Warning: This post is not for the faint of heart. You were warned.
“Scholars, we will be witnessing an execution this afternoon,” the teacher said, and Cynthia screamed. Literally screamed. Jellia waited for the teacher to physically chastise her or something but apparently this was custom as, besides two kesh-u-i and one kesh going to comfort her (which for the kesh meant just standing near her and looking serious) no one seemed put out.
“This period will be free,” the teacher continued when Cuynthia had quieted down enough, she could be heard. “I would remind you that Jellia has not yet witnessed an execution, at least here, so you should stand by to answer her questions.”
Jellia stared, especially as Leah, Chad, and Grant came over and stood near her. Chad and Grant are also doing the whole ‘look serious’ thing. What was this?
“All pregnant females, please go to the infirmary. If any of you are pregnant and haven’t told me, please go as well. And take all of the infants, please.
“Now, the rest of you, we will be walking down to Justice Square.”
“No, no, no…” the kesh said as they led him in. “No, no… please, no….” He said, sobbing.
Well, her teacher had said they were there for questions, so she leaned over to Chad and asked, “I don’t understand. Shouldn’t he be trying to be… be whatever it is you males are always wanting to be? Calm and accepting or whatever?”
“We call it ’stoic’, Jellia, and no. It is not at all Custom. His job now is to demonstrate the utter horror of what he has done, and its severity… and the severity of the punishment. As is yours… You females…
“Brother!” a kesh shrieked from the back, and Jellia turned to see her being restrained by two males. “Oh, Brother, no! You can’t… no!”
The kesh himself kept sobbing until he came near the family, which he seemed to recognize, and he turned to them, “Oh, please…” he said, and the man closest to him leapt forward and struck him. Again and again, he struck him and even, when he finally fell to the floor, kicked him. Then the ska stepped back into the family group, and the ska reached down and picked the kesh up again. “No! No, please!” the kesh shrieked.
“He was hoping that they would knock him out,” Chad said, leaning over. “In some cases, where the guilt is less severe, they might have. I have even seen them die before the execution.”
“Code and custom preserve liberty,” the official standing at the front said, and Jellia, along with the rest of the crowd, replied, “Code, Custom, and Command.”
“Yesterday evening, this Kesh Festin Dardin did order a skimmer, having consumed a great deal of alcohol. Having procured the skimmer, he then proceeded to put it in manual and…”
While the ska was reading the charges, the three skas with the prisoner were holding him up against a wall while he struggled and putting a strap around his neck. “What is that?” Jellia asked.
“That strap will hold him in place,” Chad replied. “And it has a very strong but small wire in it which goes through a hole in the wall behind him.”
When they finally got the strap in place, the kesh shrieked and began pulling at it frantically.
“Oh, I hate it when they do that,” Leah said. “I just hate it.”
Jellia didn’t know why that made it worse, but watched, appalled at his contortions.
“… Where, this morning, a jury of twelve mature men deliberated and agreed that his actions demonstrated clear irresponsibility leading to death.”
“No!” Shrieked the kesh as the man pushed a button next to him… and Jellia’s world went dark.
“What… what happened?” she asked, waking. She was in some dark room, lying on a mat on the floor. Leah sat next to her, and there were a dozen or so other scholars still sleeping or being helped to their feet.
“You became hysterical,” Leah said. “And the tech gave you Soma.”
“I don’t remember that,” she said, sitting up.
“And you probably won’t,” Leah agreed. “But you will eventually remember the actual execution. But it won’t be as… as vivid.”
“I wish I didn’t have to.”
“That would be a violation of code and custom,” Leah said. “To whom is given much freedom, is given much responsibility… as the saying goes, as you were being patched. That is our life, here.”
Jellia shook her head. She loved her life here, but today had not been her favorite day. “Where is Carl?” she asked.
“Next door. I nursed him while you were out, but I’m sure he will be glad to see you.”
Contract Marriage
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
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Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von