Ducks By The Lake [Part Five: The Shared Experience]

Expect the unexpected...

I got to Winchester Road first. It was a cold, rainy night. But not acid rain. Normal rain thankfully. I wouldn't dare risk going out in a torrential acid rain shower. But I got there ten minutes before we were due to meet as I wanted to see who I thought it was. And then if I had the chance to run I'd take it.

It was deathly silent for a new housing estate. You normally saw the kids out playing until 9pm but there were no kids today. Probably due to the rain. My kids weren't out playing at this time. They were watching the television with Freya. And as far as she was concerned, I was going out to the pub for a quick drink. I don't think she'd be too happy if she knew where I really was.

Before I knew it, 7:25 hit. And no-one was there. I was stood alone. Had I been played by someone or was I about to be the victim of a long range gunshot? Who knew. I was rather hoping to have been played...

"You're early..."

I looked to my left, where the voice came from. A man was standing there. He must have been in his mid 20s and had short blonde hair as opposed to the teenager from the alley, who I believed I was meeting. I looked at him up and down very confused.

"Do I know you?"

"No. You don't. But you do now".

He walked over to me and stood facing me. He held out his hand as to shake mine. I did very carefully.

"My name is Callum. What is yours?"

"My name's not important. You're not the man I saw die in the alleyway..."

"Yes that's right. I'm sorry I had to resort to such crude methods to get you here. But I had to make it sound like it was him in order to get you here".

This was obviously part of a much bigger plan. Perhaps much bigger than I imagined at the time.

"Why did you need me here?"

"Although it was harsh of me to pretend to be my fallen brother to get you here, much of what was in the letter was still true. I did see you at the alleyway. And I could see that you wanted to help him".

"Wait, you saw me? I didn't see you?"

"I'm aware of that. I was in the shadows, much like you tried to be. You were never going to see me as you were too fixated on the event. My eyes were...wondering..."

"Wondering? Someone was dying and you were fixated on me?! What's so special about me?"

"You came. You wanted to help. That's more than any normal Second Bander would've done".

"I'm not a normal Second Bander".

"No you're not. Tell me, why did you want to help?"

"What makes you think I wanted to help?"

"Because you came to see what was happening. Most people would work out that the noise was coming from the other side of the fence and just carry on with their lives. You didn't. You came to see what was happening. That can only insinuate you had the intention of helping if you could".

He was right. I did want to help. The guilt inside me started to well up again. The fact that I couldn't help him and what could've happened. It got worse and worse the more we talked about it.

"So, what, you've come to thank me for trying?"

"No. Well, yes, but no also. Don't you want to know why he was attacked? That boy? Don't you want to know why a teenager was systematically beaten up by a gang in an alleyway?"

"Well, I can guess!"

"Oh?"

"That boy must've owed money or something. There are rumors that there's a drug problem in the Third Band areas with drug cartels growing in size and number. He must've got caught up in it and crossed that guy. And paid with his life. It's not difficult to work out. Or something like that. Maybe he was part of the crew and double crossed him?"

The man look unimpressed.

"You've watched too many films..."

"What?"

Callum started to circle me slowly. My head turned to follow him.

"This is exactly the problem. The problem with your society. You're fed a mass diet of popular culture from which you form stereotypes, prejudices, ideals, and you use these in your everyday life. Films, television, radio, the internet, any valid source of information you can get your hands on. You consume what they tell you and you accept it as gospel truth. Why else would they say it if it wasn't true?"

"That's not true at all!"

"You've just done it".

"No I haven't!"

"You just assumed that the boy was killed due to a drugs cartel or by double crossing the boss. You've just compared real life to the Godfather films".

"Well...they're good films..."

"And you're also assuming that this kind of thing only happens in the Third Band areas".

"Doesn't it?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Probably not".

"Why?"

"Because we'd have heard about it. In the Second Band press or the Second Band news programmes!"

"There we are again".

"What?"

"Dependent on the media for information. If it wasn't on the news or in the papers then it didn't happen".

"Violence is a Third Band pastime".

I couldn't believe what I was saying. I always thought I was more sympathetic to Third Banders. Maybe I wasn't as understanding as I'd previously thought...

"And who told you that?"

"I've seen it for myself many times".

"And you've never seen it happen in the Second Band area?"

"NO!"

"Why?"

"Because we're much more civilized than them!"

Callum smiled and chuckled. I realised what I'd just said as he did. I looked surprised when it hit me. 

"And what makes you say that? Whatever possessed you to say that?"

"I...I...I don't know..."

"I'll tell you. It's the media. The media control this country and they control this world. Feeding you certain bits of information that they want you to see or hear for their own political and personal motives. The truth hasn't anything to do with it. They have complete control over all the information in the world. They can take anything they want and twist it to any angle that they see fit. Now, let's take the Bands for example. You're told that the Peaks are the pinnacle of civilization and the group of society that everyone should look up to, while at the same time knowing you'll never get there. You're then told that the Second Band are in the middle. Those who are well to do but are the stereotypical family structure. House, kids, dog, car. Then the Third Banders are savages. They're slaves, animals, cretins, every derogatory term under the sun. There are whole documentaries on Peak and Second Band television saying that Third Banders fight for anything and that they have no formal structure of society. It's a free for all. And no-one's questioned it because no-one can. If they do there'll be hell to pay. But they also WON'T question it because they're none the wiser. They don't know any different. It's the perfect social pacification. It's the perfect way to make sure that people understand their place in life and the place of others above and below them. You look up to the Peaks, and look down on the Third Banders".

It was making sense. The more I thought about what he was saying, the more I understood and related to.

"And it's the same across the bands. The shared experience. The Peaks are told they are the best in the world. There's no-one better than them and there's no-one to challenge them. While the Third Banders are told that they are the scum of society that no-one ever cared about and no-one ever will. Only staying alive because there are still some level-headed people out there against a potential holocaust. The one shared experience in this world is the knowledge of where everyone in society stands compared to the others. The Government and the Media are the best of bedfellows. And no-one can see it. Except for a handful of people like me. And, I hope, you".

I was still trying to process what he'd said. What he was saying was challenging everything I was ever taught. But, at the same time, he was telling me what I already knew.

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?"

"No, no. That was me going off on a tangent about stereotypes. I wanted to meet you with because I know you have questions. And I promised you that I'd offer answers if I can".

Even though it seemed truthful that he wanted to answer my questions, it was obvious he'd already thought of the questions that I was going to ask. And I knew he was influencing that. He was getting me to ask the right questions.

"Ok. Fine. We'll play it your way. Why was that teenager killed in the alley?"

Callum smiled.

"A good question to start with".

He smiled for a moment before turning serious once again.

"He was killed because he was different".

"Different? Different how?"

Callum smiled once again.

"Another fine question. He was different because of his physicality. He wasn't...shall we say...normal".

I could see where this Q+A session was going. Like I said, he already knew the questions I was going to ask, so he already had answers. Open answers too annoyingly.

"Normal?"

"He wasn't like the other Third Banders".

"What? Did he try and climb the social ladder?"

"Haha. No. No-one in the Third Band does that! They know it's impossible. No. He was different for other reasons".

"What reasons?"

"You're starting to get the hang of this".

"Thanks?"

"But it is now I should warn you. THIS is the answer that will change EVERYTHING you thought you knew about your society. Once I answer this question, there's no going back. At all. Ever".

I thought very carefully about what he said.

"If you don't want to know, now is the time to go home. Back to your life. Back to your little bubble with Freya, Peter and Abigail".

My face turned angry...

"How do you know my family's names?!"

"I've done my research".

"Are you threatening my family?!"

"No. By no means. I'm only saying that if you don't want your life to radically change then now is the time to leave. I won't judge you. It's not in my...nature...to judge".

I calmed down and thought very carefully. I did not know at this point what he was going to tell me. And, for the most part now, I wish I never knew. But, once again, my curiosity got the better of me. I felt I had no choice but to carry on. 

I sighed for a moment as I thought some more. But soon after, my decision was made.

"Ok".

"Ok?"

"Tell me. What reasons?"

Callum smiled once more.

"That took guts. I respect you more now".

I acknowledged the compliment with a nod. But that was secondary at that moment. This was it. The point of no return. My life would never be the same again. God only knows that now...

"The young man was a friend. My brother. My partner in crime so to speak. And he was beaten up for the most...human...of reasons. He was a victim of his own nature. But his own nature was something that was out of his control. My friend...this is why he was attacked...and this is why YOU need to know..."

Check back in on Saturday for Part Six!