Cartoonist has nervous breakdown when asked to draw empty goalpost

A cartoonist in the Chapasthani capital of Chapa on Thursday suffered a nervous breakdown when she was asked to draw a satirical cartoon of an empty goalpost. 

This correspondent contacted the nervous cartoonist to check up on her. We are withholding her name to avoid any red cards, or red notices.

Still audibly shaken, she said, "Well, my editor called me and asked me to draw a cartoon of an empty goalpost, but perhaps knowing my history, he was not very forthcoming about what the message behind the cartoon was."

What was her history?

"Well, firstly, I am just not very fond of the prospect of being thrown in jail. As far as the history goes, well, there was some trouble a while back…" her voice trailed off, and she could speak no further.

We called up the satire editor, and he admitted that he asked the cartoonist to draw an empty goalpost, but had initially told her that it was for sports.

"But that roused her suspicion," said the satire editor, who we are also not naming for the same reason. "She kept asking me why I wanted an empty goalpost and not one with a goalkeeper in front, so that not just anyone could come and score.

"She said, 'In football, there is always a goalkeeper'," said the editor.

She kept haranguing him for the real reason, the editor said, and finally I gave in.

"I told her, 'Okay, okay! It's not about football, but khela hobe (there will be games), okay? Khela hobe, and we need this cartoon because this is the need of the hour. We need an empty goalpost!' And she started bawling."

"So, we don't have a cartoon of an empty goalpost, but we had to make do with a picture. It's not the same, but it's okay, there is no real competition from anyone else, is there," the editor said.

It's like playing football in front of an empty goalpost, he added, and laughed out loud.