The Crash of Hennington (40 page)

She wrung her hands together tightly, and her eyes darted around the room. She seemed to be getting more upset as she went along.

—Can I get you something to drink, Mrs Bellingham? Coffee? I’ve got a teapot still warm from lunch.

—That would be nice, Father. I can’t believe how much this has unsettled me.

—I can tell. Sugar?

—And milk, yes. Thank you.

—Now slow down and just tell me everything they said to you. Take your time.

—Right. After they invited me to sit down like a guest in my own house, they started talking about Theophilus Velingtham.

—Ah.

—Yes, I know. I’ve never cared for the man either. Wields his faith like a blunderbuss, that one. No joy whatsoever.

—Well put, Sister.

—For the first ten minutes, it was Theophilus this and Theophilus that, like they were converts to a new Theophilus religion.

—That might not be too far from the truth, unfortunately.

—And then things got even more ominous. They started talking about ‘the dark wind’ and ‘the light wind'.

—The Book of Ultimates.

—Yes, even though you’d preached that wonderful sermon about it, it seems Theophilus is doing exactly what you’d warned against.

—The ruckus in church.

—Yes. There’s more. There’s someone else.

—Someone else?

—Apparently, Theophilus believes, and has gotten a bunch of other people to believe as well, that there’s someone in Hennington who is the prophesized ‘light wind'.

—You’re kidding.

—I wish I was. To see my own friends brainwashed or whatever it is that’s happened, talking like they’ve joined some terrifying cult, which I’m afraid is exactly what they
have
done.

—Theophilus believes that the light wind prophesized in the Book of Ultimates has arrived in Hennington as a man?

—Yes, the prophecy that you don’t even believe in. That I don’t even believe in. I agreed with every word of that sermon you did on Brandon Beach.

—Does Theophilus give a name to this person?

—It took Tova and Evelyn forever to get around to it, and they weren’t going to tell me even then, but I played along and finally got it out of them. It’s someone named Jon. They didn’t know his last name, but they know he’s working with Thomas Banyon to get him elected Mayor of Hennington.

—That’s … I can’t believe it.

—Do you know anything about this man? Have you heard of him?

—No, but Thomas Banyon?

—Yes.

—After all the awful things that man has done to the Rumour community?

—I know.

—All those lives destroyed at that horrible, souped-up brothel?

—I know.

—And Theophilus is saying that someone close to Thomas Banyon is the light wind that people should follow?

—There’s something worse than wrong about it. It’s almost evil. You should have seen their faces when they were talking. I tried to tell them exactly that about Thomas Banyon, but apparently Theophilus is hinting that it’s a front, that Thomas is the dark wind that this Jon person is going to blow away.

—I’m dumbfounded. I thought Theophilus was such an obvious lunatic that—

—It’s worse than we thought.

—They wanted you to … what? Join up?

—Something like that.

—What did you say?

—I said I supported the teachings of the pastor in my parish, like every good Bondulay parishioner should. Then I threw them out.

—Goodness.

—I was so upset, I came straight here. I had to tell you.

—Thank you for that, Mrs Bellingham. Thank you so much.

—Do you remember that dream I told you about?

—Oh, yes. The one where your grandmother told you about someone or some force coming to Hennington, right?

—Yes. It seems she was right.

—I wish it weren’t true, but it looks like it is.

—What do we do, Pastor?

—First we pray. After that, I wish I knew.

86. The Debate.

[Selected, excerpts from the official transcript of the Hennington Mayoral Debate, moderated by Charles Jackson Foster, broadcast live from YYX3 Narrowcast Studios in St George, Hennington, 28 August, 7.00 p.m.]

Charles Jackson Foster:
Opening statements, please, gentlemen. Mr Banyon?

Thomas Banyon:
Thanks, Chuck. My Fellow Henningtonians. I stand before you tonight as a candidate for Mayor of our fair city. The Banyons have been residents and active members of Hennington society since the beginning of the Recent Histories. You all know the great achievements of my illustrious and respected father, Archie Banyon. Heck, half of you have worked for him at some time in your life.
[Scattered laughter]
Many of you have asked why I’m running for Mayor. It’s simple, really. I believe we’re at a turning point in the history of Hennington. Our Mayor is stepping down after twenty years in office. I’m sure you all join me in wishing her well. I hope you’ll also all join me in seizing this opportunity to put our city on track for a fresh start. The rigmarole is the same. You know it, and I know it. Our taxes could be lower, the government could be more efficient, unemployment has held steady at one rate for years and could be lower. These are all issues you know, and issues that I promise to tackle head-on with vigor. My opponent has been endorsed by Mayor Larsson and has worked all of his professional life in her office. What he promises, now that he’s changed his mind for a second time and decided to run, is more of the same. The same has been fine for twenty years now, but don’t you think we can do better? I do. That’s why I’m running for Mayor. With your help, I can make our great city even greater. Staying the course is no longer good enough.

CJF:
Mr Latham.

Max Latham:
Thank you very much, Charles. My fellow citizens, I believe in fate. I believe that sometimes destiny, or whatever higher power you individually choose to believe in, has plans for us that we shouldn’t question. It’s true, I had severe doubts about running for Mayor. As Mayor Larsson, my mentor and good friend, finally told me, if your heart isn’t in it one hundred per cent, then do the voters a favor and don’t run, because all of you out there deserve a Mayor whose heart and soul are committed to both the process and to the job. For a time there, mostly out of consideration for my ten-year-old daughter Talon, who I’m raising alone since the death of her mother, my heart and soul were
not
committed. So I withdrew, a decision I stand by as right at the time. I withdrew and waited with the rest of you to see who would come forward to run to replace the great Cora Larsson. It was only when Thomas Banyon became the sole entrant into the race that I reconsidered my position. The people of Hennington deserve a choice. You deserve a contested election that will pit different visions of our city against one another. And it is because I believe in my heart that my opponent’s vision for our city is so completely wrong, so much the antithesis of what has made Hennington great, that the fire in my heart and soul were rekindled. With the support of my daughter, who wants me to ‘win win win!’
[Scattered laughter]
and with the support of Mayor Larsson, I chose to re-enter the race. I intend to race hard, and if elected, I intend to be the kind of Mayor that Hennington can be proud of.

TB:
Implying that I’m not?

C JF:
Mr Banyon, please. We’ll follow our format of question and rebuttal. The candidates are to have no direct argument with one another, lest chaos reign.
[Scattered laughter and faint applause]
Now, to begin. Mr Banyon, you’ve taken quite a controversial position recently on the issue of The Crash …

TB:
… All these reasons I’ve stated before. The Crash is a public menace. It’s obvious to me. It’s obvious to all of you. The only person it’s not obvious to is my opponent, who considers the matter still ‘under investigation'.
[Scattered laughter]

C JF:
Mr Latham?

ML:
It’s clear that my opponent doesn’t have an actual real opinion on this matter. He’s merely stirring up public dissent. It’s cynical. It’s unpleasant. And it has no place in this campaign.

TB:
I resent that remark.

C JF:
Mr Banyon, please. You’ll have your own time for rebuttal.

TB: He’s calling me a liar.
CJF:
Mr Banyon, please—

ML:
May I continue?

TB:
Why should I put up with being called a liar by someone whose decisions are made for him? Someone who—

CJF:
Mr Banyon, enough! You’ll have the opportunity for a follow-up answer. Now, we’ll let Mr Latham finish. Mr Latham?

ML:
Thank you. My current job title is, of course, Crash Advocate-General. That means I speak for The Crash on city matters, both legal and civil. My office is in charge of investigating incidents like the tragic death of Maggerty, and that investigation is ongoing.

TB:
They killed him! They bloody killed him right before my eyes!

ML:
So far, we’ve only got your word for that, Mr Banyon.

TB:
He’s calling me a liar again. Why am I having to put up with this?

CJF:
Mr Banyon, please be quiet and wait your turn! And Mr Latham, may I remind you that you are to direct no comments at Mr Banyon.

ML:
Of course, my apologies. I’ll merely say that The Crash have existed in Hennington since longer than anyone alive can remember. They’ve always been a treasured part of city life. Now, obviously,
something
has gone wrong. We don’t know what, but it’s unprecedented. Until we know the details, it’s my opinion, and I think the opinion of any intelligent Hennington voter, that we give The Crash the benefit of the doubt until we know what’s happened. That’s my opinion, one that I strongly feel is the most rational.
[Scattered applause]

CJF:
Now, Mr Banyon, your follow-up rebuttal.

TB:
I’ve reconsidered, Chuck. I’m going to take the high road here and refuse to participate in the kind of character-impugning that my opponent has chosen. The people of Hennington deserve better than that. I stand by my position on The Crash, and I just hope it’s not the life of one of Hennington’s children that proves me right.
[Moderate applause]

ML:
… And I call on my opponent to tell us just who exactly his supporters are. I have nothing to hide. My support comes from right here in our fair city. Just who from the outside does Thomas Banyon have funding his campaign and what do these people exactly want in the way of promises if he’s elected?

CJF:
Yes, Mr Banyon. There has been press speculation on the identity and background of one Tybalt Noth, who has been seen very publicly as a part of your campaign. Care to answer Mr Latham’s charge?

TB:
First, I’d like to say I resent the implication that I can be bought by this so-called ‘funding’ of my campaign. I can assure everyone here that I have enough personal wealth to fund the campaign myself if need be, but otherwise I’ve broken no fundraising laws and have acted in no way that has been different from my opponent, who, I might add, is dependent upon donors to fund his campaign and therefore considerably more beholden to them than I would ever be. As for Mr Noth, he is merely a friend and advisor who provided only a small amount of administrative start-up money to the campaign and has in fact recently left his formal capacity in the organization.

CJF:
So he’s no longer working for you?

TB:
He’s provided tremendous help, but as an official advisor, that’s correct, he no longer works in the campaign.

CJF:
So what is his background, then? Now that you’ve said he’s provided tremendous help, perhaps you can shed some light on Mr Noth.