Realistic way to ensure letter is posted in 10+ years time [closed]
Closed by System on Feb 19, 2018 at 14:49
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I'm a bit stuck on what should be a straightforward plot issue but not sure what is actually realistic.
The character is going away into tera incognita (effectively exile until a deadly enemy has surely died, who will stop at nothing to hurt their family if it'll hurt the character). They may come back in 30 - 40 years time, if still alive. Or they may die alone; nobody at home will be aware either way. Essentially they will drop off the map and that's the end of all contact or knowledge of them unless by some chance they decide to return home in old age.
The character wishes to ensure a letter is delivered to their first grandchild (I'm handwaving away "what if their daughter doesn't have any children?") in about 40 years time. My question is, what would a realistic way be, to ensure this is done?
The story is set in the UK, in today's world. There's no magic or non-realistic elements, and the story gains a lot of its force from the care taken to research and portray matters accurately. It's also in a very "everyday" style, so it would be fine if they instruct some professional or put a document in a bank for storage. Money to pay for the service isn't a problem. What I'm stuck on is how they would actually do it, if someone really wanted to.
- They can't leave it with family or friends. Family / friends might let slip, or it may be seen by someone or just be misplaced or forgotten over the years (if the person who knows about it has an accident). 40 years is a long time for someone to remember they have a thing to do.
- If they wanted to leave it with a professional, the same applies - how would one be sure that a law firm would actually remember and not send the file out for shredding in 15 years? Do law firms ever have things on file to be done in decades time, in real life, or do they realistically require a person to contact them and remind/instruct them at the point in time when it needs doing?
- Would it work to set up a trust with the law firm as trustee and an outside auditor, and an extra trust deed requirement that the auditor checks the trustees are acting as directed? So that the law firm would have to administer it and keep it "active", even if for 39.9 years all it did was pay legal fees? But if the law firm didn't, who would the auditors tell, or what could the character write into the instructions to deal with it?
- Would one pay a law firm to check the file annually, or some such, just to ensure it was never archived or forgotten?
- If not, what would someone do in today's society, if it really mattered?
The item - actually 2 items - to be delivered are the two halves of an encryption key + encrypted message pair. The character leaves the message to be delivered this way, by 2 routes that don't know of the other's existence, because then the 2 people/firms delivering them cannot read the message, since one only has encrypted text and the other only has an encryption key. But when the grandchild obtains both, they will be able to read the message, which directs them to any of 3 safety deposit boxes at different banks, all containing an identical envelope, and also tells them the code required to authenticate as the deposit box's owner. The latter part is easy since banks can be paid in advance (they hold mortgage documents for decades and at least one of 3 major UK banks will probably still be round, even if taken over, in decades time). But ensuring the messages will be delivered is less obvious.
Any help much appreciated, hopefully this is "in topic" to ask!
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/33342. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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If your character is influential (and I know this is a bit overkill), they could form something akin to a brotherhood whose sole purpose is to get this letter delivered (think Dan Brown's Priory of Sion who were dedicated to keeping Saunieres secret).
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/33384. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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If you trust safety deposit boxes to last for decades when paid in advance, then arrange this service with the bank.
Hire a long established law firm (or two, for safety), that agree to a contract to perform this service for you in 10+ years.
Pay for a safety deposit box in advance 10+ years; with notification of additional fees due sent to an office in the law firm you hired. Typically you can list yourself as a co-owner, my wife and I are both signers for our safety deposit box.
Ensure the law firm can access it with just proof of their identity as one of the owners. Put your paid contract with them inside the safety deposit box, along with any items to be delivered.
The bank will not let your box just sit there without payment, they will notify the owner at the address given that rent is coming due (the law firm). The law firm will not just ignore the notice, they will investigate, know your name as co-owner, open the box, and find your contract. Even if they inadvertently destroyed theirs or lost it in a fire or move, yours should suffice, for such a small service, they will likely execute it. You could include cash or gold to cover any additional expenses they might encounter, such as discovering the proper recipient. Law firms are not in the business of ripping off clients, even if it is easy, they won't risk a scandal, and they have no idea if you are alive and could prove they violated their contract.
If you did this with TWO law firms, you increase the odds of success, and it certainly would not damage anything if the recipient received two (or more) copies of the same key, or same message.
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