Welcome to the brownland's politics

Today we are in great danger my dear people of Brownland. The intruders are trying to loot our beige color. They are jealous that we are the most powerful and intellectual people of brownland. They are trying to manipulate people. They are trying to put their evil color in your eyes. They are making black glasses secretly. If today Unity Alliance loses their power, these intruders will change you to “ The Obsidian Shades”. You are the majority of people. You are the permanent resident of Brownland. The golden era of Brownland started because your ancestors developed this barren land into a superpower nation. Now we are the most powerful country in the world. And they want to snatch away our United glory!

So my dear people, what will we reply to them?

Our land, our water, our forests. If you try to snatch them away, we'll fortify our chests, and with determination, we'll stand our ground. And we'll only vote for the Unity Alliance.

We'll only vote for?

(The crowd roared) Unity Alliance…..

As I was walking towards my car, I heard someone say “Great speech Aria, I used to think that you were uneducated, but I was wrong. You have a degree in corruption.

you are the specialist of spreading corrupted lectures'”. I looked behind and smiled faintly. There stood Prachi, my cousin and the leader of the opposition. I put my hand on her shoulder. I can feel her wrath as well as her witticism. I told her very calmly that I also feel very bad for her Father. I said to her I know what is going on with you. She looked straight into my eyes, “ you should not. I know it's just a joke for you but mind your own business. And stay away from my family. Your time has come too.. ex-PM, your dictatorship will be over within 3 days…..”

There's a lot of stress on you to prove me worthless, but your father is ill. You should take care of him. I replied to her and I started to walk towards my car.

I got into the car. There were press and media. They may have taken some pictures. I was smiling, ideally thinking about the conspiracy theories of the next morning.

Prachi was the most favorite person in my entire family. I couldn't find out, but there was a fire in her eyes. I came into politics after 12th grade. We were a poor working-class family in Brownland. I used to work as a waitress in a restaurant. At that time, I had no idea. What is politics? What is political science?

What election results are?

Prachi was not just my sister; she was my best friend and my teacher. She knew my aspirations for becoming the change in Brownland. She is color blind; she can't see any color. As human beings, we are social animals, and we need to maintain some rules. That we maintain we know. but why, we don't know.

Prachi was different. We can see our world through our beige filter. But despite her color blindness, she could see the world's real color. I used to work hard to pay her school fees. She used to discuss what she learned in school. She taught me the world political map, why we need political parties, and many things about geopolitics. You'll be a great teacher one day, I used to tell her. My intuition was right. She became a teacher. She used to tell her students about integrity and the power of unity. “It doesn't matter what your apparent vision is making you see in that way, no matter what if it is beige or black or any shade of gray we are humans and we should fight together for our good.” She used to tell this to her students.

“What was she saying?” “Are you okay”

I was in the car. Thinking about Prachi mindlessly. I was startled out of my reverie by a sharp call and my slow but immediate response came out to be Yes, I'm okay. It was Aurora, the Home Minister, and my old friend. I carelessly asked Aurora what politics means. Aurora looked at me and slightly smiled, “ it's beyond understanding, it's vast. anything can happen here. But as I know you It's a river and without it, you're fish out of water.”

Politics is like a river and I'm a fish but what about the situation? I asked the driver to go towards Nilyan. Aurora said with her tired eyes closed,“ The opposition party will cause chaos with the Nilyan hospital case.” I let out a sigh and told her, yes, I know that, but if I do not go there, they are very pawky. They will make it a conspiracy theory that the Nilyan hospital case was my plan to kill thousands of black vision people.

I looked at Aurora, I could see the suspicion in her eyes. I stopped talking and asked, please tell me what is bothering you? She asked me, "Will you tell the truth?”

I said very calmly, yes.

“Who killed Mr. Sarath? If it was only cardiac arrest then why didn't the police get the evidence?”

I’ve said before that I don’t know about it. I am also trying to find the answer. I know we are going through a tough time, but believe me, it will be all right. She again said, “It is not the time for your motivational speech but I don’t know why I can not trust you anymore. You have become so desperate for the throne, the crown. I have never seen you like this Aria. The Aria I knew was not weak, she was powerful, and she didn't need to kill thousands of people. She didn’t need to murder her party members, MLAs, ministers…….”

I was annoyed by her questions, you are making me uncomfortable I said. I don’t know what is happening. I have no idea.

By that time we reached Nilyan. It was our ancestral house not like before though. Still, the dark corners which used to scare us are ferocious. There were so many people, some of them opposition leaders. Some of them wanted revenge. They were looking at the PM with black vision. Some of them were trying to say why we were born with black vision in this country. Why this discrimination? Some of them were the set of people who lost their wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and children. They can’t speak, they can’t see, they can’t walk, they are numb with pain. Looks like an invisible rope has tied them up. Those fiery eyes demand punishment. Their narrow fingers are pointed towards the murderer. They were trying to say —

‘You will tie my hands, tie my feet.

How will you tie my heart?

You will tie my eyes, tie my mouth.

How will you tie my soul?

You will tie my home, tie my path.

How will you tie my anger?’

Me and Aurora went towards my uncle's room. Prachi was in the room. She came out with some of her party workers. They were at the door. As Prachi stepped forward, her eyes bore the weight of anger. The room seemed to hold its breath in the silence before Storm. I exchanged a tensed glance with Aurora, both of us aware of this. The air crackled with unspoken accusations, and I knew this political quarrel would leave scars.

“Prachi”, I began, my voice steady despite the turmoil within me. I said I didn't expect you to turn against me like this. She scoffed, and she twisted her lips into a bitter smile “You've changed. You used to be the idealist– the one who believed in unity, and integrity. But now? You're willing to sacrifice anyone for power.” I clenched my fists, my nails were digging into my palms. “ It's not about power, it's about making a difference. Brownland needs change, and I am determined to bring it…”

Prachi’s color-blind eyes bore into mine. “Change? By killing thousands of black vision people? Don't pretend you're innocent. The Nilyan hospital case – it's all connected. You're a murderer.”

My heart raced but still, I was calm, “ In Nilyan there were beige vision people also. And my uncle was there. I came here to know how he is and to share the grief of the people, to offer sympathy not as a leader but as a part of one of them. I have to be here for everyone.”

She scoffed again. “Sympathy? You're playing politics with their pain. You're exploiting their suffering for your purpose.”

The crowd roared – “Go back dictator Aria, go back… fight Prachi we are with you. Go back dictator Aria”

The walls and the air also murmur the same words. There was a repulsive force that was telling me to go back, no one needs your useless sympathy.

If there were mirrors I could see the red river of my eyes that Prachi used to teach me on the maps. I never felt like this before. I couldn't see anything. The red stream of pain covered my beige vision. I could only hear the words coming from the crowd.

When I reached PM house I could only recall that Aurora and the security forces controlled the angry crowd and somehow we managed to get into the car. Suddenly an intense sound drew my attention towards it. It was a song. That was being sung in the courtyard for the outreach of our party. I was listening to that.

“ Who deceives the city and loots it?

Who deceives the city and loots it?

The sandalwood bed has been made,

But the bride remains unwed.

Who deceives the city and loots it?

Awaken, my friend, and adorn your request,

The groom is upset with me.

Who deceives the city and loots it?

Who deceives the city and loots it?”

I was trying to relax but my mind was a tumultuous sea, waves of the past crashing against the present. It reminded me again and again of the day I had to make the hard decision. The day I ordered the attack on the BMC building. It wasn't just Sarthak I had aimed to eliminate; it was the entire Black Vision faction that threatened the fragile peace of Brownland. Prachi loved Sarthak…… I don't know by which I'll compare but she loved him too much. That useless love turned Prachi into this. In the wake of Sarthak's death, Prachi transformed into a figure of solitude, her grief a silent companion that shadowed her every move. After 3 months she joined the opposition party. After that, this kind of Chaos started in Brownland’s politics. I used to think politics and war were different. But politics are war. I never thought that Prachi and I'd quarrel, but we're playing games like politics and war. And she knows very well that I'll not accept defeat. I'm anti-Blakiviyans but I know how to win. In the States where I need the vote from them, I promise them the reservation of 14 percent for them in government jobs. And in the States where Beigians are the majority, I ask for votes by making them proud. With the history about 600 years ago, they developed their ego. I believe There were no riots between Beigians and Blakiviyans without any involvement of leaders who wanted that for their own gain. I wanted Beigians to feel safe and vote for our right-wing party. At least ask for a favor by saying – do that favor because you're beige vision people, and you're beige vision people so you have to do that favor, it's not a new concept in this world. So many people have done it. And many people are doing this to get the power. But in the Nilyan hospital case, who did it? I don't have any intention at this moment at least when the election is there. There's something that is missing. I think I know where I should get the answer. I got up from the chair on which I was sitting in my office room. I started to walk towards the main road silently. It's odd for a PM to stroll around the city alone. But it is the only way to meet with her.

I reached Prachi's home by a public vehicle. There was a pin-drop silence. I was wearing flats, the echo of the sound making my heart pound, but I was expressionless. I went upstairs and towards the balcony.

“Prachi!” She was staring at the sky. She calmly said with ignorance in her voice, “What are you doing here?”

I came here for answers…..

“You will not get it, I think you know it better than me….”

She had to stop in the middle because of a phone call.

The phone dropped from my hand. Every mussel of mine stopped working. I fall on the floor. I was notified about Aurora’s death.

I don't have an idea of the time at which I stayed like this on the floor.

Prachi came and sat beside me on the floor, “It was not a heart attack…” she said directly looking into my eyes.

My lips were trying to resist my voice, which was very low and barely understandable. Why are you doing this?

She said,

“For revenge! Did you want to know the answers? The Nilyan hospital case, I've done it. I poisoned to death to those thousands of people. To put pressure on you to resign, to defame you. To make you look like a failure as a leader…..”

Don't tell me the truth. I can't hear that….

“You have to listen to it. You wanted to know that, now can you understand how it feels to lose them, The mastermind of the BMC building attack ?”

But why Aurora?

“I am cleaning the garbage from Brownland. You may blow dust on justice. Or rain down batons upon us. No more will we endure oppression.”

You have only seen shades of grey in your whole life. If you could see the Red. You'll hate it, you would wish to be pale. Can't you see on which crimson path you're walking? What difference stayed between you and me?

“There's a lot of difference. You did it for your ego. And an uncontrollable responsibility that came with your power. And I did it for my beloved.”

I let out a sigh, and said to her, great, when you are not having any guilt with your work. It indicates you've become a great politician. Welcome to Brownland's politics.