Strategic
Jenny and I stepped out of Giordano’s Pizza near Willis Tower, and the air shook. The top of the tower was a fireball. 9/11 flashbacks flooded me. We ran.
“Who would do this?”
Jenny had her phone open. “The news says it was Zimbabwe.”
“Zimbabwe? Why?” Where even was Zimbabwe?
“They hate our government. They want a new one.”
“By attacking Chicago? Why?”
“Do I look like President Mnangagwa?”
Smoke blanketed the area. I heard screams and sirens.
“So, we’re at war with Zimbabwe?”
Jenny stared at me. “War? No, we’re still at peace. This was just a strategic strike.”
I decided to write this because I hate war and I value people. War should never be easy or abstract since it’s neither easy nor abstract for the people who have the bombs dropping on them.
The Green-Walled Treehouse 
War seems the theme right now. I was here on 9/11 so flashbacks flooded me as well. The photo looks so much like downtown where the towers once stood.
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Yeah, that’s what made me think of that (plus the constant news, of course). Let’s pray for people here to be safe as well as everywhere else.
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It was well written and well received I’m sure.
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Hell! Is nowhere safe?
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Chicago? Safe? Not that I’ve heard.
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it doesn’t seem that way, although safety is relative, I suppose.
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That’s a lovely understated comment on current events
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Thanks, Neil. I do like understatement. 🙂
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Given the nature of political opinions these days, I’m surprise more of this isn’t happening.
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I’m glad there isn’t any like this happening here. I just don’t want it happening to Iranian citizens either.
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Exactly. Who does this man think he is? Not Mnangagwa- the orange guy.
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I do not know. A king, I guess?
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Excellent take, David. Being from NY, my first thoughts were of 9/11.
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New Yorkers have more of a first-hand experience with war than most American civilians. Let’s pray that never happens again here (or anywhere).
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Amen!
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The irony of that last line says it all.
Good job David.
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Thanks, Dawn. Yeah, war is a lot different when it’s happening to you.
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very realistic, David
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yes, unfortunately.
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David, THANK YOU for speaking truth to power.
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You’re welcome, Lisa. That’s one of the good things about fiction, right? A less painful way to see the other side of things. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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You are welcome, David, and yes!
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Nowhere to hide anywhere now, I guess…
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no, not really. Thank you for reading!
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That last line…right there. Ahhhhh…I will never understand war. We are on a floating rock in space. We are not getting out of this life alive. Why must we make this experience harder on one another than it needs to be?
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Yeah, exactly. When you think of all the money spent on protecting ourselves from each other that could be spent to create a veritable utopia. Sigh…
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Dear David,
Nothing would surprise me these days. 😦 Your story spotlights the absurdity of war. May those who need to wake up.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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If only they would. Thanks for reading, Rochelle. I’m quite late this week, but I always appreciate your comments.
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I wonder if women would wage war as promptly as men seem to engage. Not making any kind o point here, just wondering.
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Yeah, I don’t know. I think we should put women in charge of every country and just try it for a bit. 🙂 I like where Mexico is going with their president.
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I don’t think Zimbabwe would ever, but someone would. Good turn on current events. There is a monument at the FDR National Memorial in DC with the words “I Hate War” etched in stone. Seems we haven’t learned anything from our past and have become actually worse. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=197632
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Well, Zimbabwe definitely would never, but that’s why I chose it since it’s not one of the usual suspects. I wanted to highlight the incomprehension of it all, that someone on the other side of the world just decides you’re an enemy.
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