They are all seated together in the reception room. The others have arrived ahead of us, ad I see Melissa, Carol, the two other women, and the members of the community. I think they are all present. The air carries a rather heavy weight, and I am certain that no one is going to be very pleased with the outcome of the discussion.
"Are we terribly late?" says Aaron.
"No need to worry", says Melissa. "we are just finishing up."
"Have we missed anything?"
No one answers. There are no empty seats, so we , Aaron and I , just stand there, looking in on the others. Then some of them, all members of the community, slowly get up and quietly file out of the room, leaving the rest of us, along with Sarah, Maureen, Jenn, François, George, and Jeff. No one else, apart from us the guests. Carl sits in an armchair in the centre of the room, his face buried in his hands. Melissa appears pensive and expressionless, her usual self. The others all sit around him, as though to offer a ring of protection. Carol is seated off to the side, the cat next to her. She is stroking him gently.
Carl slowly removes his hands from his face. He appears stricken, pale, as though trying to contain some deftly concealed horror.
"Could someone please tell me what just happened?" says Aaron.
Carl mumbles something, then pauses, then tries again to speak. Then he turns to Aaron and I, and says, "Where were you two just now?"
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