Treachery

selling out all sides

“You court jester! How dare you turn coat and betray your own side, after so long?! Grrrrrrrrrrr!!! …gag…” He growled.

“Betray? A circle has no sides…” I responded for her, struck down as she was by the impact of result events.

“Circle?” She on the accusing side, eyes starting to bulge like bugs’, questioned, “Do you mean that, you see upon HER behalf,” almost spitting the last syllables, “that bitter opponents, such as us versus them, are all in a merry go round? A flat spectrum?!”

I didn't answer Catherine the accuser impatiently, as we who'd get insulted tended to reflex by instinct. Instead I pointed out to he who incriminated first, “It has been another successful seasonal run at survival game show, hasn't it? One side wins and brings the trophy home, then all sit down together for turkey 🦃 dinner, only to go for each others’ throats, next tournament? Squids!”

He glowered, lowered in volume and stature, ominously, “People live and die in these - ‘games’ , ” he over-signalled obviously, “by the generation.”

“Yet in this land, Catherine,” I turned on her, also closing in on she who was accused, “even the dead have freedom of expression to keep dissenting and disagreeing, don't they? Even Kat here, the currently fallen,” my left foot pointed slightly at the closer female, momentarily crumpled in guilt, “so blamed by both of you, would in no time be your poster girl, for some new glorious cause?”

A longer silence. Of course uneasy, resentful and dissatisfied as before.

“A family that quarrels together stays together, for the entertainment?” One more venturing query.

Chet finally let out a long sigh of withheld breath, “So, the next round?”