The King and the Pope
by Mike Wilson
The King stands, unmoored, in a pool of blue light beneath the stained-glass chapel window. At his feet lies the body of the Pope, the King’s dagger wedged in his gut as a red pool of blood slowly crosses the floor, inching towards the King’s feet. A king can do anything – that’s what it means to be king. A king can wage wars and ravage entire countries. A king can send scoundrels to the gallows and upon the drop of his hand see their feet swing in the air. But killing God’s representative on earth – this is ground the King has never trod. Has he blasphemed the power that gives him power? Is he still the King? He looks up at the stained-glass window, sees the outline of Jesus with a hand extended, but he can’t see the Savior’s face, only the afternoon sun shining through. It’s blinding.
Mike Wilson
Mike Wilson's flash fiction has appeared in magazines including Burningword, Open: Journal of Arts and Letters, and Still: A Journal, and Every Day Fiction. Mike lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
More: http://mikewilsonwriter.com
It seems that those in power don't consider the ramifications of how they wield that power, but in this case the King knows he has gone too far, a distance that may damn him.