IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
"I'LL WATCH MY BACK!"
By; Gerald A. Polley
All rights reserved.
It's some time in the not too distant
future. A teenage girl, Mary Holmes, bursts from the door of the
sisterhood and quickly makes her way up the street, crossing through
the busy traffic in a blare of horns. She quickly makes her way
down the side street into the parking lot of city hall. She
hurries up the steps and into the police station. The attendant
on the desk looks up.
"You've got to stop them!" Mary screamed. "They're going to kill him! You've got to stop them!"
"Who, dear?" the attendant asked, pressing a button that would summon an officer.
"Hussein," Mary managed, "my boyfriend. He's
working at The Sisterhood, in training to be a brother. He tried
to get one of the goddesses to use marijuana! They're sending him
home. As soon as he gets there they'll kill him!"
The police chief came out with her ever present
smile. "Now, now, Mary! Calm down! I know The
Children are hard, but I'm sure they won't be that hard!"
"They will be!" Mary answered. "It's their
law. And especially the goddesses. They're taking him to
Harborside to catch the next plane out. You've got to stop
them! You've got to keep him here! If he sets foot in his
own country he's dead, and that bastard knows it. That's why he's
sending him back there. It was just a little marijuana. He
wanted to help her relax, that was all. They'll kill him for it!"
The chief of police sighed, took out her cell phone,
and dialed a number. "Hello dear!" she remarked, "This is Chief
Brenton. Can I speak to him? Thank you dear."
There was a few moment's delay and then the chief
started talking again. "Mary Holmes is over here at the station.
She's worried. Apparently a young man offered somebody something
he shouldn't have had, but she's afraid the punishment's going to be
way too severe. Yes, I know you do not appreciate me interfering
in your affairs. You never have. But it's ridiculous to scare
young people like this. He's already gone? By now he's out of my
jurisdiction? Oh. All right. Thank you! That's one of
the greatest men in the world," the chief sighed, "he's done more good
than anybody I've ever known. But still, sometimes he is a total
and complete ass!"
She dialed another number. "Hello, Bill!
This is Chief Brenton at Fairpoint. You've got trouble coming
your way. Apparently a young man tried to get one of the
goddesses to use marijuana. They're sending him home. I
have an individual here claiming they'll kill him. Can you see if
you can pick him up at the airport? Good. Thank you! Owe
you!"
The chief closed the phone. "That's the best I can do," she sighed, "it's now up to them."
Mary sighed too. "Maybe I can go back
and talk to him," she managed. "Maybe he can be reasoned with."
The chief shook her head. "There's nothing left in
that man," she remarked, "to reason with. Once he thinks something is
just there's no changing his mind. And he simply will show no
compassion or pity to drug addicts, especially those trying to get
people to use them."
"He's just a young person himself," Mary argued.
"He's only fifteen!" The chief shrugged. Mary headed back to the
headquarters. When she got to the door the guard blocked her
way.
"Sorry, miss," he snapped, "you've been forbidden
from the property for a few days. Your friends will let you know
when you can return. But you're interference at this time is
unwelcome."
Mary sighed and headed home. At Harborside
International Airport the police on duty watched for a vehicle.
When It pulled up to the receiving area and two burly men got out,
escorting a teenager, they moved forward. "'Scuse me!" one of the
officers snapped, "We've had reports this young man is being removed
from the country against his will. He'll have to go with us until
we find out what's going on."
Another man stepped in between them and those
getting out of the car. "Higgins!" he snapped, "United States
State Department! These individuals have diplomatic
immunity. They are agents of a sovereign nation. You cannot
interfere with their operations. If you do so criminal charges
can be filed."
The two police officers looked frustrated. "It's all
right!" the young man spoke up, "I've called my mother on the way
here. She'll meet me at the airport and this will be taken care
of. There's no need to fuss about it."
"Well, I guess there's not much we can
do," the police officers managed. Still don't like it, though.
These people own a few miles of property around the world, and people
say they're a sovereign nation. Go ahead!"
The escorts took the young man to the plane.
Once he was on board and it was airborne they returned to their
headquarters. The networks had already picked up the story.
Back at Fairpoint Mary napped. She really couldn't sleep.
She knew the plane was getting closer and closer to its destination,
and she didn't leave her television. Finally, a reporter appeared
on the screen.
"There's thousands of people," she remarked, "all
around the airport. Some of them are carrying signs that say 'In
The Name Of God, Mercy!' and 'Shame, Shame!' Others are carrying signs
that say 'Death To The Betrayer! Death To The Destroyer Of
Children!' There's heavily armed riot police everywhere. I
can see the plane now. It's just landing. The crowd is
really getting irritable. The different groups are shouting at
each other. The plane's taxiing toward the terminal. No, it's
stopped. A temporary ramp is going up to it. The door's
opening. Several people are going on the plane. They're
coming right off again. The young man in question is with
them. They're taking him to something by the runway that was
rolled out earlier. It looks like...my God it is! It's a
gallows! They're stripping the young man in front of
everyone! He's crying, saying something to the woman beside him.
She just slapped him! She slapped him again! They're'
taking him up the gallows. They're tying his hands behind his
back, fastening something to his legs, spreading them apart. The
woman's gone to the side of the gallows. She just jerked a lever.
My God! My holy God! They've hung him! They've hung
him! No trial, no hearing, nothing! They just took him off
the plane and hung him! What has the world become? What has
the world become? What's become of us? A boy just offered a
girl some marijuana. That's all. He didn't kill anyone, he
didn't hurt anyone, he just offered a girl some marijuana and they hung
him, they hung him like an animal! What has the world come to?
What have we become? God help us! God help us!"
Mary threw herself down on her bed and began to
weep. She began to weep heavily. She didn't remember
when she went to sleep but when she woke up the president was
on. "The United States," she was saying, "may not approve of what
happened yesterday. The American People may think it was unjust
and unfair. But it was the private affairs of two separate
nations and acceptable under their laws. We can take no legal
action in the matter. It is not our concern. Those crying
out for the world court to take legal action are out of line. We
cannot interfere in the legal actions of other states. We might
disagree with their laws, but they are their laws. Some people
simply are not as liberal as we are. Do not consider things that
we consider acceptable as acceptable. This is unfortunate!
But as long as they obey the law in The United States we have to
respect their sovereignty. So I ask those in The United States
government who are speaking of taking legal action to cease and desist.
I do not wish to make that an order, I am making that a request.
But if people wish to remain in my service they should respect that
request. I thank you!"
The phone buzzed and Mary picked it up. "Hello?" she managed.
"Hello Mary!" came a very pleasant girl's voice. "I
still wish to be your friend. I still wish to have you
visit. I am sorry for what happened, but it could not be allowed.
Poison cannot be brought into our sanctuary. I'm sorry. Would you
like to come over after school?"
Mary thought for a moment and then managed
"Yes. I understand. I don't agree, but I understand."
Several days passed and one afternoon Mary was
arriving when he was talking to the girls, praising one for getting
most excellent grades on a test. When he was done he stepped over
and stood in front of Mary. "Are there still hard feelings
between us?" he asked.
"Sir," Mary answered, "If I ever had the opportunity
I would kill you. I know I will never have the opportunity even
if I was armed, you would destroy me. But if I ever had the
opportunity I would."
The man smiled and touched her cheek. "If
there's one thing I admire," he remarked, "above all else, it's
honesty! I'll watch my back. I'll make sure you never have
the opportunity!"
Everyone laughed. As the man walked off Mary
remarked "Doesn't he take me seriously?" Her companion smiled.
"Absolutely!" she answered "He doesn't doubt a word
you said. But as you say, you would never have the opportunity, so he's
not going to worry about it! If someone cannot harm him, he
simply does not concern himself with them."
Mary shook her head. "I'll never understand," she managed, "I will simply never understand!"
"There's many that don't!" the young woman answered.
"As long as no one is a threat to him, or, us, they have nothing to
fear from him. But if they endanger us in any way, any possible
way, if they try to do harm to us, he will act. He will act
swiftly, and, he will act surely. His whole existence is to
protect his children."
Mary returned her smile. "I know!" she
managed. "It's just sometimes I think he protects you a little
too much!"
Her companion returned her smile and they
headed off For a while they were just a couple of young women
talking about the things that young women talk about, and planning the
day to come. Every once and while a man peeked into the room
where they were then smiled a very pleasant, a very happy smile.
THE END
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