The Election

By Lewis Brett Smiler

Dylan could not believe he had such godlike powers. When it came to political elections, he could unilaterally decide who the winner would be. Any candidate that he met, even for a minute, was doomed. But if he avoided interaction with only one candidate, that person would be guaranteed a victory. It did not matter what the polls were saying or what scandals hit the news. If Dylan wanted a certain candidate to win, he could deliver that person a win. And unlike so many voters out there, he was always certain to choose his candidates well. Yet, much to his dismay, his incredible power was now wreaking havoc on his social life.

Tony was getting some of the old college gang together for lunch next week. He called Dylan to let him know.

“Looking forward to seeing everyone,” said Dylan. “So, we’ll be meeting at 12:30?”

“Yes. By the way, Jerry might be joining us.” Dylan almost dropped the phone in horror. His friend Jerry was running for mayor of North Appleton. Dylan must avoid any contact with him until after the election was over.

“I just remembered, I’m busy that day. I have to attend one of those stupid training sessions.” This was the second time Dylan had to avoid his friends on account of Jerry. It was so frustrating. Next month he and Jerry were supposed to be groomsmen at Kyle’s wedding. Dylan would have to find some convincing excuse to back out. He hated lying to Kyle, but he kept telling himself that he had no choice. If he wanted Jerry to win the mayoral race, he had to stay away from him. Even being in the same building was too risky.

***

A few nights passed. Dylan was driving to an open house at someone’s McMansion in North Appleton. The plan was to meet Len Cummings, Jerry’s main rival. Dylan had already met one other candidate, but Mr. Cummings was the most important. All those corrupt party bosses were behind him, and everyone expected him to easily coast to victory. Nobody believed the other candidates had a chance, but Dylan was coming to the rescue. It would take one small meeting to swing the race to Jerry.

When Dylan arrived at the open house, Mr. Cummings had already started his campaign speech. This jerk was sharing the most disturbing lies about Jerry, insisting that he was nothing more than a self-serving crook. Was Mr. Cummings confusing Jerry with himself? Jerry once lost a well-paying job after challenging his boss’s unscrupulous practices. Did Mr. Cummings know what ethics were?

After the speech ended, the candidate was meeting with potential voters. What did they see in him? Dylan could never understand why so many people were this gullible. He walked up to Mr. Cummings and shook his hand.

“I’ve been following your campaign for a long time,” said Dylan. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Whom do I have the pleasure of talking with?” responded Mr. Cummings.

“Just another voter.” Dylan nodded his head and walked away. He had done all that was necessary to prevent a Cummings win. No other actions were needed. Yet, until the election was over, he must continue to avoid seeing Jerry. Even setting foot within the town of North Appleton was risky.

Dylan was about to walk out the door when a voice called out to him.

“You look so familiar,” a man said. “I think we’ve met before.”

“I don’t think so,” responded Dylan. He studied the man’s face carefully. 

“We met at a concert,” the man continued. “It was at Eastfield Park.” Dylan remembered Eastfield Park. He and Jerry had enjoyed a concert there together. It was the last time Dylan saw him before he announced his mayoral campaign.

“No, we’ve never met.” Dylan nervously walked to his car, hoping that this stranger would not link him to Jerry. If any of his friends found out he was attending a Len Cummings event, it would be a disaster. How would he be able to explain it to them? How would he be able to explain shaking hands with Jerry’s biggest rival? Why was he visiting North Appleton if not to see Jerry? If Dylan were to tell his friends about his special power, they would think he was being ridiculous.

***

Dylan continued to exchange texts with his friends as if everything was normal. Nobody seemed aware of his trip to North Appleton, but Dylan continued to worry. Jerry’s mayoral campaign remained a major topic of discussion, and everyone was hoping he would win. None of the college gang lived in North Appleton, but some planned to visit the town for a weekend to help with Jerry’s campaign. Others were donating money. Dylan could not stop cringing. His friend Mike was struggling with student debt, and now he was wasting money on the campaign. Jerry was going to win with or without donations. Dylan had given Jerry everything he needed. But perhaps he should make a small donation to the campaign. If he made no effort to help at all, it might look suspicious.

Kyle’s wedding soon came, but Dylan was not in attendance. He had told Kyle in advance that he had some time-sensitive projects at work and could not get away. It was hardly the greatest excuse, and the disappointment in Kyle’s voice continued to haunt him. But until the election was over, Dylan could not go any place where Jerry was. If he were to meet every candidate on the ballot, his work would be nullified and Len Cummings would certainly win.

Dylan badly wished that he could turn his power on and off whenever he pleased, but he had yet to find a way. How or why he obtained the power was a mystery in itself. Did some higher force choose him or was it random? All that Dylan knew was that the power was with him since early childhood. His parents were politically active and had started taking him to events when he was eight. Every candidate they introduced him to lost the election, leaving them very frustrated. They had no idea that their own son was the culprit. Dylan himself was not fully convinced of his power until college. It took four years of meeting and avoiding student government candidates to realize his gift.

It was also in college where Dylan met Jerry, and they had many fun times together. Jerry was smart, had a strong work ethic, and always stood up for his beliefs. Dylan continued to think about the time Jerry lost a job. He could have stayed quiet and enjoyed the good pay, but Jerry put his principles first and stood up to his boss for swindling clients. Dylan would never have that type of courage. Just as Jerry would not go along with his boss’s shenanigans, he would also have no tolerance for those shady special interests. The town of North Appleton was going to be in excellent hands with their new mayor.

Dylan watched with excitement when they finally held their municipal election. He did not need anyone to tell him that Jerry had defeated Len Cummings, but he could not help feeling amused when Jerry later texted his friends about how shocked he was to win. Everyone agreed that Mr. Cummings was probably just as shocked. How did Mr. Cummings react when he heard the bad news? Dylan wished he could see the look on his face.

Now that the race was over, Dylan would be able to see Jerry again without bringing misfortune. He could not wait to attend the inauguration in another month. Jerry would be thanking the many people who made his win possible, unaware that it was all the work of a single mastermind. That was okay. Dylan was not looking for recognition. Just seeing Jerry’s smile again would be reward enough.

He was planning to call the mayor-elect in another week and hear about his vision for North Appleton. If he knew Jerry, his initiatives were going to be bold. Jerry was going to put this average town on all the magazine lists of best places to live. But in order to get things done, he would need to work with the town council. Were they going to be a help or hindrance? If they gave Jerry a hard time, it would be a temporary inconvenience. During the next council election, Dylan would be sure to meet all the candidates who might be uncooperative. He was going to be the angel of death for many political careers.

There would be many other elections throughout the state in November. Which candidates should Dylan assist and which ones should he stop? As he was googling the various races, his phone buzzed. His friend Tony was calling.

“Hello, Tony.”

“Hi, Dylan.”

“What’s up?”

“I just heard that you attended an event for Jerry’s rival awhile back. My coworker saw you there.” Dylan started to panic. There was a man at the Len Cummings event who seemed to know him. Was he Tony’s coworker? “He didn’t know your name,” Tony continued, “but I showed him a photo of Jerry’s friends, and he picked you out immediately.”

“Yes, I was there,” answered Dylan. “I was curious to see who Jerry was running against.”

“Really? You attended an event for Jerry’s biggest opponent, but you didn’t help with Jerry’s campaign.”

“I really wanted to, but . . . but things were busy at work.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that before. I invited you for lunch last month, and you said yes. But once I mentioned that Jerry might be there, you were suddenly busy at work. What’s going on, Dylan? Are you mad at Jerry?” Dylan was not sure how to respond, but he was definitely in trouble.

“No, not at all. We’re good friends, and I’m very happy he won.”

“Come on, Dylan. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Tony.”

“Did Jerry cheat you on concert tickets?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not the only one,” Tony said. “He did it to me twice. He told me that he bought the tickets at the box office, so I reimbursed him. But then I learned that he was getting them for free from his uncle. Jerry is a typical politician, always trying to enrich himself.” Dylan was not sure how to respond. This was not the conversation he was expecting, but he knew without a doubt that Tony was wrong. It sounded like he was repeating Len Cummings propaganda. Perhaps Tony was spending too much time around Cummings supporters.

***

For the next few days, Dylan could barely sleep. Tony kept insisting that Jerry was swindling his friends, but it was hard to believe. Dylan knew Jerry very well, and his integrity was hard to beat. He was going to call Jerry to find out what really happened with the concert tickets.

“Hey, Dylan, it’s been a while,” said Jerry. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. How does it feel to win your first election?”

“Wonderful! When the results came in, I was beyond shocked. Nobody expected me to win. I’m telling you, Dylan, this was a miracle.”

“Miracles happen sometimes,” responded Dylan, “but I knew you would win.”

“You’ve always believed in me,” said Jerry. “Listen, did Tony speak with you about concert tickets?”

“Yes.”

“It was all one big misunderstanding. When I invited Tony to those concerts, I didn’t know that my uncle would be getting free tickets. I meant to return Tony’s money, but things have been so hectic, I forgot.”

“Tony was really pissed,” said Dylan.

“Well, you know Tony. He’s been having a rough time lately. Do you remember that concert we attended at Eastfield Park?”

“Of course.”

“How much did you send me for your ticket?”

“Fifty dollars.”

“Dylan, I am so sorry. As soon as my uncle told me he had free tickets, I should have sent the money back to you right away. This was unacceptable. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” Jerry would soon move on to discussing the highs and lows of campaigning, but Dylan could not help feeling uneasy. His friend was clearly lying to him about the tickets.

#

Everyone at work could see that Dylan was on edge. Something was clearly bugging him, and even his supervisor was showing concern. The young man knew that he had to call Jerry again and tell him how he felt. This call was not going to be pleasant, but it had to be done.

“Dylan! Good to hear from you again. We need to get together soon, maybe for lunch. Did you get the money I sent you?”

“Jerry, I spoke with your old boss Mr. Yearwood.”

“Dylan, what the hell!”

“He said that you stole from him. You were creating fake invoices. He paid for services that didn’t exist, and you pocketed the money.”

“You actually believe that!”

“It’s like the concert tickets. You had us reimburse you when you were getting them for free.”

“You know that wasn’t intentional.”

“Mr. Yearwood could have turned you over to the police, Jerry. But he didn’t. He gave you a chance to return the money.”

“You’re really letting that crook con you.”

“No, I let you con me. We’ve all been sharing your lies about Mr. Yearwood, and he lost one client because of me.”

“Well-deserved, Dylan. If you calm down, I’ll explain what really happened.”

“I had always looked up to you, Jerry. You were a role model, but now . . . ” Dylan was breathing hard. Angry thoughts were racing through his head. Should he repeat them to Jerry? “Goodbye, Jerry. And I mean goodbye.” Dylan ended the conversation before he could say anything more. He stared at his phone for the next ten minutes, but Jerry made no effort to call him back. He obviously got the message. To think, Dylan had missed Kyle’s wedding and other social engagements just so Jerry could get elected. He could not believe that he had been such a fool.

It would be another few weeks until the mayoral inauguration. Was there a way to stop his former friend from holding office? No, the election was over. Dylan had missed his chance. If only he had opened his eyes to the real Jerry a little sooner. Even if it was only a day before the election, he could have seen Jerry and nullified everything. The anger continued to boil. Dylan never wanted to see Jerry’s face again, but he might have to. When Jerry was up for reelection in four years, Dylan would be sure to pay him a visit. It would take four long years before he could fix his mistake. But how much trouble could Jerry cause in the meantime? If he was capable of cheating his own friends, there was no telling how corrupt he might be as a mayor. Dylan had done a huge disservice to the people of North Appleton, and he must find some way to make amends. He had to keep an eye on Jerry and watch for signs of shady activity. But how would he go about it? How could he help a town that he had barely visited before?

Struggling to sleep that night, Dylan thought of the other politicians he granted victories. Many of them were now being praised for their positive achievements. He tried to remind himself that most of the time he had been a force for good. But not always. Dylan had made a serious blunder with Jerry, and he could easily do the same with someone else. How was he qualified to select the best candidates when he could not even pick the right friends? Difficult as it was, he needed to stand aside and let the electorate choose their leaders. It was not his place to make these unilateral decisions.

But what if Dylan decided to run for office himself? He could start small, running for a seat on the town council and later move up to something higher. Winning should be easy for him. All he had to do was meet his opponents at the debate and they would all be doomed to lose. Dylan began to wonder why he never thought of running as a candidate before. Why was he wasting his power on other candidates when he could use it for himself? There was so much good he could do as an elected official, and he knew how to handle fellow politicians who dared to interfere. He would need some petition signatures to get on the ballot, but that was a small inconvenience. Once the ballots were printed, Dylan would be unstoppable.

Lewis Brett Smiler lives in West Orange, NJ, and enjoys creative writing and historical research. His stories have been published in Scarlet Leaf Review, Scare Street, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Anotherealm, and have been aired on the Creepy podcast.