There was an established community. Peace reigned throughout the system in place (or so it appeared). Those in places of power, had been voted on and secured by a fair and democratic process -- with the usual parade of accepted or derided acts of nepotism. Nepotism, after all, must be thoughtfully handled as though it were a fine art. Thoughtless public displays of power-grabbing would be exposed in a discrediting way. Still, in this community, those who had most blood relatives, tended to see the longer end of every stick. As was the way of the greater world, surrounding.
Peace prevailed for a long enough time, to cause anything other than peace to be drawn into immediate attention. The peaceful nature of the inhabitants, smoothed over any rough edges almost immediately. Like the sea turning broken bottles into sea glass. Not just anyone, wanted to see a real and heavy kinda violence erupt upon the stage. Everyone kept such a feeling to themselves, for fear of alienation.
In this peaceful community with its subtext of potential violence, a seed germinated. Among them was one who had no ties with anyone whatsoever. One who came from out of any context of time, place, or family tree. There were rumors, of course, about how it came to pass that a stranger had stepped into the family portrait from off the edge of the map, but due to the pacific nature at hand, no one took the bull by the horns, as they say.
This one, this stranger, had wide eyes and was identifiable sight seen, due to their inner light pouring out in generous fashion, in yellows and earth tones, to light up anyone's world who stood within twenty feet. The rumors gave way and were extinguished by the light. This one became immediately well-liked, despite their forays into psychoses still unestablished.
Most would be shocked when they found out about the true hidden nature of their so-called friend; the one with the generous aperture eyes.
Nobody would ever place the generosity in question. You see, they basked in the inner light pouring out upon them. Like a waterfall of light pooling into the public square. With a twenty foot circumference the kids inside only stepped out of, on a dare. Your average inhabitant felt warm enough to shed back some body armour, and lay down before this. Some would go further, and perhaps even show an unrefined vulnerability to the one with the generous aperture eyes.
Bad idea. Everybody knows you don't get the Led out! and go Houses of the Holy cover art on some dude you barely met! That's like some chick texting her tits to some recently paroled, domestic abuse artist. Which for all anybody knew, this one was or could have been! But the light, the light, everyone talked about the sweet generous light! No one doubted the fact that the one cast no shadow at all. And spoke not a word to a soul. And lived on yogurt pretzels and hot-dog flavored potato chips...and slurpees.
But it happened, nevertheless. That subtext thing that everyone secretly wanted. And thank God no one got hurt. Maybe feelings. But feelings can feel their way out of a hurt. Usually.
So this propped up, phony, cult-of-personality fell down off the life-drawn dream rendition, when the community's resident genetic profiler (and a highly intelligent man) got wind of the newcomer with the generous aperture eyes. The analytics were not compelling. Not towards the ever-coveted passport stamp of membership, after all.
Why did it take so long? Well, prepare to laugh or cry. The second child of the third sister of the wife of the man who was the son of the son of the founder, or the purported co-founder of our beloved community, you know, the one who utimately branched off to an unknown location deep in the valley, where the few who went with him were tricked into his harem? Ya, that one! Well, his grandson's wife's third sister's second child totally dropped the ball as the Chief Minister of Immigration aka Border Patrol. Having been absolutely gifted (as a favor to the first and second sister, whose sister (the third sister) was distraught over the brutish ennui demonstrated by her second child, after the untimely passing of her husband and first son in a tragic crowdsourcing accident that no one has ever been allowed to discuss since it happened) the position and title in the community, in the most intricate act of nepotism since the first brother (and known gambler) of the daughter of the very same founder was elected Treasurer of the community. Then stoned to death. After he usurped half the bank one year, and lost it in Reno. Long before peace settled over the community.
So the genetic profiler (a highly intelligent man) had words with the good-for-nothing Chief Minister of Immigration, and gave a compelling case for extradition. He received such a larceny of honest discourse, in reply. Yes-man type responses, and nods of the head, inside of which no wheels were in motion whatsoever, at all! The subsequent call for action against the one with the aperture eyes, was so long delayed, there were at least a half dozen citizens who had grown their first gray and silver hairs, in the same span of time.
But how could such a peaceable community, so violently impose extradition upon a person who had babysat half the community's children in a strange circle of light, all these years it took for at least half a dozen citizens to grow their first gray and silver hair? But what evidence could possibly have discredited the seemingly benevolent strange being who came out of nowhere? With such generosity of light and spirit as had so endeared our friend with the aperture eyes, to the people? Flowing out in every direction to the distance of twenty feet?
Well, legend has it the resident genetic profiler (the same highly intelligent inhabitant of the community who demanded a call for extradition), had a scientific dossier of his findings; which moved quickly from hypothesis to theory, and withstood all lack of challenge in the community. The findings in said dossier (which have been sealed in an open air wicker basket atop a file cabinet in the living room of our beloved Chief Minister of Immigration) pointed to either a genetic or nurtured flaw in the disposition of the optical system presenting in the subject, the one with the generous aperture eyes. Therefore, it concluded, the generosity of the aperture disposition in the optical system was a direct result (and by no means chosen by the subject) of an involuntary perforated retina. Possibly inherited from unknown predecessors. But more than likely from the television ozone leaking through the ocular atmosphere, at some point in the subject's past life of apparent fraudulent and highly suspect life of suspected couch surfing, and transient living.
An addendum to the findings, which since has been lost by you know who, suggested also that the reason for the subject's apparent chosen life of silence and involuntary light-distribution to a radius of twenty feet around, was due to a nesting of evil behind the eyes, rather than the suspected life of asceticism. And went on to propose that said subject likely had no soul, anymore, if it ever had one to begin with. Without a genogram in place, there could be no knowing. Interrogation of the subject was quickly ruled out. The children attracted into the light, were simply as comfortable as they would be seated in front of the television, at any time or location, as was also demonstrated by the resident genius in his own use of variables and constants to replicate the situation, for purpose of moving hypothesis into theory, in his laboratory, and then appropriately calling for action and extradition. Such is the scientific method, applied. At least get your kids out of there!! he whispered to his friends' wives, long before the experiments were even conducted.
And so, after many a grey hair had grown, the formerly peaceable community quite violently extradited the one with the generous aperture eyes, out back to wherever it came from. And so it hovered, its light spilling out on over, the edges of the community that once had embraced it.What happened next is quite tragic, indeed. After being eighty-sixed from the system and having all its permissions revoked...well, you can only imagine! Those big doe eyes turned red as sweet peppers from safeway, baby, and our former friend with the mistakenly attributed aperture eyes, flew into a psychotic rage which surrounding communities all talk about to this day, coming across the land like some bat-out-of-hell. The formerly peaceable community was entirely enveloped, in violent reaction. The end.
