THE PURGING OF FAILURE

Yesterday

"Charlie, are you even concerned with winning the game tomorrow?".

Edward had walked to the benches to confront the boy. During the last football training, he had seen the improvement in every player, except for him.

"Of course I'm concerned with winning" Charlie Brown explained "I try to all the time, but something always gets in the way. Rain, game cancellations, a kite eating tree…".

"A kite eating what!" Edward pinched his nose.

"My phycologist says I should "snap out of it" Charlie Brown continued.

"And who the heck is this phycologist?" Edward asked.

"Well, you know Linus's sister…"

BAM!

Edward slammed his fist on the benches. His patience was spent, again.

"I honestly don't get it?" he fumed.

Charlie Brown didn't know what to say.

"Why didn't you go somewhere else?" Edward asked "To anyone else. You should tell her, tell all of them, to leave you alone. Have you not even tried to end this cycle of failure?. To become successful like me. Why let yourself be the universe's chew toy?".

"Because" Charlie blabbered.

"Because what?"

"Because, I just want to be a good man" Charlie exclaimed "Okay!".

There was quiet between them. Charlie Brown glared at Edward, and for once, he matched his anger.

"A good man" Edward sneered. "No, no no no. You, are only being wishy-washy, and, a pushover". He looked Charlie dead in the eye. This boy overvalued his own kindness.

"When Schroeder's piano was destroyed" he spat "When your sister was bullied for her foolishness. When your baseball team was undermined with incompetent players. When Snoopy was attacked by a cat. When Linus was crying to be let back in his house. I hope" Edward exhaled "that you felt, like a "good man", as you. did. nothing".

Edward walked away. If Charlie Brown wouldn't remove his failures, then he would.

So, where was his axe?


Present day

The Kite eating tree went up in flames, soon after Edward torched one of the many kites stuck in its branches. He stood silently as him and his manor were bathed in an orange glow.

"Came to get some warmth, Janice" he asked his cousin.

Slowly, Janice walked up to him. "Was this really necessary Edward?".

Edward nodded. After Linus's initiation, he had got the tree dragged to his house.

"There's a hundred other trees he can fly kites into" Janice continued.

"Then Charlie will have to avoid them" Edward countered.

"Sure" Janice said "while he's at it, maybe he'll also avoid Lucy and her psychiatry".

"Oh. He will". Edward pointed his thumb to the house, and Janice looked over, to see the psychiatry booth leaning against the wall, newly stamped with the SOJAS logo.

"You stole the booth!".

"No. I confiscated the booth" Edward corrected her.

Janice exhaled. She had become concerned.

"What exactly do you plan to do tomorrow, cousin?" she asked.

Edward stared ahead into the flames.

"Tomorrow, I will reshape this town, and ensure our club is the ruling party. We will encourage, no, guarantee, that this town becomes the most prosperous, most opportunistic, and most…successful."

"And you'll do that by".

"By purging it of failure. We will not fail to win the football game. And we will not fail to clear this town of all toxic bullies" Edward turned to his cousin.

"They have prolonged everything I wish to destroy Janice, but right when they'll think they've won. BAM, I hit them with a landslide of karma".

Janice nodded sadly. She knew how bad it could get. But had one request.

"Even laser guided karma can sometimes miss. Just don't hurt the wrong people".

Edward nodded, "Goodnight cousin".

Janice went inside.

Slowly, orange bands of light shone from next to Edwards body, accumulating to the left of him. As the bands were separated from him, Edward felt his body feel relaxed, as the light reformed itself into an orange glowing figure, clad in dark green garments. It was Magna Sincerus, the Great Pumpkin.

"Sincerus" Edward acknowledged. The spirit had offered him wisdom, never leaving. He'd been a constant companion to him, as he'd been with Lionheart beforehand.

"Edward" the spirit replied "you've seemed angry".

"Obviously" the boy replied.

"Why?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Edward asked "I have every right to be angry".

"Perhaps, yes, this clique you've manipulated, is cruel" the spirit agreed "but in all the years I've been with you, you have rarely held back, shown mercy".

"I showed mercy to Rerun".

"He's a 5 year old, Edward. Surely, have some compassion, for your young friend's sake".

"I think, I have had enough compassion" Edward spat "in not coming here years earlier."

"Linus waited for you, y'know…" he looked angrily as the Great Pumpkin "…and you never came…you held both of us back, didn't you".

The spirit bowed his head, "What would Lionheart think if she saw you like this…"

"LIONHEART IS GONE" Edward yelled, furious at him for daring to mention her "I DONT KNOW WHAT SHE'D THINK".

The spirit startled backward, before regaining himself "And what about you, Edward Black. What about your morals?."

Edward got face to face with Sincerus, "Morals…morals don't matter. Mercy doesn't matter…I cannot afford to fail" he glared "No one can".

He reached to a bag, and pulled out Lucy's gift, from earlier.

It was a football, or, to be more accurate, it was the football. The one that Lucy had always ensured Charlie Brown would fail to kick.

"The cycle of failure, is over" Edward sneered "Tomorrow, I will present the ultimatum. Either they succeed in winning the game, succeed in becoming winners."

He readied himself, placing the football on the ground.

And for the first time, he kicked it…

…right into the flames.

It sailed into the burning tree, and burst from the heat, flames licking around the bits of debris. The football was no more.

"Or" Edward said calmly "they will all fail".

And turning his back on the flames, he paced back to his house. Birchwood, hopefully, enjoyed its last day of peace.

For tomorrow, there would only be war.


Yeah, the next few chapters are gonna get interesting.