HOPE FOR NOTHING

The man came to the door and asked for 5 souls and I told him there was no one left. He shook his head, smiled and showed me the official paper from the Central Committee of the Regional Planning Bureau that said 5 souls.

“You are free to look around. But I am the only one here.”

He walked past me into the front room where I stored all of my children’s clothing and looked at the black and white and copper-colored pictures on the walls.

“Beautiful children and handsome husband.”

Then he showed me the official paper again and asked me to read it very carefully. It said 5 souls and it was dated and signed by all the members of the Central Committee.

“Do you want a cup of water?” I’d managed to collect a cup of water in a little tin plate I’d set up on the stoop outside. “No, thank you. I am required to bring 5 souls from this house. Please understand the predicament I am in.”

He had a quota and if he didn’t fill the quota, he would become part of the quota.

I shook my head. “I am sorry, but I am the only person here.”

He smiled, patted my hand with his heavy ring finger and then pulled the soiled paper off the table. He looked under the table and noticed several deep scratches in the wood. He asked me about the scratches.

“That was where the dog used to scratch. We always thought he would dig up a treasure.”

The man smiled again, laughed and said that was a sweet little story. Then he went into my little kitchen and I followed him and found him looking through the empty ice box. He pulled the rotten coils out from behind the box, shook them and dust floated to the tile floor. He opened the taps and they wheezed and choked out a black spittle.

“Do you want a cup of water? It’s no trouble.” “No thank you, You should save it perhaps?”

I smiled, said thank you and then asked him if he wanted to see the graves out back? He said that would be nice, so we went out back and I laid down a plank for him to cross the mud. We walked out to the graves, all lined up against the back brick wall. He noted the names of the children and the adults and the numbers of all the babies. Then he turned to me and smiled and offered me his condolences. I said thank you and that it’s been hard but that I was hopeful for a payment from the Bureau of Reconciliation or perhaps a food parcel from the Christians.

“We can all hope, hope is the greatest gift the state gives us…”

He followed me back to the house. When we returned to the kitchen he said he would take that cup of water now. I pulled the tin plate out of the cabinet, carefully poured the water into a chipped glass and handed it to him. He smiled and drank it and said thank you.

“Now, about those 5 souls?”

I felt a cold electric shock run through my body. I told him again that I was the only one here and he became very stern. He said I couldn’t understand how important his mission was. Our kind and loving President needed 10 million souls because he planned to feed on them for the good of all his people, including me and him.

I bowed and said bless him, that without him we are nothing but dust and filth, but again, I was the only one here. That I only had one soul and I would gladly give it to him. He sighed, took out his stamp and leather book and was about to stamp next to my name when we heard a knocking noise upstairs.

“Oh my dear, have you been truthful with me?”

He took me by the arm, pushed me to the staircase and said lead the way. I begged and pleaded with him as we walked up the cramped and narrow staircase.

“This is a mistake. The house is empty. I am alone. Please show mercy. Please have pity and compassion.”

When we came to the door at the top of the stairs, we heard the knocking noise again.

“That sounds like many people,” he whispered in my ear. “Open the door, my dear.”

He put his hand on my shoulder and I felt the urgency in his squeeze. He was shaking with anticipation. I begged him to just go. I said I would willingly give up my life and my soul for the dear President. He guided my hand to the doorknob and helped me turn it. When the door swung open there was a mad rush in the room and I bowed my head and started to cry.

I knew he would take them. I knew he would walk them down the street to the killing pit and put bullets in their brains. I knew their souls would be consumed by the blessed President of our country.

But the man did something that surprised me and gave me hope.

“What is the meaning of this? Who said you could keep skeletons? Who gave you the right to keep corpses in the dark?”