Chapter Five: Mail Call

Two weeks had passed before any mail arrived at the work camp. The announcement was made after supper when Arthur and his two students were in the middle of a lesson. This was both a pleasant surprise and a cause for apprehension for Arthur and perhaps the girls as well. Even though he had written several letters to friends and family not one of them was mailed. It was somehow easier not to think about his former life and all he had lost. He still didn't want to tell people back home about his current situation but he knew eventually that would have to change.

Arthur collected four letters then walked back to the shady spot under the big oak. Both Samantha and Laura were already reading their mail when Arthur sat down to examine his letters. Three letters were from Tee and the other one was from his mother. He really didn't want to open that one just yet, so he selected the earliest letter from his sister. The letter was postmarked five days after his trial, the thirteenth of May.

Arthur,

I just have a bit of time to write before I have to leave for class this morning, so I'll scribble fast and play loose with the language. Just so you know I picked up your truck; you're a pig by the way. Is that peanut butter in the floorboard?

The trip over to meet your landlady was interesting. She said your girlfriend came by yesterday. "Don't tell Arthur I said this," she whispered. "But that girl's a tramp." I guess you always did attract interesting company. After I paid her the five hundred dollars she quit grumbling so much about you and the company you keep. She even invited me inside her place.

I picked up the dog although I refuse to call him 'Lucky' since he has ruined three of my rugs already. Did you know he had bladder control issues when you pawned him off on me? Every time I come home he gets a little too excited and runs toward me both peeing and jumping, needless to say I don't have many visitors.

Anyway, I'd like to know how you're doing. It might do me some good to hear that your life sucks worse than mine does, so hit me back. I've gotta go, your damned dog's chewing on the lamp again.

Go to Hell,

Tee

Arthur chuckled after reading the letter. When Samantha and Laura noticed, he decided to read it aloud. " Goddamn she sounds just like you." Samantha commented.

The next letter Arthur opened was dated May 20th.

Arthur,

You still haven't written me back. I thought criminals had a lot of time on their hands. Mom's been driving me nuts about you; she thinks your being tortured or something. You two were barely on speaking terms for the last four years now you're all she wants to talk about. The lengths you will go to get attention Arthur; that's really mature.

One of your former coworkers called me yesterday. His name was Bill or Billy or something, and he wanted to know why you weren't at the league baseball game Saturday. He said you were a better shortstop on Saturday mornings before you got into the beer. That's funny, I never saw you play baseball sober before. Anyway to avoid any embarrassment about your situation I gave him a pretty good excuse for your absence. It turns out you moved to California to join an end-days cult in the desert, your family tried to talk you out of it but you had to go where the Prophet said.

I've been taking some summer classes at college; I just sit back in my flip-flops and shorts and relax. There's a lab assistant in my chemistry class who gives me so many hints that I don't really have to pay attention at all to get a good grade. Science nerds always appreciate the opportunity to talk to an actual girl. Sound familiar?

Anyway, I just thought I would waste some more time writing to my criminal brother even though he doesn't bother to write back. I sometimes still think you made all that shit up. I mean where the hell's Danubia anyway? Why couldn't you get arrested in Spain or France or someplace I want to visit?

Write me back you idiot,

Tee

The final letter from his sister was postmarked May 23rd.

Arthur,

I just realized for the first time ever that I miss you. If you were here I wouldn't have to put up with so much shit. Mom had me contact the American embassy Monday, then some deputy jerk-off at the State Department, then some of our congress critters.

There was one man at the embassy that seemed to actually think you were a spy. I said that if the government hired you as a spy they must be awfully desperate. But he kept telling me how he believed you worked in intelligence. "If there are two words that don't belong in the same sentence together," I told him, "its Arthur and intelligence." As you know I have been your most steadfast defender.

Mom talked to an official at the State Department about you and he thought that perhaps some kind of a deal could be worked out between the US and Danubia to exchange prisoners or something. Although I expected that they would be eager to trade you for just about anything the Danubians so far are unresponsive.

And that dog of yours is enough to drive a mad man sane. I walked him down to the park yesterday; he ran in a circle, wrapped the leash around my legs and lunged. I hit the dirt then 'Lucky' ran off down the street. After searching for five hours I found him last night in a dumpster behind a resterant. I guess he jumped in there for the food but couldn't get out. So thanks to you I had to wrestle a dog covered in table scraps out of a dumpster on Saturday night. You've done wonders for my social life Arthur, on a related note "Lucky" found a piece of sausage in my hair last night.

Write me back sometime if your not too busy making prison hooch or whatever it is you do.

You really suck,

Tee

�Does she always talk to you like that?" Laura asked.

�No, there's usually more cursing. I might ask around tomorrow and see if I can get some writing supplies and send her a letter back."

"Anyway," Arthur said "I suppose we should finish up this lesson so we can get some rest. I'm just about to run out of useful phrases, most of the words I've learned here just seem to be cussing and insults."

The lesson was finished in another half hour and Arthur went back to his cot in the barracks. He didn't have anywhere else to put Tee's letters so he placed them in the now dry metal bucket that rested under his cot. He opened the remaining letter and with some apprehension he read his mother's words.

Dear Arthur,

Son I want you to know that I pray for you every day. I want to know how you are doing and I want the truth Arthur. You and your sister have been nearly impossible to have a real conversation with since you were kids.

You've avoided me for the past four years, since I married Richard. You need to realize that after your father died I needed to move on with my life, that's what adults do Arthur. I needed an adult relationship and Richard is a good man, he's a real companion. That's something that you apparently don't understand judging from the type of girlfriends you've had. Theresa has accepted her stepfather so why can't you?

You've really gotten yourself into trouble this time. Your sister and I have been trying to find a way to get you released but so far it's not looking good. Why do you have to be so reckless, do you know what you're putting us through?

Arthur had read enough; it was the same shit that he had listened to before. After tossing the letter in his bucket he laid down and tried to sleep.

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The next day was like any other; Arthur spent twelve hours carrying rocks down the slope and tossing them in the back of a dump truck. As soon as the slope was clean the engineers would blast and create a new pile of debris that had to be removed. The guards made sure Arthur and the other criminals worked hard all day through liberal use of the switches they carried with them. Everyone on the crew had at least a couple red lines across their shoulders by the end of the first week. "Animals," was the most common term that the guards used to describe the criminals on the work crew. If there was one thing that human beings excel at its rationalizing, Arthur thought.

Samantha and Laura had also been through a difficult time the past two weeks. The women's crew didn't do hard labor up in the mountains; instead they performed tasks like cleaning the barracks and other public buildings in town. The women were also responsible for preparing meals and when they weren't cooking or cleaning the guards marched them outside the city to tend the city's farms. After work they looked just as exhausted as Arthur felt.

Just after supper Arthur decided he would try to get the writing supplies. He walked to a small building that the warden and foremen used as an office. He opened the door and walked into the warden's office. Arthur knelt and waited for permission to speak. The warden and a couple of his foremen had been talking before the interruption. "What are you doing in my office? You better not get my floor dirty."

�Sir." Arthur said. " Could I have some writing supplies? A pen and paper to write a letter."

The warden was less than cooperative. "You animals don't need to write, just work." After being abused by the two foremen Arthur went to find his students.

"You know, that was the first time I've literally been thrown out the door." Arthur remarked. "I did pick up a new phrase, though, I think it means 'filthy worthless dog' in Danubian but I'm not quite sure how to spell it."

Samantha laughed shaking her head. "They're beating the shit out you and you're thinking about grammar, you're pretty fucked up Arthur."

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Persistence does sometimes pay off in life. The second day that Arthur went to the warden's office to request writing supplies he got the same result, but on day three the warden relented. "Young man," he said. " You're an idiot, but you've got guts." He reached into a desk drawer and threw a notebook and a couple pens on the floor in front of Arthur. " Now are you satisfied?"

"Yes sir." Arthur had his small victory that day.

Arthur approached Laura and Samantha as they waited beneath the oak. "You got it?" Samantha laughed. " I can't believe it. Still, that's a lot to go through for a notebook."

"Oh, but it's not just a notebook, its a notebook and two ink pens." Arthur postured with a sardonic smile. " Now if you will excuse me I'm going to go write some hate mail to send to my idiotic sister."

Tee,

I just received your first three letters this week. I suppose all my mail is being screened for secret spy language before they let it through. They probably mistook the poor grammar and senseless rambling in your letters for some kind of code. Its good to know that you went at least a week without wrecking the truck, and that's not peanut butter in the floor it was ice cream.

I always suspected my landlady talked about me behind my back, but I suppose she knows a worthless tramp when she sees one, you did say she invited you inside. I'm surprised you're having such a hard time with Lucky. He seems just as well housetrained as your last boyfriend, and at least he shows the initiative to go out and get his own food.

I received mom's letter too. You can tell her that what's happened to me isn't what I would consider torture, and I know torture. I've attended five of her family reunions. Much of her letter was spent lecturing me on how I should have listened to her and stayed out of trouble. I suppose she probably tried to warn me as a child not to get involved in espionage in Eastern Europe but I just wouldn't listen.

Billy's baseball team's really going to miss me; I had the biggest cooler. And I had a strict rule: no beer before noon unless I get thirsty. The end-days cult was a nice touch, but I'm more of UFO cult kind of guy.

Tee, It's baffling how you even got accepted into college, but since you're there I suppose your current technique of acting like a whore to get actual students to do your work for you is your best shot at getting a degree. You might try a little harder than flip-flops though if your plan to negotiate with the professor for an A.

There are several words in the English language that I could use to express my gratitude for the few phone calls you made on my behalf, but I don't feel like using any of them right now. I contacted several of the agencies myself and you should see the fine collection of form letters they sent.

Since this is the first letter I'm actually going to send you, I suppose I should give a bit of an overview of what life is like here. For the first month I lived in the city of Rika Chorna. It's a fairly big city on the eastern side of Upper Danubia. I had a job as a bricklayer and I lived at my boss's house.

Three weeks ago however I happened to get off work early and I met these two American girls. They were here as tourists at the time, so I bought them lunch and we talked perhaps a little too much. A week later those two got arrested for possession of some illegal drugs and since I knew about their drugs all three of us got in trouble. The judge sent us to a hard labor camp at a town called Novo Sumi Ris. So it's going to be September by the time I get back to the city. I'm set up pretty good here though; I've got my own canvas cot and a metal bucket. The food is also better than one would expect from a hard labor camp.

I can't make any phone calls from here but I'll try and send out some more letters. Writing supplies are difficult to find here, you wouldn't believe what I went through just to get this notebook.

Remember, I'll always be better than you,

Arthur

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By the third week the Danubian language lessons were getting shorter as Arthur had less and less to teach. There was consequently more time to talk. While Laura wrote a letter to a friend, Arthur and Samantha traded stories about their families.

"Arthur, no offence but your family is so weird; I mean your sister seems just as odd as you are." Samantha smiled. "I come from a respectable family in Clairemont. Dad's been selling real estate there for years, my older brother's the high school basketball coach, and my mom is a guidance counselor at the middle school. We attend church every week; we're active in the community so everybody knows my family. My dad's even on the city council. No one in my family ever got in much trouble, well, my uncle got a DWI but that's it. "

Arthur laughed. "Samantha, you cuss like a sailor, or my grandma. I'm a bit surprised that you're from a respectable family. Were you raised at a truck-stop and later adopted?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to be dramatic here! Now where was I?"

Arthur tried to stop laughing. "You were telling us about your respectable family, I believe."

Samantha rolled her eyes and continued. "Now they have to tell everyone that Samantha's not coming back for five years. She's a criminal. That's pretty fucked up for the daughter of the guidance counselor to be convicted of drug possession."

"Perhaps she could turn your situation into one of those motivational posters. 'Don't do drugs kids or you will end up with a dog collar on your neck in a hard labor camp in Eastern Europe like Samantha.'" Arthur was laughing too hard to talk now.

"I'm trying to be serious Arthur."

"Well... That's half your problem right there. This is the most ridiculous place I've ever been, and I've been to Austin!" After seeing her annoyance at his continued interruptions Arthur relented. " Ok, I'll shut up. Samantha go ahead and give your dramatic speech, in as dignified a manner as you can while sitting naked in the dirt."

"Well, it's about fucking time," Samantha tried to gather her thoughts. "I was about to say how I don't want people back home to know what I've went through here." She looked off into the distance. "That letter I got was from my mom. She said that she knew I was innocent; that I didn't take drugs. She said they would fight for our release. She said not to give up, that we would get through this together."

Arthur gave an approving nod. "That story's got more drama than a Mexican soap opera, it has real potential. It would make a good made-for-TV movie maybe. Innocent American girl imprisoned in strange foreign land; now that's a classic, although we might have to take some creative license with the innocent part."

�Arthur, have you considered professional help?"

�I had a coupon once, but I lost it. Anyway..."

"Enough jokes Arthur." Samantha nervously glanced at him. "There's something I want to know. The letter was mailed from Rika Chorna three days after my trial, so my parents stayed in the city to try and help Laura and me. Do you think they found out what that policeman did... you know what happened to me at trial?"

Arthur suddenly felt exhausted. Reluctantly, he gave her unwelcome news. " I hate to tell you this Samantha, but trials are widely publicized, there are photographs and articles in the newspapers about all the defendants, and at least some of your trial was probably on television. So if your parents were in Rika Chorna after your trial they surely know what happened."

Samantha sadly looked away. "I think I'm going to go back to the barracks and lay down."

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Wednesday was the first of July, and there was a break in the routine. After breakfast the criminals were marched to a sports field at the city park. There were about two hundred male criminals and around fifty female criminals sentenced to the work camp in Novo Sumi Ris. The warden had all two hundred fifty of them take a seat in the small section of bleachers overlooking the field. Then the warden called forty-two names out. Thirty-three men and nine women nervously approached him and knelt.

On the first day of each month judicial switchings were administered. To avoid disruption of work schedules as well and to minimize the travel time required for the judges, spokespersons, and police officers involved all criminals with scheduled punishments in a certain month received their switchings on the first.

Arthur sat in the bleachers with the rest of the work crews and watched as the warden made the forty-two criminals line up on the field. Next he ordered that the punishment tables be set up. The criminals themselves were required to set up the platforms that they would be beaten on. In pairs they carried the portable devices onto the field. They raised the flat top, locked in the aluminum cross bars and extended the four legs firmly into the turf. After forty-two tables were assembled each of the criminals stood nervously awaiting the arrival of the officers that would beat them.

The officers who would administer the punishments were a combination of guards from the camp and police with Rika Chorna insignia on their uniforms. Five spokespersons and a judge took seats overlooking the scene. Although it did nothing but remind him of his own punishment due the next month Arthur and the other criminals were required to watch the entire punishment. August first would be especially bad for Arthur because Samantha and Laura would see him punished. Though in front of the girls he acted like nothing bothered him, Arthur dreaded of his next meeting with Officer Stashak.

The punishment began just after sunrise with the officers striking in unison. The tables were turned toward the audience so that the faces of the criminal's were on display. Arthur recognized several faces from group 13 suffering down on the field.

Most of the forty-two criminals remained silent for the first half of the punishment, though after that their cries grew increasingly loud. Arthur reluctantly watched as the beaten criminals tried to deal with the mounting pain. Their breathing increased, their bodies became wet with sweat, and many clenched their teeth or pressed their foreheads hard against the tables. Later as their resistance eroded tears rolled down the faces of the abused criminals. They gasped and trembled and tried desperately to remain quiet. Finally they would scream and lose all self control right in front of the two hundred criminals they work with. The officers who administered the switching seemed to especially enjoy the cruel satisfaction of breaking a criminal in front of their peers.

Just about an hour later the beaten criminal's lined up facing away from the crowd to kneel and kiss the shoes of their tormenters. After the judge certified the punishments the warden had them assemble for group photographs taken from both the front and the back. With the completion of the judicial punishments the beaten criminals had to walk back to their barracks. Arthur and the remaining criminals were chained and marched off to work.

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The Fourth of July, Arthur's favorite holiday back home was just another miserable day at the work camp. No hotdogs, no black-market fireworks, nothing but loading rocks for twelve hours in the summer heat. The high temperature wasn't doing much for the foreman's personality either. He expected group13 to work as hard in the midsummer heat as they did in the spring. Like a line of fifty ants they carried loads down the hill, deposited their loads then marched single file back up the slope. After an especially hot and grueling day of work the crew returned to camp.

Arthur cleaned up, ate supper and then went to meet with Samantha and Laura. He waited for several minutes and neither one appeared. That harpy must be making them work late, Arthur thought. He decided to go sit underneath the shade tree while he waited. A few steps later there was a loud voice that sounded an awful lot like the before mentioned harpy. Turning around his suspicions were realized. This guard's bad temper made her notorious for terrorizing the female criminals under her watch. In a scene eerily similar to what happened a month earlier the female guard approached him with his students following behind.

Arthur knelt down and nervously waited for whatever trouble was headed his way.

"Criminal # 88588 what have you been teaching these dishonored animals?"

Arthur chose his words carefully. " Officer, I have taught these young women to speak and write some simple Danubian phrases and how to count..."

�Is that all that you teach them?"

He felt this woman was laying a trap, so Arthur remained cautious. " I do not understand what you are asking me officer."

�You are the spy aren't you? Your name is Liggett, is it not?"

Arthur paused trying to figure out this angry woman's motives.

�You will answer my question now!"

�Yes, officer. I am Arthur Liggett and I was convicted of espionage."

�You have taught these two deception. I have something for you to read. Sit up."

She handed him a couple photocopies of pages that were removed from the notebook they shared. Each was part a letter written in two different hands; obviously they belonged to Laura and Samantha. Arthur grew apprehensive; surely the girls realized the government was examining their mail. He knew not to write or say anything that could be used against him.

"Officer, I don't think it's appropriate to read a person's correspondence without their permission."

Arthur knew he would pay for that, but after a hard day this guard was really getting on his nerves.

She pulled her switch out. "Stand up spy... Turn around. Get your hands behind your head." She struck hard then made her point. "I do not need permission." She struck again. "You are nothing but a dishonored criminal." She punctuated the last word of her sentence with another vicious swing of the switch. "These girls are nothing but dishonored criminals." She swung her switch. "Criminals are property." Arthur clenched his teeth and tried to deal with the pain of the latest strike that burned across his skin. "This is my camp, you are property of the Duchy, and I am your custodian." She paused, breathing heavy, after the fifth stroke of the switch.

"Criminal # 88588 turn around and face me." Arthur blinked to try and force the tears from his eyes before turning around to face the guard and his two students.

The guard tapped the end of her switch on his chest and stared as if daring him to refuse. "Read the letters."

He glanced at Samantha and Laura. They nodded subtly, and Arthur gathered up the papers off the ground. There were excerpts taken from a longer letters and photocopied onto the two sheets. Arthur read through the first page.

There was nothing that immediately drew his attention. It had to be one of Laura's letters since Arthur and Samantha were mentioned in the text. Arthur assumed that it was written to a family member from the context. There was a description of the camp and some of the people that she worked with. Then there was an account of some of the abuse they had suffered since arriving. Though she used some ill-advised words it seemed fairly accurate from what he had seen.

The next page was a collection of three excerpts from Samantha's letters. What stood out to Arthur were the vivid descriptions of her mistreatment at the hands of the guards. It confirmed Arthur's suspicions that some of the guards were sexually abusing the young women.

Arthur was disgusted with the guards, the police, the whole damned country, but most of all with the officer that stood before him. He dropped the papers to the ground.

"Criminal # 88588 what do you have to say yourself, have you taught these dishonored animals to spread lies?"

Arthur stood and remained silent. His hate filled stare seemed to amuse her.

"Such anger. Go ahead, attack me; I would like nothing more than to see you before the firing squad. Perhaps these deceitful girls would be punished as well." She moved close and spoke in a mocking tone. "Is it true that you don't have any opinion on the lies they spread about my guards?"

"As you say officer, I am government property. Property has no opinions."

�Don't play games with me criminal #88588, I am giving you a rare second chance. Admit that you had these criminals spread lies about my guards."

�It was not my friends who lied, officer."

As soon as the last word was spoken Arthur knew he just made a mistake. By provoking this woman he had probably made both the girls' and his own life more difficult. There was always a high price for calling someone a liar in this country, especially for a convicted criminal who had minimal legal standing. The guard in question was also second in command behind the warden, so in this camp her word was as good as law.

Arthur glanced at Samantha and Laura, there were tears in Samantha's eyes, but there was also a slight smile on her face. This act of defiance did feel good for the time being, later would come the consequences.

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The Not so Secret Agent - Chapter 6