Virtually, the Sneddon family owned the City of one million citizens. At last count, at least fifty commercial enterprises in the City conducted business under the Sneddon name. Nobody other than a few Sneddons high up knew in how many other enterprises the family was a part partner.

It was a large family. Probably, not even a Sneddon knew precisely how large, numerically.

This story is about one minor happening in life of the smallest Sneddon family.

There were only four in the family: Dad, Mom, and their two adult children, Nessie, and Elizabeth.

This story is about one minor happening in the lives of Nessie and Elizabeth. Nessie was the elder by four years; she never missed an opportunity to claim that Elizabeth was their parents’ afterthought child; practically an accident.

Elizabeth never missed an opportunity to counter that Nessie was jealous because Elizabeth was by far the more attractive woman.

Elizabeth was. Everyone who came into contact with Elizabeth was mesmerized forever by her perfect beauty in face, figure, height, and health; and in personality, most of the time.

Neither sister pursued an education beyond Secondary School. Both claimed, with the approval of their parents, that because of their family’s fabulous wealth, formal education beyond Secondary level was quite unnecessary.

When a military rebellion changed the Nation’s Government from a Democracy to a Tyranny, the Sneddon financial empire was unscathed. Indeed, Nessie Sneddon exploited the situation to create really challenging excitement in her perfect wealthy boring lifestyle. Just for the heck and fun of it, she secretly organized and ran a Political Resistance Movement.

A major component of the excitement was to hide the existence of Nessie’s secret Underground Resistance Organization from her Dad and Mom.

While Nessie knew she had to let Elizabeth know about the secret Underground Organization, she knew she was obliged to be extra vigilant against Elizabeth’s approach to dangerous political dissidence as ‘all fun and games.’

The Government legislated the death penalty by hanging within ninety days of conviction by military court-martial for political dissidence.

For the first three years of the Tyranny, Nessie’s Underground Resistance specialized in secretly transporting political dissident persons out of the country. Her goal always was to not allow a suspect to be arrested. She knew she was helpless once the suspect was in police custody.

To help her in her Undercover activities Nessie legally incorporated a touring Theatre Company Charity that specialized in staging plays written anonymously for Christian instruction in Europe in the Middle Ages. In those centuries thousands of scripts were staged by Christian communities all over Europe.

The staging of such theatre plays was the perfect medium for Nessie’s illegal undercover mission. The scripts had been written originally to be enacted with bare minimum or no scenery, and no obligatory musical accompaniment. Best of all, for Nessie’s purpose, there were absolutely no requirements of talent, not even the least modicum, in the illegal on-the-run actors and actresses cast in onstage roles. The single-minded purpose of the anonymous authors was somber serious instruction in Christianity: faith, ritual, and history. Entertainment of any category was conscientiously and deliberately excluded.

The fact that all theatre artists throughout European history have been in agreement that among those thousands of entirely Christian Church scripts there is none a credit even in the slightest to the art of the theatre, was the most important reason the evil political authorities in the Tyranny paid no attention to the activities of Nessie’s Charity Theatre.

Nessie’s first thought was to exclude her younger sister from the Underground activities. On second thought she was aware that since her and her sister’s lifestyles were so intertwined it was not practical wisdom to exclude Elizabeth from the Underground’s mischief and machinations.

And so when Elizabeth reveled in being cast in the role of Satan in some of the European medieval liturgical onstage plays, Nessie was thrilled and felt especially triumphantly vindicated.

In those Church plays in Europe the characters of devils in a plot created awkward circumstances. Christianity within an author and an onstage Actor was always at odds with the sincere whole commitment to the role of a devil. Hence, an onstage Actor playing a devil was allowed a fair measure of licence in original improvisation of speech, locomotion, and nonverbal body expression.

It was this licence that excited Elizabeth and caused her to volunteer so often for the role of a devil that she was practically Nessie’s Charity’s devil-in-residence.

Elizabeth’s extra joy in pretending to be a devil for all to see was in the fact that in those centuries of Christian liturgical theatre Actresses were not allowed, and while female human characters were played by male Actors, devils were always conceived by authors as being totally male, and were totally played as such.

Elizabeth Sneddon derived unique and fulfilling achievement in portraying Satan as totally wily female and exquisitely feminine. Elizabeth’s devils, even Satan and Lucifer, always sported lipstick of different colours.

In those first three years, Nessie’s Charity had smuggled at least thirteen dissidents out of the country.

In those three years, only once did the sisters almost fail in a life-and-death undercover venture.

Nessie was always in charge. Elizabeth took orders submissively. Nessie was meticulous about keeping Elizabeth on the fringes of the Underground machinations and skullduggeries. That almost-failed occasion was no exception.

By the usual clandestine routes and methods Nessie had received application for the rescue and flight of a young woman about to be arrested on suspicion of opposing the Tyrant Government.

The situation had unexpectedly taken a critical turn that compelled Nessie, for the first time, to use the Sneddon home in the operation. Although she hoped she could keep Elizabeth out of that operation, eventually she had no choice because their home premises had to be used.

The sisters entered a bedroom. They had been shopping. They carried bags and parcels. They chatted as they put the bags and parcels on the bed. They were not at ease with each other.

Nessie was solicitous and concerned, and kept her eyes on her sister, trying to make eye-contact.

Elizabeth was somewhat poutishly serious, and avoided eye-contact with her sister.

Nessie spoke hesitantly and softly: Uh, so you'll do it?

Elizabeth spoke cheerily, not pausing in her handling the parcels: You said I have a choice. Right?

Yes, Elizabeth. Of course, you do. When didn’t you?

So, if I refuse, you are not going to be angry? Right?

Absolutely. Not angry. When was I ever, with you, Elizabeth?

And just why would I be doing this?

A favour. For your favourite sister.

That's hardly a fair trade, Nessie. You get a favour while I risk my life.

Elizabeth, there is no risk at all if we follow my very simple plan. We are doing this kind of thing in other Cities as well, even as we are speaking here.

Each looked at the other seriously.

Sometimes, like now, Nessie, I wish you had never told me your secret. The Secret Police are everywhere. It's only a matter of time you will be caught.

Elizabeth, I’ve accepted that as a possibility from the beginning. I’ve said as much to you many times. And I have taken precautions.

This time is exceptional, Nessie. You have never included this home as a station in your operations. You could be implicating Dad and Mom.

I am painfully aware of that, but I am taking that risk only because they are out of town for the next few days. This operation will be over before they return, if you help me.

Elizabeth took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. Nessie hastened to her side and hugged her. Nessie spoke softly.

Tell you what, you do this for me, and when you are out of the country, I will go about closing down the operation.

Nessie, there’s no need to go that far. You are providing an exceptional service in our Nation.

I’ve come too close to being caught. If just one of us gets into trouble with this evil Government, it will utterly destroy Dad and Mom. You and I should plan on getting married and make Dad and Mom Grandparents. Mom is saying things that indicate she thinks we are homosexuals.

Really? I’ve heard Dad say things that indicate he would not mind one bit if we were.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, leaning into each other. Elizabeth got up and continued with the parcels.

What's the plan, again, Nessie?

Nessie joined in helping with the parcels.

You come to my place. Tuesday at two in the afternoon. They will be there.

They? Females? Males? This is the first time----.

Elizabeth, there is only one. I do not know the gender. That is part of the unusual complication. I drive the two of you to the airport. If all goes well, the plane leaves at eleven in the morning. The three of us are family.

You’re not using the Theatre Company?

I started there, but things got a bit dicy.

On Tuesday, Elizabeth arrived at Nessie’s home at nine o’clock in the morning. Nessie let her in at the front door.

“She’s here. She’s in the sitting room, expecting you. Go. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Elizabeth knew the way. A few steps from the entrance of the sitting room she paused to calm herself. She entered. The young woman was sitting in a sofa chair. When they saw each other, both reacted in shock.

“Petra?”

“Elizabeth!”

“On the phone yesterday you said you are oversees.”

“Nessie said I was to tell everyone that.”

“You’re our fugitive?”

“Yes.”

“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Had I known you knew Nessie, I would have told you.”

“Petra, Nessie is my sister.”

“How much are we going to tell her, Elizabeth?”

 “Everything, after we are overseas and are married. I am quite fed up with skulking around!”

“Good. Me, too! Quite fed up!”