Morning all. We seem to have finally shaken off the rain. The humidity is still here of course, but there is a strange yellow orb in the sky they call the sun. Seeing it in the morning after so long without it seems a bit strange. But while the sun shines and the coffee brews, we will start writing. Fifteen Minutes on the timers please and lets get this day started.
I wasn’t sure where I was going with this at the start but I finally got a handle on it. I am going to have to think about the crime and the society in which it takes place, but I think it could be interesting. I also think this would be part of a prologue with the story starting when Simon returns, flash backs to camps creeping in as Jeff gets better about hiding his crimes and Simon tries to expose them in order to stop Jeff. But for now, it is an interesting idea that I want to play around with.
Wednesday, May 29th: He knew he could adapt.
He knew he could adapt. It Was Jeff he was worried about. It was Jeff everyone was worried about. It was why ultimately Simon decided to take the punishment. Everyone suspected that Jeff would snap if he was sent to the work crews to do his time. He would snap, others would die and the punishment would be much worse.
The family had a meeting with the officiant before he even learned of the crime. Given the situation, the officiant gave them a choice. If Jeff could not serve out the term of the sentence than someone else in the family would have to do so on his behalf. A few years would be shaved off the sentence and there would be no permanent mark on the record of the one who served as he had not done the crime, but someone would have to serve. The other catch was that Jeff would have no repeat offenses. If he did then it would immediately be considered a repeat offense and he would feel the full weight with no option of passing the punishment to another.
Simon had never been a family favorite. He went his own way and sometimes his actions upset some of the more staid members of the family. He knew that to be free of him for a few years was the driving force in putting his name forward to serve in Jeff’s place. In return for taking the punishment, Simon would be rewarded.
Unwilling to trust the promise of reward, he made the arrangements before he left. The money and property was already transferred and could not be transferred back. His will stated that should he die, both the money and property would go elsewhere. He knew that more than losing the money, the family would not want family property to go to anyone outside the family. Simon made sure he was paid up front so that everything would be waiting for him. No one was happy and there were grumbles, but in the end it was agreed and Simon accepted the punishment in Jeff’s place. He never told them but it wasn’t family honor, or even personal greed that drove him. It was oddly enough Jeff.
Simon didn’t like Jeff but knew if sent to the work camps people would die. Jeff simply wouldn’t be able to cope and would take it out n others. He doubted that Jeff would be able to contain himself at home and that no matter what checks and balances the others set up, there would be a second offense. When Jeff repeated his crimes, he would go to lock up. He would be a repeat offender and there would be no other option. He would be taken away. No one at the work camps needed to die, the rest of the citizens would be safe and Jeff would be locked away.
In his heart of hearts, he knew what the rest of the family refused to admit about their golden child. Jeff needed to be locked away. Simon didn’t tell his family, but when asked by the officiant why he would choose to take Jeff’s place, Simon gave an honest answer. It wasn’t what the officiant was expecting and he seemed troubled by Simon’s response. He didn’t think the work camps were going to be easy. They weren’t supposed to be easy. But he knew he could adapt.
Ten til Midnight 