The
Feminine Mistake
This is a society
divided based upon gender. The males live on the South side of the great wall. The
females live on the North side of the great wall. All children under the age of
eighteen live on the North side with their mothers.
This has always been
so. Ever since the beginning of time, the two populations have been living
separately. It works better that way.
No love. No fighting. No
rape. No violence. No distractions. No relationships.
You see this society is
based on efficiency. And relationships lead to distractions, which lead to
mistakes, which lead to a waste of time and resources. So relationships are
banned.
Avoid the cause of the
problem and you won’t have a problem.
Once a year, the single
gate separating the two populations opens for a twenty four hour period. This is
the only time the two populations get to interact with each other. If you are
over the age of eighteen you have a responsibility to find a partner to mate
with. After all, the population must continue to reproduce.
From a young age, the
females are taught to stay away from the males. They are told that men are dangerous,
that they are violent, that they are liars, and that they cause problems. The girls
are taught that men are to be avoided at all costs until the mating day
arrives. The girls are taught that this is the only day when men are able to be
controlled. This is the only time when it is safe to approach a male and to
come into physical contact with a male.
Mary is the head
curriculum designer at the Academy of Feminism. She believes that the greatest
mistake a woman can commit is to love a man. There is no worse crime possible. Loving
a man goes against her moral code. It goes against the social code. It goes
against the rules of the world.
The world only works because
there is no love. Once love enters the picture, people become unpredictable. They
make irrational decisions. They are incapable of reasonable and intellectual
thought. People become uncontrollable and once they become uncontrollable,
efficiency goes out the window.
Efficiency is the only
reason Mary is here today. She can make sure that this world continues on its
path of productivity, innovation and amelioration. The punishment for love is
death.
Today is the mating
day. Mary stands in front of the gate and looks beyond as the gate is slowly
opened. On the other side stands a handsome, tall, dark haired man. He has
green eyes. Mary is a sucker for green eyes. This was Mary’s first mate. Every year
the two spend the entire day together.
Mary knows she has
committed the Feminine mistake. Mary knows she is in love.