A Short Story about the Haves and the Have Nots

One day, the Haves were told they needed to hang up their old hats and wear bonnets now.  And the bonnets must be yellow, because that’s what was decided by Those in Charge.  So the Makers made sure they had yellow bonnets available to the Sellers, and the Sellers had them in the Central Plaza’s shopfronts, and the Haves could choose if they wanted their yellow bonnets with a leather chin strap, or a vegan friendly hemp ribbon to keep the bonnet on.

The Have Nots, who were a much larger population and only went to the Central Plaza to buy household necessities, felt exhausted.  One particular Have Not found it a grave reminder that they would never replace their decades-old purple bowler, a hat that was once the star of the storefront.  Others had worked hard to afford last month’s straw cowboy hat and were frustrated that they had to upgrade so soon.  A rare few Have Nots didn’t even like yellow, or bonnets for that matter, so it didn’t worry them much.  To them, a hat was a necessity against the constant, searing heat and nothing more.

Then, Someone in the Middle randomly walked in to the Central Plaza wearing naught but the hair on their head, humming merrily to themselves, while pirouetting up onto a raised platform into the middle of the Plaza.  All the Haves, Have Nots and even Those in Charge watching from afar on their screens, stopped to witness the spectacle.

“Behold!” Someone in the Middle cried, “Behold the Bonnetless.  Today, I have given myself permission for the sun to shine on my face for a little while.  And when the sun shines too bright, as is our reality this century, I will be donning a Magnificent Accoutrement for all reasons and seasons!”

The Haves were excited to hear this, because they could smell the buzz of a new purchase coming on. The Have Nots shifted uncomfortably, as it was yet another standard they couldn’t live up to, while the Empowered didn’t care either way, for hopefully obvious reasons.  They just sat back and smiled, admiring what Someone in the Middle was up to.

Those in Charge had their Men at the Ready to swoop down into the plaza on Tarzan type ropes to remove this mouthy whippersnapper from the central platform, if things got out of hand.  However, they paused the order to engage, because this person in the middle could be a malleable new fashion designer they could “partner” with. 

Someone in the Middle then produced a Magnificent Hat, of all colours, made out of wonderful strips of textiles from throughout the ages.  They placed the wonderful invention on their head and addressed the air,  “Makers and Those in Charge - fear not, as your designers can make one just like this and smack a high price on it, because some of their designs are actually good and your Haves will gobble them up.  I give you the rights to freely replicate this model, but do stay in your lane.”

Before anyone could react, Someone then turned to the Have Nots and said, “You can also have such a hat by making your own, as easily as any Maker could - and I shall teach you the recipe, if this is what you wish.”  Tiny sparks of inspiration began budding within the minds of the Have Nots.  Some even conceptualised beautiful, personalised designs made just for them, in the forefront of their minds.

Someone in the Middle winked, produced a wooden flute, stepped off the platform and pranced about the audience with it.  The Haves expected Someone in the Middle to use the Magnificent Bonnet to collect money, like a busker.  Instead, Someone left the Central Plaza, with the Have Nots following the music notes out of the Plaza and into the Great Outdoors.

There, the Have Nots removed their hats, allowing a few minutes of sunshine onto their faces.  It felt good.  Someone in the Middle then lead them to collect unwanted strips of fabric from the Perfectly Good Items Waste Dump and taught them some basic millinery skills.  It was lovely to see all designs were of a colour, fabric and style of each Have Not’s creative choosing.

They wore their new designs with pride and removed the brass “Have Not” SOS bracelets from their wrists and declared they would like be known as the Anyones.

And the Empowered, who had seen this whole story repeat over and over throughout time, congratulated Someone in the Middle and the Anyones for a job well done and invited them over for tea.  And for the first time, the Anyones felt ready to accept that invitation.

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