powers of a state in order to protect and propagate a favored orthodoxy? Yet, to be sure, such crimes are muchly precedent in the history of a world; they are perennially familiar to the troubled biography of a species. How many oppressions have been enforced, heresies persecuted, beliefs proscribed, truths denied, absurdities proclaimed! Behind the glistening veils may crouch an unnatural beast.
How naive I am, how unpolitical I am.
Why does the chain lure me? Why does the sight of the whip, and the knowledge that it may be used upon me, thrill me?
I wonder if my feelings are unique.
I do not think so.
How pathological the world from which I have been derived!
How many extend the hand of welcome, a knife clenched behind the back!
How is one to judge what brings about happiness, other than by the test of living, that of life consequences?
I wonder if I speak only for myself.
Perhaps, perhaps not.
But I will, at last, speak.
For years I have wanted to be at the feet of men, to kneel naked, collared, subservient and submitted, before them, to put my head down and lick and kiss their feet, to be bound at their pleasure, to squirm helplessly in their grasp, to serve them in all ways, instantly and unquestioningly, to be commanded, to be owned, to be mastered.
The mark is placed high on the left leg, on the thigh, just beneath the hip. I have also been fastened, from time to time, in a variety of collars. My mark is the cursive kef, the common kajira mark, worn by most slaves. It is sometimes called the staff and fronds, beauty subject to discipline. It is a lovely mark. It looks well on me, and on others. It is, of course, only one of many marks. It is natural that not every property should be marked identically. But it is recommended that each property be marked. That is prescribed in Merchant Law. In the training house, a heavy metal collar, of rounded iron, was hammered about my neck. That is temporary, but it has its effect on us. When I was once displeasing, foolishly, this was replaced with a heavy, iron, point collar, which was very unpleasant. I do not know why I was displeasing. Perhaps I thought it required of me, to comply with some image, alien to my deepest self, which, on my former world, I had been expected to project. Perhaps I was merely curious to see what might occur, if I failed to comply in some particular, if I might hazard some show of resistance or recalcitrance. Certainly I learned, quickly enough. Perhaps I merely wished to ascertain certain perimeters or limits, the length of a leash, so to speak. I speak metaphorically, but it is not unusual that we are leashed. Often we are promenaded publicly. Our masters are often proud of us, and enjoy showing us off. Would it not be the same with horses and dogs, animals of my former world? We must hold our head up, and walk well. Sometimes our hands are free. In any event, these boundaries, the length of a leash, and such, so to speak, were expeditiously brought to my attention. Interestingly, I was not chagrined by the consequences of my small experiment, but, rather, reassured, even heartened. And I was very grateful when I earned my first, more typical, collar, light, flat, and close-fitting. How relieved and proud I was, when, graduated from training, it was first locked on my neck. I knew myself, and I wanted it there. I knew I belonged in a collar. I had suspected that, even on my former world, Earth.
Chapter Four
Clearly she had never been sold before. It is not hard to tell a new girl. It is not that they struggle, or scream, for that sort of thing is done with after the second or third day in their training. It is not acceptable. Those who behave so deplorably, so stupidly and futilely, so foolishly, are usually those who are only a day or so off the marching chain, who have not been in the houses, but in the camps, those who lack instruction, those as yet deprived of training.
A stroke or two of the whip and they are silent, and obedient. Another stroke or two and they are on their bellies, extending their hands to the buyers, begging to be purchased.
The difference, rather, in most cases, is various, wonder, uncertainty, hesitation, timidity, inertness, woodenness, a lack of grace, a lack