An almost invisible life

Task was to write about invisible in 1000 words.


A long time ago, in a county far away from where he later lived, Max was born into a commune of Hunter Gatherers, as they liked to be known. The famers and townsfolk referred to the commune dwellers as thieves,  whores and dope-heads but Max would live for some time before he understood the difference.

Max was an unassuming boy with no outstanding physical features. It was hard to distinguish him from any of the other children being parented by the group. I mention this group parenting because years ago the group decided that all children should be raised equally by all members, with mothers sharing their nurturing to any child requiring a feed and all the males sharing care and providing authority over all children. Every child was expected to be given equal affection and support by the members of the group, to promote a sense of peace, protection and communal love. This group parenting was decided at a council of the originators because it had soon become apparent, from the open satisfaction enjoyed by all members, that no-one in the group could ever be certain which coupling had fathered which child. The system had worked well and no one ever thought to change it.
As an observer I guess I could say it allowed the members of the group to relinquish individual responsibility over specific children and gave barren members both the pleasure and the duty of parenting. It is beyond me to make any criticism of the structure given its continued and mainly successful longevity.

But I was talking about Max, I have been researching his development with some interest. Max was never a troublesome child nor was he adventurous or slow witted. Like many of the children, Max was content. Content to be fed, content to do as he was directed and content with the comforts he received when hurt or upset. Some of the children found cause to seek more attention by performing brave or clever acts and so they became known as individuals but mostly the kids all grew up together and slowly became members of the commune. I guess it is a comfortable way to live in a sort of a heard protectorate, but I must not bring my social values to what is clearly a close and caring community.
There were high minded and well educated individuals in the commune who as part of their contribution willingly educated the young ones not only in the way of the commune but, in a surprising nod to awareness and responsibility, they also taught the kids the skills of literacy and numeracy. In fact the level of education has allowed many of the children to pass institutional exams and to gain real world certificates. Max, to his due, was a moderate student who achieved passes but did not excel or fail in any particular field. I remark on this purely because of the unlikely basis from which these achievements are obtained and, honestly, it flies in the face of my logic.
It will not be a surprise to you though, if I say that in time Max’s hormones developed and his dissatisfaction and rebellion slowly rose above the platitudes and calming words of the elders of the commune. I would like to say that this disobedience within the commune was seen as a mark distinguishing Max as an individual, but the group had seen it all before and knew in time Max would either calm down , or if he left, would return, as so many offspring had done in the past. If he didn’t come back that was fine too. It was an ordinary part of the commune experience and Max was allowed the space to make his decisions with the gentle guidance of the commune ringing in his ears. Not unlike many before him, Max decided to leave the commune and find work and experiences in the outside world. Well, not in the outside world nearby, because the farmers and towns folk were not all that accommodating. By now Max had understood the difference between hunter gatherer and stalker thief.  It is my presumption though that while he knew the disparity he saw no ethical difference. I say this because of his general lack of observance to common law from the moment he left the commune. I make reference here to his early fare evasion and petty theft.
It must be said that these minor crimes did not earn him any special attention from the authorities and permanent records of his early years were not retained against his name. I presume Max either became wiser in avoiding consequences or very cleverly avoided being observed in suspect activities. I do know he established a home with a girlfriend who was employed in a semi professional role and that he for some years sought benefits but also held a number of part-time jobs in hotels, betting shops and as a builder’s labourer on major sites around Leeds. There is no record of his marriage and Max’s name does not appear on the birth records of the children his partner bore. In fact if you were planning a life of insignificance and low profile you could not do much better than to match Max’s seemingly practiced triviality.

That may seem to you to be a strange comment, but of course you are unaware that I am referring to the Holbeck Hacker. It has taken me seven years to link the back street slaughters of all seventy two victims and to find the one common link that directed me to Max.  A simple hg scrawled in the victim’s blood next to every eviscerated corpse. That, and the fact that every victim had used a cash machine and all items of value were removed post mortem had led police to focus on known thugs with the initials or connections to any pseudonym of H.G.
Max Kristofferson of course was never a suspect as he was, for all intents and purposes, invisible to the society in which he hunted and gathered. (hg)

The End.