Story © by Fargus 1997
WebPage Content © by Jilli 1997
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KISS OF THE FLAME
by Anthony Pettigrew aka Fargus
Some people say the dweller of the complex have no souls. This could be due to the fact that they give their lives so freely. In fact they give their lives almost joyously. But why not, it is a commodity to be used by the collective?
In the seven years of Jay Gee's life he trained, he studied, he hoped for the day he could serve mankind. Jay Gee roamed through the halls of his brightly lit dormitory. The grey-greens hung loosely on his slight body. The shuffling feet of thousands echoed through the brightness of the halls. His group of twenty- six marched in a straight line following the green stripe of the multi-striped floor. The colored lines striped the floor consisting of all the colors of the rainbow, a color for each group of twenty-six. Each group lead by a matron also of the twenty-six.
The group entered the classroom indicated by the matron. They sat in their twenty-six newly procured study desks.
"Boys and girls", began Matron Jay as she rolled the information box from its perspective place. The box sat on a tall wheeled stand for all the class to see. "Today, our class is on spondy control. At all times maintain your spondy control." Suddenly, from an unseen speaker blared in an nasal quality, "Attention please! We have an urgent report, there has been a fire in classroom Tee. Citizen Tee Cee failed to maintain her spondy control. Four citizens perished in the flames it is imperative that all citizens maintain their spondy control".
The class in a whole gasped at the news. Outbreaks of whispers spread around the room. "See class what happens when you loose your spondy control."
"Yes Matron Jay," answered the class in unison. Without hesitation, Matron Jay moved toward the information box and touched the large screen. Immediately it illuminated. A picture of a man in his mid-forties at a podium flashed across the screen. A radiant smile crossed his face revealing his pearly white teeth. He was in the middle of answering a question "Yes the people of the world need their freedom. In fact, they demand it".
"Mister Amherst, it is my belief that you stand in the way of prosperity of the citizens, is this not true." asked the moderator.
"The word prosperity has a double edge, Mr. Moderator. Instead of standing against prosperity, I stand for every person's individual rights and freedom." An announcer breaks in saying, "Everyone backs William Amherst, your next world president."
"Now class," Matron Jay said as she touched the screen again. The 2 sound muted but the picture remained. "What do you think of Mister Amherst." The class shuffled in their seats.
"He seems to be a renegade." Jay Gee said in a low subdued voice. "He wants to break away from the Collective."
"Very good Jay Gee," Matron Jay said with a broad smile.
Jay Gee's breast swelled with pride.
Jay Gee jerked from a deep sleep, at the harsh buzz of his speaker phone. "Y..Yes." He mumbled into the speaker as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.
"Jay Gee you are requested at the Curator's office at your earliest convenience." said a whispery voice from the small white box on his white night stand. He hauled his frail body from his white metal form cot and quickly showered and dressed himself in his grey-greens.
He stepped into the hall and followed the red stripe to the Curator's office. He had been all over the complex. He was even allowed to go outside on three occasions. One place he had never been was the Curator's office, because only the chosen were allowed to follow the red line to The Office. Jay Gee stood at the door and looked at the gold letters on the door. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door with a firm confident knock.
"Come in." He heard a deep pleasant voice from the other side of the door.
Jay Gee entered the antique office. He stood in awe of the dark polished wood that covered the walls, of the enormous well stocked bookshelves and of the large potted palm that stood by the window that overlooked the street.
"Jay Gee, good to see you."
Jay Gee snapped from an admiration induced trance. He looked into the curators steel blue eyes.
"I imagine you were wondering why I have called you here," he said without waiting for an answer. "You have been chosen to be with Mister Amherst. You are to meet him at 2 o'clock this afternoon at the city park."
"Mister Amherst! I am so glad I was chosen to be with him."
"You need to hurry, if you want to catch the shuttle bus and be at the city park by two."
Jay Gee started for the door.
"Oh, I almost forgot, here is a little something for you to wear for your meeting." The curator handed Jay Gee a plain grey box tightly wrapped with twine. Jay Gee thanked him an quickly followed the stripe back to his cubical. He showered again. Jay Gee used his toiletries and meticulous placed all of it in the white clothes sack that hang by the lavatory. He stood for a moment and practiced his saddest looking face. He practiced turning his large blue eyes almost liquid with pleading tears, satisfied with the results he smiled and drew a smiley face in the fog on the mirror.
He went to his bed a ripped the box the curator had given him open. Inside the box was recently purchased navy blue blazer trimmed in white. On the lapel was a red and white holograph pin. The kind the uppers of the world Democratic party uses. It read" Amherst For President." His heart fluttered with joy at his new clothes. He quietly dressed in his new clothes. Every few minutes, he stopped to smile a secret smile and to eye himself in his small cracked mirror that hanged beside his cot. After he donned his new clothes. With the precision of practice he made his bed and stepped from his room.
Soon Jay Gee was following the white stripe to the exit. He stepped into the busy street. The shuttle bus was waiting at the curb. He slid into the bench seat. The robot driver said in a metallic synthetic New York accent, "Where to bud?"
Jay Gee heard himself say, "City park, please" as he snuggled into the soft seat.
The ride to the city park took only twenty minutes. That gave him plenty of time to meet mister Amherst at two.
He stepped from the shuttle bus. No one noticed that the driver did not ask for a fare. The city park was lush and green this time of the year with the trees and flowers in full bloom. The air was alive with the sound of birds and the drone of the bees in search of clover. Jay Gee made his way to the rostrum where Mister Amherst had just finished a grand political speech. Jay Gee pushed quietly through the crowd until he reached the presidential candidate.
"Mister Amherst," he said as he tugged on the Senator's sleeve, "May I give you a hug, please?" He gave the senator one of his cutest sad eyed looks.
"Why yes, young man." The candidate said as he picked up the small boy into his arms.
Jay Gee wrapped his arms around the
senators neck and squeezed tight. At that moment Jay Gee
released his spontaneous combustion control. He and senator
Amherst body reached a temperature of twelve hundred degrees
Fahrenheit. The flash scorched the faces of the four men moving
in to protect their charge. Mister Amherst and Jay Gee became so
many fragments in the cosmos.