The sky is as bright as the international politics right now – normally that would mean it is pretty shabby, but today it isn’t. Sun shines and clouds hide and plants rejoice, just as the Internet and all the media outlets are buzzing with abruptly odd but warmly welcomed happenings in state meetings everywhere.
Medvedev shaking hands with NATO delegates. Promises of uninterrupted oil flow through Ukraine. Sudden talks of peace between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and its neighbor, the Republic of Korea down south. Ceasefire in Jerusalem.
Everyone should be happy about all this, and as an International Policies writer, Christopher O’Shea should too. But he feels uneasy, just like his fellow friends and colleagues. This is too sudden. This is out of nowhere, much like a lot of odd happenings in the last year.
Last October his college friend Chris Chowske went missing in North East China. He was said found nearby hiding in the home of a Chinese student whom he used to teach, and found insane by the government of China. Chris went missing again right after that, and he hasn’t been heard of since.
The same goes with Luke. Luke was Chris’s old college roommate, and is one of the more successful birds of the flock, netting an internship by Red Cross International to Mongolia. No news of him since either, with puzzling roundabout answers and finger pointing by Red Cross America. No one is allowed to reach the last place people heard of him as well. Tosontsengal, the district in western Mongolia had some insurgency problem that merited the eyes of the entire world media for a month, as Russia and Mongolia helped each other out and doused the entire area in petrol bomb.
And now every government, grudgingly or not, are becoming a very tight knit network of friends – either they become fast friends or they fight amongst each other, and then become friends. It’s so odd even the average people are becoming conspiracy theorists all in a sudden – some say another world war might be coming our way, others say a world crippling disease. There’s also the usual Jesus is back or aliens are among us garbage.
Chris leans across his table and grab a cookie and a packet of coffee. There are a lot of messages to read tomorrow, and might as well enjoy this nice and mellow day for a longer bit. Just look at the pretty, clear sky makes him sleepy.
Hmm, downpour warning? Chris lifts his eyebrows in surprise as his phone makes an innocuous beep.
Should have known when you see no clouds about, Chris frowns to himself.
It’s the calm before the storm.
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