Chapter 37 VOICE BEFORE THE LIGHT

Chapter 37 VOICE BEFORE THE LIGHT
CHAPTER 37: VOICE BEFORE THE LIGHT

The public session start at 9 o’clock morning.

No stage or symbol or host person.

Only one big glass room, open seats row, and one black screen placed in the middle silent like waiting for something cannot take back.

Raven arrive early.

She stand at the end of room few minutes before step into witness area. No one come talk. No one dare ask what she thinking.

There are days, the silence not avoid.
But respect the thing about to be heard.

Lucas sit down beside her.

“You still can stop,” he said quiet.

Raven look at metal box in her hand.

“If today I stop,” she reply, “then whole life of her only left as one name in file.”

Kade stand behind, fold arms.

“They tense,” he said, look at opposite seat row. “Half people here once signed.”

“No,” Raven correct soft. “Half people here once stay silent.”

Session begin.

Prosecutor stand up.

“Today,” he said, “we record words of one opposing witness stored before she pass away.”

No whispering sound.

No one move.

Raven walk to the play table.

She put the tape roll down very light, like put something can break even it already lie under ash too long.

“This not evidence to convict,” Raven said. “And also not apology.”

She look up.

“This is one person… who said ‘no’.”

She press play button.

Crack…

Familiar sound echo whole room.

Then Evelyn voice appear not loud, not dramatic. Just voice of person too tired to speak circle.

“If this record opened public… mean everything already go farther than I can stop.”

Some people bow head.

“I oppose the deployment without supervision. I oppose using water as tool to intervene memory. And I oppose calling fear as ‘social stabilization’.”

The room quiet like frozen.

“If someone hear this segment in future… please don’t turn me into hero. I did not stop them.”

Raven squeeze tight her hand under table.

“But please remember this: the most dangerous system… is system make good people believe silence is responsibility.”

One chair move slight at back row.

No one turn look.

“They will not start with violence,” Evelyn continue. “They will start with words sound very reasonable. Safe. Order. Necessary.”

Her voice cut light like breathing hard.

“Until everyone realize what been taken… they will not remember who took it.”

Air in room become heavy until hard to breathe.

“If my daughter still alive when this played…”
“Raven, you not need fix this world.”

Raven close eyes.

“You only need not let it call darkness by other name.”

Crack…

One final silence.

Then last sentence sound clearer than all:

“Don’t forgive too fast for those who never dare call right name what they did.”

Click.

Tape sudden stop.

No one can say anything.

One woman at third row cry very soft not lose control type, but cry of person just heard what she once whisper in head for many years.

Prosecutor take off glasses.

“Record accepted,” he said slow. “As opposing testimony before deployment time.”

Raven not sit down.

She look straight to opposite seat row those who once signed, once edit words, once stay silent.

“She not win,” Raven said. “She not survive. But she left one thing.”

“What thing?” one person ask soft.

Raven reply:

“A correct name for the matter.”

The hearing end after that nearly one hour.

But no one leave right away.

People sit still like if stand up too fast, that tape will disappear.

Lucas walk beside Raven when she go out to hallway.

“You okay?” he ask again.

Raven nod.

This time more real than before.

“Yeah,” she said. “Because now she not buried under ash anymore.”

Device vibrate.

New notice from investigation system:

“REQUEST SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS FOR LANGUAGE EDITING GROUP.”

Kade laugh short.

“They start trace from words.”

“Right,” Raven said. “Because everything start from words.”

She step down the stairs of building.

Outside, sky raining very light.

No one hold umbrella.

That night, one segment from Evelyn tape got cut out and spread all over the city:

“The most dangerous system… is system make good people believe silence is responsibility.”

And first time after many years

Severance start lose the thing they hold tightest:

language.