Overdue

Dave looked at the dead body and expected a measure of remorse that never materialized. He realized the man's death had been completely warranted.

Murder, in both the legal and moral sense, can at certain times be justified. Self-defense is the most obvious example, but there are also cases of extreme mental and emotional abuse which absolve a murderer of guilt. Warfare allows for the killing of enemy soldiers even when on the losing side.

In this case, the pile of overdue library books stacked high in the corner gave Dave all the reason he needed to kill Mr. O'Leary.

The Castle

The castle has stood at the top of the hill for one thousand generations. Legend says that it has never fallen to enemy attack. Certainly, it never will.

The walls, seven men tall at its lowest point, thicker than two elephants nose to tail, seem to grow out of the Earth itself. The towers loom above the ramparts, from which you can survey the entire valley. The moat stretches three horse lengths across. A stone facade forever impregnable.

The villagers to the south look up and whisper a prayer every morning. Please protect us from the ghosts of empires past.