*A chapter from the dystopian novel “Less than perfect”

Commissioner for the Moral finally showed up in front of the audience, approaching the microphone with his cocky attitude. There was something reminding her of the rooster she saw a long time ago and his walk. He was holding his head high, although it was too large for his tiny body, measuring the assembly of “the worthy”, chosen Party members, as if challenging someone to show any sign of doubt or disobedience. Of course, there would be nothing of the kind. Each and every single one of them was more than happy to be here. Took years of painstaking work to be promoted to this position. It was a measure of their success, it was a final evidence of the trust the party has in them. They are the tomorrow, they are the future of the party and the state. And the party is the state, and state is the party.

Ann 237-2-1 thought for the moment how far is this man from the proclaimed ideal of the men of tomorrow. She scorned herself for that thought, but could not resist, casting a glance to the left and right, seeing no one less-than-Perfect, and compare them to obviously not so perfect tiny man on the stage. Well, if he, looking like that could climb so high in the party hierarchy, it could not be so hopeless. But the voice, amplified and washed up, booming from the speakers carefully arranged around the hall, in such a way to ensure that the radio transmission of the speech could be perfect too, wake her out of her thoughts.

“Our great country is once again under attack! You may find it hard to believe, since those worms are unable to stand against us with weapons in their arms, afraid of our forces on the battlefield, and this time our leader foreseeing decisions keep us out of the harms way, but believe me it is just as real, if more devious attack. We are in the state of war with their lying press. We have been tolerating their constant lies for much too long and now is a time to show them that our patience is not without its limits.”

As on cue the last couple of rows had  already been up on the feet, actively involved in the show, reacting at all the right places with all the right words and chants. She was grateful that her rank allowed her to sit for a little while longer, but she remembered well how it was when she was here for the first time, eager to show her loyalty and worthiness. Screaming from the top of her lungs, with the show of passion and devotion, cursing enemies and his lies, ready to do anything to protect what the generation of ancestors has built up, under the leadership of the party and the leader.

“The foreign leaders through their lying press could not stop meddling into our internal affairs. Accusing us of, and I quote “inhuman treatment of minority population within our borders”. And I tell them that if someone in our great country is treated as less than human, then he must be less than human. And I ask you for what population they are showing their concern? For the bunch of liars, thieves, robbers, rapist, brutes, murderers and degenerates of all kinds that we keep far from our inner borders? Oh, I can see how they would gloat to see them perform all kinds of crimes in our cities and countryside, but as long as our party stands firm I can guaranty you that it’s not going to happen. They can forget all about it. Ever since we purged our inner borders the crime rate plummeted down to the unprecedented low. Those few we have to deal with lately were foreign agents and elements infected by the poisonous influence of the foreign press. But don’t you worry, we have a way to deal with them.”

The speech was interrupted at that place by the loud laughter. Of course, everyone knew what he was talking about. The Secret police had more than just a way to deal with unfriendly elements. They had all the necessary resources and their work had priority above any other, not just within the inner border. Even the loyal members knew all too well how efficient and ruthless methods of the Secret police are. Their vigilance was meant to make everyone feel safe, but not entirely carefree. There is always a time and a chance of proving your loyalty, even if only to report an inappropriate comment. While the crowd was laughing, the speaker was watching carefully the mass of people with an insincere smile on his face. The moment he stopped smiling, laughter died away.

“We are surrounded from every direction with enemies of our country, that despising our way of life dream about the day when they will set their muddy boots and dirty hands on our beautiful land. Barbaric hordes of the East, heathens of the South or insatiable grabbers of the West, dream about carving out the very heart of our country. That is why we must work so hard every day to ensure the protection of what is the most sacred to us. That is why we must expand our defensive barriers further and further, to prevent and discourage any such idea about stupid military adventure. Yet, they accuse us, of some imaginary expansionism. And we have a message to them, loud and clear to be heard now and from this place. The moment you stop sending infiltrators, when you stop meddling into our internal affairs and you stop threatening us, we will stop expanding. For all that we want is the peaceful coexistence.”

Ann 237-2-1 knew a thing or two about expanding. As a young girl of fifteen years of age, she served in the fortress on the outer border. As all young and perfect people of the tomorrow, immediately after the graduation in the school, she got transferred to the distant outpost, to serve the Country and prove herself. At the time it was the last frontier of the country, last civilized place, a lantern in the darkness of the East. These days it is a small town thousand of miles away from the outer borders. In a couple of decades it will be within inner boundaries too. And she did a great deal to support this cause. Not only through the loyal service in a line of duty. She fulfilled her part as any perfect woman and a mother was expected to do as well. She gave birth to the seven absolutely perfect children; four boys and three girls. Two of them, already took their place in the far outpost of the border. Others were still in the school, and thanks to her position she was able to track their progress.

“Until the day, when all of them accept this as our sole condition for the peace, we must keep on working and giving the best we can. I am pleased to see so many of you, brothers and sisters here today. You should all be proud on the part you had in building our country as the greatest country in the world. You suffered unimaginable hardships, and dedicated years and years of your life to our cause. I have no words enough to say thank you in the name of each citizen of our great country. I would not mention today, the individual acts of courage, although they would never be forgotten. I would not talk about all those battles you went through and how you were victorious every time. I will do no such thing, because it could lull us into a false sense of security. Our war is on, and each of you still have his part to play. An important part at the same time a privilege that no one could take away from you, since you are the perfect ones. You are the people of tomorrow.”

Now the applause broke out at first wild and spontaneous, and while it lasted, and it did for quite some time, clapping got synchronized with the chanting. It felt like waves of  pure emotion rolling over the crowd left and right, forward and backward. Everyone was on their feet now, and although the speaker tried to calm the crowd down, they kept on applauding and shouting patriotic slogans. All he could do was smile, pretending to be humbled by this display of love and support for the party and the country, personalized in his tiny body on the stage at the moment. But after a minute or so applause ceased with perfect timing. If it lasted a moment longer, someone might come under the impression that the crowd actually tried to hinder his speech. Ann certainly felt bored with it; she had been listening to such speech for much too long.

“Without meaning to diminish the importance of our sacrifices on the battlefield and the good work each and every one of you did on the borders, I must single out the one goal that is at this moment the most important for our future. What our country needs the most from all of us, brothers and sisters, are the children. And not just any children, no. We need children that only you can give us. The perfect ones. Nothing could defeat the intentions of our enemies as the image of the thousands and thousands of newborns, perfect in any way. That is our truth, this is what we will throw in their face. Let them lie then and let them distort the truth any which way, this is something they could not defile, nor hide from their people. I’m calling all you to procreate, to bear perfect children, to show how healthy and fertile our land is.”

Again, people were on their feet, applauding and chanting, happy for the task that the party had set upon them. Ann smiled kind of distracted though. It was her big moment, she should feel proud and happy. Just a month ago, she got onto the short list of the appropriate candidates for the greatest honor a mother can get. She was chosen to be inseminated with the seed of the great leader himself. And she knew that it was well deserved; with a perfect score of seven absolutely perfect children, while she was still in her early thirties, young, fertile and strong. How many girls dream about such an honor? She dreamed about it even before she left the school. All those years of sacrifices and hardship to get so close to this goal. Instead of feeling happy, she felt as if some big hand was gripping her heart and squeezing it with cold, bony fingers inside her chest.

The news came this very morning, and they were not good. Her daughter Celia 237-2-1-1, her first born child, just gave birth. The child was less than perfect. Details were not disclosed, but she did not care for them as much as she cared for any means to control the damage. It would have disastrous effects upon her reputation. The little ungrateful bitch. Why couldn’t she wait a little longer before getting pregnant. How old is she anyway. Fifteen something years? About the age when she conceived her. It was her first service and she did not know how much she risked with that pregnancy, at the time. With successful motherhood, she got promoted and transferred closer to the inner border. But that stupid decision came to hunt her down after all these years.

There was no time to waste, and she had to make the decisions quickly. As a mother, she was entitled to make an appeal for proscription of further pregnancies for her daughter, but it would not look so good in her record. Oh, for the moment she wished Celia was dead, killed while on the line of duty or something. But those thoughts were not worthy of a Mother, not the ideal of the Mother as the party pictured them. She was not a bad mother. She kept her first borne under her wing, much longer than it was acquired. Almost for a whole year before she gave her up to the care of the institutions. And that is a gratitude she got.

She would have to go to visit Celia, to the far outpost deep down in the North East. Less than a month before the final decision, she has to go away to deal with this inconvenience. No doubt someone will take advantage to hurt her interest while she was gone, no matter how short. But she would have to deal with it when she returns.

For the brief moment she felt envy toward males. They had no such problems, their role in the process was reduced to the bare minimum, and not a single one ever bothered to track down the offsprings of his. They had a chance to distinct themselves on the battlefield, but as the slogan goes, “Anyone could kill a man, but only a mother can give birth to a child.”