Village

As a daily routine, L strolled down the main street of the village early in the morning.

It was a warm Sunday morning. Most of the shops were not yet open, and the place was exceptionally quiet.

"How peaceful!" L said to himself approvingly.

And he was probably correct. Ten years ago, when he first became the mayor of this village, the place was rather a chaos. But, with all his work and a bit of luck, things were moving in the right direction.

Yes, it is true that there remains many problems. As the morning paper always say, the village is dominated by a few big families; they get the lion's share of the money, and L has very little say on their internal affair. Nonetheless, the village, as a whole, is making money and everyone is better off - more or less. If you make a comparison with other big cities, you will be surprised to learn how well-managed this village is.

***************
While L was immersed in his pleasant day-dream, he found himself standing outside the Town Hall.

To his surprise, he was not alone - there was a middle-age stranger staring intensely at the entrance.

"Omen!" The stranger murmured.

(To be continued.)