The Courier Ch. 11

As the students calmed down, Kim continued:

"I'll tell you what protesting will accomplish, and what it won't. You're not going to stop Maria Elena's trial. Won't happen, no matter what you do. You're not going to stop her from getting punished today. She's going to get her butt whipped, because that's part of the trial. Everyone who gets convicted gets their butt whipped. But if you're out there protesting, and protesting the right way, you might have an impact on her sentence. I say might. I don't know for sure, but I would appreciate the support when I'm negotiating her sentence. But if you really want to help my client, you're going to have to protest like Danubians. This crap you're planning, with the banners, and chanting, and disrupting the trial and getting yourselves arrested won't help her, nor will it help me argue her case in court."

"So what do we have to do?"

Kim glanced across the street at the entrance to the Cathedral. The main door already was open. She addressed the group.

"Which one of you speaks the best Danubian?"

One of the men raised his hand. "I guess I do." The others seemed to agree.

"OK. Then take everyone over to that Priest and tell him what you're planning on doing; that you want to protest the treatment of your classmate. While you're doing that, I'll have to take her upstairs to my office. I'll call the trial judge to ask him to start the hearing an hour late, to give you guys time to get ready. I'm warning you though, if I'm going to delay the trial, I expect you to protest the way people here would protest. That means, to show solidarity with my client, you'll have to make a major sacrifice in your own lives."

The students looked at each other. Finally Carmen raised her hand.

"What's the sacrifice, Spokeswoman?"

"You'll have to wear Temple collars. If you're serious about showing solidarity with a criminal in this country, that's how you do it. You put on a collar. And to let people know you're serious about how you feel, you'd be expected to stay collared up through the Day of the Dead. That's a month from now."

The students gasped and looked dismayed. No one said anything. Kim became impatient.

"What's the problem? You're OK with making a spectacle out of yourselves and getting arrested and getting kicked out of the country, but you can't wear Temple collars?"

"But...we'd...like...have to be naked?"

"That's the rule. You can't wear clothing if you're collared."

The man who had volunteered to speak for the group asked: "...and what else are we gonna have to do?"

"The Priest will tell you. There's a protocol for protesting, and they'll let you know when you're over there."

The Americans suddenly were very quiet. Now that they knew the extent to which they would have to commit their lives to protest a sentence in Danubia, it was obvious none of them wanted to go through with it. Kim snapped:

"Do you care about helping Maria Elena, or don't you? If you do, then get over to the Cathedral! If you don't, then get yourselves, and your banners, and the rest of your shit out of my sight!"

Carmen was the first out of the group to move. She was Maria Elena's best friend and the organizer of the protest, thus she was the one who was most committed to continuing. She wondered why the idea of being collared frightened her more than the prospect of being arrested. However, she had started the day expecting to sacrifice for the benefit of her friend and would stay true to her promise.

The guy who volunteered to translate was next. Of all the students he was the one who knew the most about Danubian culture. He reflected that he shouldn't have been surprised that, when he got himself mixed up with Carmen's protest, things would take an unexpected turn. Had he known were Carmen's adventure would lead, he would not have gotten involved, but now he felt committed. It was dishonorable for a Danubian to start something and then abandon it, especially if it entailed supporting another person. So, with Carmen signaling that she was ready to go to the Cathedral, he knew that he would need to join her.

Under the harsh gaze of Spokeswoman Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna, the others fell in behind Carmen. None of them actually wanted to wear a collar, and certainly not for a month, but none of them had the nerve to back out.

"Interesting," commented Kim as she exchanged glances with Cecilia. "To be honest, I didn't think they'd have the guts to go through with it."

With that she turned to her client.

"You're lucky, to have classmates who'd make that sacrifice. I hope you prove yourself worthy of what they're doing for you."

Maria Elena stared with dismay and guilt at the Americans as they entered the Cathedral. She felt terrible about dragging them into her situation, but also very grateful, especially to Carmen, for caring so much about her.

Kim didn't give her client much time to think about what the exchange students were doing. She ordered Prisoner # 101025 to accompany her to the office on the third floor, where the dog handler who had arrested her already was waiting with his female partner. The criminal's mood immediately changed, as the horrific memories of her arrest came back to her in full detail. She trembled as she knelt, eager to put her face to the floor so she wouldn't have to look at her tormentors. However, the cop, noting her discomfort, ordered her to kneel upright and to look at him. He addressed her in Danubian.

"I'm pleased to see you again, Prisoner # 101025."

"Yes, Officer."

"Ah...so you speak Danubian now. How good. I'm sure the Inspector would love to have another conversation with you. Wouldn't that be pleasant?"

Before Maria Elena had a chance to answer, the Spokeswoman snapped:

"Officer, it'd be a good idea to skip the sarcasm with my client. If you'd really like to push that point, I think I could have a very pleasant conversation with the Inspector; and maybe with the rest of you as well. We can have all kinds of pleasant conversations, Officer."

Maria Elena only understood a portion of what her Spokeswoman had said, but she noticed the cop's demeanor suddenly become more subdued. Apparently Kim had said something that put him in his place. That small detail gave her some courage and a small account of confidence that she could endure what lay ahead.

The cop calmly cuffed Maria Elena and ordered her to stand up. Cecilia told her what was about to happen:

"You're gonna get marched in cuffs across the plaza to the courthouse. It's what everyone has to do before trial. Your Spokeswoman and I will be coming with you, but until you get into the courthouse, you'll be under the control of the cop. Once he gets you inside, he'll un-cuff you and then I'll be telling you what's going on and what they want you to do. Basically, as soon as you get over there, your trial's gonna start."

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While Prisoner # 101025 was in her Spokeswoman's office, Carmen and the other US exchange students were receiving a crash course in Danubian culture. Out of the 60 students in the program, a total of 13 had decided to demonstrate against what they considered a judicial system that violated the human rights of prisoners such as their classmate. Carmen had organized the protest with the idea of trying to disrupt her friend's trial, while the others were hoping to protest against the Danubian justice system in general. They had just found out that the public disruption they had planned would not be possible, because if their goal was to change public opinion towards the treatment of their classmate, disrupting the trial would only achieve the opposite.

The only option available to the Americans was to perform a public display of solidarity with their classmate. The Priest explained how that was to be done. The demonstrators would have to be collared and perform Public Penance. Normally they would have gone first to the Temple of the Ancients to undergo a formal induction ritual, but the Priest understood that would have to wait. He ordered the Americans to undress and kneel. They exchanged nervous expressions as they reluctantly took off their clothing and stuffed it into a cloth bag. Once they all were naked, the Priest produced 13 large collars. He commented:

"We're not supposed to do it this way, and when your friend's trial is over with I will expect you to go to the Temple and properly submit yourselves for Public Penance. However, I understand that the point of what you are doing is to support your friend in her time of difficulty. Time is important, and I will not delay you."

Carmen asked the question that the others wanted to know:

"Priest, we still don't know what we're supposed to do. Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna told us that we had to come here if we were gonna protest the way we're supposed to protest. Well, we're here. We did what we were told, but we're still gonna protest. So what is it that we need to do?"

The Priest passed out 13 legal-sized sheets of paper and 13 magic markers.

"Each of you...write the prisoner number of your friend on the paper I gave you. Write it well, so it can be seen from a distance. Write nothing but the number, so the world knows who your friend is."

The protesters complied, each writing "Zék nom. 101025" on their papers, making sure the letters were bold and clearly visible. The Priest then took back the markers.

"You will go to the entrance of the courthouse, you will kneel with these signs and in doing so, you will bear witness."

"That's it?"

"That's all that is needed. Your classmate needs you to demonstrate your solidarity. That's all you can do for her, and that's all you need to do. Your sacrifice will be noticed, and you will be heard. I will go with you, and if your efforts are sincere, the Creator will bless you."

A few minutes later, 13 embarrassed, nervous, and very naked US college students filed out of the Cathedral behind the Priest. They approached the entrance of the Central Courthouse and listened to a short prayer given by their spiritual guide. Then they knelt in a row, each holding a sign with Maria Elena's legal name clearly written. The Priest knelt as well. The group remained silent as two cops, two women dressed in white linen, and one naked cuffed prisoner made their way across the Central Plaza and towards the steps of the courthouse.

Maria Elena looked at her classmates with dismay, but also with deep gratitude. Never in her life had anyone done such a thing for her. She had always been alone, with no one to give her any support. She now knew that in Danubia she had people willing to sacrifice their own honor for her benefit. Kim gave the group an approving nod, because they had listened to her advice and were protesting properly. The arresting cops seemed to be uneasy about the latest development: the fact that thirteen foreign exchange students thought that the prisoner was important enough to demonstrate on her behalf. Maybe to the police she was nothing but a dishonored liar, but to her friends she clearly was much more than that.

Maria Elena and her escort went up the stairs and disappeared through the main court door, while the Americans remained kneeling in silence. After several minutes, press photographers descended the stairs to take pictures of the protesters. A television crew was next. A large crowd gathered around and quietly commented among themselves, but it was obvious that no one thought the Americans were out of line or doing anything disrespectful.

To make their point, the Americans would have to remain kneeling throughout the trial. The Priest remained with the group, to show the nation that the protesters had Church approval for what they were doing. He knew that the exchange students' resolve would be sorely tested, but they had to learn that to protest in Danubia meant sacrificing one's own comfort, especially in a situation that involved objecting to something the government was doing. As for the exchange students, each of them was asking; how in the hell did I get myself into this? However, none of them wanted to be the first to break ranks with the others, so they continued to kneel in silence throughout the duration of Prisoner # 101025's trial.