Day 643: 5 Minute Freewrite: Thursday - Prompt: suffocate

Sheriff Nottingham of Lofton County, VA and Captain Angler of Smallwood, one of the small towns in the county, went to church on Sunday together. The whole point was to thank God He had granted them enough good sense to stay and keep most of their men alive regarding the Gilligan House Burning (for the actual burning, see "Black, White and RED All Over," part eleven; to understand how and why that happened, part one is the place to start).

That is, the good sense to avoid listening to the person who was trying to talk them into that little act of domestic terrorism.

“Oh, I gave up listening to Braxton Beauregard Bragg's ideas decades ago, Sheriff,” said Captain Angler when the two men had gone out to eat after service. “You could suffocate in the sheer stupidity of the man, and you know, when your brain is sufficiently deprived of the oxygen of logic, stupidity can start sounding good.”

“Oh, I know, Captain,” said Sheriff Nottingham. “That's why I had to cut him off at the pass on that plan – you can't even start to listen to that stuff.”

“We haven't lived to get old leaving stupidity a toehold,” Captain Wagner said.

“I hope we make it long enough to die in our beds,” the sheriff said.

“I'm retiring at the end of this year,” Captain Angler said.

“I think I might have to join you, although I am still in the flush of my youth.”

Captain Angler laughed.

“All of two days younger than me – your youth has been flushed, all right!”

Sheriff Nottingham laughed, but then became serious.

“We can't retire right now, Angler. The county is now short a total of 122 law enforcement officers. This county will suffocate in lawlessness if we don't hold the line.”

Captain Angler considered that, and sighed.

“I have dreamed it many times,” he said, “that I shall die in uniform. At 68 I thought that was past, but, perhaps not. Ah, well. So be it. There are still worse ways to die... like in badly sown white sheets.”

Sheriff Nottingham chuckled darkly.

“None of that mess for us,” he said. “We've known Captain Hamilton since childhood. Tinyville is his jurisdiction. That was a done deal at the Gilligan House from the start.”

“Captain Bragg knew him too,” Captain Wagner said. “But, again you can suffocate in your own stupidity.”