The Charlatans # 30 - A series of 40 satirical short stories exposing the shenanigans of South Africa's business and political elite.

The Charlatans is Not The Bored Room's new book containing 40 satirical short stories exposing the immoral, unethical and other character failings of the business and political elite in South Africa. Over the coming months, I'll be posting brief whet-your-appetite summaries of the stories, now moving to the 30th story, titled The First Prey of Bulls Eye.

In The First Prey of Bulls Eye, we encounter a hunting trip undertaken by the Charlatan family.

"No, madam! Don't do that!" shouts Takalani Xithungu-Nkwe, a professional hunter employed by Bulls Eye, Charlatans, Inc.'s new hunting operation, based in a private reserve in white lion territory near Timbavati in Mpumalanga.

Plum Charlatan, the family conglomerate's Group Marketing and Communications Director, stops looking down the irresistible barrel of her big-game hunting rifle. She puts the butt to her shoulder instead and points the weapon at the head of her husband Shady, the company's Chairman, standing a few metres away.

"Ai, ai!" Takalani repeats his caution, wagging his finger, while Shady takes rapid cover behind Takalani.

Plum raises the barrel and fires an indiscriminate shot into the air.

The explosion reverberates across the surrounding bushveld, sending all potential prey scurrying in the direction of the Mozambique border, hundreds of kilometres away. All the human beings are similarly disturbed, especially Takalani and the other local hunters, who sprint to safety behind the thick, mint-coloured trunk of a massive fever tree. The other Charlatans - Shady and son Opus and daughters Consortia and Hysteria - follow their black brethren is rapid pursuit.

Nervous heads slowly peer from the side of the tree at different heights, all looking at Plum. She had dropped the rifle at her feet and was bent over, holding each of her plump hands over her stinging ears.

"Baas, everyone must follow the rules or someone is going to get killed," Takalani pleads with Shady.

Someone is indeed killed on the fateful hunting trip, bringing a story with a sting in its tail.

To find out how the story of The First Prey of Bulls Eye unfolds and concludes, and the many other ways that Charlatans, Inc. goes about its bad business, buy a signed copy by the author and illustrator of The Charlatans. The book is available for purchase @ R250 per copy including postage. Just pop us an email - [email protected] - and we'll do the necessary.

Not The Bored Room has developed a short in-company corporate communications product, The Charlatans Shockshop, aimed at reminding people throughout an organisation not to get up to unethical, immoral and criminal mischief-making, or suffer the consequences thereof. This is in the vein of Robert Fulgham's marvellous New York Times bestseller, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The Charlatans Shockshop is two hours in duration, uses entertaining and informative storytelling, with intense audience involvement. Participants, up to sixty in number, get an informative and entertaining attitude change experience, a personal, signed copy of The Charlatans, and a 'Don't be a Charlatan!' memento.

If you're a leader with good character and keen to keep or get your employees on a clean moral, ethical and character track, please email us at [email protected], and we'll send you more details about The Charlatans Shockshop.

Here below is the illustration of the story of The First Prey of Bulls Eye.