Fair Punishment

Roy spewed beer from his mouth and nose as fits of laughter overtook him. You might think he was watching a sitcom, or perhaps a comedy special, or some other plausible program that could elicit such exuberant guffaws. But you would be wrong. You would probably never guess that he was witnessing a televised execution. And the funny part? The condemned man begging for his life.

And Roy wasn’t alone. On the TV screen an arena packed with a hundred thousand people laughed with him. At the base of the jeering crowd was the Pit of Punishment, where the convicted criminal’s wrists and ankles were shackled to two vertical posts cemented into a platform. This particular piece of scum had been found guilty of beating his ex-girlfriend to death. Now, he was getting what he had coming to him, and Roy loved every second of it.

According to the coroner’s report, which was announced at the beginning of each execution, this monster had used his bare hands to kill that innocent girl. So, as the Law of Reciprocal Retribution stated, “Anyone who injures another is to be injured in the same manner. All offenses must be punished equally, regardless of the circumstances.” That’s why the executioner wore special gloves to protect his knuckles.

After about twenty minutes of punishment the trash heap decided to speak. It was difficult to hear him, though, as his chest and lungs were damaged, his face was swollen, and the blood pouring from his head wounds pooled in his mouth when he spoke.

“Please…please, stop. I’ll do anything. Just make it stop.”

His weak, whimpering voice. His broken body. His pitiful pleading. This is probably what that poor girl had looked like, begging for her life as she was on the brink of death. And for him to expect mercy after what he’d done? That’s what was funny. That’s what made the arena audience, along with the millions of people watching at home, laugh heartily.

The executioner hovered over the criminal when he answered.

“Don’t worry. It’ll stop real soon.” He then turned to the crowd when he shouted, “Right, everyone?”

The stadium erupted in cheers and began the chant of “Pun-ish-ment! Pun-ish-ment!” that always came just before the finale.

With a dramatic wind-up gesture the executioner punched that savage right in the throat. He gasped for breath and made the most wonderful choking sounds. He gagged for a few moments before the executioner delivered the death blow. The criminal’s body slumped over, and the gurgling sounds ceased. The crowd then burst into raucous applause and acclamation.

And then it was on to the next one.

After each punishment, the body was taken from the platform at the center of the Pit and removed from the stadium. The platform then descended so the next criminal could be shackled below. There was always such tangible anticipation as the audience waited to see who was up next. And when the platform started to rise, the wild cheering began.

Tonight included a criminal convicted of strangulation. Another, assault with a baseball bat. Another, arson, which was especially fun. It was very rewarding to see the flesh melting off someone’s body as they crued out, at last regretting their poor decisions. That’s what fair punishment was all about.

The show ran late, as one criminal took a long time to bleed out, and after ten beers, Roy was getting sleepy. Eventually, he passed out on the couch. It was a shame he ended up missing the last execution. It was a double punishment, as two pieces of filth that committed a heinous crime together also got to die together in spectacular fashion.

When Roy awoke the next morning he realized that he had overslept – and today was not the day for it. He was covered in beer stains and surrounded by crushed cans. He jumped off the couch and immediately began tidying up his place. His granddaughter, Pearl, was visiting today and he was already on thin ice with his son, David.

Roy and David had always had a strained relationship. Roy surmised that it was the difference in their generations and parenting styles. David said it had to do with Roy’s behavior or something. Were it not for Roy’s wife, Ruby, they probably would never have spoken again, as she was the glue that held their small family together. Her husband and son were civil with each other for her sake, although it always made her sad that they couldn’t get along properly. The family dynamic became ever more strained when Ruby got sick.

When she was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer a few years ago something inside Roy changed. And not the normal change that comes with watching a loved one die a slow and painful death, which is bad enough. He became enraged at the ones responsible for her illness. The ones that knew the factory she worked in pumped harmful toxins into the air. The ones that didn’t want to spend money on safer chemicals. The ones that were sued by the workers and settled in court, so they received no jail time.

Sure, they lost a lot of money, but the company pursued another venture and now they were back on top, and Ruby was six feet under. Sure, the payout was significant, but all that extra money went straight to her cancer treatments, which only prolonged her life by two painful years. The only thing that brought joy to Ruby’s life during this time was when David and his wife announced their pregnancy. She fought so hard to hold on until the baby was born but died three months short of meeting Pearl.

Her dying wish was that Roy and David would be in each other’s lives and that their granddaughter could have a relationship with her grandfather. David was reluctant, but he was an honest man, so when he swore that promise, he kept it.

Something inside Roy snapped after this loss, and he became completely obsessed with his outrage at the unfairness of it all. The people who knew the toxins were dangerous got away with a slap on the wrist and nothing more, while Ruby and many of her coworkers died of cancer. Where was the justice? Where was the retribution? Where was the punishment?

And as if everything in the universe came together perfectly, the new president started his term and immediately enacted the Law of Reciprocal Retribution. Criminals would now be punished as severely as the crimes they committed. It was as if Roy’s prayers had been answered at last. Finally, the new administration was starting to clean up society. And everyone in the nation had the chance to watch it weekly.

David wasn’t so keen on this new world order, nor did he appreciate that his father drank too many beers each night, so it was important that Roy clean up and not make it obvious that he was up all night watching people die in the Pit of Punishment.

Soon enough, there was an enthusiastic knock on Roy’s door. He opened it to reveal a little girl that had a smile just like Ruby’s.

“Grandpa!” she shouted.

“Pearly girly!” he replied. He scooped her into his arms and embraced her tightly. He spun her around a few times until he became dizzy and had to set her down. “Pearly, go take a look in the freezer. I have some ice-pops in there.”

Pearl squealed with excitement and ran into the kitchen just as David entered the house carrying her things.

“Hi, David,” Roy said, holding out his hand. David gave quick and reluctant handshake.

“Hi, Dad.”

Pearl returned from the kitchen with her ice-pop.

“Pearl, be a good girl for Grandpa,” David said. “I’ll pick you up later.” He kissed her head and then left.

Throughout the afternoon Roy and Pearl played games, raced outside, and watched movies together. Roy loved spending time with her. It was like having a piece of Ruby with him.

“How’s school, Pearly?” Roy asked. She had just started kindergarten and was attending a new school.

“Okay, I guess,” she said blandly.

“Just okay, huh? And why is that?”

“’Cause of Danny.”

“Who’s that?”

“Danny’s a boy in my class. He keeps pushing me down,” she admitted.

“Why does he do that?”

“’Cause he’s a meanie.”

“Did you tell your teacher?”

“I did the first time.”

“And?”

“She said if she sees him push me down then Danny will go to the office.”

“So, what’s been going on, then?”

“Now Danny only knocks me down when he knows Ms. Wendy isn’t looking. Then he runs away and pretends he’s playing something else.”

This did not sit right with Roy. It sounded like this Danny character was a big bully that was taking advantage of his sweet-natured granddaughter just for the fun of it. And it kept happening because that little brat had never been punished for it. Roy knew he wasn’t supposed to “discuss retribution” with Pearl, as David called it, but something had to be done. He tried a roundabout approach instead.

“It sounds to me like this Danny kid needs to learn a lesson.”

“Like in school?” Pearl asked.

“Yes, Pearl. I think Danny needs to be knocked down so that he knows how mean it is. If he does it to you again, just push him back. Then he’ll know not to bother you anymore.”

“Daddy says I’m not supposta hurt anybody. I hafta tell the teacher or another grown-up.”

“Your daddy’s right, but in this case with Danny that’s not working. Trust me, if Danny pushes you and you push him back, he’ll stop.”

“I trust you, Grandpa,” she said with Ruby’s smile

All too soon it was time for Pearl to head home. David waited for her as she gathered her things. Roy gazed at her with affectionate eyes.

“I hate that your mother was stolen from us. She would have adored Pearl,” Roy said sadly.

“Dad, please, not this again,” groaned David.

Roy immediately became defensive.

“I’m allowed to say how I feel in my own home.”

“Yes, Dad,” David sighed, “but I thought we had an understanding about not talking about this subject when Pearl’s around.”

“Your mother isn’t a ‘subject.’”

“You know what I mean.”

“All I know is that you don’t want me to talk to Pearl about her own grandmother because you pretend she never existed,” Roy said bitterly. “You were willing to accept what those people did to her. No anger, no tears.”

“I was accepting of what happened to her. Nobody killed her, Dad. She had cancer –”

“Caused by those chemicals that the company knew about!”

David closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Again, everything was brought to trial and was settled in court,” he reminded his father.

“Yeah, and do you know what those payoffs amounted to? Absolutely nothing, because all of it went to her treatments and she still died anyway. Those people are evil and deserve to be punished.”

“You only feel that way because of the horrible show. I’ve told you so many times to stop watching it. It only feeds your anger.”

“No, it helps me release my anger. It’s so refreshing to see people receive punishment that’s equal to their crime. The company heads should’ve been pumped full of poison and made to rot in a hospital bed like your mother had to do.”

“Dad, again, I’m sad about what happened to mom, but I think it’s best to move forward. We have Pearl now, and we have to focus on her life. I don’t want her being exposed to that show. It’s not good for anyone.”

“No, it’s good for society. If people know the type of punishment they’ll face, it makes them think twice about committing a crime. It’s an excellent deterrent”

“It’s just televised bloodlust! I’ve heard that several people were executed due to their involvement in accidents that killed other people. Does that seem fair to you?”

“Yep.”

David threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

“If it means that people will be more cautious, then that’s alright by me,” Roy continued. “Or if major companies are too scared that their decisions might harm their workers, and they adjust course, that’s fine with me too.”

“So you’re all for fear and subjugation as long as someone is getting punished?”

“Yep. Society has been too soft for too long. It’s good to see some fair punishment get dished out. That’s why I got a ticket to see the executions in person next week.”

David’s eyes widened in horror.

“Dad, please don’t. This isn’t healthy. I know you’re angry about what happened to mom, but it’s over now. I know you want justice for her, but it’s morphed into this sort of second-hand vengeance you get from watching other people get their ‘fair punishment.’ You have to let it go, Dad. Please don’t go to the arena.”

“I’m going. I need to see it in person.”

David was silent for a few moments before he let out a shaky sigh.

“Dad, I think you need to take a break from seeing Pearl. I can’t have you around her when you’re like this. I don’t want it affecting her.”

“You swore a promise to your mother,” Roy countered.

“I did, but if you’re endangering her well-being then I know mom would understand why you can’t see her.”

“You think I’m a danger to her?”

“I think you’re not in the right head space. I need you to prove to me that you can get better. A good start would be ripping up your ticket and not watching that awful show anymore.”

“You can’t threaten me with not seeing her because I do what I want”

“I can, and I am. Sorry, Dad.”

Roy had missed Pearl terribly these last few days. He hoped that David would cool down and realize that using her absence as a punishment was not a fair way to treat his father. The only thing Roy had to look forward to was this week’s execution.

When he arrived at the stadium, Roy was happy and excited to finally be present for the executions. It was as amazing as he pictured it, aside from the long lines and the overpriced food and drinks. You don’t even want to know how much a beer costs in that stadium. But Roy needed his beer, so he bought several anyway.

He watched every execution up until the intermission. He then got in line at a concession stand while they were removing the latest body from the Pit. He tried to get back before the next execution, but the long line deterred him and he missed the beginning of a stabbing. He was just reaching his seat as the criminal bled to death, unfortunately more quickly than expected.

“I hate it when they die fast,” said a man sitting next to him.

“Yeah, me too,” Roy agreed. “I paid a lot for this seat. I want to get my money’s worth!”

Luckily, there was a delay before the last execution and Roy used that time to enjoy his hot dog and beer. The last scumbag that died bled so much that the ground was too slippery for the executioners to walk on, so the Pit staff had to come in and wipe it up. Normally the blood, intestines, or chunks of flesh left behind would not be cleaned up until the end of the event, but they had to make sure it was safe for the executioners.

The Pit platform descended and after a few moments, the announcer spoke.

“Criminal 478 is about to receive fair punishment,” he said. Roy liked that their names were never announced, as they didn’t deserve to have their names be heard. They weren’t offered any official last words, either. Good. The scum of society were being treated as such.

The platform slowly began to rise. Roy, along with everyone around him, whistled and hollered. And as is tradition for the last punishment of the evening, the crowd prematurely started their chant of “Pun-ish-ment! Pun-ish-ment!” before the execution even began.

The chanting grew louder as the top of the posts became visible, and then the top of the shackles. Everyone was on their feet, eager to witness the last execution, as it was sure to be a good one! They always saved the best ones for the finale. But just as the shouting peaked, it began to drop off. Very rapidly the yelling turned to murmuring, which turned to silence. The platform stopped.

It took Roy a moment to connect the pieces. He saw a little girl covered in snot and tears, and it looked like she had peed herself. She was so frightened that she couldn’t make a sound.

“Criminal 478 has been convicted of killing her classmate. She knocked him to the ground and he fractured his skull on a rock. The coroner’s report states that the victim died of blunt force trauma and internal bleeding. With that being said, let the punishment begin.”

Roy’s stomach twisted in knots. He wanted to shout at them to stop, to scream at them that there was a misunderstanding, to yell out about how a little girl couldn’t be condemned to death for an accident.

But he didn’t do any of those things. He was too stunned to speak.

And Roy wasn’t alone. All around the stadium a hundred thousand people were frozen in shock. No shouts of antipathy as the executioner, wielding a large rock, approached the criminal. No gasps of horror as he towered over her and raised the rock high in air. Not a sound could be heard in the entire arena, not even when he swiftly brought the rock’s jagged edge down to deliver Pearl’s fair punishment.