A very short, "what-if" kind of story I came up with one day... please let me know what you think via replies or U2U.


For months now, the War had raged on overseas. Every day, the smiling, comfortable newscaster would appear on the television and tell the smiling, comfortable American public about the military’s most recent victory, and everybody that mattered was quite happy with this system. The War was just that: a thing for newscasters to talk about, and for journalists to write about. As long as it stayed far enough away so as not to infringe upon the comfort of the average American, it was more or less left to its own devices.

The man had been sitting in his chair all day now, quietly contemplating first a newspaper, then a thick novel, and now the various thoughts that meandered through his head. He was a peaceful man, and disliked the War entirely. This, for the most part, had been the subject of his recent ponderings. Being of a philosophic bent, he found it his duty to suffer the psychological brunt of the War while the average citizen blundered obliviously through life, insulated from dark thoughts such as these by a thick, consoling layer of ignorance. His knowledge of the state of the world did not bother him, though; he knew it was his destiny to rely on thought in a world of action, and he accepted this fate quietly.

However, in one sudden, unbidden burst, the tranquil air that filled the man’s home was disrupted. He leapt from his armchair triumphantly, quite to the chagrin of the gray tabby cat that had been snoozing lazily on his lap. Coursing with the thrill of epiphany, he shouted, to no one in particular, “I’ve got it! I’ve finally got it—the answer to all our problems! It’ll end the war! Why, it’ll end >all wars!”

Grinning tremendously and shaking with excitement, he snatched up the receiver of his underused telephone and began to dial furiously. His finger punched out the first number he thought of, that of the local newspaper’s publishing headquarters.

A female voice, sounding irate and somewhat fatigued, answered. “City tribune. Can I help you?”
Excited to the point of panic, he replied quickly, “Yes, get me the editor! I have an idea—a marvelous idea! Finally, a solution to every problem! Perfect! Haha!”
The woman on the other end of the line sighed crossly, and the man heard the click of a changing connection. Another person answered in a thoroughly businesslike tone. “Yes, this is the editor. Can I help you?”

The man with the idea nearly choked from sheer exhilaration. “Yes, of course you can! I finally have the answer- the last answer we’ll ever need- it’s perfect- it’ll end the war, and all we have to do is—”

And then the Bomb fell and silenced him forever.


[Edited on 22-2-2004 by Xenographer]

Xenographer...
Nice, very nice.
Well written and quite deep in and for thought.
Beautiful.

Actually raised the hair on the back of my neck momentarily when I read the end.....great work.



regards
seekerof

So, is that thing at the end like, the punchline?

call it poetic justice, but I liked the way you ended it. very nice.

So, is that thing at the end like, the punchline?

If you mean the edit, no, that was me finding out that tabs don't transfer well to HTML

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm glad you took the time out of your day to read it, and I'm >very glad you liked it.

Thanks again

Hi Xenographer!!

I liked the story very much!!

I couldn't help drawing parallels with Douglas Adam's "Hitch Hikers" story, where the Vogon Constructor fleet destroy the Earht, *just* as a woman has a similar insight into creating world peace etc - the result of the carefully conducted super computer program (the Earth itself!) that the mice had devised to find the Ultimate Question...

That is not a criticism, just the way your story brought back that (probably incomplete) memory to me...

Keep up the good work Xenographer - look forward to reading more!!

Indeed. Welcome. Your story was excellent. Have anything else to share with the class?

Really, good work. Keep it up.

DE

Originally posted by Xenographer

So, is that thing at the end like, the punchline?

If you mean the edit, no, that was me finding out that tabs don't transfer well to HTML

No, the last line just had a feel of a punchline. The irony is so thick that it might as well be. Sure drives the point home! As I read it again, that discriptive narration stands out even more. It's refreshing to see eloquent prose on this site. Keep up the good work - I'll try harder!

DeltaChaos

I'm really glad you guys enjoyed it... if I can find anything more in my brain, I'll paste it here.

And Genya, the comparison to Douglas Adams is perhaps the greatest compliment I've ever recieved... the Hitchhiker Trilogy defined most of my youth

Thanks a ton for the comments, guys.

Great story! Thumbs up! Easy to draw parrallels to our situation now, and what it can lead to. However, we do have all those war protestors and people who are still able to speak up.. until freedom of speech is eliminated in the name of security that is.

I recommend "Suicide is Painless" from
the original MASH.

I play it whenever I read Genya's work.
No offense Genya, it just helps.

The direct opposite of your story is by an author I no
longer recall.

The last man on earth sat alone in a room.......
There was a knock on the door.......

/\/ight\/\/ing