get @baffled

The nations of Nifway and Aggla had been at war for some time. It was in December of that fateful year that the Nifwanian army made its final push toward Shanju, the capital of Aggla. There, there lay siege to the great city for many days. The generals of Aggla, seeing their numbers dwindle, fled, trying to reach safety in the hills beyond the city. The soldiers of Aggla, proud fighters though they were, soon surrendered to the warriors of Nifway. At first, the people of Shanju were relieved that the siege was over, and hoped that peace and order would be restored. 

When the Nifwanian troops captured the gate of Shanju, all exit from the city was cut off, and nearly one third of the defeated army remained within the city walls. Peace and order was not what Nifway brought to Shanju. The warriors of Nifway began searching the city, killing any soldier of Aggla they found. Within days, the streets of Shanju were littered with the dead. The murderous rage of the Nifwanians was not confined to the soldiers of Aggla: citizens of the city who tried to flee were also killed. Women and children were not spared. Shops were looted and sacked, the soldiers taking anything and everything they wanted, at will. The warriors of Nifway were so brutal, so callous that they invented contests to see how many of the people of Shanju they could torture and kill in a given time. They occupied the city for nearly six weeks, death and terror their constant companions. 

Some say the King of Nifway himself gave license to his soldiers to behave this way. The people of Nifway deny that the Incident at Shanju happened at all. Nifway, in time, met a foe more capable than Aggla. In due course, Nifway was crushed, its main cities laid waste and scores of its people dead. The people of Aggla have not forgotten…

from get @baffled

I had a terrible thought yesterday. Well, maybe not terrible, but uncharitable to be sure. I had parked the car expertly between the lines in my parking spot, and when I returned, someone had parked over their line and made it impossible to get into my truck via the driver’s door. I noted that the spot next to me was for handicapped parking, and that the offending vehicle did, in fact, display the blue tag with the wheelchair symbol. That didn’t stop me from remarking rather loudly “I thought these spots were for physically handicapped people, not the mentally handicapped!”  I then left a little note on the window, you know, the one about “don’t park so close next time so I won’t have to use a fucking can opener to get into my car”… 

Actually, that is pretty spot on. Not terrible at all…

from get @baffled