Good vs Evil---The Election

2025GdEvilElection
Good vs. Evil---The Election
From time to time Evil liked to leave his dank underground cave where he hatched his devious plots and visit his antagonist Good in his airy house atop a mountain. So it was on this morning Good and Evil were sitting out on the patio of Good’s house enjoying a cup of Good’s specially brewed coffee and the splendid view below.
Readers may recall that shortly before, Evil had formed a non-profit organization ostensibly to benefit mankind in his supposed attempt to reform and do good. However, when the non-profit rained down cash from its airplanes on world capitals the results had been riots, insurrections and chaos. Evil had professed he had not expected this outcome. Good was skeptical but being Good had to give Evil the benefit of the doubt.
Now Evil was saying that the result of his attempt to enrich them had proved that humankind was inheritantly greedy, selfish and bad and so why didn’t Good give up his losing fight to save it and leave them to Evil. “I know it seems that way to you,” said Good. “But I see glimmers of hope like people rescuing animals, donating to charities and helping their neighbors.”
“Bah,” rejoined Evil. “I propose a wager. It’s election time in the United States. Let’s take an election in a small Midwestern town, the kind that market researchers use to survey tastes and attitudes, and arrange to have two candidates---one will promise the voters free everything at no cost to themselves. It will be paid for by some billionaires or the federal government. The other candidate will offer them nothing but hard work and sacrifice to improve their community. You know which candidate I’m sure will win. If my candidate wins I’ll have a week to practice my evil without your interference. If the other candidate wins you’ll have a week to practice without my interference. What do you say?”
Good hesitated; anything proposed by Evil must have a catch in it. Finally he said. “I don’t know, a week of exposing humankind to unopposed evil, that might do incalculable harm to the world. I’ll tell you what, let’s make it one day.”
“It’s a wager,” said Evil.
With their supernatural powers Good and Evil found a Midwestern town that was having a mayoral election that suited their purpose. One candidate was a youngish man with the obligatory beard who’d led protests against the administration in college and who was now on the town council. He promised free haircuts, free baby-sitting, free hay for farmers, free groceries at a town-run general store, free health care from the town’s one doctor and free dental care from its one dentist and free movies from its one movie theater. The opposing candidate was a mother who’d become an activist when the town school wanted to introduce sex education to her kindergarten child. She promised a reorganization of the school, an attempt to fix some long- neglected roads and a modernization of the town’s small fire department. This might require some new taxes, she said, but nothing, contrary to what her opposing candidate said, came free.
Because of Good and Evil’s behind the scene work each candidate had plentiful funds and the town was flooded with ads and even television commercials for them. There was even a debate arranged for the local television station. Because each candidate represented one side of the issues dividing the country the election drew national attention and a record turnout was expected. It took much longer than usual to count the votes and exit interviews indicated that the outcome would be close. Good and Evil waited in Good’s home for the result to be announced.
This little story was written before the final election votes were in and so the result will have to be given in a sequel. In the meantime, any reader who is interested is invited to give a comment. Thank you.