Michael whispered
something into his folded palm and then made a throwing gesture at the
village. He was leaving the village
along with his family as the land had been acquired for development. In fact, an adventure park was going to be
constructed on the land.
The security guards at the
gate stopped him. A huge wall was
erected around the village with security guards at the gate after the land was
acquired under the Land Acquisition Order promulgated hurriedly as soon as the
new King was enthroned. One of the many
mottoes of the King was: ‘Decisions are in; delays are out.’ Michael being lazy, his family was one of the
last to be out of the village.
“Why did you curse?” asked
one of the guards.
Michael looked at him in
dismay. “I didn’t curse.”
“But you made the gesture
of a curse.”
“That’s not a curse. It’s exorcism.” Michael explained that devils had started
entering his soul from the time the guards and their bosses had taken over his
village. He wished to leave the devils
behind. “How can I carry your property
with me?” He looked at the guard waiting
for appreciation of his honesty.
In the meanwhile messages
had been conveyed through radio phones and one of the bosses arrived. The boss looked like any of the numerous
soldiers of the King who had already cleared 240 similar land acquisition
projects within three months of the Coronation.
When so-called experts
from organisations like Greenpeace warned that such projects would engender
drastic climate changes, the King delivered a characteristically powerful
speech. “Climate change?” asked the
King. “Is this terminology correct? The reality is that in our family some people
are old and they say the weather is colder.
Old age and climate are not the best of friends.”
Soon Greenpeace was barred
from receiving funds from abroad. Its
license was suspended until its memory would be replaced with something else in
the minds of people who cared about it. The King had already ordered out the Royal
Board for Wildlife. Decisions are
in. Delays are out. The Forest Conservation Act was
decimated. Development is more important
than forests, declared the King.
The boss refused to accept
Michael’s exorcism. “We’ve already got
evidence of your associations with witches,” said the boss. He flicked open a gadget and showed Michael
kissing Viola the witch. “We arrest you
for your unholy practices.”
When Michael was being
carried to the Royal Incarceration, yet another Order was being promulgated by
the King making astrology a mandatory subject in senior secondary school.
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