Fundamentalists

I was in the kitchen, fixing my usual cup of coffee, and listening to the news, when it happened.  The announcer at the Capitol described the mayhem caused by the radical behavior, his words tumbling over each other in his rush to speak.  I leaned closer to the little television, curious, staring at the tiny screen as people ran past the cameras.  A crying woman fell, pulled from sight as the crowd rushed past.  I could hear screaming, and the riot police with their megaphones exhorting people to remain calm and exit the building quietly.  The interior of the Capitol, with all the chaos, seemed a bit murky to my tired eyes, and I briefly wondered if someone had released a smoke bomb.  However, I knew that the members of the People for Peace Terrorist Enclave would not have used such scare tactics  We had specifically discussed such things at our last meeting when we were planning today's event.

Carl came stumbling into the kitchen just as the announcer reported that arrests had been made as a result of the incident.  I said a quick prayer for those who were at the Capitol; I hoped that Senator Johnson had remembered to withdraw enough cash for bail.  I sipped at my coffee, enjoying the warmth just as much as the caffeine. Carl didn't react to what he was hearing at first, but slowly his attention was snared by the television.

"I guess the plan worked?" Carl rubbed his chin and poured himself some coffee. 

"At 8:30 am this morning, as the House met to fight to the death over a budget bill, a Democrat and a Republican shook hands, put down their knives,"  I told him, smiling. "Then they hugged each other."


This is my contribution to the Trifecta Writing Challenge, and the word of the day is RADICAL.