The Notice on the Board

Tara had not planned to become a politician. She taught science at the local high school, and on most evenings she just wanted to go home and mark her books in peace.

It started at the supermarket. She was reading the noticeboard by the door when she saw it: a small white sheet from the town council. The land on Maple Street, it said, would be sold to a property developer. The old playground would be knocked down, and forty new houses would be built in its place.

Tara stood there for a long time. She had grown up on that playground. So had half the town. There was nowhere else for the children to play.

That night she went to the council meeting to complain. Mr. Okafor, the councillor for Maple Street, listened politely. He had held the seat for sixteen years. “I understand your feelings,” he said, “but the town needs the money, and the decision is nearly made. If you want to change it, you’ll have to change the council.”

“Then maybe I will,” Tara said. She did not know where the words came from. People turned to look at her. By the time she got home, she had decided. She was going to stand against him.