Political Satire: The Old Man of the Mountain (15)

by **reedak** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 2:37 am

Narrator: After a while, the priest arrived at a tribal village near a beach. He found a large crowd hurling mirrors against a huge rock. The priest asked one of the onlookers about the commotion.

Priest: Hey, what's going on here?

Onlooker: Today is the first day of the "Smashing Mirrors Campaign" in this village.

Priest: Please tell me more about it.

Onlooker: About two months ago, my tribal chief's granddaughter heard a very sharp explosive sound during her bathroom singing. Looking up at the mirror, she found that it was cracked. After that, other female members of the family claimed that they saw a pair of lecherous eyes popping out of every mirror whenever they changed their clothes.

My tribal chief went to seek the advice of a warlock and was told that his mirrors were haunted by evil spirits. According to the warlock, the evil spirits send whatever information they see to the chief of another tribe in an island some kilometres away. Using some magic chants, that tribal chief could see whatever he wishes to see in his magic mirror. Not long afterwards, many other members of my tribe also claimed seeing a pair of lecherous eyes gazing from their mirrors. My tribal chief declared that the haunted mirrors were a security threat and ordered them to be destroyed.

Priest: To have full control over the evil spirits, that lecherous tribal chief must have made all those haunted mirrors himself.

Onlooker: No, those mirrors are produced in a small factory in that tribal village. The factory owner has no relationship with that tribal chief. As to how that tribal chief haunts all the mirrors with evil spirits, it’s anyone’s guess.

Priest: Is there any response from that tribal chief to the warlock's allegation?

Onlooker: Of course, that vile lecher keeps denying the spying allegation.

Priest: Why the need to smash the mirrors against the rock? Can’t your tribe destroy the mirrors in other ways?

Onlooker: A few days ago, my tribal chief ordered the warlock to perform a satanic ritual at the rock. According to the warlock, once a haunted mirror is shattered into pieces against the rock, the evil spirit will be sucked into the rock and forever imprisoned inside it.

Priest: Where will your people buy their “clean” mirrors after getting rid of the haunted ones?

Onlooker: There is a mirror factory in this region but its products are much more expensive. Now my people have no choice but to buy the local products.

Priest: After destroying all the haunted mirrors, the "trade war" should be over now.

Onlooker: Not yet. I heard that my tribal chief is going to ban the export of sand to that factory of haunted mirrors.

Priest: Is there a shortage of sand in your tribal region?

Onlooker: No, there is a huge desert nearby. Unfortunately for that factory of haunted mirrors, it has to import 70 per cent of sand for the production of glass. Banning the export of sand would effectively strangle that company or kill its business in the whole region.

Priest: A very nasty move indeed. If I am not wrong, your tribal region will emerge as the winner in the "trade war" after banning the export of sand.

Onlooker: Not at all. Protectionism is a double-edged sword. Firstly, my tribe will pay more for the “clean” mirrors, and secondly, many workers in the local sand-exporting industry will be laid off.

Priest: Have you destroyed your haunted mirrors?

Onlooker: Why should I? I am over 70 years old. There is nothing interesting for the evil spirits to see in my bathroom or bedroom. Furthermore, I am going to keep all my haunted mirrors. Who knows? My great-grandchildren may one day find that they have inherited a substantial fortune if my haunted mirrors are the only remaining in this region.

Narrator: Long after the priest left the tribal village, he could still hear the shattering of glass in the distance as more and more tribal people smashed their supposedly haunted mirrors against the rock.