Prisoner of the Molepeople

Chapter 56 - Aftermath

“Lenny, come quick,” I said. Sitting on the edge of Grandma’s couch, my eyes were glued to her television screen. I turned up the volume as the familiar molewoman in the gray skirt-suit said:

“And finally the story you’ve all been waiting for: the wedding that turned to revolution. Tonight, hundreds of guests were gathered to celebrate the union of King Duthbert and his controversial bride, Ann. Imagine their surprise when a violent group of anarchists broke through security and crashed the party. The insurgency was led by Ann’s notorious boyfriend, Lenny, who, for some reason, was dressed as Peter Pan.”

The report cut to an interview of an old molewoman whose face and glasses were splattered with cream. She said, “I was afraid for my life. I was afraid for Molemania.” She ran a finger along her cheek and licked the residue. “It was fun.”

The reporter continued. “The chaos wasn't limited to the palace. All of Molemania suffered the consequences of the literal rivalry over power between Duthbert and Grandma. Circuits were blown, buildings caught on fire, and had not an emergency effort succeeded in switching us back to the netherworldian grid, the entire underworld might have gone … under.

“But what ended the conflict? According to an overwhelming number of eye witnesses, it all came to a sudden end when a supernatural slipperiness prevented further violence. Some even attributed the phenomenon to the vengeance of the netherworldian God.”

“It was weird,” said another interviewee, a fat moleman with wide eyes. “I dropped my cake and …” He struggled for a moment. “... couldn’t pick it up again. It was as if I was being taught a valuable lesson … as if there was more to life than material pleasures.”

Back to the reporter. “But Doctor Schneebles, a renowned physicist from Molestadt University has another explanation.”

I recognized the grumpy-looking Doctor Schneebles from the power plant and press conference. In his German accent, he said, “What we’re seeing here is actually quite common. Aside from the obvious effects from an overwhelming amount of frosting and water, if you put enough people in a room, their clothes start to rub against each other, generating static electricity, which, with enough energy, turns into magnetic fields. And with the interaction of reversed polarities, we get the slippery effect. It happened to me the other day when I tried to wash the dishes but they kept slipping out of my hands. So my wife had to do them. The bottom line is, there’s no need to learn a valuable lesson from any of this.”

Back to the reporter. “Supernatural or not, the facts are, hundreds of Molemanians are filling the streets singing Kumbaya at this very moment. At least part of the reason is due to the impending impeachment of Duthbert, who, following the aftermath of the conflict, confessed to having been part of a conspiracy to keep Grandma in poor health. While he's currently in the hospital awaiting his trial, Molemania is filled with speculation. We’re live on the scene with Lonald.”

Lonald, a anchorman with a goofy grin, was outside the palace gates, where, as usual, hundreds of molepeople filled the streets. Countless cell phones were being waved back and forth. The dazzling crowd really was singing “Kumbaya.” “Thanks Belindabeth. I haven’t seen this much excitement since the inauguration of the TV Tapping Act. While many are celebrating Duthbert’s demise, others are concerned over the future of Molemania. Will Grandma reclaim her throne? Or will Ann be our new queen?” He pointed his microphone to one of the bystanders. “How would you feel about a change in government?”

The bystander was the fat guy in the white tank top. “These netherworldians had no right to interfere. The last thing we need is a crazy, old bag running our country again, let-alone a teenage girl.”