2089. Miles M Hudson

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СКАЧАТЬ the people a chance to enjoy his joke.

      ‘Most of those that fell are fine to reuse, but thanks Mrs B, if we need some new bricks we’ll use those. Anybody see a reason why we shouldn’t?’ The villagers generally shook their heads and looked at each other; nobody demurred. ‘OK, that was the easy part. Now, who’s going to volunteer to do it, and when? Hands up, please, let’s have a working party of six, at least two of whom will need to provide some ladders and tools.’

      Two hands went up on the side of the room away from the Truvas. Marma was not paying much attention. He played his small spoon through the coffee. Vicky expected he would pronounce a far-fetched analysis, concluding with what had been done to the grounds to produce it.

      Lloyd Lloyd continued to recruit volunteers. ‘Thanks Asa and Tony. Who else? Asa, Tony, when are you thinking you want to do it? My estimate is one to two days’ work for a party of six. At most. And we have stock of cement to make the mortar — help yourselves from the stores behind Kangaroo Hall.’

      By this time, other hands had gone up, including the ginger fellow, who poked Marmaran’s arm to engage him in volunteering. He looked into the florid cheeks and copper-coloured stubble, squinted ever so slightly, and raised his hand also. The working party was appointed.

      ‘Now then, ladies and gentlemen, including those of you attending Kangaroo today via your armulets, what’s happened this week? I can tell you that the submission from the sifters is a short one today, so let’s see what we need to deal with.’

      He turned to look up at the projected picture, which faded to black, before a new video started playing. It was a view that one might see if running through woods. At the bottom of the screen, the name George Kendrick appeared. Thus, the audience knew that they were watching the audiopt feeds from the round-faced, ginger man.

      Marmaran immediately took a step to the side, directly into Vicky, trying to push them a little between other audience members and away from George. With others making similar small movements, a space appeared all around the man, whose innately red face had become utterly crimson. He was looking across the room, no longer watching the screen. Kendrick muttered repeatedly, ‘Oh, Malthus. Oh, Malthus.’

      After a glance at the man, all the audience members returned their gaze to the screens. Vicky followed the ginger man’s stare, and the only other person still looking their way, and not up at the projection, was a thin woman with a big head of dark, curly hair. She wore large, dangling earrings that Vicky swore she could hear jangling against themselves.

      She looked back at the screen and saw that the very woman had now appeared in the video, looking back at the viewer. She wore the same earrings, and George Kendrick had obviously been able to hear them, as the sounds they heard were coming from the projected show above Lloyd Lloyd’s blond head.

      It was rendered in a three-dimensional manner, so the audience could see it exactly as if they had been Kendrick at the date and time shown in the bottom corner. The curly-haired woman in the room looked down to the ground, whilst her image in the air above looked back towards the viewers with a smile. She gave a shrill giggle and ran off through the trees. The chase continued briefly, but she was easily caught, and the two held each other in a laughing embrace.

      One member of the gathered audience called out, ‘For shame.’

      The two proceeded to kiss and fondle one another with some considerable passion. The sifters had put together the show of audiopt feeds switching the point of view occasionally, so sometimes the woman’s view was shown and the audience could see Kendrick as she had. Increasingly sexual acts followed rapidly. The audience was not spared anything, as the feeds proceeded right through until Kendrick climaxed.

      Mostly the lovers had been looking at each other’s faces: the KangaReview only briefly showed genitalia, as they had undressed. However, no secrets were maintained, the complete tryst was played out — everything that the audiopt feeds had picked up.

      The images froze with a view through her eyes looking at the blue sky. Apart from a small area of his ginger head on the right hand side, a few treetops and a wisp of white cloud made the new placeholder picture a delightful scene to hang in the air above Lloyd Lloyd. He proceeded with the formal court proceedings. ‘Well, both George Kendrick and Marisa Leone are in the room today. And, as we all know, both are married to other people.’

      The same voice called out, ‘For shame.’

      Lloyd Lloyd raised his hand to ensure there was no further heckling. He had been Spokesperson of the Kangaroo for long enough to be able to run the show very effectively. Decisions got made, with appropriate contributions from the populace, and in good time. ‘We generally have a case of infidelity a little more frequently than once every six months and, during my office at least, our punishments have been fairly consistent. George, Marisa, do you have anything we need to hear? Any mitigation, or anything that the feeds maybe misrepresent?’

      Circular spaces had been created by people retreating away from the two of them. It was as if each one stood in a spotlight. Both looked at their feet, and Kendrick responded. He spoke quietly, but the audience was silent so he was heard. ‘We had both had a bit of wine and lain in the sun for a while. We weren’t thinking straight.’ He finally invoked an apology to his wife: ‘I’m sorry, Jackie.’

      Some of the crowd looked over to Marisa, whose curly locks hung around her head so her face was mostly obscured. Her head was bobbing up and down a little. She was nodding in agreement, but also crying at the same time. She said nothing.

      ‘Well, it’s an easy excuse.’ The crowd murmured in agreement with their Spokesperson. ‘And a common one. If it’s not hormones, adulterers always talk of drunkenness. Although usually we hear about both.’ The muttering agreements continued. ‘It might mitigate, but there really is no excuse. Behaviours like this threaten the harmony of our Kangaroo.’

      ‘Hear, hear,’ was called from the back of the room.

      ‘Jealousy leads to anger and violence. We have lived a peaceful life here long enough to know that it is what we want to continue, so we must punish those who would threaten that.’

      ‘Hear, hear,’ was repeated, but from nearer the middle of the room this time.

      ‘We have not seen these two causing any problems before, and we know them as fine citizens.’ Lloyd Lloyd paused, but nobody shouted support at this point. ‘The feeds show that they seem equally culpable. I propose that we deliver our usual punishment: ten days of reparations labour each. Are there any objections, or suggested amendments?’ The crowd buzzed as people spoke with their neighbours, but again nobody called anything out.

      After he had given them ten seconds to consider, he continued, ‘OK, I don’t hear any alternatives being suggested, so can we vote now on the punishment, please. All those in favour of ten days’ reparations labour by Marisa for Jackie, please raise your hands.’ A roomful of arms filled the air. ‘So ordered,’ Lloyd Lloyd’s voice had become stentorian. ‘And now, hands up those in favour of ten days’ reparations labour by George for Jonty.’

      As the crowd again voted unanimously, the decision was made that for sleeping with Jonty Leone’s wife, George Kendrick would have to work for the man for ten days. The work was for Jonty to determine, and would be administered by Lloyd Lloyd. Marisa would similarly atone for her crime through a penance of labour for Jackie Kendrick. The enforced labour, although determined by the victim, could not be dangerous, or demeaning. The punishments were reparation not retribution. Their aim was rehabilitation and reconciliation. Lloyd Lloyd would encourage the parties to spend some time talking together during the punishment, СКАЧАТЬ