The glass in front of him was covered with a film of one-way privacy mirror. On one side the kid faced his reflection, while on the other a number of professional types diced with his fate. Probabilities and culpabilities. What could it be? They moved back and forth, texting their spouses, children, and lovers that it was going to be a long night. At the bottom of the glass, it read, "objects in mirrors are closer than they appear."
Outside the mother wept like a banshee and the father talked to authority types. The father stammered, "I filed Goddamn it!"
We paid our taxes and did our jobs. Perhaps we didn't do so well, but we did them. We paid and we paid. And, we set-up programs. We set-up goddamn it! We set-them-up real good.
The sister posted on the anti-social-web:
"What a snobby fucking brat! last night I cut my wrist and I don't get any of this sentimental revolution bullshit."
Underneath, the tectonic plates were slowly shifting.
The kid, given crayons and construction paper, reviewed his national anthem:
I pillage alleged....I gape a village...I ape..all...egiance...I pledge allegiance...
"look! look! let us examine...ah there! look, the form reveals the content, his scribbles...those jittery letters; the nervous system"
"no doubt his parents must be associated with a very powerful terrorist organization"
The child continued:
of...of...the Unit-
The sudden earthquake stopped everyone in their tracks. Everything loosened and came apart. Many attempted neutrality, balancing in place and maintaining their bearings. Lastly, the glass shattered, and the kid came face to face with his assessors.