THE SEX REBEL OF JESUSLAND, chapter 121

121. EZRA IS EXCITED.

“Wasn’t that amazing? Did you hear that prosecutor lay it out? How did you like it that we shot him in a dark silhouette, and only went in for a close-up, an extreme close-up, in the end? And what about that zoom in on his lips, when he said ‘death.’ Great stuff. Did you feel the hate? Palpable. How he spat out that word ‘death.’ Oh, the viewers really hate her now. She’s a disease. She’s cancer. A terrible female. The viewers have been set up for death, and when she gets off, oh, what a surprise it will be. It will be discussed for years. Congress will be forced to make the law tighter.”

Ezra was doing an actual dance, a funny little hopping up-and-down dance.

“What makes you think she’ll get off?” interrupted Adam. “The jury lapped it up.”

“Don’t worry, Adam. I’m the producer. I’ve got it set up. I have a mole in the jury, a man who will not bend. He is the strongest personality. He will talk them round. The fix is in. I know how to produce. She is going to get off, because that is the only way we can milk this case, to keep the ratings high. The highest good is the highest TV ratings, and that is why she’s going to walk free.”

“I wish I was as sure as you.”

“You’re driving me crazy with your doubt. Is your name Adam or Thomas? Are you getting out like I told you to?”

“Absolutely, I’m going to Jeremiah’s rally at Madison Square Garden tonight.”

“Good. I hear Jeremiah specially invited the Silent Stigmatas to attend the rally for free. You should’ve seen the scene outside the court this morning. All these teenage girls holding up their bleeding hands. Are they protesting for Eve? You bet they are. They’re turning her into some kind of martyr. It’s just the kind of controversy we need, what with the whole country so dead set against Eve. These kids are acting like martyrs themselves. There must have been over a thousand of them there. The power of TV. We put two crazy girls with bleeding hands on TV, and the next day another twenty turn up. Before you can say stigmatattoo, teenage girls everywhere are piercing their hands and making the pilgrimage to Eve’s trial. There they gather, bleeding hands to the camera, inspiring more teenage girls in Jesusland. And now Jeremiah Luther puts them on the map by inviting them to his rally. Religious fervor. It’s like a bushfire. It just takes off, burning holes in vulnerable young minds everywhere. Great for ratings. The Silent Stigmatas may be silent, but they’re making a lot of noise in TV land.”

Adam almost felt like smiling, listening to Ezra prattle on excitedly about his latest creation.

“Well, I’ve got to be off. Got to go pick up Scarlet for the rally.”

“Scarlet? Good for you. She’ll loosen you up. I’m off to do something suitably Christian myself. Go in peace, Adam. And may your zipper always be active.”