twelvefootmountaintroll submitted:
They’re playing The Game. Morgan always wins but Reid doesn’t feel too bad about that.
“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent…”
Reid pauses, grips the office chair’s armrests, continues.
“…a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the tongue, no, sorry, to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great—nngh, yeah—a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated—”
He can’t help himself; his hand flies up and moulds to the contours of Morgan’s head. Morgan pulls back.
“You doin’ all right, babe?”
Reid nods. “—can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that—god, oh god, mm—war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might oh, oh, oh might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that weshoulddothisohgoddothatagain—”
Reid’s breath is coming faster. But he’s not far from the end; maybe if he speeds up…
“Butinalargersensewecannotdedicatewecannotconsecratewecannothallowshit—ah…this ground. Thebravemenlivinganddeadwhofoughthere—” his voice suddenly shoots up an octave “—haveconsecrateditohgodMorgan, faraboveourpoorpowertoaddordetracttheworldwilllittlenotenorlongrememberwhatwesayherebutitcanneverforgetwhattheydidhereitisforusthelivingrather—” he’s so close, so close, takes a deep breath “—tobededicatedheretotheunfinishedworkwhichtheywhofoughtherethusfarsonoblyadvanced. Itisratherforustobeherededicatedtothegreattaskremainingbeforeusthatfromthesehonoreddeadwetakeincreaseddevotiontothecauseforwhichtheygavethelastfullmeasureofdevotion, Morgan please, thatweherehighlyresolvethatthesedeadshallnothavediedinvain and and and thatthisnationundergodshallhaveanewbirthoffreedomandthatgovernmentofthepeoplebythepeopleforthepeopleshall shall not shall not perish—”
And with an endearingly loud groan from Reid, Morgan has won yet again.