Culture War by Walter Knight Page A

“The Constitution protects everyone, including
spiders.”
    “ Whatever,” said the spider
commander. “Only the naïve believe that. You are ruled at the whim
of the human pestilence. Their attack dogs, the Legion, are trained
to hate and kill all spiders. Isn’t that right, Private Krueger?
Isn’t it true you hate all spiders for killing your older
brother?”
    “ My brother was killed in
action,” said Private Krueger. “So what? Lots of legionnaires were.
It happens. I don’t blame or hate anyone. I love Dawn.”
    “ Your brother, Sergeant
Hans Krueger, was eaten alive by one of our trained monitor
dragons,” said the spider commander. “Colonel Czerinski hushed that
up. I can see by the expression on your ugly face, he never
bothered to tell you the truth about your brother. Czerinski didn’t
think you could handle knowing your brother watched himself being
eaten alive.”
    Private Krueger lunged at the spider
commander. A guard knocked Krueger down with an electric prod.
    “ Do you hate me now?” asked
the spider commander. “Do you hate the species that killed your
brother so cruelly now? Do you still want to marry one of us?
Surely you see it is impossible. Your marriage would not
last.”
    “ I will not eat or drink
anything until you release Dawn,” said Private Krueger.
    “ How childish,” commented
the spider commander. “What do I care whether you eat or drink? You
are nothing to me.”
    “ I will not eat anything
either,” said Dawn. “Not until you release Willie.”
    “ Lock them up,” ordered the
spider commander. “I tire of this immaturity. Put them in separate
cells.”
    “ You will never separate
us!” shouted Dawn, drawing her knife. A guard drew his pistol to
shoot. “We will never be separated!”
    “ Stop!” ordered the spider
commander. “No one shoot! I do not want harm to come to you.
Please, give me your knife, and I promise you can share the same
cell. I give my word.”
    Dawn slowly set her knife on to the floor. “I
do not need a knife to kill the likes of you!”
    Dawn and Willie were put in a cell that had
two bunks. After the door slammed shut, Dawn sank to the floor and
cried uncontrollably. Willie held her, trying to provide comfort.
Dawn pushed him away.
    “ I am not stupid,” she
said. “I know you told Colonel Czerinski you did not want to marry
me. I hoped you would change your mind after we went to see Pastor
Jim, but you did not. You think I’m ugly. Don’t touch
me!”
    Dawn moved over to the corner and sat down,
still crying, her back to Willie. She began chanting and rocking
back and forth. She refused dinner and shut everyone out, refusing
to speak. She seemed to be in a trance.
    It got cold in the early morning hours.
Willie put his blanket around Dawn’s shoulders. “Dawn, I love you
very much,” he said. “You are the most beautiful female I have ever
known. I will never leave you, and I want to spend my life devoted
to you.”
    Dawn and Willie kissed. “Not if I have to
kill you for not measuring up,” replied Dawn softly, trying to
smile.
    “ That will not happen,”
bragged Willie.
    The spider commander, Mr. Kennworth, and the
commando who had assisted in the abduction were watching and
listening on a video feed. “I risked my life behind enemy lines to
stop these two young fools from getting married?” asked the
commando. “What do I care if they tie the knot? How dare you misuse
your authority by using the military for such nonsense!”
    “ You follow orders, same as
me,” said the spider commander. “Keep a civil tone about you, or I
will have you up on charges.”
    ‘ Orders?” asked the
commando. “What fool would issue such an order? Your actions have
forged a tighter bond between them. You can’t order youth not to
fall in love.”
    “ If you can’t break these
two love lizards up, how about we trade them for Carlos O’Neil?”
asked Mr. Kennworth. “Some good can still come of this
debacle.”
    “ I