Today's #flashfiction Simon Writes

 “You are what you eat.”

Ronald McDonald* #quote

When I look into a mirror I always meet someone really relatable. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

Simon Writes

          King Simon of Simonland “served” the people with an egotistical yet distant iron fist. Few people saw his face except his court. He didn't approach the crowds in dramatic speeches. Paintings of the king were distributed throughout the land. This was because Simon didn't like speaking. He often mumbled and preferred to write out his orders. He wrote quickly and read quickly and every citizen possessed the right to write a letter to King Simon.

        Everyone knew the King's handwriting. He did not have anyone write orders on his behalf. No secretary signatures. Even for the small tax collection orders in the smallest of villages he wrote the order. Anything that represented him he wrote. Forging his signature meant instant execution.

        He read reports on what went on in his kingdom day in and day out. He enjoyed issuing orders big and small. His iron fist meant total control. He oppressed or let people live happily as if he wrote stories with his letters. People needed authorization from him for their marriages, and he denied them sometimes if he didn't like the pairing. He imagined the distant people all over his land. “Ah, the couple in that little mountain village in the South. That stable boy misses his taxes so much he's certainly no match for that wonderful girl who works so hard on those dresses”. Because he signed off on every permit and document he knew about the girl's dresses. Her father got permits to be a merchant, the daughter a young worker's and travelers permit to buy supplies. Simon made permits for everything. He wanted to control and learn more about his kingdom.

          On a beautifully sunny afternoon Simon received a letter from someone who called themselves simply “The New Order”.

         Simon raised his eyebrow, “What a strange letter.” The man hardly spoke and unraveled the letter.

            The letter's text was short and followed the usual format of any letter the king received. Despite being king of the land every letter started Dear Simon since that's how the letter's reached the king when his father locked him in the tower during his childhood.

            Dear Simon,

            We, The New Order are a movement against your tyrannical reign. Throughout our lives as subjects we've experienced your letters as dreaded news of whatever fate your whim has decided for us. That is why we find it fitting to give our news in the form of a letter. You are being overthrown. We are storming the castle today, more than half the army is on our side, you will die by nightfall no matter how far you run.

          King Simon didn't run. He simply did all knew how to do, he began writing his response.