“The President’s Announcement”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Can you please stand here?”

“Can you please stand here?”

I sigh as I’m jostled slightly to the side. On the upside, the officials are being polite today. On the downside, it’s so freaking hot outside that I’m not in a very good mood.

“Hey, watch it!”

A man glares at me and I move away from him, but not before giving him a dirty look. I mean, come on, I barely touched him! I guess the heat is getting to all of us.

I try to stand still in the place where I had been told to stand, but it’s getting increasingly difficult. There’s just so many people here!

I wish they would tell us why we’re here. Being ordered to go to The Center by the president himself seems ominous enough, but now the officials are refusing to tell us why we’re here.

Eventually, the crowd thins as people move to their assigned spots. I’m in the very back row, three away from the leftmost side.

The usual trumpet fanfare signals the arrival of the president. I look up to see him stepping out onto a nearby balcony, waving cheerfully at all of us.

How I wish I could be up there, with air conditioning like him. I guess being president does have its perks after all.

Honestly, in this heat, I just might consider trading in my freedom to become president. Yeah, that’s how desperate I am.

The president steps forward, his guards watching him closely.

“Dear citizens,” he says, his voice trembling. “I have asked you here today because I have decided to step down from my position.”

Immediately, he has my attention. Judging by the whispering around me, it’s not just my attention either.

“Those of you gathered here today have been chosen as my possible replacement,” he continues. The tremor in his voice grows. “You all know the benefits of becoming president. You also know the risks.” He pauses and swallows hard. “Do what must be done to gain my position. The choice is yours.”

My heart might just explode from how fast it’s going right now. Everyone around me is already preparing.

The man that I bumped into earlier is eyeing me. He sneers at me and gives me a small, but threatening, wave.

The whistle blows.

And chaos begins.

Final Comments: I have no idea what this one was about… My thoughts were all over the place while I was writing and I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted to write about.

Overall Rating: 😥