Synopsis
Kaana and Tukei live in similar rooms, no windows or doors. They are similar to the classic white asylum rooms, a few supplies, a chair and a bed. One side of Kaana’s room is a screen with a timer; the other is a screen that is perpetually on a video call with Tukei in another room. They can’t leave on their own accord.
They live like pets in a cage, or two pets in separate rooms to be exact. The difference with them is that they don’t know who their masters are, why they are there or even what day it is. All Kaana and Tukei know is that every three hours, Kaana must reset her countdown timer and also replenish Tukei’s three-hour supply of oxygen. Tukei’s job is just to remind Kaana to reset both her timer and his oxygen. Which would be easy if Kaana was not a psycho and is why Tukei has to keep buttering Kaana up to keep his oxygen flowing.
The latter becomes more difficult for Tukei to do as he finds it demeaning and dispiriting that he has to keep bootlicking Kaana for her to replenish his oxygen, but he can’t say anything about it because he runs the risk of causing his own suffocation. He needs Kaana to help him and he needs her alive.
Tukei hints about finding a way for both of them to escape. Kaana does not take it well and decides not to replenish Tukei’s oxygen. As he suffocates, Tukei confesses his love for Kaana. She buys it but still thinks it’s a performance. She saves him but Tukei has had enough.
Tukei lures Kaana in with a confession about his love for her being true. And just as she is left with fewer minutes on the clock; he tells her that she is the worst person, describing her somewhat accurately. She is so livid she forgets to reset until the last minute, but it’s too late.
They both pass out and when they awake, they find that their rooms have swapped. She begs for oxygen and asks forgiveness, and Tukei, not being a better person, asks her to strip instead, under threat of suffocation. She does so as she runs out of air and Tukei has a choice to make.
Director’s Bio
Mukama Kevin Rushokye is a writer of screenplays, short stories and Comedy.
He was a writer and director on the Comedy sitcom, ‘The Kojja’, winner of Best male actor in a comedy series at UFF 2022 awards. He wrote and directed a short film, ‘The pizza movie’ that was part of the final selection at the Ngalabi Short Film festival.
He has published short stories on online journals in areas of sci-fi and satire