Bolingbrook Mary Alexander-Basta laid a wreath at the Time War Memorial to honor those who died before the Men in Blue erased the invaders from the timeline. Some of the formally deceased watched the ceremony.

The Bolingbrook Time War occurred in 1984 when a military force from the year 3000 appeared and attacked Bolingbrook. Despite facing a force with far superior technology, the Village of Bolingbrook repelled the invasion. After a Martian Colonial gunship delayed the invaders, then Mayor Ed Rosenthal sent a team of Men in Blue were sent to the future to destroy their time machine prototype. The MiB succeeded, and time 

“I still get a weird feeling attending my memorial,” said Jessie X. Armstrong, who was a police officer. “Still, it beats being a ghost. It’s more like I got a second chance at life.”

Alexander-Basta delivered a short speech after the ceremony, praising them for their “temporary inconvenience.”

“Some of you willingly made the ultimate sacrifice. Some of you were caught off guard. But thanks to all of you, Bolingbrook’s residents can enjoy our newest eatery, Afternoon!”

After reading a poem composed by the village’s secret AI, BrookBot, she looked down at her phone, then smiled. “Florida just banned the poem I just recited. That means it must be good.”

She concluded her speech by saying, “Twitter users want to know how to win a time war. The answer is in front of me. All of you are the reason Bolingbrook won the time war.”

After her speech, a veteran recited Mark Twain’s “War Prayer,” then walked offstage.

Also in the Babbler:

Village rejects Trump’s ultimatum to move the Golf Club closer to O’Hare Airport.
Editorial: Good bye Turkish Democracy
Canadian billionaire offers to buy Bolingbrook for $1 million
God to spare Bolingbrook during Memorial Day week

Note: This is a work of fiction. All opinions expressed are my own. They do not reflect the views of any organization I work for or of my employer. 

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