What Exactly Do All These Children Need?

On Friday it seemed like everyone was “celebrating” Children In Need. At my school we had 6^th formers dressing up and collecting money, BBC dedicated their night to it and there was even a bit of daylight robbery, all in the name of Children In Need that is.

While on the train, happily listening to music and waiting for my stop, I noticed a mother and daughter get on dressed as a baby and Tinkerbell respectively, both had buckets with the CIN logo plastered on the sides. They head towards my end of the carriage and I’m hoping to myself that they don’t pass me but if they do then the suitable alternative would be someone else not dropping money into their buckets so I won’t be alone. They get closer and closer and everyone has dug into their pockets and given them some change, I now feel obliged to comply with their demands and drop some money in myself. They get off at the next stop and move onto the next carriage.

I feel glad that I’ve got it over and done with and now won’t feel bad when I walk past the rest of the beggars in disguise later. Although this thought is soon to be crushed. As I get off and change trains I see the same two dressed up collectors get on the same train and even the same carriage. But surely I’m fine, I’ve already given them money. They wouldn’t ask me twice would they?

Little did I know, like on the previous train I would have no say in the matter. So they walk up and down the carriage and just like before everyone on the train puts something into their buckets. Hoping they’ll recognise me I sit down, headphones in and wait for them to pass me. But when Tinkerbell is in front of me she stops, I look up and wait for her to realise I gave her money on the previous train and she does I can see it in her eyes but she proceeds to stand in front of me shaking her bucket. Other passengers start to look and I can feel that if I don’t pay then a scene will arise. So unwillingly I put my hand into my pocket and drag out the remainder of my change and drop it in her bucket. She thanks me and smiles, but not because she has raised money for CIN but because she’s forced me to pay twice.

I get off and think about what’s happened, then I realise I’ve basically just been robbed at wand point. Damn Tinkerbell, there’s only one way to deal with this; “I don’t believe in fairies.”