94 - Town hall.
joneworlds@mailbox.org

Pete and  I went  to another of  those "town-hall"
style meetings near here.  Amazon was hosting this
one,  and  they  always  bring good  food,  so  we
thought it would be worth our while.

They got  a stage  set up in  some empty  dirt lot
with a generator and a PA system and all that, and
a whole lot of folding  chairs for the audience. I
hear Amazon's got some new interest in taking over
in this  area.  Can't think of  why.  But anyways,
they're  here  to  talk  it over  with  us  little
people, and also the Braxon chieftains who are all
sitting around in the front and trying to shoot it
all down.  The federal  republic sent someone too,
but  he  keeps  getting   shouted  off  the  stage
whenever he tries  to talk so that's  sure a waste
of time.

Pete and I are loading up on sandwiches and coffee
which is all  top notch Amazon grub  as usual. And
Amazon's  own  rep  finally   takes  her  turn  to
talk. They've  found some english-speaking  elf to
speak  on   their  behalf,  and  that   gets  some
attention  for  sure.    Makes  sense  though,  as
there's  not so  many homo-saps  left around  here
anyways.

And she's  really well spoken, and  it sounds like
there's a  real plan for  this place. From  what I
can tell at least,  although I'm mainly there just
to  eat.  But  the  Braxons are  all heckling  her
pretty  hard, and  that's got  to be  frustrating.
Just mindless shouting,  questions with no answer,
catcalls, all of that stuff.

And  it's  so  bad,  that soon  the  rest  of  the
audience is getting restless and whatever, and you
can tell  she knows  she's losing them.   And just
then a  bunch of goblins  come out of  nowhere and
swarm the food  tables, and that's the  end of it.
Everyone's running around  freaking out, or trying
to save the food, the Braxons are laughing so hard
they're falling off their  chairs, and it's just a
mess.  And  the elf  is so fed  up by  this point,
that she  starts cussing  in her own  language and
then totally tosses the wireless mic for all she's
worth.  Really hurls it,  and it's so, so awesome!
But  then it  lands  on  the hood  of  one of  the
Braxon's trucks and dents it, and then they're all
on their  feet and there's no  more laughing after
that.  Pete and I decide to grab one more sandwich
and get the hell out of there.

My  last   look  back,  I  see   Amazon  officials
grappling with  Braxons, and  a goblin  inside the
giant  bowl of  potato salad  that shatters  as it
rolls off  the table.  Such  a shame how  this all
turned out. Because that  potato salad was really,
really good.