Persistence of Vision by John Varley Read Free Book Online Page A

together on the floor. We were close, touching on all aides. The hearing began.
    Most of it was in handtalk, with Pink throwing in a few words here and there. I seldom knew who said what, but that was appropriate. It was the group speaking as one. No statement reached me without already. having become a consensus.
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    "You are accused of having violated the rules," said the group, "and of having been the cause of an injury to (the one I called Scar). Do you dispute this? Is there any fact that we should know"
    "No," I told them. "I was responsible. It was my carelessness."
    "We understand. We sympathize with you in your remorse, which is evident to all of us. Hut carelessness is a violation. Do you understand this? This is the offense for which you are (-)." It was a set of signals in shorthand.
    "What was that?" I asked Pink.
    "Uh...'brought before us'? 'Standing trial'?" She shrugged, not happy with either interpretation.
    "Yes. I understand."
    "The facts not being in question, it is agreed that you are guilty." (" `Responsible,"'
    Pink whispered in my ear.) "Withdraw from us a moment while we come to a decision."
    I got up and stood by the wall, not wanting to look at them ath d b te went back and forth through the joined hands.
    I "e ae )a There was a burning lump in my throat that I could not
    -swallow. Then I was asked to rejoin the circle.
    _- "The penalty for your offense is set by custom. If it were not so, we would wish we could rule otherwise. You now r.-have the choice of accepting the punishment designated and
    = .having the offense wiped away, or of refusing our jurisdiction and withdrawing your body from our land. What is your choice?" a Page 18

    I had Pink repeat this to me, because it was so important that I know what was being offered.
    When I was sure I had read it right, I accepted their punishment without hesitation. I was very grateful to have been given an alternative.
    "Very well. You have elected to be treated as we would treat one of our own who had done the same act. Come to
    Everyone drew in closer. I was not told what was going to happen. I was drawn in and nudged gently from all directions.
    Scar was sitting with her legs crossed more or less in the center of the group. She was crying again, and so was I, I think. It's hard to remember. I ended up face down across
    ` her lap. She spanked me.
    I never once thought of it as improbable or strange. It Y flowed naturally out of the situation. Everyone .was holding on to me and caressing me, spelling assurances into my palms and legs and neck and cheeks. We were all crying. It was a difficult thing that had to be faced by the whole group.
    ' Others drifted in and joined us. I understood that this
    :-punishment came from everyone there, but only the offended person, Scar, did the actual spanking. That was one of the ways I had wronged her, beyond the fact of giving her a scraped knee. I had laid on her the obligation of disciplining me and that was why she had sobbed so loudly, not from the pain of her injury, but from the pain of knowing~she wouldhave to hurt me.
    Pink later told me that Scar had been the staunchest advocate of giving me the option to stay.
    Some had wantedto expel me outright, but she paid me the compliment of. thinking I was a good enough person to be worth putting herself and me through the ordeal. If you can't understand=
    that, you haven't grasped the feeling of community I felt among these people.
    It went on for a long time. It was very painful, but not cruel. Nor was it primarily humiliating.
    There was some of that, of course. But it was essentially a practical lesson taught: in the most direct terms. Each of them had undergone it during the first months, but none recently. You learned from it, believe me.
    I did s lot of thinking about it afterward. I tried to