david and george

by nick nelson

david oliver miller was waiting for the bus. he had recently been downgraded at his place of employment and no longer had a license for a private vehicle. he had noticed another man, outwardly similar to himself, who also took the same bus every morning. this man always remained on the bus when david got off it, presumably because his place of employment was further down the road. david was bored waiting for the bus every morning. he wondered if the other fellow was as bored as himself, and felt an impulse to ask him. but, even though he had been humiliated and downgraded, he was still sufficiently grounded in society’s ways not to enter on such an unseemly course. the months went by, and nineteen days out of every twenty, david and the other man waited for the bus, got on it, and travelled to their respective stops. one day the other man was not there, and david never saw him again. and after a few days, never wondered about him again. the other man’s name was george holiday lloyd. he was an accredited citizen-informer, and enjoyed reporting on his fellow citizens’ lapses, large and small. he had often wished that david would speak to him, so that he might discover something about david, which he, george, could then report to the authorities. it should be noted that citizen-informers were trained never to arouse their prey’s suspicions by initiating contact. but david never did, and that was that. there are many stories that happen, and many more that do not happen.