First the media hinted at Friday for a decision from the Grand Jury in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Then it was supposed to be Sunday.

Now we find out that there is no decision imminent, and the Grand Jury will reconvene on Monday.

Is there anyone up for an office pool? Will there be a decision on Monday? Before Thanksgiving? Before Christmas?

And think of the drinking games:  a shot each time Al Sharpton appears before a camera. Two if he’s outraged.

In the meantime, the tension in the St. Louis area ratchets up with each passing day.

The subject of the Grand Jury, Officer Darren Wilson, is nowhere to be found. He hasn’t spoken to his police chief. He has left no trace on social media. His house is closed and the curtains drawn, the yard unattended. He is believed to be in police protection.

At least one St. Louis area school district has called off the two days of classes prior to the long Thanksgiving weekend, while others — including the large St. Louis district — are waiting to see what protests or decisions occur over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Ferguson itself has dealt with three straight days of unrest, including incidents of unlawful assembly, blocking traffic, and even the crashing of a car into a light pole.

The FBI arrested two men suspected of buying explosives, which they intended to detonate in Ferguson once a decision had been reached.

Time Magazine — in what has to be one of its most perplexing decisions — has announced that the “Ferguson Protestors” are in the running to be named as their annual “Person of the Year.” Considering that last year’s recipient was Pope Francis, I would say that Time’s standards have gone down a notch. Or several.

And Attorney General Eric Holder, who just doesn’t seem to know — or care — when to keep his nose out of trouble, has expressed his displeasure with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s declaration of a State of Emergency.

Meanwhile, Missouri Democrats are trembling in apprehension as to the future of their party in this swing state. Steve Kraske of the Kansas City Star notes that St. Louis County is the most valuable area of Missouri in terms of votes, and he wonders if Nixon’s lack of connection to Ferguson residents in this crisis might just turn off black voters.

And then there’s Al Sharpton.

Kevin Jackson, who runs the website theblacksphere.net, and a resident of the St. Louis area, reported that Sharpton and other racial agitators have paid troublemakers to protest in 25 cities.

Add in the mix the hacker group Anonymous, who released a video threatening the Ku Klux Klan, rumored to be in Ferguson, and the Ferguson police. Just. Great.

Tick. Tick. Tick. The nation watches this small suburb in the Heartland. The good people of Ferguson, both black and white, bear the brunt of a tension that shouldn’t be there save for the malevolent designs of others. And I cannot help but fear that this may end badly.