“It must be quite traumatic for you all?” I asked, “First you are all spent after having fought and won the elections, and then you are herded into a resort, to keep you from being poached by a cash rich party?”
“It is all because of those poachers!” said an MLA at the resort, where I’d managed to look like a waiter and was moving around, bowing reverently at clusters of state leaders. “If it wasn’t for those poachers, we would be comfortably staying in our own homes with our beloved families”
“Can’t they get across to you through your phones?” I asked.
“Phones have all been confiscated!” whispered the new MLA, “I miss my phone!”
“You must be missing keeping in touch with your constituents!”
“No, I miss the video clips, especially hot ones sent on our group. It is very difficult to survive without my phone!”
I watched as suddenly all the MLAs rushed to the windows of the resort and looked out, then came back disappointed. “What are they looking for?” I asked, “Rain clouds?”
“No smoke signals!” said my new friend, also looking disappointed, “They have been told by the cash rich party that they will be informed about the amounts they will be paid if they cross over, through smoke signals!”
“But do you know the code?” I asked surprised.
“Yes, we all have codes!” said my friendly national leader, “It’s the first thing we learn when we win the elections!”
I walked around with a jug of coffee in my hand, “Coffee?” I asked a group who were looking listlessly at the sky with their overnight bags nestling close to them.
“What’s in your bags?” I asked, interested.
“Ropes!”
“For what?”
“To escape from this place, as soon as we receive the right smoke signal!”
“There’s something else too in those bags! It seems quite bulky, what is it?” I asked.
“Saddles!”
“Whoa! Whoa!” I shouted, “You guys planning to learn horse riding in the resort?”
“Neigh!” whined the newly elected political leader, “That we already know, but as soon as we escape, we will put the saddle on ourselves and will be ridden off by the highest bidder! The saddle is used after the results of the….”
“Horse trading!” I said, as my new friend nodded vigorously.
I suddenly saw all of them rushing to the window very agitated. “Smoke signal?” I asked.
“Rain clouds!” said my new politician friend.
“So?”
“No smoke signals, if it starts raining!”
“Then what will you do?” I asked.
“We’ll do what we love doing!” said the leader smiling pleasantly.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing!” said my new friend, “Now we will have time to practice what we plan to do for you, for the next five years: Nothing..!”

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