For this one: You must prevent a tale-telling friend from turning your village hysterical.
JEST (any gender late thirties through late life)
[To focal point #1]
Nicolas, that is enough. ENOUGH! Would-
[To focal point #2]
Ha, ha, ha! Good Villagers, he talks in jest. After a long time away from our humble community, he comes back with a childhood joke. A joke between just us.
[To focal point #1]
Yes, between you. And. I.
[To focal point #2]
You see, in our youth, I believed... I believed he could FLY. Now he makes a jest of me, your leader.
[To focal point #1]
A jest not suited for a larger public.
[To focal point #2]
I told him he could fly.
He now tells you there's an ARMY that can fly.
I tell you we no longer have enemies. There is nobody evil out there, cursing our village. We now know the plague was caused by fleas.
But my friend now tells you there is an ARMY that can fly and that he can train us to combat them.
Ha!
[To focal point #1]
Such stuff would rekindle old hysteria. We now. Live. In. An. Age. Of. Reason.
[To focal point #2]
But perhaps he praises my leadership as he teases. Perhaps this army of winged warriors? Perhaps he refers to more fleas? Well, we are quite equipped to combat those, now, aren't we, my friends? So let us have a good laugh and continue celebrating the return of an old friend.
[To focal point #1]
An old. FRIEND.
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes. If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"