The Underground Read Free

few months later, that was even better. Didn’t he owe something to Janice? She was kind sometimes, and he couldn’t help but remember that she didn’t have to propose.
    As he looked at the cover of Reminder of Truth, he wondered if reading the book would make him feel better or worse. Should he feel guilty for even considering it? He was grateful for Janice’s proposal and indebted to her. But, he repaid her every day in too many ways to count.
    This lure of reading the truth that the Queen tried to hide was too much to ignore and he opened the book.
    Reminder of Truth
    By Anonymous
    A yellowed corner of the first page flaked off, falling to the ground like a snowflake. He didn’t stop to pick it up as he was transfixed on the text:
    There was a time long ago when men and women were equal. There was no monarchy or Tasers, nor were there castration centers. Yes, dear deader, there was such a time and I lived in it! I have nearly nine decades behind me. Until my death, I will pray for the balance in our country to be restored. Dear reader, I am writing to offer you a “Reminder of Truth.”

Chapter 3
    “Can I please pay you?” Nathaniel asked Chester the next morning, as Chester handed him a bag containing his favorite: a large coffee and an oversized blueberry muffin.
    “Not a chance. Family doesn’t pay,” Chester said, sitting across the tiny café table nestled into a corner of the crowded bakery. He always sat with Nathaniel for a few minutes each morning. “Thankfully, I’m blessed with plenty of customers who do pay.” He whispered this, so the throngs of people patiently waiting in line wouldn’t hear.
    “Thank you,” Nathaniel said.
    “Everything go alright last night? You okay?” Chester asked, raising his eyebrows in question. Nathaniel wondered if he was referring to Reminder of Truth, but knew it wasn’t safe to mention specifically.
    “I’m tired. It took a while to clean up. I also stayed up late to do a little reading, thank you, which raised a lot of questions for me,” he said, knowing full well they wouldn’t be answered today.
    Chester said nothing, but gave Nathaniel a dark look that he had seen the night before. It felt like a signal of something new and secretive between them. Did Chester know the author? By now, “Anonymous” was surely deceased, judging from the aged book. Nathaniel wanted to find out more. The very idea that an American society existed without mandatory castration was mind-boggling. As a Spot, Nathaniel wondered how Chester felt about the book. Did it make him hopeful or resentful?
      “Can I ask you a question?” Nathaniel said, leaning in toward Chester.
    “You can ask me anything.”
    “It’s personal,” Nathaniel said, wanting to make sure that Chester wouldn’t mind or be surprised.  
    Chester nodded.
    “How were you able to start the bakery after…?”  
    Chester’s jaw visibly tightened.
    Nathaniel immediately regretted his intrusion. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”
    “No, it’s okay, really,” Chester paused for a moment. The way Chester touched the dime sized purple tattoo on his neck belied his words. “It happened so long ago, and I try not to think about it, but the C Center changed my life’s path. You’ve seen the statistics of homeless Spots who just plain give up. As horrible and as wrong as I believe our system is, I vowed not to become another unproductive Spot who goes through life feeling sorry for himself.”
    “I’m sorry,” Nathaniel said.
    “For what?”
    “For what you went through, for asking you…”
    Chester shrugged. “You didn’t make the laws. Keep reading your book.   Maybe your generation still stands a chance.” Abruptly, Chester stood up.
    Nathaniel walked toward the bakery door, wanting to ask more, but knew this wasn’t the time or the place. He was about to step out the bakery door when a strong hand gripped his arm.
      “Tasers!” a stranger said,