Sacred Womanhood
James existed in a state of mental fog, awaiting his appeal. Time had lost its meaning after he was found guilty of a Class Three sex crime. He figured the old-timer was right and his food was laced with marijuana to keep him passive, but he was hungry. At times he would skip a meal just so he could think better. Facing the reality of the situation was not nearly as comfortable as remembering the wonderful times he had with Lori, before they were captured. They had stolen a wonderful six months, and despite his pending punishment it seemed worthwhile. He wanted to talk to her and hold her again, but all contact was forbidden after the guilty verdict was handed down. His image of her standing with tears streaming down her face as the judge read the verdict remained clear. She was obviously pregnant and he figured it was his child she carried, a child he would never be allowed to see.
The night he had been arrested, James had laid on the small bed in the darkened cabin with Lori nestled on his shoulder; her soft, regular breathing added to his sense of calmness. The settlement was primitive but they had been accepted without questions. The work in the settlement fields had been challenging, and he knew Lori had struggled with it, but even she had developed much-improved muscle tone. At the end of the day they had always found a little free time to spend together and enjoy the togetherness they had so desired. Lori had insisted they take the chance and live the promise they had made to each other to enjoy each moment together. As he had drifted off to sleep that night, he heard a pounding. The pounding on the door seemed to be part of a dream and he hadn’t responded to it initially. Lori had awakened immediately and her urgent pleas to wake up made him respond. He called out, "What’d you want?"
"We are from the Reproductive Ministry, please open the door."
James said, "Shit, it’s the sex police!"
Lori clung to his arm, "What are we going to do?"
Her question was answered as the door crashed to the floor. The blinding light from the floodlights prevented them from seeing the intruders. His hand shading his eyes as best he could, James stood up slowly. Facing the light, he lowered his hand and stared straight ahead, saying "What do you want?"
"Are you James Hildebrandt?"
"What if I am?"
"You are under arrest for the abduction of a member of the Sacred Womanhood."
Lori rose beside him, "James didn’t abduct anybody, it was my idea to run away!"
The policeman motioned for his partner to lower the floodlight. James could now see the police were dressed in full riot gear, and knew there was no chance of resistance. Stepping forward, his black boots resounding on the plywood floor, the policeman ignored Lori’s interruption, saying, "James Hildebrandt, as a citizen of Eros you have the right to obtain legal representation. You’ve been charged with violating Section 23 of the Reproductive Security Act, which establishes the rules of contact with those women identified as fertile and therefore automatic members of the Sacred Womanhood. As per this statute you’ll be held without bail until your trial. Anything you say until your trial is subject to monitoring and could be used against you. Do you understand the charges?" James nodded his head in the affirmative, afraid his voice would quaver if he spoke.
"Say it!"
"Yes, I do."
The policeman’s partner waved his hand, and two women appeared who began dressing Lori in the robe of the Sacred Womanhood despite her tears and protestations. He stood helplessly under the glare of the lights, altering his gaze from Lori to the police rifles, and back again. The women wrapped her in a perfumed cotton robe designed to cling to her feminine curves and accentuate her fertility. They had no sooner whisked his love from him when the policeman ordered him to get dressed, handcuffing his wrists roughly behind his back. Dragging him out to the transporter, they shoved him into the back seat and departed immediately for the city. James sat in the darkened seat in shock. His new life with Lori had ended so quickly, and now the dread began to set in regarding the consequences of their decision to ignore the rules.
James thought of the many late-night discussions he had with Lori before they decided to run away. They had fallen in love and planned on getting married. When it was determined that Lori was fertile, everything changed because then she became a member of the SW. Few enough girls survived infancy because of the estrogen-induced tumors, and only half of those that survived were fertile. The world depended upon these few fertile women for the future; unfortunately, James had chosen to fall in love with one of them. Lori was not willing to chance having James picked by the marriage lottery to be her husband, and he wasn’t willing to chance losing her. They made the decision together to flee to one of the settlements where they would be able to live anonymously together. It had been a wonderful six months, but now the consequences weighed him down.
Medical Sci-Fi Short Stories Page 3
