PT 2 The Institute: THE MAGIC MIRROR Thomas Dean:
"What is an indenture?" I rhetorically asked as I escorted Mr Castleton on a tour of the Institute's facilities. Castleton was thinking of indenturing one of his daughters to the Institute to secure a loan, a fairly routine business transaction here.
When I entered the disinfection zone where Mr James Castleton, naked, covered in suds, was already being shaved of body hair by two short haired females in blue thong bottoms. Firm breasts and pressboard stomachs were speckled with droplets of water.
I undressed and stood on the line to wait for the girls to finish with Mr Castleton, I rendered a partial answer my rhetorical question, "the dictionary defines indenture as `a legal agreement, contract, or document which creates mutual obligations.'"
Mr Castleton attempted to turn to me but was quickly reproved by the shower girls. "Expect to keep them nuts?" they chided Castleton in harmonious high - pitched tones.
To their order to stay still, Castleton chuckled, "How am I to explain coming home hairless from the neck down? Bare of chest, shaved armpit, chest and scrotum! What do I say if my old lady goes down on me and finds nothing there?"
I noticed the girls roll their eyes as I choked on the expletive I might have uttered. Repressing a snicker, I deemed it interesting that Mr Castleton who had come to the facility with the intention of indenturing one of his daughter would be more concerned returning home body hairless than at the prospect of returning home daughterless. What would he say indeed to colleagues, friends and neighbors, gone to school, eloped, job out of state? I tried not to get personally involved. It was business.
"Say something?" Mr Castleton turned his head to ask once again to the stern reproof of the shower girl.
"Not really," I remarked, "as the tour proceeds, you'll appreciate the reasons for the attention the Institute takes for the preservation of a secure, sanitized and sterile environment."
The girls deliberately bounced their bare breasts as they toweled Mr Castleton down. His smile faded into shock. At the click of the chastity device, Castleton jumped.
"But," Castleton protested, "You had male guards conduct the strip search."
"That will be explained," I replied.
Swinging her hips as she walked away, one of the girls smirked, "The guards may be willing but unable. Be happy yours are still attached." Her partner handed Mr Castleton and me thigh length grey smocks.
I explained to Mr Castleton, "An indenture may be a contract, but one which changes the individual's status, and creates new obligations. Where once went a free person, a wholly autonomous citizen with rights to plot his or her course in life, his or her relationship to the state and standing in the public have changed. In his or her new status, he or she becomes subject to the will of another."
To my thanks, the girls responded in unison in high pitched voices, "Thank you, Mr Kinterhawk. It's our pleasure to serve you."
I commented, "You see here some of the indentured girls held in terms of service for years under training as personal servants or valets for sale or lease to the wealthy and well placed. Our clientele is select. An intelligent girl can benefit in many ways from the experience."
I signalled Mr Castleton to proceed further in the tunnel where it branched into two passageways each guarded by a door. "This is called the farewell point," I noted, "brothers and sisters, husbands and wives voluntarily indenturing or surrendering unable to redeem a joint debt are separated here."
"Husbands and wives indenture together?" Castleton asked.
"Often, The Institutes gets pairs of domestics looking for a dual placement," I observed, "Cute couples are salable, but many of our customers want personal service, not a burden."
"I guess," Castleton interjected, "The master like to present an image of beneficence. A pregnant maid cleaning house, lugging laundry, and moving furniture might destroy the picture of ultimate benevolence."
"So, to avoid potential medical expense generated by the female," I explained, "many customers will insist that the male be sterilized. Thus, we will only take an indenture for 10 years. It's a business."
"Lug nuts come off I guess," Mr Castleton joked, "Do you get many couples willing to take the risk?"
"Actually, we do even get couples in light of that risk. Some who are put up for resale - if the master moves, dies or needs cash," I took note, "we might take the couple if the male is willing to extend his commitment to ten years..."
"Wouldn't the existing owner want a higher price?" Mr Castleton asked.
"If the master wants more, we won't deal," I replied, "It's all economics. We will pay the servant for extending his indenture."
"Why would the former master allow his servant to deal with you directly on the extension?" Mr Castleton asked.
"Often there's a personal relationship with an individual master," I responded, "Indenturees can become in a sense a member of the master's family. Sale is with deep regret."
"And the Institute?" Castleton asked.
"We're all business," I replied, "we best accomplish our humanitarian ends by keeping dollars and cents in mind. We pitch the idea of extending the Indenture to the former master with the services we offer. Our clientele is select. The chance of abuse is limited. We bank the sperm of all males processed through here. So, after their term concludes, the female can return here to be fertilized with her partner's sperm. Shall we enter?"
"This tunnel connects the entrance with all the buildings on our campus. It is the preferential entrΓ©e point, reserved for employees entering and leaving, surrenders or redemptioners and indentures. On our right," One click on my electronic notepad made the wall transparent, "You will see the magic mirror. In that adjacent tunnel, we in - process those who had to be captured. You saw them stripped for inspection. Now they've reached: Station One."