Charity Hall

Mr. and Mrs DeBuyers-Innsellers left the yacht club straight after they got the phone call. They pulled into the car park at Charity Hall and parked the car. They walked the short distance to the nearest door and reported to the receptionist. They took a seat and waited. Charity Hall was always busy. It was the starting point for trying to save the world. The world came to Charity Hall to be saved. Mr. and Mrs DeBuyers-Innsellers held hands and waited for two hours until someone saw them. By all accounts, and backed up by a secret government report, it was a short wait. They were led away down four flights of stairs, along corridors and invited to take a seat outside an office. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers looked up at the glass case. It displayed a front-page photograph of Moby Dick shaking hands with a bearded VSO Field Director. She touched her cheek and thought about the first time she saw a picture like it. They waited for another hour. By most accounts, and backed up by a secret government report, it was a long wait.

Mr. and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers never waited long the last time they came to Charity Hall. They were picked up by special transport and met by several people who smiled radiantly and almost broke their shoulders shaking hands with them. They were made to feel important that day. It was full of happy people. Mr. and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers met other couples at Charity Hall the last time they visited. They made new friends instantly. They felt a bond with these other people. Some couples had brought their children and pets along. Mr. and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers never had any children or pets. They were too old to have children, and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers' lungs made it difficult to keep anything with large amounts of hair in the house. But they always hoped.

Their dreams came true after the young lady came around the expecting couples, handing out brown sealed envelopes. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers gave the envelope to her husband to open. All over the room couples broke into instant joy. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers urged her husband to hurry up. Mr. DeBuyers-Innsellers ripped open the envelope. They saw their names for the first time.

It reminded Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers of a police report. They learned about themselves in the brown envelope. They flicked through forms and letters branded with stamps, and the names of dynamic signatures of persons unknown. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers giggled when she saw the five years old pictures of themselves. The last sheet was a black and white photo. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers looked at it and burst into tears.

"Oooh, Morris. A boy and a girl. Oooh , Morris."

Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers showed the picture to another happy couple.

"Our little babies."

Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers saw the picture for the first time. A group of happy Himalayan fish farmers, standing, smiling behind the great white whale. She wanted to take a picture like that one. A picture with her babies in it.

"Mr. and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers?"

They jumped up instantly. "Yes." They said together.

"I'm Sebastian Coat-Hanger. I'm a member of the executive committee dealing with social welfare. Could you come this way, please?"

"What's it all about?" Asked Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers.

"This way please." They followed him inside.

He invited them to take a seat, and placed himself at an exact point between them and the door. They faced a row of people sitting behind desks in the middle of the room. They shuffled paper and tidied their desks of nothing. Mr. and Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers huddled together. Mrs. DeBuyers-Innsellers looked at the people front of her. One was in uniform.