30 July 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3180: celebration of losers

They tried it.

Some of the most disgraced, unrepentant politicians in Lofton County, VA decided to go on and have their big fundraising dinner in person, during the pandemic, never mind fumbling the county and the fringes of Hurricanes Justicia and Mneme having shown them up over about thirty years. They had no chance of winning the election of 2020, but they decided to go out with a bang.

But one got drunk too early and started calling around to settle old scores, and somehow he had the phone number of the last surviving son of Edwin Ludlow, while his grandchildren who had continued Ludlow Architecture were in town visiting their uncle.

“See, this here is why we just moved the company to Richmond and left it alone,” Edwin III said to his cousin Garlene while they listened to that sad someone cussing out their uncle, Capt. Robert Edward Ludlow Sr. “These people really hated our grandfather and our parents, and they really have called the wrong uncle.”

Garlene Ludlow started laughing.

“Yeah, Uncle Robert ain't the one to let know about your little celebration of losers.”

Capt. Ludlow was staying calm until there was an opportune moment...

“Uh oh,” ten-year-old Andrew Ludlow, the captain's eldest grandson said. “Someone is getting laughed clear off the piano again – that's a G sharp 0!”

“Uh oh,” said the captain's eldest granddaughter, eleven-year-old Eleanor. “Why do I feel like people were probably safer when Papa was telling them off?”

Eleanor was right. Capt. Ludlow waited an hour before calling the appropriate authorities, meaning that everyone was caught in the act, and had time to spread Covid among themselves. Thus, some of them would not have to worry about running for re-election. One could hope they settled their affairs well, because …

“Uncle Robert is ruthless,” Edwin III said when all that news came out. “He knows that the living have the last laugh and the last word!”

“Definitely not the one to call on some foolishness,” Garlene said.