Re-Education 1

“Take them in for re-education.”

 

The Comfort Women who’d been brought in were shoved and hurried along by burly men and ferried into a vehicle, its destination unknown.  After failing to meet the standards of the Living Martyr, they looked on in envy as the Pregnant Smelly Girl was chaperoned off for a private audience with him.  Left on their own, they consoled themselves within the tightly packed container they were confined in where they travelled to their new location.  They weren’t looking forward to where they were going, having had previous bad experience.

 

“I know what guys like him are like.  They’re all the same.  They’ve all got one thing on their minds.”

 

After being shunted around numerous passages, they finally reached their destination where their clothes were promptly discarded, their bodies throughly washed via a torrent of water that encompassed their forms, and given new garments of the garish variety.  Having gone through that entire ordeal, they were finally greeted by a feminine delegate only known as the Devoted Faithful Servant.

 

“Greetings.  You have all been selectively chosen in payment to be in service of the contentious figure known as the Living Martyr.  All of you have been offered to do as he likes.  And what the Living Martyr wants is for you to expand your minds.”

 

There were murmurs of discomfort.

 

“For too long, you’ve been led to believe that your value is little more than servitude to others unworthy of being served in turn.  All your life, you have been demeaned, your accomplishments played down, being told that your life has no worth.  Well, we’re here to tell you that your life does have worth.  You all have untapped potential within yourselves just waiting to burst free.  There is an entire realm of knowledge that you have been deprived of.  This is your chance to take back what has been forgotten.”

 

The Numb Woman eyes’ boggled.  Even to someone as jaded as her, she was still capable of being surprised.  “This is not what I was expecting.”

 

“Pffft,” the Young Woman scoffed.  “This reeks of desperation.  Like someone who has an idea of what women want, with little to no understanding of what they really need.”

 

The Mouthy Woman gauged the Devoted Faithful Servant warily.  She was unable to voice her concerns directly due to her dentures preventing her from talking.  All she could do was covertly convey her frustrations to the surrounding Comfort Women who brought up cautious questions itching on their minds.

 

“Is there any risk with having so many male guards around?”

 

“No worries.  They’ve all been explicitly instructed not to touch you without permission.  The troublesome ones have been castrated, and the ones who haven’t have no interest.”

 

“Drat,” the Young Woman muttered under her breath.

 

Another Comfort Woman piped up, “What we’re wondering is why there aren’t more female guards around.”

 

“There are female guards.  You just can’t see them.  Their presence is concealed where you can’t see them.  Always watching, and intervening only when needed.  Given suitable training, you may join their ranks.  The men are just for show.”

 

“Is the Living Martyr not interested in us?”

 

“The Living Martyr has very particular tastes.”

 

“Any hint as to what those tastes are?”

 

“That’s for you to discover for yourself.  It is his wish that you develop your interests via the many instruments available.”

 

“Where IS he anyways?”

 

“The Living Martyr is a vessel for unlimited energy, thanks to the unsuccessful attempt by the Masters to use him as a sacrifice.  That energy is used as a vessel to power the many contraptions surrounding us.”

 

Their heads swiveled around the empty field.  There was nothing but plain plains to be seen.

 

“All what contraptions?”

 

“You’re not enlightened enough to notice.  For newcomers, there should be an air of nervous energy emanating about.  The Living Martyr needs to be constantly mentally stimulated to keep his task on hand, and that is an arduous task that needs distractions.  Anybody who can switch between a litany of various subjects and the philosophical implications within is well sought after.  That nervous energy will amplify within yourselves the more you expand your mind.  We are always looking forward to accepting new members to add to our swelling ranks.  I’m envious of those of you who’ll become witness to the anticipation of revealing the next fact that enters your mind, leaving you wanting more.”

 

The Devoted Faithful Servant started walking off in an undetermined direction.  The Comfort Women had no recourse but to follow, not wanting to be left behind.

 

“Self-worth comes from believing in yourselves.  If you don’t have confidence, you can’t function in life.  The first thing to do is unlearn everything you’ve been taught.  All the subliminal thoughts that’ve been pounded into you since your conception.  We are looking to free women from uncompromising conditions such as yourselves.  And the best way to accomplish that is by introducing you to ideas that’ve been forbidden for your perusal.  Don’t be afraid - it will take time to rewire your personality to suit your new purpose.”

 

The Faithful Devoted Servant led them to a doorway that wasn’t there before.  In front of them was a vast library packed with numerous tomes stocked on the shelves.

 

“Thanks to the Living Martyr’s connections, we are bevy to a reservoir of forbidden information, yours for the surveying.  All the data you could ever want at your fingertips.  New entries are continuously updated with the latest up-to-date knowledge.  Whatever subject you’re interested in, you can look up without reservation.  There’s more knowledge here than we know what to do with.  We have reputable teachers specially selected by God, eager to share their theories with you via free lessons, sharing their worldly knowledge for all to see.  Whatever you want to know, chances are we have the answer.”

 

“What... what do you want from all this?”

 

“It may seem intimidating at first, but the premise is simple.  We believe that great things can be accomplished through effort.  It is belief that make outlandish things become true in this world.  And nothing reinforces that belief than the application of documented proof.  We are all striving to find the numerous ways to get closer to God.  The answer has to be buried somewhere in these texts.  Our mission is to call God to us using any means necessary.  We know that God exists and that God is attracted to those with intelligence.  All we ask is that you expand your reservoir of knowledge.  Feel free to browse these subjects at your leisure.  The Living Martyr is looking for someone who shares common interests.”

 

“What kind of common interests?” a random Comfort Woman asked.

 

“That is entirely private and not open to negotiation.  You’re free to pursue whatever you want.  And if those things turn out to be of interest to the Living Martyr, that is all up to choice.”

 

“I can choose whatever I want?”

 

“You can look up the well-kept secrets that society refused to tell you.  You can look up the founts of common sense that you may not even know.  You can go back to the secret hobby that made you happiest as a child.  There is no fear of reprisal.  Whatever you were discouraged from that you want to engage in, you can pursue at your leisure without judgement.”

 

“I want to look up how to be pretty,” the Numb Woman said.

 

“...that is within your right.”

 

“Do you have any books on pregnancy?”, the Young Woman asked.

 

“That information is indeed available,” the Devoted Faithful Servant responded with the practiced tepidness of fielding these kinds of questions dozens of times before.  “If you’re mature enough for that kind of stuff.”

 

“Old enough for my feet to touch the ground.”

 

Once confirmation the kind of subjects the Comfort women were interested in, they darted off to seek these sources out.  The Mouthy Woman tried to impose caution, but that was impossible in the presence of so much alluring information.  The trickle of reluctant outspoken timid queries turned into a flood once it became apparent they wouldn’t be reprimanded for their choices.  Not that judgement wasn’t passed on the choices of others among themselves.

 

“What a waste for her to look up beauty tips!”, the Young Woman complained.

 

“Puffeckly enduhstendible.  Wen yer unly werth cums frum byooty, nut been uppreshiated dhat whey makes yuh feel wershlish.”

Perfectly understandable.  When your only worth comes from beauty, not being appreciated that way makes you feel worthless.

 

“I notice you haven’t chosen anything yet.  Is there anything you’d like to look at?”

 

“Uh heffent deckcided yeht.  Leht meh luk erund firsh.”

I haven’t decided yet.  Let me look around first.

 

In truth, the Mouthy Woman was more interested in people than being lectured at or looking up preserved facts in dusty dry books.   She’d hobnobbed with powerful influential people, but had never really warmed up to them.  They all ran together in her head.  This was an entirely new experience she was unaccustomed to. What did she really want?  She was always focused on making other people happy.  Her continuing desire was to please people at her expense, to keep those around her safe.  But to selfishly focus on her own needs outside of external influence?  The concept had never even occurred to her.

 

From what she could see, the gathered women preferred to remain within their little cliques, not bothering to make connections with others, cross-pollinating the common connections between them.  The Mouthy Woman still had a wide smile plastered on her face.  She was still getting accustomed to these new circumstances.  She’d only let her guard down once she was assured things was safe. Once she was sure she was on her own, she raised her hand to spit her false teeth out, relaxing her sore muscles.  Massaging her face, she examined the intimidating storage of shelves before her.  Her attention wandered towards the poster of available teaching classes.  It covered across a wide range of lessons from history to marketing to personal self-care.  She ran her eyes over the dizzying array and settled on a single subject that appealed to her.