05 May - the Quislings

Well north of Baltimore, a group stray cats calls out to the youngest Quisling daughter. The cats are the last survivors of a town that was flooded to make way for a dam that gave water and life to the once great city. Do you hear them? Do you?

On that same morning, the Quislings of Baltimore are preparing for a funeral. John Quisling, his wife Mary, and their three surviving daughters reflect on what outfits to wear, whether veils are appropriate, which type of flower expresses grief better than all others, and whether brown shoes can be polished black to reflect the somberness of the occasion. Each has a To Do List to keep the day moving forward. Each checks-off tasks as they are completed.

Throughout their lives, the Quislings of Baltimore had ordinary jobs, yielding ordinary means, and they lived in ordinary times. The only extraordinary aspect of their story was the odd coincidence that nearly every event of any importance in their lives occurred in the month of May - the month of false hope.

May I?
Maybe.
May not.