Lilith's Necklace
Page 4
committed a crime.
Those people are usually interrogated into a confession. Afterward their family is called (a form of shaming) to pay a release fine or turned over to the police for a more formal arrest.
As a kid I remember hearing about a few people having minor ‘run-ins’ with the organization. They were reprimanded for absurd stuff that they had no control over such as possession of forbidden books that they inherited from a relative’s estate or being seen congregating in public near a person with questionable integrity (a common catch-phrase for routine activities like standing in line at the grocery store or sitting in the crowded waiting room at a health clinic where you practice common curtesy and politeness but have no idea who you are interacting with).
All got off with just a verbal warning and/or being forced to attend a boring presentation on civic duty for a few hours.
Knowing what I know now though, I believe that those individuals were just low hanging fruit. They were easy targets for Guardian’s to make examples of in front of others to perpetuate organizational scare tactics.
My Granny and I were better than most at keeping below the radar and not drawing any unnecessary attention.
The area I lived in as a child is located in a backwater parish where people have a natural distrust for government, don’t appreciate being told how to behave and for the most part keep to themselves (are very private).
The couple dozen or so Guardian members who are assigned to that region are usually kept busy in and around New Orleans. They didn’t spend a lot of time in our neck of the woods (or more like swamp).
I personally would have never known that the group existed at all if it weren’t for the occasional roadblocks they conducted in conjunction with local police agencies along some of the paved federal roads where representatives help check identification and vehicle registration cards.
Even as a teen I did not have any serious problems with the group.
At vocational school, my freshman dormitory mates and I all received an infraction after an old deck of playing cards was found underneath a chest in our room during an impromptu inspection. It was obviously not ours and hadn’t been touched in years but we were still punished simply because it was in our room.
Each of us were questioned but nothing conclusive came of it so we were just given an infraction and made to do extra chores around the campus for a couple weeks to pacify the Matron in Gray.
Matron in Gray is the term given to female Guardian resident assistants assigned to girls’ dormitories at boarding schools. Men are referred to as Masters in Gray. They are titled as ‘gray’ because traditionally those individuals are only supposed to wear gray uniforms but over time they have been given permission to dress in tan, dark blue and forest green depending on the facility they are assigned to.
The one other time I had dealings with a Guardian was just before graduation. I was getting ready for final exams and to start my first internship.
My judo lesson had just ended and it was getting dark outside. I was in a hurry to get back to my room and study.
A tall creepy looking guy approached me from behind. He was wearing gray but it was not the usual plain looking outfit worn by most Guardians I saw, it was much fancier, probably made by a tailor. He was obviously from a more well off family that could afford those kinds of luxuries.
I initially thought he was attempting to attack me and prepared to defend myself but he quickly identified himself, “Stop walking away from me and show me your identification card. I am a corporal with the Guardians of Morality. I demand that you comply or I’ll take you in for disobeying my request!”
“Oh wonderful,” I thought. “This one sounds like he memorized his cheesy lines word for word right out of his lessons at school.”
He spoke with a slow sleazy sounding drawl that had a hint of a lisp. It was hard to not laugh at him. I wondered for a second if all he was trying to do was put on a show so he could get my phone number and ask me on a date later, but I never have that kind of luck, he was really serious.
Unfortunately for me I didn’t have my ID card at the time because I accidently left my purse at my teacher’s house. I stopped walking and let the novice continue talking.
“Why are you in such a hurry? Are you running away from something? What are you hiding from me?”
I replied, “I’m not running away or hiding or breaking any rules. It’s late and I’m just in a hurry. I need to get back to my dorm room so that I can study for a math test.” I then added, “I accidently left my ID at the class I just finished so I can’t show you that.”
He did not believe my explanation, “I insist then that we go back you your class and retrieve the card so that we can clear this matter up quickly.”
I reluctantly complied.
When we arrived at my sensei’s place, Barney Fife (Many pre-Plague TV shows like The Cosby Show, Andy Griffith and The Brady Bunch are still popular today. They were not banned because they clearly model “The Three Pillars” of a stable society.) knocked loudly on the door, interrupting a lesson in progress. The elderly instructor took his time, which annoyed the corporal who was detaining me. He continued to bang on the door and yelled several times for someone to come to the door.
After answering the door my teacher smiled and calmly asked, “Good evening son. What is your name and please tell me what this business is about that you need me so urgently for?”
The Guardian curtly identified himself, “I’m Corporal Neidermeyer from the Guardians of Morality. This young lady claims to have been here earlier today and that she left her ID card in your class. “
“Yes Terri was here and she accidently left her bag behind after she was done practicing. I believe that she was concerned about getting back to her room and studying for a final exam.”
The old man then handed me my pocketbook which was sitting on a table right by the door.
As he passed it to me he commented, “I figured you’d just come pick it up later on without so much of a spectacle considering you know the door is almost never locked.”
I smiled nervously and shrugged my shoulders. There was no need for me to say anything at this point. He knew what was going on.
Just before ending the conversation Sensei acknowledged that he recognized the Neidermeyer family name, which caused a huge smile to appear on the young man’s face.
“I remember your grandfather, Major John Neidermeyer. I knew him as Jackie, his nickname, before he became a high ranking Guardian. We worked together on several projects during the later stages of the Redemption Period many years ago. I’m also pretty sure that if your grandfather learned from an old work pal how rude and conceited his grandson treated me and my hard working student that it might rock the boat some for you down the road…”
The grin was suddenly wiped right off his face. He apologized to both of us for the misunderstanding before excusing himself. The corporal then as a second thought offered to escort me home to make sure I got there safe. I thanked him but said it would not be necessary.
The humbled man then proceeded to walk away in the opposite direction I went.
He was so embarrassed by the incident that he never bothered to ask me for papers in my purse before leaving, which was a good thing because they weren’t there. I forgot that I took them out for something and left them on my desk back at home.
My teacher also told me later that Niedermeyer’s grandfather was an even bigger jerk and it was hard for him to keep a straight face through the whole incident.
The Council of Ministers and the First President
Only three of the original ten Council of Elders members from 2020-21 were still alive in 2032. Since 2024, other, in some cases, younger, men and women were appointed to fill the vacated seats of diseased Elders.
To reflect those changes, the group decided to rename itself The Council of Ministers at its annual conference.
They also decided to add an eleventh position; electing a President from their ranks every five years.
The President represents the symbolic face of the entire Council of Ministers. It’s their job to serve as unified public voice for the group as well as assisting them with making important decisions.
It was the first President who proposed sending convicted low risk, non-violent offenders to the Mars Colony to assist with its expansion.
President Margaret J. Fields-Turner, whose deceased husband was a distant relative of Frederick Jackson Turner, was a traditional housewife until all three of her children were in High School. Instead of getting a part-time job or volunteering at Church to occupy her time she decided to enroll in college and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology. Afterward she continued her studies in graduate school acquiring a master’s degree in Public Administration and then a doctorate in Astronomy.
Soon after her husband died, Ms. Fields-Turner, two surviving children and several grandchildren waited out the remainder of The Plague by living in a remote section of Ontario, Canada. The family owned a piece of property along the shores of Lake Opinion. It was purchased the year before she got married.
A descent sized cabin was built on two acres of land with the intent to use it year round and maybe live there someday. It had everything they needed to survive in relative comfort, including electricity