Audiences are
as fickle as spoilt children.
Beat them
down, break them, batter them, it makes no difference.
Criss-crossing
before the gathered I orate, gesturing broadly, pouring out my soul.
Doesn’t
matter though; try as I may, the audience’s eyes drift from me to the minutiae
of their surroundings.
Even with
their lives on the line, you can’t hold people’s attention for more than a few
minutes.
Forget them,
for they are not the true audience, I must focus where my attention is most
needed.
Gathering myself
I resume my oration into the glare of the cameras.
“How can
decent people stand by while a government unjustly imprisons its own citizens
for the crime of belief?”
“I can no
longer stand idle, and neither should you.”
“Just five
minutes left for the government to release my brothers, or I will execute all
the hostages you see behind me.”
Killing, how
did it ever come to this?
Love, love
for all mankind is what we preach, but they have forced me to this.
“Make up your
mind people; will you stand for a government that would allow innocents to die
in order to suppress what they consider dangerous thinking?”
Nervous looks
are coming from my brothers at arms.
Once we had
set upon this course, I don’t think anybody seriously thought it would come
this far.
Pragmatic
thinking would suggest any sane person would release a few dozen non-violent
prisoners rather than allow innocent citizens to suffer.
Quickly I
puff out my chest, and nod to each of them in turn to show my resolve has not
faltered.
“Reality will
soon set in across this country; your government does not care about you.”
“Some of you
are probably thinking, why should you care about a small group with some
strange ideas?”
“Time will
come when you will be next on their list, and who will step up when they come
for you?”
“Unless you
all rally together soon, it will be too late.”
Very slowly the
second hand crawls around the clock, but still the cell phone in my hand remains
silent.
With time
almost run down I turn my weapon on the crowd, but nobody is paying attention,
nobody sees me.
Xenophobic
morons the lot of them anyway, I don’t feel the least bit of sympathy.
“Your
government does this, not I.”
Zero hour and
I know what must be done.
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