The New World Order.

  I recently  came across this little story that I wrote many years ago for a writing class I was taking while on  sabbatical in North Carolina.

                                                              The New World Order. 

1980

             "I think the North America Free Trade Association really is screwing the U.S." Phil commented, scooping a leaf out of the swimming pool with the long net designed for that purpose.

            "Yes, Canada too." Steve said, squinting into the setting Carolina sun, "In fact, everyone I know seems to think that. I can't understand how we got into it"

            "Ah," said Phil,"It's because that was the decision of the New World Order."  He skillfully trapped another leaf.

            "What new world order?"

            "You mean you've never heard of the New World Order?  You never heard President Bush's New World Order speech?" asked Phil, incredulously. "You guys up in Canada really don't know what's going on."

            "Of course I've heard of Bush's new world order speech.”  Steve responded with a look of feigned disgust, “Guys like you are always reading ominous meanings into situations. Bush was talking metaphorically, all he meant was that someday we are going to have an ideal, peaceful world where everyone is going to live in perfect harmony, and we are all going to love each other and never fight any more wars. Pure political rhetoric,that's all."

            "Oh no, we're talking conspiracy here," Phil said seriously."

            Steve smiled, "You've got to be kidding."

            "No I'm not!"

 Steve's face assumed a more pensive mien.

            "You're not the first person who I've heard say that, though I must admit that I certainly didn't give it any serious consideration. In fact, I considered that individual to be a nut."

            "That’s no way for a psychiatrist to be talking." Phil was interested, “but tell me about it anyway.”

            "Well," began Steve, "it must be about five years ago now, when Anne and I went to Porta Vallarta.  It was one hell of a holiday because we both got really sick, not the usual 'Montazuma's Revenge', but a very high temperature and a violent headache. I started out with it and I must say was so sick that I thought I probably had a viral meningitis. I was just considering calling a doctor when I woke up feeling better.  That very same day Anne started to get ill,and ran the same course. By the time we were both up and around, we decided to take a trip on a ferry across the Bay of Bandera, to some little picturesque village. The ferry ride was pleasant enough, but as we were sitting relaxing on deck, we were approached by a pleasant enough man in his forties, with a slight foreign accent.  We chatted a while,and he told us he was a Mennonite minister living in Western Canada.

            He was a rather extroverted sort of fellow, who talked a mile a minute and after talking a while his manner became increasingly serious.

            'The whole world is in a desperate state,' he said, 'and is being run by  small, clandestine groups of people, who are gathering more and more power.'

            'And who may they be?' I asked, suspiciously.

            'They are the New World Order, didn't you hear President Bush's speech.

Mostly they’re a bunch of Freemasons.'

            'Pretty farfetched, I think it's all a bunch of poppycock.' I was growing wary.

            'I can prove it,' he said,a knowing smile on his face, 'Put your hand in your wallet and pull out an American one dollar bill.’

            I did, and put the bill on the bench between us.  He turned it over,face down and pointed a finger at it.

            ‘See that pyramid, and the human eye on it. That's a well known Masonic sign. And that's the agreement between Masons all over the world that the New World Order is going to take over.'

            Well, Phil,you know me, and by this time I was getting pretty fed up with listening to this guys garbage. Next, thing he is telling us that Hitler was half Jewish, and I come to the conclusion that we have a real loony on our hands. So, not too politely, I tell him to get lost, that I really have no time to listen to any more of this nonsense and with that, Anne and I moved to the most distant point of the ferry we could find.  That's my story of my

previous experience of the New World Order."

            I pulled out a dollar bill and threw it down on the table.

            " What do you make of it." Steve asked provocatively.

            He picked up the dollar bill, turned it over, examined it carefully and shrugged his shoulders.

            "Funny, I’ve been spending them all my life  guess I never looked at one that closely before," he said. "that symbol is certainly there, I don't know what it means."

            "Well I'll tell you what I'll do," Steve said, "I'll phone the treasury department tomorrow, and tell them I'm a numismatist with  special interest in paper money, and that I'm studying the iconography of paper money and want to know what the design on the back of the one dollar bill means."

            "Don't do it from my phone number and don't give them your name or address,either," said Phil seriously.

            "You're joking" Steve said.

            "No,I'm perfectly serious" he said, perfectly seriously.

            "What do you think might happen?" Steve asked derisively.

            "Anything could happen," he said ominously.

            "Here, in the United States ?"

            "Yep," he said.

            "I know you’re kidding me now."

            "No, I'm not. So if you make the phone call don't do it from here."

            Steve was leaving for Durham in a couple of days, so the next day,sure that Phil wouldn't really mind and that their talk of the previous evening was just the usual kidding they often indulged in, he phoned the Treasury Department.

            "Hello," Steve said."I'd like some information,please."

            It took him a couple of minutes to realize he was talking to a machine.

After going through the usual aggravating automated rigmarole, he finally got through to a human, who sounded more like an automaton than the machine had.

            "I'm trying to find out what the symbols on the back of a one dollar bill means. I'm a coin collector and I'm doing some research on paper money."

            "One moment,sir, and I'll connect you to our research department."

Steve waited for what seemed like an eternity, then a business-like male voice,

            "I understand that you were inquiring about the symbols on the back of a one dollar bill," it said. "can I have your name, address and telephone number, please."

            "Er, I just to wanted ask a question about some pictures on the  paper currency," Steve said.

            "We can't give you any information until you answer the questions I just asked you, sir".

            Steve thought he  heard an ominous click on the line and hung up right away.

            A queasy feeling came over him, which lasted a few minutes. When it settled he laughed at his imagination.

            "That Phil really psyched me" he thought. "What an idiot to hang up like that."

            Although he wondered whether he should tell Phil about this incident, the fact that he had been asked not to make the  call from the house, and did anyway, embarrassed him. He soon forgot about the whole episode.

            Over the next few months, He carried on with his work in Durham, and frequently he and Anne spent the weekend with Phil and his wife. He never mentioned the event again, and as Phil didn't either, he knew he really had let his imagination run away with itself.

            Three months later, just before they boarded their flight to continue the sabbatical abroad, they decided to phone Phil and Jane, to say goodbye.

            "Hi Jane," Steve said when she answered the phone. "Let me talk to Phil."

            "He's not here right now," Jane said. "This morning he had a call from the Treasury Department, and had to go right down to see them today.  I sure hope he’s not having trouble with his taxes.  He paid so much this year maybe they want to give him some back." She laughed nervously.  A horrible thought crossed Steve’s mind, “I’ll call back tomorrow,” he said.

            Steve had a restless night as he so often did nowadays, but on this occasion his mind kept racing back to Phil’s trip to the Treasurey Department.

His mind kept playing over that phone call of months ago, that long wait and ominous click.  He hoped he hadn’t got Steve into any trouble.  He resolved to tell Phil about the call he had made from the house and face the music.  He gave up trying to sleep at six o’clock, and started rehearsing what he was going to say to Phil as soon as it was late enough to call.  At nine a.m. he picked up the phone, relieved that he had decided to unburden himself after all these months, and to  tell the truth.  He picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Jane answered the phone.

     “Jane, Steve here, “let me talk to Phil”

     “Oh Steve,” She sobbed, “Phil is in the Intensive Care Unit at City Hospital, He was hit by a hit and run on the way home yesterday."”

      Phil died the next day.  The driver of the car was never identified. 

        (After posting this  I  looked up 'New World Order' in Wikipedia  - yo might be surprised!)