Hope episode 15 – 16

Hope

Episode 15

TieBreak*

At the end of the first stage in the quiz competition, Daniel Chisom was disqualified. As for Adura and Ayo, they went into a tiebreak to know whom will progress to the second stage.
“In this tiebreaker round, the first to provide a wrong answer will be disqualified”, the quiz master explained before the start of the round.
At this very moment, every student believed that’s the end for Ayomide Cole except two. Bukky never doubted and Bayo’s faith began to build up

. At first, Bayo didn’t expect her to have up to 6 points in the first stage not to mention scoring above Daniel. It was then he totally believed in her and really hoped she wins.
Ayomide was now feeling less tensed as her classmates cheered her on. She believed in herself like never before.
“Contestant two, your question”, the quiz master interrupted her thoughts as he made to read her question. “Find two consecutive numbers such that five times the smaller number added to three times the greater number makes 59. You have 60 seconds to answer”.
After 40 seconds, Ayo was still solving and sweating profusely.
‘Come on! I know you can do it’, Bukky muttered.
“Do you still believe in her? Mrs. Folarin asked a worried Mr

. Dammy.
Mr. Dammy didn’t answer. He didn’t know if he still does. He knew she can do it, but she’s taking more time than required, hence, the doubt.
“10 seconds left”, the quiz master began the count down. “9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4…”
“7 and 8”, Ayo shouted just before the countdown elapsed.
“Correct”, the quiz master announced without wasting much time.
Ayo’s heart was pounding heavily after she answered the question. She wished in her mind that Adura answers wrongly to her question but her thoughts were wrong. Adura provided the correct answer almost immediately the question was read to her. They both continued providing correct answers to the questions asked for 4 consecutive time. It was Ayo’s turn now, the quiz master read out her question and…
“42”, Ayo answered after about 50 seconds. Time was always running out on her. It’s obvious she is not fast in solving and hence provide answers late.
“You are absolutely wrong”, the quiz master said after Ayo. “The correct answer is 15”. He proceeded to Adura, “Your question contestant 6, three-quarter of a number added to two and half of that number gives 13. What is the number?”
36 seconds later, Adura arrived at an answer she wasn’t sure of. She was nervous, her palm sweaty. “4, No! 8”, she faltered. “Please the question again sir”, she pleaded knowing fully well that the time would not be paused.
The quiz master repeated the question but by then she had just 3 seconds left to answer. Out of frustration, she chose 8 as her answer.
“Wrong, the correct answer is 4”.
Adura was furious. She became tensed. Ayo, on the other hand was glad, she comes herself lucky. Irrespective of how both contestants felt, the quiz master read out the question for the next contestant.
“Your question contestant two, if five times a number is subtracted from twice the square of the same number, the result is 63. What is the number?”
“7”, Ayo answered late again.
“Correct”, the quiz master approved. “Your question contestant six… “
Adura’s question was read out and the quiz master awaited her response but none was forthcoming even after 40 seconds. The wh0le hall was silent. Even the quiz master kept mute.

. They were all surprised and this made some of them to start loosing faith in her. Nervousness was written all over Adura’s face. Her hands were beginning to shake and she couldn’t solve properly. ‘I can’t loose to a JS 1 student’, she kept saying to herself.
“9… 8…” the quiz master began the countdown. Tears flowed freely on Adura’s cheek but that didn’t stop the countdown as she would have wished. “3… 2… 1 and time up”.
“Do you have an answer?” the quiz master demanded from Adura.
“No sir. I don’t”, she replied to the disappointment of her classmates and class teacher. They didn’t expect that a one-time runner-up would be beaten by a JS 1 student.
“Okay then Ayomide Cole you have qualified for stage 2. Congratulations”.
Ayomide was pleased with what she just heard. On the other hand, she felt sad for Adura as she left the stage in tears. “Thank you sir”, she said at last.

Episode 16

Prediction right or wrong?*

The next stage began on an interesting note. All four contestants left answered the first 5 questions correctly. None wanted to loose to other.
“What do you think about the competition now”, Mr. Dammy asked Mrs. Folarin who looked rather calm as she watched the contestants relentlessly provided correct answers.
“I think Ayo would be among the top three finalists”, she predicted. “Funmi won’t last any longer than already has

. She’s becoming nervous just like Adura”, she added, her eyes fixed on the quiz master as he made to decide on Funmi’s response to the question asked.
“Wrong answer”, he announced.
“Geez!” Funmi bit her lower l-ips in regret. Ayo and the other two contestants answered their question correctly. Funmi knew at that instant that she might not make it to the next stage. She however concluded in her mind that she wouldn’t loose any more point but she did.
The competition continued until the last question was asked for that stage and the quiz make revealed the points of each contestants afterwards.
“At the end of the second stage”, he began, reading from the piece of paper he again received from the judges of the competition. “Funmilayo Ogunbiyi 8 points, Ayomide Cole 9 points, Bidemi Gbadamosi 10 points and finally Emmanuel George 10 points”.
Ayo has yet again advanced to the next stage which is the final stage just as Mrs

. Folarin had predicted. Now, it’s survival of the fittest. All the students of JS 1 B were very happy for Ayo. They didn’t care much about being first or second anymore. As long as she is in the final stage, they were satisfied.
The principal wasn’t so surprised that Ayomide Cole would progress to the final stage but he believed she can’t beat his daughter, Bidemi and Emmanuel.
“Do you think Ayo can beat Bidemi and Emmanuel to first position?” the principal asked the vice principal who was sitting beside him just to hear her view.
“I don’t know what I think anymore with what has happened here today”, the VP responded. “I mean who would have believed that Ayo would beat Funmi to this stage?”
“I would”, the principal said.
“Anyway, I believe Bidemi to be a true daughter of her father and she will make you proud sir”. In truth, the VP wanted Emmanuel to win and even believed so but she didn’t want to get on the bad side of the principal. Hence, she kept her thought to herself.
“Shall we begin contestants?” the quiz master demanded from the remaining contestants on stage.
“Yes sir”, the three of them chorused.
“Remember, you have just 30 seconds to answer a given question. So you need to be fast”, he advised. “And also the first to provide wrong answer to a question will be disqualified immediately”
They all nodded their heads.
“Now your question, Contestant two. The sum… “
The final stage began. The three contestants provided correct answers to the questions asked for fifteen minutes straight. Between this minutes, Bidemi was anxious, Ayomide was full of zeal and Emmanuel calm as water.
“Ayo cannot win this, look at how calm he is”, Bayo said pointing to Emmanuel. “I believe in Ayo but first position is beyond her reach with Emmanuel and Bidemi as her competitor”.
“Can’t you see? Ayo is also calm”, Bukky countered. “If anyone is going to loose now. It’s Bidemi. She’s nervous. I can smell it”
“You can smell when someone is nervous?” Bayo asked surprised by Bukky’s statement.
“It’s just a figure of speech”.
“Hehe! So you know figure of speech”.
“Of course!”
“Well, let’s leave that aside”, Bayo changed the topic back to their main focus. “Bukky being nervous doesn’t mean her brain is affected. Her brain works like clock”, he argued. “She’s not Adura”.
“Okay, we shall see Bayo”, Bukky concluded. She couldn’t afford to miss any moment.
Mrs. Folarin and Mr. Dammy were also arguing on who will loose first.
“You and I both know Emmanuel can’t loose now”, Mrs. Folarin had said. “In the previous year’s quiz competition, Bidemi and Emmanuel had been the last two contestants but Emmanuel had won simply because she forgot to add square to her answer”.
“I know all about that”, Mr. Dammy agreed. “But this is different.

. You said it yourself that Ayo is good and I believe she will see this through”.
“I did say that but I didn’t say she will win”, she defended. “It’s either Ayomide or Emmanuel that will loose first. Either way, Bidemi will win”.
Mr. Dammy didn’t argue further. He knew Mrs. Folarin with her predictions. Once she predicted, it’s most likely to be so and given that she studied child psychology, she knows best.

Await the next episode titled. “Wrong answer”

Who gave a wrong answer? A. Emmanuel. B. Ayomide. C. Bidemi