe then I would be able to place a deposit with father time and do things differently, maybe drink more quality run whiskey instead of the cheap beers that I downed in my youth and now I has gastric more times than I shit in a week, but that’s not how it works, and I’ve made my bed. I smile at the thought though as I swirl my chair around and refocus my attention to a plant and ponder why do I live in a city that’s called U-Va? I never questioned why it was hyphenated but thanks to the gift of boredom I am now wondering about it.

Huh, this is my life.

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Bio

As a freelance reporter interested in political scandals, geopolitics and human interest stories, I’ve worked for the Fiji Times, Vanuatu Daily Post, ABC Pacific Beat and a short two week placement with ABC Brisbane under the PACMAS Programme.

I’ve always desired to work for international media because it is an opportunity to bridge social issues in the pacific to an international audience. I believe every pacific island reporter shares the same ambition and I wish all my fellow colleagues all the best in highlighting such matters in their own respectable island states.

One of my greatest achievements in the industry occurred in Vanuatu when a mother (9months pregnant) got into an accident and lost her life and her unborn child. The father was in the bus with them and survived the ordeal but was in so much emotional pain that he wasn’t able to say a single word when I visited him at the hospital. His brother-in-law spoke on his behalf and explained that they have not received any assistance from the government, their members of parliament or private support, not a single condolence message. It may seem strange to you reading this because you may ask why would the government, their member of parliament or even the police make a statement? It’s because Vanuatu is a small island state that has a population of just over 300,000, so pretty much a close knit community, sadly not close enough. More assistance and attention was focused on the tourist bus that collided with the local bus and after this story broke the MP of the husband and late wife’s constituency paid for her body to be repatriated to their island and the school fees of the rest of the kids, there were also fundraisers for the husband’s family to financially support them in their time of need. A day later the husband called me and personally thanked me for the article and what happened after, to which I replied, “just doing my job”, this article is available above.

Freelance tagline: Uncovering Truths, Discovering Humanity

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