I Can’t Believe It’s Not Kingdom Come (13)
Chapter 13 of the crime comedy. When the world fails to end on schedule, the mob is in no mood to discuss End-Times theology...
You can listen to the author commentary for this chapter here. (Don’t worry, no spoilers!)
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT KINGDOM COME will be serialized every Thursday and Saturday on Substack. Links emailed out once a week in our weekly Monster Complex™ newsletter!
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT KINGDOM COME
It’s not the end of the world—which could be a problem…
- 13 -
Hank Barton threw water on his face and looked at himself in the men’s-room mirror. As a new candidate for City Council, Seventh District, he finally had his chance to make a difference. To change the world. To storm the gates of hell.
But right now, he just needed to get past this morning press conference. He pushed back the doubts. Grabbed onto what Sven Surtees—now his campaign adviser—said: “A man who can make a difference must make a difference.”
Hank had thought long and hard about this new chapter in his life. Had prayed long and hard. Had discussed it with his friends, his co-workers, members of his family. Dissected the idea of running for the open seat on the city council, poked and prodded at the idea from every angle. Weighed the pros. Weighed the cons.
In the end, he knew Sven was right. A man who can make a difference must make a difference.
Hank knew that he might make the run, might even get the seat on the council, and find that one lone voice could not make a difference. But to make the run and fail was far better than to not run and never know.
With a sigh and a prayer, he put on the suit coat, stretched his arms to make the sleeves fall in place, and headed for the exit. It was time for his press conference.
***
HENRY BARTON IS CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL, SEVENTH DISTRICT
September 20, 2007
Today, I am proud to announce my hope to earn the support of my fellow citizens of the Seventh District of Kansas City as their representative on the City Council. With the untimely demise of Councilman Lester Goode, the special election to fill the vacancy for the rest of his term forms an opportunity for the people to make their voices heard.
This is an incredible city. But our local government is broken; and for far too long we, the God-fearing local taxpayers, have been paying the price. Our freedoms are threatened by activists on the left and organized crime on the right. For far too long, we have been too polite, too lax, too willing to go with the flow. But the sleeping giant needs to awaken and deal with these problems.
I will do an honest job of representing our interests in Kansas City. I will be beholden to no one but the people who elect me. I would be thrilled and honored to represent the people of the great Kansas City neighborhoods of August Heights, Dusthoover, Dutch Park, Garrick, Joelton, King Hill, Mt. Lincoln, South Vincenzo, and St. Clair Square.
We have an opportunity to start over in Kansas City. Attention to safe neighborhoods and parks, adequate numbers of police, well-maintained streets, clean sidewalks with buildings unspoiled by graffiti, and a welcoming climate for new businesses that provide good-paying secure jobs will make us that kind of city. We can now all wake up to the new morning of Kansas City and get ready for a great day. All of Kansas City must stand together, or we will fall together.
I hope to be elected to the seat that was vacated by Council Member Lester Goode. The special election to fill the remaining two years of Mr. Goode’s term will most likely be held in October. No exact date has been set.
We have our work cut out for us—so let’s get started!
AUTHOR COMMENTARY:
And now Hank Barton officially throws his hat in the proverbial ring. Writing the novel, I did some amount of research into how a person does such a thing—in fact, the political announcement in this chapter is patterned after similar announcements from real-life campaigns. Despite my research, I did deliberately fudge some details, in order to avoid inadvertently besmirching any real council members serving in the greater Kansas City metro area.
There are 70 chapters for I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT KINGDOM COME. I’m posting one chapter every Thursday and Saturday on Substack. (I’m sending out the links once a week in the Monster Complex ™ newsletter.) ™
If you can’t wait to see how the story turns out, you can actually read the whole eBook (as TRIBULATION HOUSE: RELOADED) on Wattpad.
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