The next day the young man met with his uncle at a local coffee shop that looked out over the rail yard. Although the consumption of coffee had been determined by the "Counsel of the Consecrated Ones" to be a violation of scriptural principles and grounds for "disunion proceedings", ("you shall separate yourselves from wine and similar strong drink") it would be a quiet place where they both could discuss what had transpired the day before at the Unity Department. Uncle Dimitri was the "Prolocutor of the Vessels of Knowledge". As Boris entered the shop, he saw his Uncle Dimitri smile and wave to him from a small table by a window where the sun shone in. Dimitri was dressed in his typical worn London Fog raincoat, a blue thrift shop suit and scuffed brown Florsheim wingtips, his old Core MC2 tablet on the small table. As he slid into his chair, their waitress, a young polish girl asked what she could get them. Knowing his nephew and he enjoyed the same drink Uncle Dimitri said, "We'll have two Red Bulls please". The young polish girl replied, "Very good...we having big decline!" ...and walked away. Boris and his Uncle looked at each other and began to chuckle. "I think", said Boris, "that probably her English isn't so good and she meant to say that our drinks are on special" "Anyway Uncle Dimitri, yesterday Natasha and I went to obtain our "Unification Certificate". The man who interviewed us told us that because we were members of the Millennial Comrades that we would have to provide them with a verified sterility certificate. What is this Uncle Dimitri? Natasha and I just want to be married and have a family...have children. What is going on?" he asked excitedly. Uncle Dimitri took a deep breath and looked out the window. "Yes, its true" he said. Back in the 20's the Comrades went through some trying times. All around the earth Satan's governments were making the most absurd accusations against us...that we abused our children, that we denied them medical treatment, that we instilled fear in them. It was all lies. They framed trouble by decree and passed these draconian laws in one country after another. Thousands of our Comrades believed what they were seeing and reading and left the path and then, having the right to bear children taken away from us, our numbers plummeted. Our Shepherd Body humbly did all that they could to... "Wait, wait", said Boris, "What is this Shepherd Body?..I've never heard of that before. "Oh", Dimitri stuttered, "They were a group of special men who acted as God's sole channel of communication to all creation. But that arrangement changed with the passing of the last member, Comrade Sackerson back in 2031. Now we have the Council of the Consecrated Ones who keep us on the path." "What happened to Comrade Sackerson?" asked Boris. “Sadly, he aspirated on a cheese curd" replied Dimitri. "But by the will of God and their litigation bureau, our Comrades received a nice settlement” "But Uncle Dimitri, if this law was established in 2030, then why am I here? You have no children Uncle Dimitri...why?" Boris asked in confusion. Old Dimitri slumped forward with his elbows on the table, his hands covering his face, and began to speak in a whisper.

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