A Journey to Save My Homeland

The Beginning

          I watched as everyone gathered in the center of town, eagerly awaiting the mayor's announcement.  The mayor, Mr. Kinkleton, a prideful and plump man, waddled towards the podium on the stage.  Today, as it was a somewhat "special" occasion, he was dressed in a sharp purple pantsuit, and I couldn't help but notice his resemblance to an eggplant.  Despite Mr. Kinkleton's attempt to appear dignified and composed, beads of sweat appeared on his balding head, and rolled down the back of his neck.

          Just being the plain old me I was, I observed every little detail of my hometown lost in my own thoughts, but it wasn't until I overheard two giggly girls near me whispering excitedly that I decided to pay attention.

          "It's starting!" one squealed to the other.

          Indeed, it had. Mr. Kinkleton cleared his throat, tapped the microphone three times, then smiled a broad grin upon the crowd. 

          "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of Noraida.  Today, I am delighted to present a new idea we have decided to pursue.  For a long-lasting period of many years, Noraida is lacking resources, its economy is weak, and we need an effective solution to improve our city.  As a result, we have come to a conclusion, at last.  It has been hard, but we believe the plan will work, to improve our beautiful home."

          The crowd fell still. The mayor had left everyone stunned with his announcement, and not long after the silence, everyone surrounding me murmured to each other. No one knew what to expect out of this.

          "What on earth is this man talking about?"

          "He is the mayor... don't you believe we should give him a chance?"

          "I don't know what to think!"

          "It can't be something too awful, can it?"

         I, myself, was feeling quite uneasy.  This wasn't the first time we'd been notified of Noraida's well-being.  I had known since I was a little girl that our small town wasn't exactly the most appealing town to live in, compared to the other magnificent cities that I often dreamt about visiting.  But Noraida was my home. I hadn't lived anywhere else in my entire life.

          What kind of idea was Mr. Kinkleton suggesting?  I definitely wasn't his biggest fan, but I knew he wasn't a bad man, and I had even agreed with some of his prior decisions to help Noraida.  It would be safe to say, my feelings towards the man were neutralized. 

          Mr. Kinkleton cleared his throat into the microphone again to get our attention.  Almost immediately, everyone quickly hushed up and turned their attention back to the mayor. 

          "It was very hard for us to come to this conclusion," Mr. Kinkleton addressed the crowd.  "So many ideas were proposed and we had a quite difficult time deciding."

          "But wait no more, fellow citizens of Noraida.  This idea will be the one to solve all our problems, if I dare say so, and I hope you'll all agree. As a result, to save our homeland, we will be... "

          "... removing the nearby forests and relocating animals and other wildlife to enhance our economy."

          My heart nearly stopped.