FEB. 19, 1965
Will Prejudice Reign?
The five judges filed in, and the noise subsided momentarily. Don Enrigez came first, followed by Emil Goldstein. Next came Chi Tyen Soo and Antone Anapopolis. Finally, the most impressive of the judges, Luther Thomas, entered. Perspiration gleamed against the darkness of his forehead, yet this was the only sign of his nervousness. The judges took their seats and the murmuring resumed.
"John Grey, please take the stand."
The slim, yet sturdy figure of John Grey took its place before the mass of people. His demeanor was one of restlessness. His mind wandered off.
How had he come to this place? A year ago there were so many reasons to be alive, but today there were none. He rubbed his blue eyes to keep his mind on the matter at hand.
"Mr. Grey, kindly give us your attention."
His thoughts still lingered on the past. He was one of the last of his race. He remembered before The Revolution-his
man." He longed for the prosperity of his past, but looked forward only to another night amid the pestilence of his cell. That would not go on much longer-his trial couldn't last much longer.
"Mr. Grey, do you understand the charges which are being brought against you?"
Of course he understood. He also recalled the days before the Revolution when he would have been glad to eliminate them as They were eliminating his kind. He was above Them then. He certainly wouldn't have married One. He wouldn't hire Them. His children couldn't go to school with Them. Now They were his masters and he was soon to be another victim of Their Revolution.
"On this day, Oct. 19th, 1989, the court of the Republic of Freedonia finds you, John Grey, guilty of being Different. You have been sentenced to .
The sentence was lost in the uproar of cheering and applause, but They all knew what would happen to him-the same thing that happened to anyone who was different from Them. It wasn't prejudice, just selectivity.