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              Had someone changed the rules without his being aware?
    A family of three had ceased to exist and someone had decided that all traces of their existence had to be removed. Emmett would have cursed had he known any curses, but non-aggressive language training in preparation for Stage Two parental rights had cleared his mind of that particular ability. About the most he was able to string together was “Deuce, darn and drat,” words he recalled characters speaking in a reconstituted novel by Stephen King. He rolled them around in his mouth as he closed the apartment door, heading for the elevator to E Complex where he lived with his wife and son. He was still shaking his head about the Latimers when the doors opened and the tear-stained face of a small boy appeared.
    “Daddy, Little Arthur says that the Grief Team is coming to lickadate us!”               
    Emmett opened his arms wide.  “Honour the child!  Honour to you, my child Marcus!  My love and service to you are beyond measure!”
    Marcus rubbed a small fist across his eyes, trying to smile, not objecting as Emmett pulled him close for a kiss and a hug.  Marcus was still in his homeschool uniform, a clean white shirt, pressed dark pants and black sandals. He pressed against Emmett’s waist, his wide-eyed, innocent features dimming suddenly.               
    “Why is the Grief team coming, Daddy? What did you do?”
    Emmett forced a smile. “Nothing, Marcus. Little Arthur is just teasing you. And it’s bad teasing.”
    “What does ‘lickadate’ mean?” Marcus raised his bright blue eyes to examine his father’s reaction.  He did not fully understand what he saw there but he was old enough and aware enough to sense that his father was afraid. Afraid of the Grief Team? The Grief Team was everybody’s friend. Rhonda, the Udderly Fantastic Cow, said so on her show every day at four o’clock.  
    Emmett smiled again, mustered a stronger level of self-confidence, and ruffled his son’s abundance of blond hair, a feature which he and Elise had selected together. “’Liquidate’ is a word which you don’t need to know and Little Arthur will be have to be cautioned for his silly comments.  I am certainly going to speak with his father.”
    “But why is the Grief Team coming, Daddy?  Are you afraid?”
    “Now, now, it’s not absolutely certain that they are coming. I am expecting them but it’s nothing to be worried about. One of Daddy’s friends at work has died suddenly and the Team wants to ask me some questions to see if I can help them understand why. It’s very simple.”  He cupped Marcus’ face in his warm hands and tickled his nose with his thumbs. Instantly there were delighted giggles. 
    Emmett fought the icy prickles of panic which were forming in his gut. Of nervous disposition in times of stress, Emmett took great care to preserve an outward appearance of normality. He blamed his parents for his slippery-slidy grasp of even temperament and, in darker moments of reflection, was convinced that an errant gene would eventually provide the impetus for his descent into madness.
    You have the package! You have the ticket to a better future! Don’t blow it, Emmett!
    “I want to visit Cathy,” demanded Marcus suddenly.
    Emmett tweaked his son’s nose lightly. “O.K., we’ll do that very soon.” How he was going to break the news to his son about his playmate, little Cathy, was something he needed help deciding. He held his son tightly, assuring him while pushing his own feelings of panic out of the way.

              “Are you content with the manner in which the Mayor operates our malls, Mr. Strachan?”
    Emmett nodded quickly.  “Yes, yes I am. I have always been supportive of Mayor Elias. It has always been my pleasure to acknowledge what he has done for me and my family. As you know, my wife and I have been parents for two years,