The Grief Team (21 page)

The Arboretum in Pickering Centre was humid but inviting. A myriad of scents infused the mist produced by several recirculating fountains, providing a welcome respite from the sameness of mall-life. In a small clearing, where several benches awaited the weary, Cathy Latimer was sitting with Grey Kitty by her side.

She looked up but did not speak when Mary Clement, friend of Elias, entered the clearing and sat down. Her face wore a look of bewilderment, for she was following an urge which had come suddenly upon her in prayer and which she could not resist. She felt wonderful…revived and at peace with herself. When the little girl smiled tentatively at her, Mary gave her a warm smile in return.

Roy Glyn, ex-SkyDome Kid, entered the clearing cautiously. He too wore a look which bespoke puzzlement. Already the memory of what he had done several floors above in Studio A had faded to the furthest recesses in his mind and would soon be lost altogether. Quickly, he joined Cathy on the bench and, with tentative fingers, began to stroke the cat purring beside her.

The peaceful sounds of the Arboretum filled their eyes and their hearts and minds were washed clean. There was peace, such as each of them had never known.

For Mary, there was the increasing awareness that the future held such vivid promise for everyone, that hope was crystallizing and multiplying. She looked with fondness at the two children and felt the stirring of deep and innate feelings.

For Cathy and Roy, a spirit of renewed innocence flowed through them and, when their fingers touched briefly, as they petted Grey Kitty, neither flinched.

An understanding, unspoken but felt by each of them, foretold a new beginning.

A rebirth of a light within and the promise of a brand new day.

Endnote 1—Appendix One:
The Stages of Childhood
. Father-of-the-Malls. Mall Archives.

Endnote 2—Appendix II:
The Rhonda-Song
. Words and music by Felchet Armoir.

Endnote 3—Appendix IV.
The Rules of the Malls.
The Father-of-the-Malls.

Endnote 4—Quotation from
Guide To The Human Soul.
Father-of-the-Malls. ©2007

Endnote 5—
The Seven Sexual Dilemmas
. Ruthie Dywater-Johnson. ©2009.

Endnote 6—
My Memoirs: The Sleepy Hollow Years
. Father-of-the-Malls. ©2008.

Endnote 7—Appendix V:
Mall TV Listings
.

Endnote 8—Ibid.
My Memoirs.
Father-of-the-Malls.

Endnote 9— Ref. The initial draft of
The Rules of the Malls
. Father-of-the-Malls. Unpublished.

The Grief Team

by

David Collins

2033.

The not-so-distant future.

Where post-apocalyptic society rebuilds itself according to the dictates of a deranged bookseller and an overweight mall security guard.

Where the Internet has become a stream of data manipulated by users with no past and an uncertain future. Where television displays the worst of human degradation and a mysterious grey cat holds the key to salvation.

This is the world gone mad, pulled back from the edge only to be plunged into turmoil once again. The Grief Team is a stunning portrayal of the struggle between good and evil, hope and despair. It is the world as we hope that it will never be…and yet…