No Price Too High - By John Porter

Written By: John Porter

Category: Short Story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Introducing "No Price Too High," a gripping short story by John Porter, featured in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This narrative delves into the political intricacies and societal tensions within a North Dakota town, offering a reflection on personal convictions and community dynamics. As part of the competition, this work stands among an array of global creative expressions, showcasing the diverse voices and stories resonating at this prestigious event.

About the Work

In "No Price Too High," John Porter crafts a vivid portrayal of Tom Pryor, a retired lawyer and commissioner, navigating the tumultuous political landscape of Mandan, North Dakota. With a keen eye on the socio-political climate, Porter explores themes of integrity, loyalty, and the courage to stand alone. The story's dialogue and setting evoke a palpable tension, immersing readers in a world where personal beliefs clash with communal expectations.

No Price Too High

Original Submission by John Porter

No Price Too High

Tom Pryor was sitting in the conference room with the other commissioners listening to their conversation. He was a little more tired than usual, but that was normal for a man his age. Now retired, He had plenty of time to focus on these commissioner’s meetings every month. He liked being mayor. He just wished he had the opportunity to run his office during simpler times. Tom was a lawyer in Bismark, across the river, and retired in Mandan a few years back. He had lived in North Dakota most of his life. He still maintained a very youthful and jovial appearance, as youthful as a guy who could win a contest for most believable Santa Clause could look. He didn’t have a beard, but big and jolly matched his description a little too well.

Julia Tibb was talking with James Howard. They were both commissioners for Mandan, but this year was an election year for Julia. She was more tense than usual, but tense for Julia usually just meant that she would talk a little more and keep up that skeptical tone of hers she used so well. James was listening politely. He’s African American. He works for one of the refineries in the area, which made him a prime candidate to be on the commission. Mandan is an engineering nightmare during the winter. We couldn’t get enough engineers to fix our sewage system. Tom had been ignoring the conversation, but he thought it was probably a good time to start listening again.

“I just wish it was May already,” Julia chimed in, “I want to wash my car already and get this damn election over with.”

“Oh, that’s right! I forgot to tell you. Great job out there getting those signatures last month,” Tom quickly added.

Julia beamed at Tom. “You do not know what kind of hell it’s been trying to get signatures in this weather,” Julia replied. “I just want the April blizzard to sneak by already so we can start going out again.”

“You of all people should know it’s pointless to get antsy out here,” James jokingly added. “Winter ends when it wants to in North Dakota.”

“It’s not me and it’s not the winter that’s doing it,” Julia answered. “This whole year has already pushed me to my last nerve. I can’t go two weeks without some horrible catastrophe appearing on the news.”

She wasn’t wrong. We were definitely facing some of the hardest times for our generation. Everyone was still trying to get back on their feet after the Pandemic, and then the wars broke out in the Middle East. It doesn’t help that every news anchor breaks down into a shouting fit whenever they mention politics now. Tom had even stopped reading the news. All of it made him too uncomfortable. None of them were going to say it out loud here. They were in the heart of one of the reddest states in the country, living off the oil industry and small businesses. The one secret that every commissioner kept here was that they voted Republican. But being a Republican meant something very different in today’s day and age, at least that’s how Tom felt.

“Don’t let it get to you,” James tried to reassure her. “All of this… It’s going to blow over. Everything is fine.”

“He’s right you know,” Tom added. “The country couldn’t be in a better position right now. Before you even know it, we are going to be talking about how great everything is. We might even forget how bad it was - it was so brief.”

“You guys are right, I know,” Julia said with a smile. “If you have your career figured out, you are basically fine. And everyone else… they’ll get there too. It just isn’t going to be easy. At least we don’t have it like California. What could they be thinking, trying to deal with those problems.” A cold chill crept up Tom’s spine. It was same chill he had been feeling for some time now.

Daniel Sturman and Jacky Wronoski had started listening at some point. They were sipping on the free coffee the staff had provided. Tom and the other commissioners were taking their break after the city commissioner’s meeting, waiting for the Board of Equalization meeting to start in a few minutes.

“That’s absolutely right, Julia,” Daniel said. “We don’t have to listen to a word they’re saying. We already know enough and everything is fine, better than fine.”

Julia smiled a looked over the whole group. You could see how stressed she was, relieved by everyone’s presence. “Thank you, Daniel, she said. “You don’t know how good it is to hear that sometimes.”

Everyone began cleaning up the conference room, collecting their folders and paperwork for the Board of Equalization meeting. Tom turned towards Daniel Sturman, speaking without thinking. “So, do you guys have any plans this weekend?”

“We’re gonna put together our donations this year for our superPAC. It’s going to be a tough year. mid-terms usually are,” Daniel replied. “What about you, Tom? Who are you and Rebecca donating to this year?”

Tom paused for a second, but he didn’t really think anything was wrong. He looked at Daniel and said, “Oh, we won’t be donating to anyone this year.”

Daniel looked confused. “Did something happen?” he asked.

“No,” Tom said. “I guess it’s a good time to tell you all. Rebecca and I have left the Republican Party. We are officially independents now.” All four turned towards Tom. There were mixed looks of confusion, sadness and surprise, but not Julia. Her look was hollowed somehow. It was a mix of shock and distrust.

Jacky was the first one to speak up. She looked up at him and asked, “Why Tom?”

We just don’t like the direction the party is heading. We might go back later, but they have to fix a lot of things if they are going to get our support again,” Tom answered. The group looked at him. Some of them turned towards each other and then back. Tom could see some looks of disconcertion. Tom figured he should try to spare them from the awkward silence. “Alright, the Board of Equities meeting is about to start. We should probably head in.” They all murmured in agreement. Tom still felt fine about the whole thing, but he felt odd about Julia. She seemed distant. The whole meeting, she appeared to be staring out into space. At times she would ask questions and her emotions would be off. A curdling tone would come out instead, as if she was witnessing someone on trial for some horrific crime. Tom tried to pay no mind to it. He knew these people. They vote Republican, but they’re good people. That toxic environment wasn’t about to reach us here, not in Mandan.

The blizzard finally passed a few days later. The ground was covered in thick mud and ice. It wasn’t going to melt until spring finally got here. The Missouri River on the edge of the city stood still. A mix of mud and frozen water as well, it was moving maybe an inch an hour. It would back up the sewage system at times; it was so bad. Every car on the street was also covered in mud and ice. You couldn’t wash your car during the winter in North Dakota. The air was so cold the water would freeze before you could dry it.

A few days had passed, and they were nearing the end of the week. Mandan Highschool was having an assembly meeting. They were preparing for the Class B Speech Tournament that was going to be held at the end of the month. Students from all around the state were going to come to Mandan to compete against each other. There were going to be a series of competitions for best speech, debate and even theatrical performances.

Tom thought he would take part in the festivities, so he decided to stop by Mandan High School to watch the assembly. Everyone was in the gymnasium. The school staff were talking to the students who were sitting in the stands. Tom was off to the side watching with some of the volunteer parents and their families. Julia Tibb was there too. She was assigned to the Public Safety Department by the commission. She was there to make sure the city had everything prepared for the big event. Tom was standing around with some of the other families. The Heatons and the Gilchrists were nearby. They were all talking in a low whisper while the assembly was taking place. Tom was politely listening and putting into the conversation from time to time. Some of the families also had their small kids with them. They were walking around the group, looking bored and trying to make friends.

Patricia Jonah’s youngest daughter Susan walked over to the group and loudly stated, “My daddy says that we are going to have an oil boom soon. Mandan’s economy is going to take off very soon.” She had a smile on her face. It almost looked like she didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Don’t believe it, Susan,” Tom quickly put in.

“Oh, Tom,” Nancy Heaten exclaimed.

Susan looked up at Tom with confusion and sadness. “Why won’t that happen?” she asked. The look was honest innocence, no opinion, just pure curiosity.

Tom smiled. There was something about children that reminded you of the good in humanity. They weren’t looking for something witty to say. They just wanted the honest truth. “We can’t increase the petrol supply without help from the Democrats. The Democrats have drawn some pretty hard lines recently and oil was one of them. All this talk about drilling is really just bluster. Mandan might actually be in trouble in a few decades if they don’t figure something out.”

The looks the parents gave were both shock and disgust. Some of the parents uttered hurtful words Tom’s way. One even said someone should stop him. “That doesn’t make sense.” Sunsan replied. “How could Mandan be in trouble?”

“The oil industry is going to be shut down in the U.S., Susan. In a few decades we aren’t going to need petroleum anymore. The whole system is going to be replaced with electric cars. Petroleum is only going to be used for novelty products like classic cars,” Tom answered.

“This is ridiculous. The electricity grid wouldn’t be able to sustain every car in the country,” Nathan Ziegelman interjected. “Someone go and get Susan’s mother!”

“Now hold on,” Tom continued. He turned towards Susan. “As of right now, the electric grid would collapse if we plugged every car into it. But, very soon, we are going to have fusion generators: clean, free, sustainable energy. In just a few decades, everything is going to be put on the grid, and we won’t have to worry about carbon dioxide emissions anymore.” He gave Susan a look of concern. “It’s not a bad thing, Susan. It’s going to make everything a little bit better. We are just going to have to find new ways to generate revenue after.

Julia was walking over. She had heard everything and had a mortified look on her face. “Susan, go and find your mother,” she said. She looked at Tom. Her expression bordered on the line of hysterical. “Tom,” she started. “What are you doing?... Why are you ruining this day for everyone?” Tom was about to say something, but Julia beat him to it. “I don’t even care,” she added. “Just get out!” Tom didn’t want to argue. He looked around the group. They all had looks of anger and bewilder. It didn’t make sense to Tom. He didn’t want to turn it into an argument. He just left.

A week had passed. Tom was feeling good. It was the weekend, so Tom wanted to get out and have a beer. He went over to a bar with his friend McNeale. McNeale was his last name, but everyone has called him that since he was young. And it didn’t bother Tom at all to keep the tradition going.

“Are you feeling okay?” McNeale was looking at Tom in a way he had never seen before. McNeale was looking him over with the deepest level of concern, as if there was some puzzle on Tom’s face he was trying to solve.

“I’m fine… Why? Why would you even ask that?” Tom answered.

McNeale gave him another strange look. A bemused glance, like there was some joke Tom wasn’t getting. “You’re the talk of the town, guy,” he said. “Everyone is saying you’ve blown a gasket and that you’re two steps away from selling off all of your property and living in the woods.”

“You can’t be serious?” Tom replied. “Who’s saying this?”

“Oh, it’s real. And it’s not just one person. Everyone is talking about how you lost it at the school assembly meeting and that they had to ask you to leave.” McNeale’s expression changed from concern to a more humorous realization, as if that puzzle he was trying to solve was actually some distasteful joke. “They are even talking about taking you off the Board of Commissioners,” he continued. “Now, I can clearly see you aren’t having a mental break down, so what happened?”

“This is so stupid. The only thing that’s happened is that Rebecca and I switched to being Independents, and this has to be Julia’s doing. She was the only one that was there that day.” It wasn’t like Tom to get this way. He was normally a pretty temperate soul. Maybe there was something else that was wrong, or maybe it was just everything happening in the world, but Tom’s patience for certain issues was at the lowest it had ever been. “They can’t take me off the board anyway. They would have to do a recall,” he added.

“Pissing off a dozen angry parents is not the best way to start this problem,” McNeale quipped. “I mean, what did you do? Tell them everything you didn’t like about the Republicans. What made you leave the Republican Party anyway?

Tom gave him a strained look. “I didn’t really want to do this… but fine. Everything they say now is absolute nonsense from the past century, which makes sense coming from a conservative party. Oh, and how on earth did we become the biggest antagonizer of the world? You know what, forget that actually, let’s start with something simple. Why are we all still quoting the same rhetoric from the 1980’s, and who decided to put Ronald Reagan on a shrine for all conservatives to see. Ronald Reagan crashed the airlines industry in one swift move he knew so little about what he was doing. I mean, it’s a new century for god’s sake. Everything is a million times more complicated now. And I’m not even going to talk about this aberration of an administration.

“Okay…” McNeale took a sip from his beer. “This is going to be a lot bigger issue than I thought it would be.” Tom could almost feel his eyes roll over as he said it.

“See, you shouldn’t even get me started,” Tom quickly added. “Can I get another beer!”

McNeal looked at Tom. His eyes were filled with patience and kindness. “You cannot walk around this town saying stuff like that. Times are crazy enough as it is. You think you have a short fuse right now, just look around. Everyone has that problem.”

“What was I supposed to do? Just sit there and pretend, like everyone else is doing. I have never seen a bigger group of sycophantic liars in my life.” Tom was trying to calm down. Nothing seemed to work. “You know what, never mind. I’m gonna have to give you a raincheck on that beer. This really isn’t helping.”

Tom apologized to McNeale and made his way out of the bar. He was hoping his problems were going to end right there. The very next day, however, his brother came to visit. Some of their kids were there too. They were going to order some pizza and watch the speedway race. Now in their thirties and forties, Tom and Michael’s kids were starting families of their own. They were all going to get some pizza and watch the speedway race. The argument happened so fast, Tom didn’t even know how it started. The first thing Tom heard was Mike asking Tom’s son Dave to explain how he could “just decide to leave the Republican Party”.

“No really, David! This isn’t some normal choice someone makes when they’re feeling alright. Why do I have to hear from ten different people saying that Tom is having a damn psychosis?” Mike shouted.

“That’s enough, Mike. Leave him alone.” Tom wasn’t really sure where he should draw the line, but yelling at his kid was one of them.

“Well then, explain it, Tom, and don’t give me this crap about it being the President.” Mike was a Republican, and he still supported them. It looked like he wasn’t going to budge an inch on this.

“The President is such a terrible person, why wouldn’t blaming him be a good enough reason. That man was probably terrorizing his family before he even won the election, and now, he’s become something terrifying. But you are right, It’s not just him. We just don’t like the feel we get from this new party.” This was pushing Tom to his limit. Why were so many people going after him just because of one small thing.

“Tom, I have never had ten people walk up and demand to know if something is happening to a relative of mine. How does ‘nothing’ become a kangaroo trial that’s two steps away from recalling you?” Michael’s expression was cold. Tom could tell it was bothering him more than it should.

“All I did... All I did was leave the Republican Party and I spoke my mind.” It wasn’t funny to Tom. This all felt so unfair. How could a group of people decide to take apart someone’s life for saying one thing. One thing that wasn’t even offensive.

“Well. Alright then, what did you say?” Tom couldn’t tell what Michael was thinking. It felt weird that he even had to explain it to Michael. This shouldn’t be an argument.

“I said the Oil Industry in Mandan would eventually get replaced because everything is going electric.”

“Jesus!”

“Now hold on. You can’t blame me for something that is actually happening. They can’t punish me for being factual, Mike.”

“You told a bunch of refinery workers that they’re gonna have to find a new job, and you expect them to like you?” Michael looked truly angry. Tom hadn’t seen him like this since he and Michael were kids.

“Now, don’t do this. Don’t give this to them. They’re using partiality and word of mouth to out me, and they don’t even have the courage to say it to my face… The only reason a recall would work right now is because of all the lies and rumors that they started.”

“I almost don’t care. I don’t feel you should be allowed to blame this on the Republican Party.”

“Why can’t I blame it on that? It’s the only thing that’s changed. I don’t like this; I don’t support these wars, and all I did was leave the party and tell everyone about it.” Tom wasn’t ready to actually yell this out with Michael, but he wasn’t going to let him have his way either.

“C’mon, Tom, it’s not the war that’s bothering you.”

“Innocent people are dying and I do not support that. And I should be allowed to say that without any repercussions.” This had officially gone too far for Tom. “Okay, look. It doesn’t matter anyway. Whether I get recalled or not, I will still be fine. You don’t have to support me, but this whole argument is too stupid to matter anyway.”

Mike agreed, and everyone decided that they shouldn’t talk about it for the rest of the day. Michael and Tom’s sons had just sat there in silence watching the whole argument. A proud testament to their upbringing Tom thought to himself.

Tom didn’t know what to expect anymore. The second commissioner’s meeting was going to take place on Tuesday, and the Class B Speech Tournament was going to start this Friday. Already, hotels in the area were filling with students from around the state. When you walked into town, you would come across huge throngs of teenagers looking for things to do. The commotion would normally be a lot of fun, but things were getting tense for Tom. Tom had finally noticed the change everyone had gone through. Service clerks would stare at him from across the grocery store. Families would end their conversations abruptly when he walked up to them. A few people would even share impromptu jokes with each other. If Tom ever asked them what they were laughing about, they would avoid the topic.

The second commissioner’s meeting was about to start. Tom’s patience for all of this had just about run out. It felt too distasteful to talk about the rumors with the others just yet. He wasn’t sure when the best time would be to bring it up. Everyone was in the conference room again. They were preparing their paperwork, waiting for the meeting to start. No one was talking. Tom had wished it would have been less awkward. He had never seen a room with so much of the air sucked out of it. Tom decided he would break the silence.

“Is everything alright?” Tom asked Daniel. Daniel was the Vice Mayor. Tom felt it would be easier to start with him.

Daniel gave an awkward smile and said, “Yeah, everything’s fine, Tom,” and then went back to his paperwork. It bothered Tom, but he couldn’t think of a way to keep the conversation going. That's when Julia murmured something that sounded like an off-hand joke to Jacky. Tom didn’t know what else to do. He decided he would walk into the trap.

‘Is there something you want to say Julia?” He asked.

Julia made a face similar to an upturned nose, but Tom could see she was trying to hide her feelings a little. She maintained a very empty expression and said, “Of course not, Tom. I don’t know why you would think that.”

“I just assumed there was something.” Tom really didn’t have the patience to think about this anymore. “I mean, the whole town seems to be talking about it anyway.” Before Julia could even say anything, Daniel butted in.

“You know what, Tom, just stop. Please, don’t make a scene right now.”

“I’m not making a scene I just want to ask Julia why the whole town is talking about recalling me.”

Daniel became very stern. “You can’t blame Julia for this, and they aren’t just talking about recalling you. The paperwork is already done. They’re going to start collecting signatures next week.

“How is this possible, Daniel? I haven’t even done anything wrong! I didn’t even say anything offensive at that school assembly!”

“Alright, look, first off, I don’t believe you,” Daniel said. “You’ve lost sight of the needs of Mandan. You told a large crowd that we would have to replace all the oil refineries here. That’s nearly impossible in Mandan. We don’t actually need a reason to recall you. Maybe you should have thought of that before you started talking about what was bothering you.”

“You can’t just do this! I’m not gonna let you get away with this so easily! I’m gonna set up a town hall meeting!”

“Tom, please stop. Don’t make us cancel the commissioner’s meeting.” Tom agreed, just for tonight anyway. He needed to cooperate or they would recall him for sure. The meeting was so slow that night. It felt off tone the whole time, but it did finally end.

Tom kept his word. The very next day he arranged a town hall meeting to be held on Friday. Tom didn’t really see a way out of this, so he figured he might as well get the press involved. He was going to shout until he felt better. It was the only thing he could do. He got the local news to televise the town hall meeting. He was gonna make sure that everyone knew that this was not his fault or his decision. The town could not have gotten crazier after hearing about it on the local circuits. Kids here for the speech tournament were running through the streets shouting about a showdown with the crazy mayor. Reporters showed up a few days early to interview people. What some of them had to say wasn’t pretty. None of it was true, of course, but it still unnerved Tom when he realized how unreasonable people could be in stressful situation.

Friday arrived very quickly. City hall was packed from wall to wall, reporters included. A large crowd had taken up residence outside of the city hall, mostly teenagers from the speech tournament. It was a little more of a circus than Tom wanted. He felt like he had already missed his chance. The residents sitting in the auditorium looked impatient already. Skepticism and incredulousness filled the room. Tom decided he shouldn’t make them wait too long.

“Alright… alright, we should probably get his over with quickly. I just wanted to address this recall starting next week and the rumors that have been made against me. For the record, I have not had a mental break. I did not lose sight of what our city needs. These are all unfair lies that people are using to make it easier to recall me.” Tom was nervous but calm. The crowd murmured with anger and confusion. “Okay,” Tom continued. “I am going to open this up to anyone who has a question. I think it would be better if there was a little back and forth to ease tension and provide clarity. Anyone with a question, go ahead and raise your hand.” Immediately, Tom got a few takers. He didn’t recognize a lot of these people. It made him nervous. He gestured for the first person to ask their question.

“So, what did happen? If this is true and someone started a recall for no reason?” The man already looked short on patience.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing has happened. All that has changed is that I left the Republican Party and some people in this town are trying to ostracize me for it.” Several groans rang out from the crowd. Tom wasn’t about to stop, though. He was at least going to say what he came to say. “Yes, you.” Tom acknowledged another resident, a woman this time.

“You can’t really be serious, can you? How can leaving the Republican Party result in a city-wide recall?”

“I know it sounds ridiculous. But it is really the only thing that’s happened. I didn’t cause a scene at the high school two weeks ago. I only talked about things that were actually going to happen. No one was even offended. People are just making this into more of an ordeal than it actually is.” Even to Tom, that comment seemed more condemning than when he was telling his friends and family, but still, he knew it was true, and they had passed the point of reason a long time ago. Another resident decided to speak up before Tom could pick someone.

“If that’s really why we are here, then why did you leave the party?”

“It’s not because I don’t believe in the Republicans. They still have the chance to do really great things for this country. It’s because they’ve crossed a line that I cannot follow. I am not going to walk down this path with them on the wrong side of history. I also don’t really agree with the Democrats, but they still have more right answers than wrong. For now, my wife and I are going to remain independent until the political waters become less toxic, but being independent doesn’t really make me incapable of running this city properly. If anything, I can see more clearly than anyone too focused on party lines.” The crowd murmured with skepticism. Another resident spoke up. He looked upset.

“So, are you agreeing with Democrats and you think our President is an authoritarian and a felon? Is that the right answer you are talking about?”

Tom paused for a moment but knew what he was going to say. “Honestly, you have to wonder what the Democrats are smoking. I feel high just listening to them. Immigration enforcement is not a secret police. People aren’t being abducted. What the President was doing was not illegal, it was unlawful. You can’t actually punish someone for anything they did that was unlawful. That’s what unlawful literally means.”

“You agree, then? That the President is innocent?”

“The President hasn’t broken any laws since he returned to office, but he really did commit a felony when he used his campaign finances to pay off that porn start.” Tom waited for a minute but then kept going. “But look… The problem with that, though, is that in the Judicial System the punishment has to match the crime. The President didn’t really deserve to go to prison for a stupid scandal like that. The Democrats could have used it to end his political career, but instead they went out for blood. Trying to send the President to prison might have actually been what made people decide he should be president again… I’m honestly more afraid of what could happen if both parties take the next step and try to prosecute each other.”

The crowd murmured with agreement. Maybe Tom had reached them somehow. He continued, “The Democrats are trying to make the President out to be an autocrat… because, well, they’re out of ideas and their new leadership has no sense of dignity. But, the President is the kind of person who is willing to stand up and be the monster they make him out to be, just because the hatred he has makes him feel a little better on the inside when he lashes out like that. Now, that is a very different kind of monster. Do you have any idea how scary that is? To have someone so reckless… in charge of the western world, a world that is backsliding a little away from liberty, I should add.” The crowd’s response was mixed. Some cheered, others frowned. There might be no way to make this appeal the right way.

“Now… Let’s talk about some of the things the Republican Party did wrong, and maybe then I could prove that I am at least not cognitively impaired,” Tom went on. “The Republicans bent over backwards to convince the world that they were not racist, and then they let this president do something very strange. They let him remove DEI initiatives with almost no word of dissent. Do you have any idea how thoughtless that is? … How seemingly racist that is?... Look, it’s very simple. Even with a double-blind interview, and an employer was going solely off of experience - completely random - the employer would accidentally pick too many of the majority group. It’s pure probability. That’s just how that works and it is unfair. DEI was just evening the odds for everyone else.” The crowd was silent. It was tough to gauge their feelings at this moment.

“Okay, Let’s talk about this President for a second… On the one hand the President offered a tax cut, and in the other he offered a tax - the tariffs – and he thought the tax was on someone all of you didn’t like, but, really, it wasn’t someone ‘you’ didn’t like. It someone that he himself didn’t like - the world - which is just the type of man he is. He’s consumed by hatred. However, though, why did he create this tax in the first place? Not because of the trade deficit. It’s because we need the revenue. He knows this. He’s just not saying it directly. So…if we have decided that we need a tax to pay off the deficit, we might as well work with the Democrats to decide what tax is best to solve this fiscal crisis.” The crowd lost it. People were shouting and making lude gestures, but Tom wasn’t going to stop. “Look! The U.S. and Europe cannot default. We have to do something now to fix this. It doesn’t have to be exactly what the Democrats are saying, but if we do something now, it can save us a lot of trouble down the road, and, honestly, the economy is not going to get weaker in the next ten years. It’s going to get stronger. We don’t need ‘that much’ to balance the deficit.” The crowd wasn’t going to listen. Consternation filled the auditorium. He decided he was going to wrap it up and let this end. At least it was ending on his terms.

“If you want the truth, you really shouldn’t worry. The country is on the right path. Even a moron couldn’t mess this up. We have huge emerging industries that are going to revolutionize our way of life: AI, Cannabis, Automation. This rough patch we are going through is not going to be the end for us. The American Dream is not dying in this century…” The crowd had grown silent again.

“Okay, I think we are going to wrap this up here. If I didn’t convince you now… here, then I was never going to. Yes, I am still your best candidate for mayor. And no, you should not let these rumors decide how you feel. Of course, I cannot force you to refuse to sign that petition, but that is why our country is great, and not because of what those people on tv are saying. This town hall meeting is adjourned…”

The town hall ended. The crowd didn’t leave right away, but Tom wasn’t going to stick around. He could tell he didn’t win them over. Tom decided he was going to celebrate with McNeale at the bar again. He didn’t really win, but he might have found his fifteen minutes of fame. Tom and McNeale were sitting at the bar. Some of the people there looked angry, others were more calm. They looked like they understood, at least, why he had done it. McNeale turned to Tom.

“They are saying something new now. They say your little fiasco is proof that you should be removed, that it was wrong of you to bring national politics into the mix. But behind closed doors, what they’re actually saying… is that they just don’t like you... You’ve just become too toxic to work with.”

“They were going to say anything to get it done anyway,” Tom sighed. Tom paused for a minute and stared at his beer. “‘The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.”’ Tom gave McNeale a cheerful look of amusement.

“So, screw you right?” McNeale chided.

“I guess.” Tom replied. He waited a few minutes and then added, “You know what. I’m not going to stop here. It won’t work, but I am going to make sure I’m heard before they end my career, even if I have to make a fool of myself just for trying.”

“Maybe you are a fool for trying.”

“I might as well find something to do with my time, rather than sitting here in a town that hates me for no reason.”

“I hope it works out, but I still think you are missing the point somewhere.”

“And what point is that?”

“You should really be looking for something that makes you happy.”

“I didn’t think about that, but maybe you couldn’t tell. I actually am happy. This is just something I feel that I have to do.” Tom got up. He thanked McNeale and reminded him how much of a good friend he was. Told him he would see him again and left. Tom didn’t need to be told what he was going to do was stupid. He knew that already. Once again, he just felt that it was the right thing to do.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar celebrates literary talent from around the world. Participants showcase their creativity and storytelling prowess, contributing to a rich tapestry of poetic and narrative works. This competition provides a platform for both emerging and established writers to share their unique perspectives and connect with a global audience.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to John Porter for sharing "No Price Too High" with the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Your exploration of political and personal themes brings a compelling narrative to the forefront, enriching the competition with its depth and insight. We look forward to seeing more of your thought-provoking work in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.