The Candle, the Pumpkin, and Lucifer is a darkly whimsical short story that continues the fable of Lucifer, the tuxedo cat with world-domination in his eyes. When Halloween arrives, Michael ..his ever-devoted but oblivious human…discovers strange pumpkins on his doorstep, eerie gatherings of neighbourhood cats, and rituals flickering in candlelight.
As jack-o’-lanterns whisper, rooftops fill with a feline procession, and fear itself becomes a feast, Lucifer steps fully into his role as sovereign of shadows. Michael, caught between disbelief and dread, must decide whether to finally see his companion for what he truly is …or remain blind as the charming apocalypse curls into his lap, purring like thunder.
A gothic, satirical bedtime story for adults, this Halloween tale blends eerie humour with sinister charm
Let’s start with the punchline: in Greece, if you’re a minister, you don’t fear prison. You fear losing your parking spot in Kolonaki. That’s because our Constitution — yes, the sacred text — hides a clause so absurd it would make Kafka blush and Carlin howl. It’s called Article 86, and it’s the single best insurance policy for politicians who want to lie, steal, or screw up catastrophically without consequence.
The Joke That Isn’t Funny
Article 86 basically says: only Parliament can prosecute ministers for crimes they commit while in office. Sounds democratic, right? Wrong. It’s like asking the foxes to investigate who ate the chickens. And surprise: they always vote that nobody did.
Think about the Tempe rail disaster — fifty-seven dead. Contracts signed, safety systems delayed, money evaporated. Who faced justice? No one at the top. Or the TEXAN recycling scandal — millions lost, a company under investigation, but political names safely cocooned. Or the OPEKEPE farm subsidies that never reached farmers — because Article 86 doesn’t allow prosecutors to knock on certain doors.
If you kill people with negligence, cheat the system, or siphon EU money, you and I risk prison. Ministers? They risk a bad headline.
That’s not democracy. That’s is mafia code designed to escape crimes
This wasn’t an accident. Article 86 was designed by elites for elites. It’s the ultimate firewall, a built-in feature of the Greek state: a rule that makes accountability optional. Every time the clause was challenged, parties closed ranks. Left, right, center — all complicit, because all benefit.
It turns law into theater. Trials are rare, convictions even rarer. The few who are prosecuted end up in a “Special Court,” which sounds grand until you realize it’s staffed by politicians’ peers and has the lifespan of a fruit fly.
This is how systems maintain themselves: not through secret cabals in smoke-filled rooms, but through clauses hidden in plain sight that make justice impossible.
The Cost in Blood
We talk about corruption as if it’s just money. But look at Tempe: fifty-seven families burying their children. Look at underfunded hospitals while subsidies vanish. Look at farmers crushed while middlemen pocket their aid.
Who protects the people, when the law protects the powerful?
So here’s the scam: the Constitution protects politicians, politicians protect each other, and citizens protect… nothing. We get to vote every four years and pretend it matters, while Article 86 laughs in our faces.
George Carlin once said: “It’s a big club. And you ain’t in it.” Article 86 is Greece’s version of that club. The rest of us? We’re the punchline, paying the tab.
So let’s stop pretending this is normal. Article 86 is not tradition. It’s not law. It’s a crime scene dressed up as democracy. And until it’s gone, Greece will keep burying its victims under the weight of its own impunity.
If the law itself is corrupted, dismantling it isn’t rebellion — it’s survival.
From Your Job to Your Politicians, Welcome to the Big Con
Look around. School? Scam. Work? Scam. Democracy? Don’t get me started. From birth, you’re signed into a contract you never agreed to—and the ink’s invisible.
The Scam of Education
They told you education was freedom. Translation: a lifetime subscription to debt. In the U.S., the average graduate owes forty grand for a piece of paper that certifies one skill: obedience. You don’t buy knowledge you buy permission. Knowledge is free at a library. But you won’t get hired unless you pay six figures to prove you can sit still and take it. That’s not education. That’s extortion dressed in a cap and gown.
The Scam of Work
Welcome to the office. Eight hours of pretending to work, three hours of meetings about nothing, two hours making PowerPoints nobody reads. Economist David Graeber called it: “bullshit jobs.” Jobs that exist to justify bosses who exist to justify other bosses. And your paycheck? It’s hush money. It says: “Don’t ask if any of this matters. Just cash it.”
The Scam of Consumer Life
Your phone breaks on schedule, your clothes unravel by design, your apps charge you to exist. Even rebellion is monetized punk is a T-shirt at H&M, mindfulness is a $300 retreat. You’re not a citizen. You’re a subscriber. You’re not living. You’re leasing.
The Scam of Politics
Ah, democracy. Every four years, you pick your favorite liar. Ninety-one percent of U.S. elections and everywhere else, are won by the candidate with the most money . That’s not choice it’s an auction. Every speech is a product demo, every promise is vaporware. “Hope and Change.” “Make it Great Again.” Doesn’t matter. Different logos, same scam.
The Meta-Scam: Hope
And here’s the cruelest trick: they even scam your hope. Hustle culture says grind harder. Spirituality says manifest harder. Politicians say vote harder. It’s always on you to fix what they broke. And if it doesn’t work? They’ll sell you a premium upgrade.
So yeah. Is everything a scam? Pretty much. From your first day of school to your last ballot, life is one big pyramid scheme with better branding.
The truth? You were born into a scam. The only choice you’ve ever had is whether you sell it, buy it, or burn it down. What do you think?
Millions now use AI for emotional support and companionship during difficult times. But new research reveals concerning patterns: higher AI usage correlates with increased loneliness, and the same features that make AI comforting can create dependency. Through interviews, Reddit analysis, and clinical evidence, this video examines the psychological risks of AI relationships – and why current regulations aren’t equipped to handle this new reality. If you’re using AI when you’re struggling, here’s what you need to know.
