By Stephen Gray
The family had returned to The House. There was back slapping, hugs, kisses and tears of joy. It was good to be home and there was no place like this home. They had been away on a much needed vacation. They needed the summer break to renew their appetite for work in their daily tasks of laboring for the common good of their family. It had been a stressful time in The House before the family went on vacation. Family members had been accused of corruption and bribery and it was said that large amounts of other peoples’ money had been diverted to friends of the family. These allegations were all so very embarrassing and had brought a certain amount of disrepute upon those who dwelt in the family house. But the family had stuck together in their time of trial and now they felt strengthened and renewed in their desire to return to work.
An “honest” days work in The House gave family members a sense of achievement and self worth. There was much work to do around The House. There would be family meetings on how best to spend money, in order to ensure continued family success. Friends of the family would drop in to see if the family could provide them with funds for various projects, and would get these funds provided they swore allegiance to the family and returned some of this money to the family. The family had also taken in some new tenants in the upper chambers of The House and it was expected these new additions to the family home would pay their way in supporting the family. These new tenants were all friends of the family. One was reminded of that old saying: “Friends in need, were friends indeed.” And the family always looked after their friends.
Still, stories abounded that the family could be ousted from The House. It was said that the family might be evicted if enough people wanted them removed because of their unsavory reputation. But it was said, by some, that this was no reason for their removal as the family knew The House well. Still, these people who wanted rid of the family did have truth on their side. The family was a disgrace to the neighborhood and was spreading its filth and corruption amongst the populace at large. Luckily the family was looked upon by most of the opinion makers in the media as being satisfactory tenants of The House. Those who said the family should be evicted were portrayed by the family friendly media as “scary,” “incompetent,” “unworthy,” “unsmiling,” and numerous other derogatory names. One newspaper - whose owners were big financial supporters of the family - even had banner headlines wondering if the family’s opponents were finished. It was all so subtly done, putting the boots to the opposition, while pretending to be against the family. Thus, the family was able to bank on support and good will from their powerful media allies and also from many others amongst the populace who did not care that the family was corrupt and immoral.
In fact, many of the people who knew the family were asked in opinion polls: “Do you support the family?” Most people replied that they did! Some even cheered as the family entered their abode. This proved that corruption, bribery and theft of other peoples money did not worry many people and was in fact, no barrier to this family returning to their House.
Stephen Gray
Sept. 26, 2005.
graysinfo@yahoo.ca website: http://www.oocities.org/graysinfo