the assignment

by fred flynn

this will not take long. i have only three questions. right. have you been there? yes, i have. a simple yes or no will suffice. have you done that? yes. have you seen it all? yes. good. here is your assignment. the man behind the desk handed over a small phone. the screen of the phone showed black and white head shots, as on i d card, of an ordinary looking white person, and a name and address. memorize it and give it back. that is easy enough, the man who had been there replied. he glanced at the screen and handed it back across the desk. that is all, the man behind the desk said. the man who had been there got up and left the office, which had no window, and contained only the desk, two chairs, and the man behind the desk. the man who had been there and done that passed the elevator and walked down the four flights of stairs to the street. * two hours later the man who had been there and done that and seen it all entered one of the larger waiting areas of one of the world’s larger airports. the person whose picture had been on the phone of the man behind the desk was seated by themself at a table for two in a corner, to the side of the great window looking out in the night on to the landing strips. the man who had been there sat down across the petson whose picture had been on the phone. good evening. good evening. i have been instructed to meet you. i suppose you must have been. but do you know what? no, what? i have had enough. of all this nonsense. have we not all? i wish there were someplace we could go, and get away from it all. i think i know a place. then shall we go? they got up and left. a third person, who had been seated in one of the deep chairs of the waiting area, carefully folded up the copy of the london sun they had been reading, and followed the pair at a suitable distance. and was followed themself by a fourth person. who was followed by a fifth... forever is a long time. they can not follow us all forever… do you think?