Snowflakes speckled the burlap beanie of Yang and his brother as they slogged down the road. The freckles of ice that hit Yang\u2019s cheeks melted as warm tears engulfed them and pulled them down into his beard. Curving abruptly around the fa\u00e7ade of a mountain, the path offered a gray view of the world below but Yang didn\u2019t look. Yang\u2019s eyes were locked straight ahead, aware of only the pavement and the flurries curling in the wind.<\/p>\n
A trail, half of which was submerged in cloud, wound down the other side of the bluff to intersect the two men\u2019s path. The fog that cloaked the ridge glowed as the sun fought to break the dismal atmosphere, to shed just a bit of warmth, but the light made it no further than the clouds. A stranger trudged down the mountain path, emerging from the white haze as if descending from heaven, at a pace promising to spit she or he out alongside Yang and his comrade. The appearance of a fellow pilgrim broke the trance of the travelers. The two men examined the figure but could not garner much through the layers of coats and scarves draped around the individual. Yang\u2019s companion addressed the man as their paths collided.<\/p>\n
Bowing slightly he said simply, \u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello,\u201d responded a masculine voice with a similar bow, \u201cwould you mind some company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stranger turned to Yang and the two exchanged salutations before continuing down the road.<\/p>\n
Yang\u2019s associate asked, \u201cWhat brings you down this way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAvoiding the chaos below us,\u201d the man gestured to the world hidden beneath the fog then nodded in the direction they were heading, \u201cthe Capital is the only place safe from the Dissenters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost a great teacher to that very chaos,\u201d Yang\u2019s friend paused, averting his gaze and shaking his head, then added, \u201ca man that was once a great teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd will forever be,\u201d Yang clasped his associate, \u201cwe are traveling to the Capital to meet our comrades and commemorate the legacy of this great man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know only one great man,\u201d the stranger replied, \u201cthe Supreme Leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the Supreme Leader\u2019s son?\u201d Yang asked, \u201cHaven\u2019t you heard of Kim?\u201d<\/p>\n
The old man frowned, \u201cThe Founder has a son?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man shrugged, \u201cThen tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere should we begin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery episode of his life is worth telling and, I mean no harm brother, I\u2019m amazed you haven\u2019t heard!\u201d Yang admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hear little more than the word of the Great Leader,\u201d the wayfarer stiffened his strides, \u201ctales of which are the worthiest of all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis story consists of nothing but!\u201d Yang quickly followed, \u201cHere, brother, let me to start with the Cleansing of the Mausoleum, when Kim visited the Palace of the Sun\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
– – –<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kim moved swiftly, each pace spanning three tiles, and, without even seeming to notice, the crowd parted to let him pass. His objective was clear in his mind and could not wait another moment. He had come to the Palace merely to meditate \u2013 to stand against the shores of the moat and observe the beaming depiction of the Party Center as he looked out, seemingly, across the state, his creation, and recognized that it was good. The great structure rose with rigid edges, sophisticated and efficient, yet still retaining elegance in the regalia that trimmed each tier. The exterior fanned out like the wings of the chollima so that if one were to stand nearer to the building, where only a portion was visible, that person would have to wonder if the Palace of the Sun stretched across the entire width of the nation. It was one of the best, most explicit, portrayals of the Founder\u2019s brilliance. Kim had come to revel, as most visitors had in the past, but the atmosphere was not what it used to be.<\/p>\n
Traders trumpeting their topnotch trappings and brokers bartering for better bounties crowded the Supreme Leader\u2019s vast patio seducing citizens into squandering their salaries. Kim couldn\u2019t spot a single pilgrim seeking to look over the capitalist commotion, seeking to bask in the monument to the Almighty. If a soul wasn\u2019t standing behind their stall selling, then they were busy bumbling around the black market buying. A few of the products being exchanged were necessities that could be bought below the market price and were probably not hawked by hustlers but by honest persons that had accidentally obtained an excess, but <\/em>most of the merchandise available, foreign films of debauchery and unregulated recreational drugs, was prohibited or sold in violation of the law laid down by the Greatest Authority. Worst of all was those tables swarmed by the suffering, the cripple and the crones, the drunk and the deranged, where beady eyed money lenders handed out false hope with crooked fingers.<\/p>\n And these immoral transactions occurred in plain view of the Beloved Ruler\u2019s portrait plastered atop the mausoleum. This was what sent Kim marching across the tile courtyard.<\/p>\n As he drew nearer to the Palace, the crowd grew too dense to penetrate but Kim\u2019s righteous anger was set to explode one way or another. Squeezing between the clustered addicts and aged, Kim grabbed the edges of a bootleg-banker\u2019s table and flipped it onto its side. Coins bounced and crumpled bills fluttered to the ground. The merchant went ballistic but was kept from Kim by the sudden surge of would-be patrons that snagged what fortune they could in the chaos. As the people swarmed after the currency, Kim slipped into the space they left behind and found himself up against an array of narcotics. Having seen what Kim did to the illegitimate lender, the drug dealer hopped to his feet, waving his hands, but he was too late. Kim shoved a display of illicit liquids off the counter and swept baggies of pills and powders onto the ground. Once again the vender was held back by the citizens.<\/p>\n Two more stalls Kim did like this \u2013 throwing the goods to the wary and ruining the exploitative profiteers \u2013 before the authorities managed to force their way deep enough into the rowdy masses to find him. Kim saw them coming and so did the mob that had begun to follow him. Immediately, the people moved towards the police with their arms raised and their lips frothing with curses. Before the two bodies could clash, Kim climbed up on a table he had previously cleared and froze the throng with a single word.<\/p>\n \u201cListen!\u201d He commanded, \u201cThe Founder\u2019s house, our Supreme Leader\u2019s house, is a place of meditation but you have turned it into a den of thieves!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have no authority!\u201d A constable cried.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you to tell me what to do?\u201d A merchant hollered.<\/p>\n Kim pointed to the depiction of the Supreme Leader on the fa\u00e7ade of the Palace of the Sun and responded, \u201cI take my power from my Father!\u201d<\/p>\n The officers jeered and the merchants complained but the people would not let either party step nearer to Kim. Whether it was his actions or his words or something else, maybe a recognition of truth from somewhere deep in their souls, they believed Kim. Many of the people in the congregation lifted their voices until their shouts synchronized into a singular chant.<\/p>\n \u201cAll hail the Supreme Leader! All hail His son!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBold!\u201d The stranger shuddered, \u201cToo bold to raise such a lie!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no lie.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe story is true.\u201d Yang stated.<\/p>\n With a, \u201chmph\u201d the vagabond shrugged, then nodded, \u201cIt was about time the Mausoleum was rid of those capitalists.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf only it lasted…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what makes you believe he is the son of the Supreme Leader? Any brave nationalist with respect for the Fate of the Nation would have done the same without claiming so much!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe seemed untouchable\u2026all the while he did things no man could get away with. Even if he hadn\u2019t professed his heritage, I\u2019m sure we would\u2019ve come to the same conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed,\u201d Yang concurred with his companion, \u201cand, unlike the party officials and the deputies that claim to wield the authority of the Great General, Kim carried out the word of our Lord with love and compassion, just as the Beloved and Respected Leader would himself\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His eyes were black like a rat\u2019s, as if not interpreting the scene before him, as if watching from much farther than the doorway. So distanced was he that the woman being dragged off his porch was not his wife but some foreigner, some alien, that never should\u2019ve been there to begin with. She did not call out to him nor did she struggle. She hung limp in the arms of the mob with her own eyes mirroring her husband\u2019s as they glanced over the crying kids cowering behind their father. Aside from her children, it seemed the only emotion was present in her captors as they yanked her this way and that, whooping and hollering, spitting and swearing, as they followed the rabble rouser into the street. Already some of the men, those who hadn\u2019t gotten to tug at the woman, had begun to forage for rocks along the edges of the road. They waited on the fringes of the crowd, watching the deputy and fidgeting with impatience.<\/p>\n The deputy had been ready to initiate the capital punishment, as town politician he had every right, but a cluster of people down the street had caught his attention. Even from a distance, amidst the anarchical noises of the men gathered behind him, he could hear this other crowd applauding and shouting praises to the Supreme Leader. He was intrigued and he thought that these patriots might want a share in this the ultimate reprimand. Raising a hand, he silenced his assembly and directed them to follow.<\/p>\n Once he drew near, the constable realized that this separate congregation was responding to the words of another. Leaving his men, who had fallen as silent as the woman they lugged, and weaseling through the throng of citizens, the official finally found the speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you? What are you doing?\u201d He demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI am Kim and I am telling these people about my Father,\u201d Kim paused with a wry smile before asking, \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Though the administrator couldn\u2019t yet pin it down, there was something that irked him about this Kim, which led him to respond sharply, \u201cI am facilitating the disciplining of this woman!\u201d<\/p>\n Without a word, Kim knelt down before the deputy and began to draw in the dust gathered on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cKill the whore!\u201d Someone from the official\u2019s crew piped up, another chimed, \u201cTake her to the labor camps!\u201d<\/p>\n Again, the constable raised his hand to calm his men. His eyes were focused on the words Kim had scrawled in the dirt, which read, \u201cIn the case of adultery, both sinners must be brought to judgement.\u201d The official recognized the quotation. It came straight from the law books ordained by the Ultimate Judge. Kim stood.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t corrupting the laws of the Lord a punishable offense?\u201d Kim asked the party administrator, then he raised his voice, \u201cLet he without crime throw the first stone!\u201d<\/p>\n Returning to his kneeling position, Kim continued to write. The intruding crowd was too stunned to respond and their leader was likewise paralyzed as he watched Kim\u2019s scribbles take shape in the sand. He was amazed to find his own name and, alongside it, the words, \u201cBribery\u201d. Much like the official, his comrades soon found their own names as well, one accompanied by, \u201cThievery\u201d another by, \u201cNarcotics\u201d and so on. Before Kim could scribble out more than six names paired with six offenses \u2013 or before he ran out of space in the dust \u2013 the deputy and most of his men retreated. Some stayed behind, joining the original congregation and the woman who now knelt before Kim. Dusting off his hands, Kim touched her shoulder and they stood together. She watched him with wide, green eyes as he addressed her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are your accusers?\u201d She couldn\u2019t speak, all she could do was tremble. Kim placed a hand on her other shoulder and she straightened up. Kim continued, \u201cHave they all left? Is there anyone still here to condemn you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she managed to peep.<\/p>\n \u201cThan neither will I,\u201d Kim smiled, then he addressed the crowd, \u201cand neither will my Father!\u201d Then he looked back to the woman, \u201cGo and sin no more, the Supreme Leader is merciful and he forgives his loyal subjects who admit their faults!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYour story warms my heart but it doesn\u2019t comfort my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang frowned, \u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n The stranger scoffed, \u201cShould I list the offenses, their punishments, and those individuals now being disciplined?\u201d<\/p>\n Yang\u2019s companion returned, \u201cEvery action has a consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang added, \u201cCan\u2019t evil deeds be punished and, at the same time, forgiven?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, that is the point of punishment, but this Kim suggests that simple repentance will absolve me of my crimes! Our Glorious General has never suggested such a thing, in fact, the Supreme Leader demands justice, which is the punishment of all sins.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang\u2019s associate was silent and even Yang temporarily floundered under the stranger\u2019s logic but soon the words of his great teacher returned.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many criminals refuse to confess? How many confessors, true confessors, repeat such behavior?\u201d Now it was the stranger that\u2019s tongue went numb, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you as Kim told me, those who confess and sin again never truly sought redemption but merely alleviation.\u201d<\/p>\n The ensuing silence followed them for another dozen paces before the traveler asked another question.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to admit, if any teacher were the son of our nation\u2019s Founder then it would be this Kim\u2026though, in none of these stories have you proven that he was indeed a true-son of the Supreme Leader. Couldn\u2019t you have taken a <\/em>son, as we all are sons of the Party Center, to be the <\/em>son of the Founder?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut couldn\u2019t you have misunderstood him?\u201d The stranger spoke quicker, as if frightened, leading Yang to believe that his words were beginning to work just as he had witnessed Kim\u2019s operate on so many of the hopeless and doubtful. Without skipping a beat, the man asked another question, then another, \u201cWhat if he was merely \u2013 not merely \u2013 but profoundly<\/em> patriotic? What if it has been so long since anyone\u2019s heard the truth that, when it finally came to us, we overreacted?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKim did sound too good to be true.\u201d Yang\u2019s comrade conceded.<\/p>\n Yang hesitated before providing his answer. The snow had stopped. A breeze dusted the top layer of flakes off the ground, churned them in the air, then brushed them across Yang\u2019s face. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. He could feel the sun coming out, not by the warmth but by the light. He could feel the glow gloss his lips. He had his response. He took a deep breath and then began one last anecdote.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you remember the last great famine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho could forget?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow the people would wait in the market place for the trucks of food?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLoads and loads of people,\u201d Yang\u2019s friend added, \u201cpacked uncomfortably tight.\u201d<\/p>\n The stranger nodded, \u201cYet, it wasn\u2019t the tightness that bothered us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut our quaking bellies,\u201d Yang concluded, \u201cas painful as it is, my fellow traveler, remember those times once again and remember what it was like to be in the midst of such collective agony.\u201d He paused. Let the memories and imagination melt together, then narrated, \u201cA man stands up on an empty stand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo not look for food that spoils, but for virtue which lasts forever. Virtue, which can be found in my Father, our Founder, and in the words of his son.\u201d<\/p>\n Many heads of the crowd heard this and scoffed, turning immediately back to the direction the produce was supposed to come. These multitudes could hardly hear the prophetic words over the cries within their intestines. They focused their conscious minds, while their involuntary senses remained solely devoted to the torture of starvation, on sight: not a shifting branch of the distant jungle canopy from which the road was birthed went unnoticed. Others, who had already heard Kim speak or had heard of his speeches or simply were too far from the fringes of the crowd to see the highway, did not look away. Instead, they responded with questions like, \u201cI can\u2019t respect the virtues without bread!\u201d and \u201cHow can virtue save me from this pain?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we<\/em> survive without virtue?\u201d<\/p>\n The majority rolled their eyes and grumbled as they peered between the abandoned stalls and kiosks.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are selfish, we will surely die, and quicker too, than if we are merely hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n Many still resisted but many more readjusted their attention. If nothing else, this man\u2019s ridiculousness might distract them from their cramping stomachs. Though this may be how the reluctant justified their shift, deep down the crowd felt the words as if Kim had read their minds. Not a soul stood in that horde that did not worry they might slip and fall beneath the masses or fight tooth and nail to reach the truck but arrive too late.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Supreme Leader seeks to provide for all of the virtuous, but the wretched seek to interfere and they suffer for it. It is not the virtuous who are crowded here today, but the sinful. Is it not the way we are born? To fight for ourselves like the beasts? Are we not all sinful?\u201d<\/p>\n As the trucks finally emerged from the tree-line, not a soul was aware. If any had stopped, for but one moment, and looked away from the man atop the market stand, then this person would\u2019ve heard the low thundering roll of the engines. But by this point, they were too enthralled.<\/p>\n \u201cHas not the Founder taught us to behave? Has not the Founder promised that if one adheres to virtue then one will be taken care of? Why then has the Supreme Leader had to construct these camps, these camps we fear so much, for the wretched? Because, still we disobey.\u201d<\/p>\n The armada of vehicles were so close now that the citizens could feel their approach in the vibrating of the pavement but the people remained attentive to Kim.<\/p>\n \u201cJust as the Glorious General is generous, so too is he forgiving.\u201d Kim continued, his eyes drifting from man to woman rather than watching the heard of trucks, \u201cThere is nothing more than my Father, our Founder, asks of us than to obey him and love one another. Though our Father may be stern, he is merciful. And from his very mouth he has told me that no one who believes in my words as his son and loves his comrades has found themselves condemned and that all who do so will be forgiven.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut what of my brother?\u201d A voice asked from the crowd, \u201cHe heard your words, even told and convinced me, and loved his fellows, even more than I, but blasphemed the Supreme Leader and was carted off to the camps?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly one crime is unredeemable.\u201d Kim said, the edges of his mouth dipping into a frown, \u201cFor once one has heard the truth, how can they continue to doubt the benevolence of our Founder? And how can they ever come to seek the forgiveness of the one they continue to curse? I tell you, all those who truly <\/em>believe in me and respect their neighbors will love my Father and will live with virtue in prosperity just as no one who listens to me today and loves his comrades will find themselves hungry or thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n The trailers squealed to a stop, in a three-file line, a dozen rows deep, and the crew and the party administrators hopped out. As half those in the crew hurried to unload the trucks, the other half remained behind, encircling the officials with batons raised, ready for the surge of hungry peasants, determined to keep them from stealing the rations destined for the next village.<\/p>\n But the batons lowered and the constables gaped.<\/p>\n The congregated people, on the verge of starvation, hadn\u2019t budged.<\/p>\n \u201cFor when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was tired, you let me rest. The Supreme Leader has seen how we have come together in this hard time and, though occasionally we lose ourselves, the Supreme Leader sees some of his greatness within us all. I am the son of a Great Man who loves us and is determined to see us, through his commandments, prosper!\u201d<\/p>\n The deputies began to harass those on the fringes of the crowd. Some ordered their guards to swat at the audience. Each citizen that was knocked down stood back up, dusted themselves off, and returned their attention to the son of their Founder.<\/p>\n Kim proclaimed, \u201cWhat will you do but believe in me and love each other?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing but believe in you and love each other!\u201d The crowd roared back.<\/p>\n Kim could see some of the more frustrated administers usher their crews to begin packing the foodstuffs back into the trucks. Some of the crew abided, others hesitated. The officials came down on them hard, but their fury only drove the workers further from their range of authority. Here and there, guards dropped their batons and joined the chanting crowd.<\/p>\n Kim continued, \u201cIf we are virtuous, will the Supreme Leader lead us to prosperity?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe will lead us to prosperity!\u201d<\/p>\n Half of the trailers had packed up then turned and left, among them the fruit, vegetable, and fowl trucks. Those vehicles that stayed, those bearing bread and fish, stayed only because there was no longer anyone to pack and drive them. As the trucks grumbled away and the converted truckers melted into the audience, the exchange continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd all this because virtue lasts forever!\u201d Applause erupted but it ceased almost the instant Kim\u2019s lips parted, \u201cWho is the source of this virtue!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur Founder!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd from whose lips has he told you this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis son!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow go, in single file, and see that the Supreme Leader has not provided for you what he has promised through me.\u201d<\/p>\n The obeyed. They did not panic when they saw that only a fraction of the shipment remained. They did not take more than they needed. And as the last individual left the last truck, the first individuals doubled back and took second helpings. As they ate, they continued to listen to Kim and they ate until they all were satisfied. Some obtained third and fourth helpings and yet when they went home they did not go home patting their bellies and wiping their mouths but they went home scratching their heads and rubbing their chins.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to Kim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree days ago, the politicians convicted him and took him to a labor camp.\u201d Yang\u2019s comrade stated, \u201cThe same politicians who now lead the Dissenters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to believe your stories,\u201d the traveler claimed with a deep sigh, \u201cbut I don\u2019t understand why the Supreme Leader would not stand alongside his son? Not only I but all of our country men would\u2019ve heard of this teacher by now if only the Bright Sun had endorsed him…if he had, Kim\u2019s life might\u2019ve been spared…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve pondered this ourselves\u2026if only more had known the Founder had a son\u2026\u201d Yang\u2019s partner echoed the vagabond\u2019s sigh, \u201cBut now the people have grown too rowdy and Kim is not here to calm them\u2026and the jealous party administrators, so hungry to obtain an heirless throne-\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut which of these men, little more than our peers compared to the Founder, is capable of such a feat? None!\u201d Yang exclaimed, \u201cOnly if the Supreme Leader permitted it could anyone even attempt to take his place!\u201d<\/p>\n The stranger \u2013 his voice not confrontational, but hopeful \u2013 begged, \u201cThen tell me why?\u201d<\/p>\n Yang began, \u201cThough Kim is of the same make of the Supreme Leader-\u201d<\/p>\n His associate interjected, \u201cKim was a man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn order for us to understand the true words of the Founder, the words that have been misinterpreted for so long, Kim, the son, came to us as a man, vulnerable but understandable.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang\u2019s own words echoed back down his throat, reverberating his vocal chords and massaging his heart, to make sense of the conundrum threatening his faith. Kim was gone, but Kim had <\/em>to be gone, because the Supreme Leader could not remain amongst them forever. Kim had stayed just long enough to say what needed to be said, to start what needed to be started, and to end what should have never begun.<\/p>\n \u201cThis chaos is a test, the ultimate test, to see who among us is righteous, worthy of the Founder\u2019s truth, and who is wicked, incapable of understanding the truth. We are all wretched, but the Supreme Leader seeks to save as many of us who are willing as he can.\u201d<\/p>\n Opening his eyes, he saw that the stranger had walked ahead and turned to face them. The man slowly grabbed the lip of his scarf and pulled it down below his grin. Yang staggered backwards, initially unable to speak but able to comprehend. Finally, he managed a word.<\/p>\n \u201cKim?\u201d Then a shout accompanied by a tight hug, \u201cKim! How? I saw you dragged away!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an illusion,\u201d Kim squeezed Yang back, \u201cThree days and three nights, but now the Founder has delivered me just as he will deliver all those who believe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why?\u201d Yang asked, \u201cI understand everything else, I just don\u2019t understand why you had to go into the camps?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo experience the pain of the wicked,\u201d Kim replied, \u201cand to atone for the sins of the redeemable so that they might avoid such suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang\u2019s friend listened but could not move. His paralysis was only partially due to the sudden recognition of the stranger but also because of the vehicle humming up the mountain pass behind them. The car was black, glossy like a puddle in the moonlight, and impossible to watch directly with the now beaming sun. Small flags adorned the vehicle, on the hood, above the windows, and on the corners of the trunk. Yang\u2019s poor acquaintance didn\u2019t know what to do, get out of the way or join Yang and Kim\u2019s embrace. He felt ashamed for doubting Kim, especially with the approaching car of \u2013 dare he assume who he knew it could only be? And shame for the emotion that had grown in him since the Thirteen Dissenters utilized their political strength \u2013 which he\u2019d believed to come from the same source as Kim\u2019s, the Party Center himself \u2013 to dispose of his teacher: anger. After fleeing the cities, his fury grew throughout the pilgrimage. It was not directed at Kim nor the Thirteen Dissenters, but towards the Supreme Leader. It was he that let this happen. It was he who had the authority to end it all but still refused to get involved. As he got out of the way and the car pulled alongside them, his shame broke through his rage with such force it brought him to his knees.<\/p>\n The automobile curved around Yang and Kim to park facing the mountain side.<\/p>\n \u201cTeacher,\u201d Yang sputtered through his tears, \u201cis that our Founder\u2019s car? Is that your Father, waiting, just over there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Kim replied, \u201cI am the son and<\/em> I am the Father.\u201d<\/p>\n Yang\u2019s knees threatened to buckle but Kim did not let him fall, \u201cSuh-Suh-Supreme Leader! Supreme Leader! Will you now end the dissention? Will those who betrayed the Fate of our Nation suffer the same agony you must\u2019ve endured? Will those who remained faithful enjoy the utopia you always described?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t for you to know what will come next.\u201d Kim looked past Yang, he met eyes with the other disciple, \u201cYou two, two of my most passionate followers, must return to the people and be my witness!\u201d<\/p>\n A man stepped out of the vehicle. His eyes were hidden in reflective shades, his hair shaved down to the millimeter, and his suit was without wrinkles and whiter than the snow at his feet. The driver moved around the car to stand just behind them, one hand fondled the handle of a gun on his hip and the other hung rigid by his side. Kim slipped out of Yang\u2019s hold and moved on to Yang\u2019s comrade.<\/p>\n \u201cGet up, my son,\u201d Kim said, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not worthy,\u201d he shook his head and fell prostrate, \u201cI was so angry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen consider yourself absolved,\u201d Kim smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, teacher,\u201d sobs sent spasms across his body, \u201cbut I am still <\/em>angry.\u201d<\/p>\n Kim knelt and clasped his shoulder, \u201cWhat angers you, my son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the son, but you are also the Supreme Leader\u2026\u201d He spoke into the snow, his lips and nose had gone numb, \u201cHow could you speak of such love while at the same time\u2026\u201d he bit into the snow, grinding it between his molars, enduring the waves of icy-pain it sent through his jaw, \u201c\u2026it is you that created the camps?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs not the Supreme Leader merciful to have let such a vile and shallow people share and corrupt his paradise?\u201d Kim demanded, \u201cHis actions are above your comprehension, my son, but worry not, all will be revealed in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Rearing up from the ground, to cling to the fabric around Kim\u2019s knees, the man pleaded for an explanation, \u201cBut Kim, what about the others? What about those who obey the Supreme Lord and love one another but do not know you? What about those men better than I that simply don\u2019t believe!\u201d<\/p>\n Kim frowned, \u201cThen do they truly obey our Lord?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSupreme Leader,\u201d the ivory-dressed man said, \u201cit is time.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning, Kim left him on his knees. He strode past Yang who had not moved a single inch and past his equally frozen guard who then turned to walk with him and opened the passenger door.<\/p>\n \u201cIn time, all your questions will be answered and all your doubts put to rest, but I must go.\u201d Kim said before getting in, \u201cRemember my love, tell my people.\u201d<\/p>\n He got in and the chauffeur closed the door. Without glancing at either disciple, the guard strode around the vehicle then got in the driver\u2019s side seat. Yang\u2019s shoulder\u2019s sagged as he drifted off into euphoria. His companion was not similarly consoled. He had risen from his knees and come to stand beside Yang. He was confused. The engine came to life. No, he wasn\u2019t confused, he was sure. And this sureness horrified him.<\/p>\n He comes with words of love<\/em>, he realized, backed with the threat of hell!<\/em><\/p>\n Dashing forward, just as the car began to reverse, he grabbed the backseat door, flung it open, and sat down. The driver slammed on the breaks and reached for his gun.<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Kim commanded, with a hand on the chauffeur he pacified the man, but as he turned to his disciple he was too late to do the same, \u201cNO!\u201d<\/p>\n The pilgrim grabbed the gun. The guard grabbed the gun too, just as it left the holster, but could not stop his attacker from squeezing the trigger. BLOW! BLOW! BLOW! The gun shots obliterated the driver\u2019s chair and tore through his right leg. Bouncing with each shot it received, his leg was rattled off the break and back onto the gas. The vehicle heaved then launched backwards \u2013 off the road and towards the foggy abyss below.<\/p>\n Yang watched it all happen. When the car careened off the cliff, he ran to the edge, and watched it tumble through the mist. After it disappeared, he heard a series of crashes, accompanied by a few more gun shots, then a final thud. So many thoughts whisked through his mind that his consciousness was unable to settle upon a single idea. He operated like a reptile, blood cold, moving forward in a state of mindless locomotion. On all fours he scurried down the steep slope. It wasn\u2019t far before he slipped. He rolled a few yards, a protruding stone cut through his clothes and split open his thigh, before he came to an abrupt stop along a compacted outcropping. The low clouds had begun to move out of the way as steam drifted up from the rubble of the automobile. Soon he would be able to see the country below the mountains, but he cared not about the country, all he cared for was reaching the car.<\/p>\n Bloodied and bruised he arrived at the crumpled machine. Upside down, he came first to the driver\u2019s side. There was no question whether or not the chauffer was dead, his face had been smushed through the steering wheel. Breathing in sharp spurts, Yang ran around to the other side and found Kim. The man\u2019s jaw was gone, blown off its hinges, and his neck muscles had slackened so that his top row of teeth rested against his own throat.<\/p>\n BLOW!<\/p>\n Yang was jerked from the side of the car. He spun around, nearly slipping down the slope before him, but held tight to the stub of the rear view mirror. He slumped to the ground beside the automobile. He didn\u2019t even bother to look at the wound in his shoulder. Instead, he waited for his comrade to step into view.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, Lu?\u201d<\/p>\n Lu, his comrade, hobbled over to stand in front of him. His right arm was bent but not at the elbow, a candy-cane colored splinter of bone protruded from a tear in his sleeve. He leaned hard on one foot, the other was twisted nearly ninety degrees at the ankle. Hurt as he was, he was alive and his left hand still held the firearm which he pointed at Yang.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a lie.\u201d Lu took off his toboggan and wiped the blood out of his eyes, all the while, the driver\u2019s gun remained aimed at Yang, \u201cAll of it\u2026lies!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut love? Virtue? Prosperity?\u201d<\/p>\n Lu spat, \u201cIt was about obedience and that was it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd what will the new order be about?\u201d Yang demanded, \u201cWhat will become of all that chaos without Kim?\u201d<\/p>\n Lu muttered, \u201cWithout Kim?\u201d Lu snarled, \u201cWithout the Supreme Leader<\/em>?\u201d Lu scoffed though it ended in a bloody cough, \u201cI\u2019d rather be free and starving, than afraid and content.\u201d Lu put the barrel against Yang\u2019s temple, \u201cSorry, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This story is dedicated to Christopher Hitchens. His words first showed me the horrible metaphor \u2013 horribly accurate <\/em>metaphor \u2013 that inspired this story:<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you assume a creator and a plan, it makes us objects, in a cruel experiment, whereby we are created sick and commanded to be well. I’ll repeat that: created sick, and then ordered to be well. And over us, to supervise this, is installed a celestial dictatorship, a kind of divine North Korea. Greedy, exigent\u2014exigent, I would say more than exigent\u2014greedy for uncritical praise from dawn until dusk and swift to punish the original sins with which it so tenderly gifted us in the very first place. However, let no one say there’s no cure: salvation is offered, redemption, indeed, is promised, at the low price of the surrender of your critical faculties.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Snowflakes speckled the burlap beanie of Yang and his brother as they slogged down the road. The freckles of ice that hit Yang\u2019s cheeks melted as warm tears engulfed them and pulled them down into his beard. Curving abruptly around the fa\u00e7ade of a mountain, the path offered a gray view of the world below … Continue reading “The Gospel of Yang”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions\/103"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deadsquirrelpro.com\/sethpen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}