Conversations

     They say laughter is the best medicine. I try not to argue with They; it tends to rebound unpleasantly. At the very least, laughter is an analgesic of sorts. It provides temporary relief from the ever-strengthening feeling that…well, that the only thing left to do is unpack the sniper rifle and the emergency stash of Oreo Double-Stufs^® and climb the nearest clock tower.

     As is the practice at many households in contemporary America, here at the Fortress the first thing we do upon rising in the morning is to check our email. (All right, yes, we pee first, but that should go without saying, for more reasons than one.) And should the email dictate, the second thing is to check the front porch, which I have just done. It led to the following exchange:

CSO: What was on the porch?
FWP: A set of DVDs.

CSO: You’re still buying DVDs?
FWP: Why not? This one looks interesting. It’s a well-rated science-fiction series called Threshold. I figured it would be a welcome change from all the British murder mysteries.

CSO: I thought you liked them about as much as I do.
FWP: Oh, they’re okay, but night after night after night? Anyway, they’re making me fear for our cousins across the water. How much more depopulation can Britain stand?

CSO: Oh. And now that Britain’s out of the EU…
FWP: Exactly! Where’s the next crop of murder victims supposed to come from?

(</rimshot>)