“What happened today?” asked the Black Cat.
“I voted,” replied Señora Ama de Casa.
The Cat blinked.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
He studied her for a moment.
“Did it work this time?”
The Señora shrugged.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“What happened?”
“They handed me a steering wheel.”
The Cat tilted his head.
“A real one?”
“No. A symbolic one.”
A faint smile appeared beneath his whiskers.
“Those are considerably cheaper.”
The Señora folded her arms.
“I was told my voice matters.”
“It does.”
“It changes things?”
“It changes campaign posters every few years.”
She frowned.
“So… who’s actually driving?”
The Cat glanced toward the lake.
“I’ve been trying to meet the driver for centuries.”
Behind the hedge, three Archons immediately stopped pretending to admire the flowers.
“Did she ask about the driver?” whispered the youngest Archon.
“She did,” replied another.
The oldest Archon adjusted his gold mask.
“Excellent.”
The youngest looked puzzled.
“Excellent?”
“If people believe they’re steering,” said the eldest, “they rarely ask who designed the road.”
The Cat calmly washed one paw.
“I’ve noticed that.”
The Señora looked back at him.
“So we’re not choosing the road?”
“No.”
“The destination?”
“No.”
“The speed?”
“No.”
She sighed.
“What exactly are we choosing?”
The Cat considered the question.
“The campaign slogans seem very popular.”
The Señora laughed.
“So every four years…”
“…they replace the air freshener.”
Even the youngest Archon struggled not to smile.
The eldest cleared his throat.
“Public participation has exceeded expectations.”
“What exactly did they participate in?” asked another Archon.
“They pressed the correct button.”
“And afterwards?”
“They returned to arguing with one another.”
“About what?” asked the youngest.
The oldest Archon smiled.
“Whose steering wheel looked more democratic.”
Silence settled over the garden.
The Cat watched the evening light shimmer across the lake.
“So…”
The Señora raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”
“If the steering wheel falls off completely…”
“What happens then?”
The Cat smiled.
“They’ll still spend the next four years arguing about who was holding it.”
The Archons later announced that democratic participation had reached historic levels.
The steering wheels had never looked better.
The roads had never been discussed.
And everyone went home convinced they had been driving.
