Mr. Mayor

The town festival was upon them. City Hall was ground zero for a storm of activity. Everybody felt the strain of what was coming, from the lowest level clerk to the mayor, city council members, and local business owners.

Something about this year was different. Mayor Jones was pulling out all the stops. With the help of a small number of city council members, this was to be the biggest celebration in years. The mayor's office was risking a lot to make this one special. Mayor Jones was putting the city accounts into the red for this one.

Mayor Jones was on his third term in office. He knew this would be his final term if everything didn't go perfectly. Things had changed halfway through this term. Only he knew why.

A knock at the door alerted him he wasn't alone. When John looked up, it was Helena, his wife. She hadn't seen much of him during the past couple of weeks. Not that she was upset about his absence.

Helena was proud of John's accomplishments. She was proud to be the mayor's wife. They were a young, successful couple. Much of that was because of who John was and the man he'd become.

"Hard at it, as usual," she smiled at him before walking in.

John looked up at his lovely wife, a smile etching its way onto his face. She was beaming with pride. Little did she know, John was risking everything for a reason. He hadn't told her, but he knew his time in the office was short.

Helena walked around the desk, putting a hand on his shoulder. She told him he worked too hard. While he had his secrets, Helena knew something was off about John. He didn't stress about much, but lately, he was worried more than she knew.

"What is it?" she asked.

John made up an excuse. The celebration was beginning, and there were still logistics to work out to get them through the week. Tonight was a big night, the first night of the Solstice Celebration.

"We're still putting a couple of last minute touches on the final acts," he said to her.

It was a ruse. Everything was ready for the celebration. All John had to do was keep a watchful eye on things and reap the acclaim for such a big affair.

"Alright, but I think you work too hard. You've got people for this," she told her husband.

Helena kissed him on the cheek and told him she was taking Daniel, their son, to the carnival. She hoped they'd see him that night. Helena knew it wouldn't be until the fireworks show.

When she left, John opened his notes again, looking at some old writing. The writing was strange. It took John a year to understand and interpret the glyphs correctly. Now that he had the translation done, he knew this was his one shot.

John would be able to remain as the town's success story. His home, his family, and he would be alright. John had to work the ritual perfectly, and they would be fine. As he sat there, examining everything in his head, John knew some wouldn't understand. It was what needed to happen.

Steven Locke and Harry Winston arrived. He waived them into his office. Steven and Harry were his oldest friends. Both owned businesses in Lawrence and struggled to stay afloat as the economy and inflation made things volatile. It was how he recruited them to help with his plan.

"You're sure we can't talk you out of this?" asked Steven.

"You guys will benefit from this as much as I will," he answered.

"Look, John. I appreciate what you're doing. And I think you might be the person to pull it off. But at what price?"

"If you were in my shoes, what price would you pay to see Danielle grow up or be there for Maggie?"

"Dammit John, you know we'd watch after your boy and Helena. They'd be taken care of."

John knew it was the truth. They'd been to hell and back together. Either of them would make sure his family was alright. But it wasn't the same as him being there for his son.

"Besides," sighed Steven. "You never know what treatments might come out that will keep you alive."

John looked at them both, his steely eyes filled with resolve. Nothing they were saying was wrong. He couldn't leave it to chance. It wasn't his style.

"Are we doing this, or what?"

"Alright, you crazy bastard. Let's go," Steven Locke announced.

A while later, a black Suburban pulled into the Rosewood Cemetary. One of John's officers met them at the gate and let them through. John gave the officer explicit instructions. Nobody else could come through tonight, no matter who it was.

The suburban pulled through the gate and drove down a dusty path toward a hill. There was an old tree barely visible from the county road. They were only a few miles outside the city, but each knew the legend.

The men stood around in a semicircle, staring at the old headstone. It was the stone nobody dared touch. The engravings were weathered and barely legible after centuries. Nobody knew why the stone was there or who placed it, but the legend was well known.

"Do you think it's true?" asked Harry.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Steven answered.

"It's true," sighed John.

In 1724, before it was a state, the hill was the scene of a tragedy. The headstone they looked down at was over the grave of a woman and an unnamed child. Her only crime was she had abilities that weren't natural.

According to legend, every twenty-five years, there was one visitor. A female would come to pay her respects, always carrying a book, and sit and read at the time of the sun's final light. That woman died but lived much longer than was explainable.

"Alright," sighed John. "I guess the rest is up to me."

Steven and Harry went back to the Suburban and drove away. John never told them the rest of the legend, the parts he discovered on the old reservation. Now that they were gone, he was glad he'd kept that part a secret.

John learned that the ritual the woman performed brought something unholy. It would bring about the father of the unnamed child, a dark entity with the power that granted her nearly two centuries on Earth. If it could do that for her, then it could cure him of the cancer that was slowly hollowing him from the inside out. If it could do that, it could help him ensure his hometown stayed prosperous.

As the sun moved into position, John pulled a knife from his pocket. He sliced his hand open and began reading the glyphs.

Steven and Harry were surprised to see John walking toward the gate. They both felt a sense of relief. As John got to the Suburban, he hugged them both.

"Did it work?"

"I think so," John told them. "Now, let's get back to town. We don't want to miss the fireworks."

"How do you feel?"

John looked at his two friends. They all looked back at the cemetery. Soon enough, he would tell them. Not yet though.

"I feel like it's a whole new world, and tonight starts a new beginning," he laughed.

John had gotten what he asked for, but was the world ready for what he was going to do next?