FFM 2024 14: Solution

No prompts used. This is a continuation to FFM 2024 12: Dissolution.

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The goo eventually disappeared with the smoke-or-miasma and I was able to move on what was now a lush field. There was not even a hint of the factory I — and many others — had worked at left. It was like it had never even existed.

What have I done?

I went home, hid the gem in a box and prayed to all the benevolent deities I could think of. The next day, when I dared to venture outside and into the pub, I saw that people looked and sounded the same. No one was talking about what I had unleashed… as if no one had seen the smoke-or-miasma. They were talking about the reorganization of work “now that the field has been restored”. From what I gathered as I listened, apparently now everyone thought that the industrial complex has been demolished so the field could be restored in an effort to restore the ecosystem, which everyone who had worked at the factory had worked on. Apparently, those who had died in the explosion had died in an accident that had happened during the job — a gust of wind had knocked something heavy over and people had been crushed. No one’s fault.

And now that the job was done… all these people were looking for new employment in the area.

“Hey, Keith, what’re ya gonna do? Tryna get a managerial job at the factory in the city?” the barkeep asked.

The mere idea of it made me sick. I shrugged. “Haven’t thought about it yet. I prolly need some time to clear my head and rethink my life, what with what happened.”

“Ah, the idea of yer mortality sunk in, huh? Not that I blame ya; ya got real lucky, being at the spot ye were and not five meters to the left.”

I hummed. Apparently, dissolving my sins had… dissolved the reality of what happened and replaced it with something completely else. It was terrifying; unless the smoke-or-miasma had engulfed the entire country, someone was bound to notice the sudden change.

A few days went by as people just… moved on. I gathered the details about myself in this life the town had supposedly lived. Then came the investigators from the company our factory belonged to. I watched from my porch as they went door-to-door, growing puzzled as they got the same image of the events as I had. I dreaded their arrival to my door; I could no longer tell anyone what I had done. Only I and the fortune teller knew, and she kept giving me wicked smiles whenever I passed her by.

I played dumb and pretended to be under the same spell as everyone else, feeling bad for the investigators as they grew agitated and started to murmur amongst themselves about conspiracies and needing help.

This was all my fault and, now knowing the too-large-too-little scale of my actions, I realized that I would have to hide the gem or else I would be in even bigger trouble. It would not take long before the investigation would determine that magic was involved and that would lead to me sooner or later.

Maybe the fortune teller would take the gem back. I hoped she would. So, once the investigators were gone, I took the gem out of the box. I had to get rid of it.

…Or did I? If the gem could change an entire town like this, could it not keep the investigators off its tracks, mislead them to a wrong source? It could throw someone under the bus and have them take my place as the culprit, right?

What was I thinking? This was not right. None of this was right. I should turn myself in now and face the consequences. I should have done that in the first place!

No. It was too late. I could not turn myself in now. I had to do something else… something…

…I had to gain control of the town or else I would not be able to make sure that the spell did not become unraveled. The one with the most power — and the most eyes — in the town was the major. Therefore, I had to run for mayor.

Yes, that was the solution. Gaining control and shaping things to the right direction — one leading towards restoring the environment — would make sure I would stay safe.

No one would have to be thrown under the bus. I just had to make sure I would become untouchable.