By (Gypsie) Ami Offenbacher-Ferris
In response to word prompt CONSPIRACY provided by Nox at The Daily Spur
Dara knew it, she’d had him pegged ever since she’d arrived and had been accepted into the fold, as it were. She couldn’t help herself; she followed him throughout the massive hallways always supremely aware of which door he entered, how long he took inside and when he exited.
It wasn’t like he was hard to tail, so to speak, not with a tail like that and besides, he was huge. Massive really. Of course, the color of his skin, um, scales shone brighter and slimier the further down the hallway he went.
As the hall became hotter and hotter it became more and more difficult for Dara to follow, but she was determined. Only two doors left. She knew the last door opened onto a very private elevator that only descended, but the door before that one presented a mystery.
Dara was positive she was onto something. If she proved her conspiracy theory, not only would she be the most celebrated journalist of all time, but mankind would be forever changed as well. There would be no more guessing, no more religious uprisings or wars, it would all be exposed in black and white soon, by her.
The door opened wide, allowing his heavy bulk entrance into the room. Dara slid in behind him on her stomach, surprised at how quiet she could be. The room was dark, smoke filled and smelled of something quite foul. Dara covered her mouth to keep from retching and thanked the heavens for the darkness.
A gigantic oval table took the center of the cavernous room. Fireplaces on all six sides roared loudly as fire devoured big chunks of decaying wood fed to it by underlings. Every chair was filled. Dara counted 16, no 24 chairs all together and each held something no sentient being should ever see.
Dara’s stomach roiled. Seated right beside the giant red one was the wavering figure of a man, a creature really, every high school girl and boy know the name of before they ever finish their studies. A man so vile and so evil, to say his name out loud would bring down misfortune and pain on the person voicing it. The most depraved, violent and heinous leader in the history of mankind.
Joseph Stalin sat to the beasts right. To the left of the beast sat a small, almost fearful man whose visage seemed to wink in and out. A part of his skull was missing but still, he was easily recognizable as Adolph Hitler. So it went that around the table sat the very worst humanity had birthed, nourished and eventually vanquished.
It was the strangest sight to see these people, not really people Dara surmised; but the souls of what used to be people sitting here calmly conspiring to cause the downfall of humanity.
Yet, as unbelievable as that was, what they were doing was even worse. Each vile ex-leader had attached to their hands, if they still had them, or to whatever part of their body they could maneuver, a full set of barely visible puppet strings.
Dara allowed her eyes the freedom to follow the clear, crystalline tethers to their destination far below on Earth. There, dancing to the tune of each macabre puppeteer, were the worlds most prominent leaders, speakers, religious icons and zealots. Completely controlled by evil.
Dara began to pray.
Gypsie’s Wonderful World of Words 
