The concluding days of the conference were relatively uneventful. Motions were made and seconded, resolutions were signed and empty threats were issued. I was surprised to find out how little difference the conference actually made. The world seemed to be satisfied that change would soon take place. Just from my limited experience however, I knew that conditions in Lumpenproleteria would get worse before they got any better. If the Lumpen were waiting for the rest of the world with their comfortably heated homes and regular meals to intervene, they would be waiting a long time. As I started the long trek back to Fostoria a strange mix of emotions competed for dominance in my mind. Among these emotions was an unmistakable sense of pride. Remembering Molly, the idea occurred to me that I was juggling two females at the same time. Though I had many dilemmas yet to work out, I found myself cheerfully humming a melody that had emerged in my head. I began to look about. “This is Lumpenproleteria that I am passing through,” I thought. “But for some reason life doesn’t appear quite as grim as before.” The sun was rising and bathed everything around me with a beautiful glow. Despite the occasional passing odor of decaying matter, early in the day the air smelled relatively fresh. Lumpens were bustling about, intently focused on their concerns of the day. I sighed. “I wonder if they will ever fully appreciate the great strides that we are making for their benefit?” Cheerfully I wandered across the occupied lands reflecting on life and thinking about what I would say to Molly. Suddenly a voice startled me. “Someone is certainly pleased with himself.” I looked up to see an old St. Bernard gazing down at me with a large smile on his wrinkled face. This comment was said in such a good-natured manner that I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “Sometimes I’m in my own world. I guess I was enchanted by the loveliness of the day.” The dog slightly lifted one of his thick brows. “It is a lovely day. Isn’t it? Most animals these days don’t even notice.” Something struck me about this dog. I had a strange impression that I already knew him from somewhere. I warned, “You should be careful passing through this region. It can be dangerous for visitors.” The old dog laughed and replied, “I’m no visitor. I live here. I’m a Lumpen.” A feeling of embarrassment seized me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” But my words failed me. “Its alright,” the dog reassured me. “I try to never take offense. Life is too short to waste it by waiting for apologies. Besides I believe we expect far too much from animal.” His words surprised me. There was profoundness in his philosophy that fascinated me. Based on my experiences, I found it hard to believe that these were Lumpen ideas. I began to peer at him wonderingly. “Have we met before?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “We met last week when you were on your way to the peace conference. You offered me a donation. Remember? I hope I didn’t offend you with my refusal. Sometimes extreme measures need to be taken in order to cultivate self control.” I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about nevertheless I stood flabbergasted. I suddenly realized that this was the same Lumpen that I had offered money to, before the conference. I could now see that his outward appearance was the same but some interior quality had transformed the old St. Bernard making him unrecognizable. He was like a completely different animal. “By the way,” he continued. “How did the conference turn out?” Remembering all of my vacillating in support for the cause, I struggled on how to make a reply. Staring at the ground I reluctantly responded, “It went well.” The old dog peered at me intently with large dark brown eyes. “You’re probably being approached by various animals who have taken a sudden interest in you. They’re offering to show you a better view of life.” Startled I looked up at the old Lumpen. “How did he know that?” I wondered. He gently placed his paw on my shoulder. “You have a rare sincerity about you that attracts curiosity. Just remember Christopher, you always have a choice.” He sighed heavily. “Well I’m sure I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’d better be off.” As the mysterious old St. Bernard turned to walk away I stood motionless steeped in thought. I was left with the unshakeable idea that perhaps there was much more to the Lumpen than I had ever imagined.
Chapter 8 - Nietzsche was stupid and abnormal. - Leo Tolstoy
Upon leaving Lumpenproleteria I spotted something strange just outside Fostoria’s border. It appeared to be a mound of waste that someone had discarded. Flies busily swarmed around the mass. All at once I gave a start. The mass appeared to move slightly. With knots in my stomach I slowly approached the object, which now appeared to be a bundle of sticks wrapped in some sort of covering. Suddenly I began shaking with horror. The realization struck me that I was gazing at a person. The sticks were bones and the covering was skin, which clung to the tiny frame of what was once a cat. I could hardly believe my eyes. I was immediately reminded of the starved captive Vlad and I had seen in Cuyamonga. Without warning the emaciated animal attempted to speak. “Christopher?” it whispered. It knew my name. “Don’t you recognize me? Its Hector.” My heart sank. “What did they do to you? They promised me you would be freed.” I could see the outline of Hector’s rib cage as his chest slowly moved up and down. He gasped, “Freed? Yes I’m about to be freed. The freedom march took longer than they expected it to. I lingered on as all the others were freed along the way. Assured of my fate my capturers grew tired of waiting for my freedom so they threw me out here to experience it alone.” Hector tried lifting his paw towards me but his strength failed and his paw dropped. I quickly reached out and gripped it. “Christopher?” whispered Hector. “I’m afraid to face freedom alone. Please stay with me.” Moved with emotion I began to silently sob. I would never have thought that Hector would desire my company at a time like this. He always considered me as the enemy responsible for his downfall. Its strange how matters that seemed so important to us in life suddenly seem so insignificant at death. “The most important thing to Hector right now,” I pondered. “is that another living being stay with him and understand his sorrow.” After a prolonged period of silence he finally looked up at me and said, “Being ruler was more important to me than anything else in the world. I would have gladly paid any price to stay in power.” He gasped. “But it’s not worth it, you know. What I wouldn’t give for a chance to do things differently.” Those were Hector’s last words. His body began to jerk. His limbs twitched. After a short interval he became completely still. I don’t remember exactly how long I stood there brooding over my intended course of action but it was a considerable period of time. Something seemed to be changing within me. I couldn’t quite articulate what that change was, but it felt like I was reaching some sort of turning point. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” I reflected. “I could expect this kind of behavior from the speciests, but how can this be the work of a society built on equality?” Before I was even sure about where I was heading I bounded onto my paws and burst forth into Fostoria. My mind was racing just as fast as my limbs. Filled with rage I thought of Truth and Justice. With determination I ran towards the creek on the east side of Fostoria. Upon arriving I expected to immediately see the porcupine that had originally warned me about the purgers. “Didn’t he say he could always be found by the creek?” I reflected. “Where is he?” I searched desperately for my key witness. If I was going to bring forth an accusation against the purgers, I couldn’t show up with my paws empty. Suddenly I spotted a fox off in the distance. He was one of the comrades present when the original charge was brought forth. “Whoa comrade!” I yelled. “Where’s our friend the porcupine. I need to find he and his friend Lucky at once. There is extremely important business we need to discuss.” The fox replied, “I wish I could help you Commander, but no one seems to know where he is. The last time I saw him was that day he gave you his testimonial. Its strange because he is always by the creek.” I frowned. “What does this mean?” I muttered. On an impulse I turned without saying a word and darted back to the creek. I ran down stream until I arrived at the location where my friend Chauncey had been interrogated. The rope which held him lay alongside the bottom of the tree but my
friend was nowhere in sight. I wasn’t really surprised on not seeing Chauncey still tied to the tree nevertheless the disappearance of the porcupine caused me to feel agitated. I went over the disappearances in my mind. “First Rizzo, then the porcupine and now Chauncey. Who knows how many more animals might be missing? This is my responsibility.” I thought. “I got the citizens of Fostoria into this mess. I have to get them out of it.” Resolutely I headed toward the purge site. Upon arriving I saw Truth and Justice standing outside of the interrogation tents. Truth had his back facing me but Justice spotted me a long way off. He scowled bitterly as I approached. He was wearing a neck brace and a sling on one of his arms. With the other arm he was leaning on a stick to support himself. Noticing my arrival, Truth turned and faced me as well. Astonished at Justice’s appearance I asked, “What happened to you?” Both cats sneered and bore their teeth. “What did you think was going to happen when you snitched to Niccolo?” hissed Justice. “This is all your doing.” I was taken aback. Considering all I’d been through, I thought nothing more could surprise me. I was wrong. “Is this my doing?” I thought. Shaking my head I decided to deal with that question later. I had enough on my plate as it was. I exclaimed, “I am the Commander and the ruler of Fostoria! I am dissatisfied with the work you have been doing. From this point on you are officially relieved of duty. I will take over the handling of the purge until I can find a suitable replacement.” The twins stood their ground and silently glared at me. “Did you hear me?” I shouted. “You’re fired!” At this point a large dog ran up to us. Passively Truth declared, “I’m afraid we can’t allow you to do that.” Addressing the dog I ordered, “Arrest these two for treason! They are now enemies of the state!” The dog furled his brow as if he were conflicted. I declared, “I know about Hector and the disappearing of animals!” The Siamese twins glanced at one another and Justice whispered, “Keep your voice down! Do you want to create a panic? Have you ever witnessed a stampede? You want to fire us? Fine. But first we want to show you something.” They turned and motioned for me and the dog to follow. We entered the woods and silently marched for hundreds of paces. I had a nagging feeling that I was marching to my own execution. Nevertheless, curiosity would not allow me to turn back. Finally we emerged from the brush and found ourselves standing near the edge of the canyon looking out over the Lumpenproleterian Valley. With his good arm, Justice made a gesture towards another part of the woods. Immediately another dog emerged and a thin black and white cat accompanied him. The cat looked familiar to me. My eyes slightly widened as I realized it was Bruno from the interrogation I had witnessed. Truth now displayed something I had seen him pick up as we were making our way through the woods. “Do you know what this is?” he asked. “This is a piece of stone slab that our construction workers use to build fortifications. Obviously this is a key part of the wall, but do you think the entire fortification will collapse with the removal of just one stone?” Bruno was now standing alongside us with his guard just behind him. Bruno’s appearance was altered since the last time I had seen him. His anxiety seemed to be gone and his eyes were dim. Truth continued, “Over time, some of the bricks deteriorate and weaken. We then have the choice to either repair the damaged brick or…” All at once Truth hurled the stone over the edge of the canyon. Everyone’s eyes followed the stone, as it seemed to tumble in slow motion down into the depths of the canyon. “Or we can replace the stone. After all they are not hard to come by. There is nothing more common. They can be found anywhere.” Justice nodded and the guard dog lifted up Bruno by the neck and held him suspended over the edge of the canyon. My heart rate began to accelerate. Truth continued, “Do you remember Bruno?” I looked over at the suspended cat who appeared just as apathetic as before. “Since the interrogation that you witnessed, Bruno here has confessed to many crimes against the state. As the Commander and the ruler of Fostoria, what do you think we should do with him?” I swallowed nervously. “Do you get the point?” continued Truth. “We’re not afraid of him! Just as one damaged brick cannot bring down a wall, one enemy combatant cannot bring down the Union of Animals!” All of the courage I had brought along with me in preparation for the confrontation had suddenly vanished. “Since you are now taking charge of the purge, instruct us!” shouted Justice. “As far as I’m concerned he can be reeducated and put back into society but if you want we can easily replace him. After all there are plenty more where he came from.” The dog appeared to be loosening his grip on Bruno. I exclaimed, “Wait! That’s not a brick! You’ll kill him!” The purgers began to laugh. Truth sneered, “So what? It’s just an animal. He is going to die eventually anyways. We all are. Well, what’s it going to be?” I groaned deeply within myself then finally exclaimed, “All right! You can continue your work! Just pull him back in!” Truth asked scornfully, “Are you sure? So you want us to rehabilitate him?” “Yes!” I screamed. “Just pull him in!” Justice nodded at the guard and Bruno was pulled back in and set down safely on the ground. “Well, if that’s what you want…” said Truth. “After all, you are the Commander.”
Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes Page 20