Ch. 2: Visitation
One afternoon there was a knock on Halo’s door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. She went to look through the peephole and saw a 50ish looking man dressed very nicely in a suit and tie. His tie was a deep green with gold diagonal stripes. He was balding. He was holding a black bag, like a doctor’s bag.
“Who is it?” Halo asked.
“Open the door,” the man replied.
“This is my house,” said Halo. “You can tell me who it is before you open the door.”
“Open the door,” said the man, “Or I will break it down. Your choice.”
So of course, Halo opened the door because she didn’t want the man to break it down. She glowered at the man, but said nothing.
“Ah, thank you,” said the man. “Doesn’t it feel great to have freedom of choice?”
Halo’s expression did not change.
“Speak when you are being spoken to,” said the man, with authority and anger in his face.
“Or what?” asked Halo. “Or you’ll break my bones? I am sure that’s what you’re here for anyway.”
The man looked at Halo surprised. “How did you know that? Oh wait, never mind, I am sure that troublemaker told you. What else did he tell you?”
Halo said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” because she felt it was the wisest choice of words. Why should she tell the fracturalist anything?
“Please,” said the man, “I know you’re lying. Don’t think that we don’t know all about him. Morningstar is his name, right?”
After saying this, the man set his bag down and opened it.
“I assume you are familiar with the Fracture Code for this region? You did participate in the vote last spring, did you not?”
“I wasn’t old enough,” said Halo.
“Ah,” said the man. “Too bad. Well, as a good citizen, you should know the Fracture Code anyway. Do you know what the law is regarding fractures in this region?”
“No,” said Halo, “But I am sure I am about to find out,” and she was trying to sound brave, but she felt exactly the opposite.
“Tsk, tsk,” the man said to her. “You should make it your business to know these things. After all, what good is an uninformed citizen? And I really do hope you vote next spring. It’s important for people to have a voice, part of the democratic process you know.”
“Did you vote this past spring?”
“Of course I did,” said the man. “Every good citizen votes. If you don’t vote, then you don’t really have a right to complain about anything, that’s what I say.”
“But why did you vote? Aren’t you immune from the fractures anyway?”
The man began laying instruments out on Halo’s carpet. There was a vice, something that looked like a very large nutcracker, and a metal nightstick, sort of like the ones police officers carry. Halo swallowed hard and tried not to look at them.
The man chuckled. “Now, who told you that? Of course I know, never mind. Don’t believe anything he says.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” said Halo. “He was right about----“
“I don’t have time to chit-chat with you, unfortunately. I have to get to a lot of houses today. Now, just so that you know, the people of this region voted and decided that they wanted to sustain fractures to all five fingers in whichever hand they do not use the most. Are you left-handed or right-handed?”
“Right-handed,” said Halo.
“Okay, then, give me your left hand.”
“I don’t want to,” said Halo.
“Oh come on now, I can’t stay here all day and debate this with you. The people of your region decided on this. It was all part of the democratic process. I am just giving the people what they said they wanted, now give me your right hand.”
“But it’s not as if they really wanted that,” said Halo. “I mean, what were the other choices?”
“I see that we’ll have to do this the hard way,” said the man. “Some people do it quietly and quickly, others put up a fight. You will soon learn that it’s easier if you just do it. Takes less time.”
And with that, the man pulled out a hammer. Halo wasn’t thinking, or rather wasn’t thinking the right thing. She assumed he was going to go for hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he hit her in the head. And she didn’t see it coming, so down she went.
* * *
It was pain that woke her up. Very large amounts of excruciating pain. Sure enough, when she looked down at her left hand, all of her fingers and her thumb were bent at horrible angles.
There was a note, typed out.
"You can resist, that is your choice. However, if you choose to resist, you will sustain not only the fracture/s, but a blow to your head. We must remind you that repeated blows to the head may cause brain damage. Remember to vote next spring."
[ 22 March 2002: Message edited by: Azurae ]
[ 23 March 2002: Message edited by: Azurae ]
One afternoon there was a knock on Halo’s door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. She went to look through the peephole and saw a 50ish looking man dressed very nicely in a suit and tie. His tie was a deep green with gold diagonal stripes. He was balding. He was holding a black bag, like a doctor’s bag.
“Who is it?” Halo asked.
“Open the door,” the man replied.
“This is my house,” said Halo. “You can tell me who it is before you open the door.”
“Open the door,” said the man, “Or I will break it down. Your choice.”
So of course, Halo opened the door because she didn’t want the man to break it down. She glowered at the man, but said nothing.
“Ah, thank you,” said the man. “Doesn’t it feel great to have freedom of choice?”
Halo’s expression did not change.
“Speak when you are being spoken to,” said the man, with authority and anger in his face.
“Or what?” asked Halo. “Or you’ll break my bones? I am sure that’s what you’re here for anyway.”
The man looked at Halo surprised. “How did you know that? Oh wait, never mind, I am sure that troublemaker told you. What else did he tell you?”
Halo said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” because she felt it was the wisest choice of words. Why should she tell the fracturalist anything?
“Please,” said the man, “I know you’re lying. Don’t think that we don’t know all about him. Morningstar is his name, right?”
After saying this, the man set his bag down and opened it.
“I assume you are familiar with the Fracture Code for this region? You did participate in the vote last spring, did you not?”
“I wasn’t old enough,” said Halo.
“Ah,” said the man. “Too bad. Well, as a good citizen, you should know the Fracture Code anyway. Do you know what the law is regarding fractures in this region?”
“No,” said Halo, “But I am sure I am about to find out,” and she was trying to sound brave, but she felt exactly the opposite.
“Tsk, tsk,” the man said to her. “You should make it your business to know these things. After all, what good is an uninformed citizen? And I really do hope you vote next spring. It’s important for people to have a voice, part of the democratic process you know.”
“Did you vote this past spring?”
“Of course I did,” said the man. “Every good citizen votes. If you don’t vote, then you don’t really have a right to complain about anything, that’s what I say.”
“But why did you vote? Aren’t you immune from the fractures anyway?”
The man began laying instruments out on Halo’s carpet. There was a vice, something that looked like a very large nutcracker, and a metal nightstick, sort of like the ones police officers carry. Halo swallowed hard and tried not to look at them.
The man chuckled. “Now, who told you that? Of course I know, never mind. Don’t believe anything he says.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” said Halo. “He was right about----“
“I don’t have time to chit-chat with you, unfortunately. I have to get to a lot of houses today. Now, just so that you know, the people of this region voted and decided that they wanted to sustain fractures to all five fingers in whichever hand they do not use the most. Are you left-handed or right-handed?”
“Right-handed,” said Halo.
“Okay, then, give me your left hand.”
“I don’t want to,” said Halo.
“Oh come on now, I can’t stay here all day and debate this with you. The people of your region decided on this. It was all part of the democratic process. I am just giving the people what they said they wanted, now give me your right hand.”
“But it’s not as if they really wanted that,” said Halo. “I mean, what were the other choices?”
“I see that we’ll have to do this the hard way,” said the man. “Some people do it quietly and quickly, others put up a fight. You will soon learn that it’s easier if you just do it. Takes less time.”
And with that, the man pulled out a hammer. Halo wasn’t thinking, or rather wasn’t thinking the right thing. She assumed he was going to go for hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he hit her in the head. And she didn’t see it coming, so down she went.
* * *
It was pain that woke her up. Very large amounts of excruciating pain. Sure enough, when she looked down at her left hand, all of her fingers and her thumb were bent at horrible angles.
There was a note, typed out.
"You can resist, that is your choice. However, if you choose to resist, you will sustain not only the fracture/s, but a blow to your head. We must remind you that repeated blows to the head may cause brain damage. Remember to vote next spring."
[ 22 March 2002: Message edited by: Azurae ]
[ 23 March 2002: Message edited by: Azurae ]
