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Order Only: Neal Smullen
Sep. 11th, 2012 06:24 pmI met with Neal's mother, and came back this evening to speak with his father, too, after his work shift was over. Neal's mother is a seamstress, and his father works in a gravel quarry.
They're willing to consider letting us take Neal, but on one condition: they want his brothers to be told, too. Neal has two older brothers, aged ten and fourteen, and the mother, especially, is very firm that she doesn't want to have to pretend to them that the boy has died. I warned them that if the boy manifests his magic and the authorities find out before we come back, the decision may be taken out of all of our hands. That made her waver, but in the end, she stuck to her position. But on the other hand, if we tell the boys, and they let the information slip, then all of the children and adults at the sanctury, as well as those of the Order who work to shelter them, could come under great peril. Are children that age able to keep the secret, no matter what?
Well? Are we willing to do this?
I do suspect that there are other parents of children at Moddey Dhoo who have ended up telling siblings some of what is going on, after we have taken the babies and left. I've had hints of this when I've done the yearly follow up visits. Yet we have not yet had a whiff that the authorities suspect anything, and after all, the knowledge that the sanctuary exists is protected by the fidelius spell. I suppose the greatest danger may be to me and perhaps Bill, as well as the rest of us who do camp visits.
They're willing to consider letting us take Neal, but on one condition: they want his brothers to be told, too. Neal has two older brothers, aged ten and fourteen, and the mother, especially, is very firm that she doesn't want to have to pretend to them that the boy has died. I warned them that if the boy manifests his magic and the authorities find out before we come back, the decision may be taken out of all of our hands. That made her waver, but in the end, she stuck to her position. But on the other hand, if we tell the boys, and they let the information slip, then all of the children and adults at the sanctury, as well as those of the Order who work to shelter them, could come under great peril. Are children that age able to keep the secret, no matter what?
Well? Are we willing to do this?
I do suspect that there are other parents of children at Moddey Dhoo who have ended up telling siblings some of what is going on, after we have taken the babies and left. I've had hints of this when I've done the yearly follow up visits. Yet we have not yet had a whiff that the authorities suspect anything, and after all, the knowledge that the sanctuary exists is protected by the fidelius spell. I suppose the greatest danger may be to me and perhaps Bill, as well as the rest of us who do camp visits.