The Lonely Witness: Parody & Satire
()
About this ebook
She told the magistrate she had been abused, taken advantage of, her reputation ruined.
Or had she?
The village law said that the benefit of the doubt lay with the most vulnerable. And so women were believed when they said some male had fondled or groped or acted in a threatening manner.
For Lyla, it had happened many times. All to her shame.
The men she accused were penalized and their own reputations marked.
Simply denying it was no defense. For in every accusation Lyla presented, there was no witness to say what had happened.
Most of these men stayed far away from Lyla after that. Many left the village.
All to Lyla's benefit. Or was it?
The village started shrinking, people moving away. And few other villagers - male or female - would talk to her. Unless several other people were present.
She was being shunned for nothing she had done wrong. Or had she?
Except:
Regardless of the magistrate's decision, she felt - just perhaps - that something else was going on. Her head high, she walked the village street toward her small cabin on the village limits. She hadn't wanted to shop, but even if she did, all the stores had their "closed" signs turned. Some just as she passed them. The day was young, so why were so many taking the afternoon off?
Lyla hoped she hadn't missed hearing about a party or gathering. There had been a few of them recently that she had only accidentally found out about. And didn't feel like walking in uninvited.
She had her weaving and her garden to occupy her time these days. And running her booth on Saturdays at the Market. These kept her more than busy.
In recent weeks, she had fewer visitors to her home to place special orders or to see what crops of hers were ready. She'd even quit hatching chickens as her eggs weren't selling enough to pay for the rations they needed to lay high-quality eggs. Frankly, it would soon be cheaper to only keep what she needed for her own needs, and feed them off table scraps and old bread crusts.
Market day was becoming more sparse, even this fall. There were fewer booths, and many people were trading in other villages than locally. She now had two empty spaces on each side of her booth, where a couple of years ago, it was hard to even fit her booth into a space. Market day meant having the entire main street lined from one end of the village to the other. And the livestock auction was held beyond that.
But hard times had come. Many of the storefronts were now empty. Families had moved out. Single men had begun looking for jobs in other villages, not returning to their native-born origin once they had built up a nest-egg investment.
And the village didn't seem as pleasant a place as it had been. She would often not talk to anyone for days.
But she was beginning to think something else was happening. She had noticed that conversations ceased just as she walked up. When she visited a store, the shopkeeper would be terse and speak in short answers. There were always someone else present, but just within earshot, not carrying on conversation.
....
At nights, she had her books to read. Her mind was occupied all the time. Some might call it lonely, but she called it solitude...
Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.
R. L. Saunders
R. L. has always had a hard-edged humor. But he's been working on toning it back when it interferes with the straight entertainment value of the story he's bringing to life. Saunders likes his parables exciting and his sharp wit is often a surprise. Of course, there are contemporary mentions you have to keep an eye out for... Satire is like that, he says - no fun if you don't deflate an over-blown ego every now and then...
Read more from R. L. Saunders
Riot Wall Anthology: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Autists Anthology: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Anthology 13: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn SF/Fantasy Reader: Short Stories From New Voices: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Love of 'Cagga: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Canon 03: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Romance Reader: Short Stories From New Voices: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Panic of 2020: Ghost Hunters Mystery Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short Story Reader's Bookshelf: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElections, Inc.: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Anthology 11: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Writer's Journey of John Earl Stark 02 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Voices Vol. 005: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDoppel: Ghost Hunters Mystery Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmart Home Revenge: Ghost Hunters Mystery Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Anthology 12: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsC. C. Brower Short Story Collection 02: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Projector: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Voices Vol. 010: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Voices Volume 11: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Lonely Witness
Titles in the series (13)
Rise & Fall of President Frump: Parody & Satire, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeyboard in the Sky: Parody & Satire, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cats Typing Romance: Two Short Stories: Parody & Satire, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBecoming Michelle: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lonely Witness: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeltway Gremlin: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Writer's Journey of John Earl Stark 01: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsR. L. Saunders Satire Collection 02: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chardonnay Conspiracy: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sweet Fortune: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOur Second Civil War: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRiot Wall: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsR. L. Saunders Satire Collection 01: Parody & Satire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Goodbye, Mr Sallt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNever Linger Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecond Chances at the Cotswolds Candy Store Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecret Love: A Lesbian Romance (Book #1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loving Imogen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas in Angel Harbor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shapewalker's Song Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnowbound at Solstice: A Christmas Novella: Mannix Dragon Shifters, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Look Who Tuna'd Up Dead: Trapper Lakes, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNothing is Heavy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecret Love: A Love to Remember, #1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Coquette Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThorns: A study in human frailty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood Secrets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Bloom, Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gamelan (Music for a Shadow Play) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUndercover Cavaliere Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStonechild Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBilly Old, Arizona Ranger: A Historical Novel Based on a True Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sedition: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yellow Lies: Ben Pecos Mysteries, Book 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rainbow Nation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe War Angels: An Astonishing Soul Searching Journey of One Man...And the Heroic Faith of an Entire Village Against Satanic Forces Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat We Leave Undone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHalf A Rainbow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGold For My Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Settlement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKipps: The Story of a Simple Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBorder Lines Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Satire For You
Candy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lawyering By Dummies Student Expanded Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Candide: The Original Unabridged And Complete Edition (Voltaire Classics) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Heart of a Dog Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Utopia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As I Lay Dying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Line to Kill: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5House of Cards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51900: Or; The Last President Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Am A Cat Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No One Left to Come Looking for You: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bone Palace Ballet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going Postal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Faggots Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dice Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The White Boy Shuffle: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Living Girl on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Die For: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Herland Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kill for Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Between the Bridge and the River: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It Was Just Another Day in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrout Fishing in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of the African-American People (Proposed) by Strom Thurmond: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Third Policeman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Lonely Witness
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Lonely Witness - R. L. Saunders
The Lonely Witness
(with Beltway Gremlin
)
by R. L. Saunders
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE LONELY WITNESS
First edition. December 30, 2018.
Copyright © 2018 R. L. Saunders.
ISBN: 978-1386424239
Written by R. L. Saunders.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
The Lonely Witness
Beltway Gremlin
Don't Miss Out!
Sign up for R. L. Saunders's Mailing List
Further Reading: R. L. Saunders Satire Collection 01
Also By R. L. Saunders
The Lonely Witness
I
BUT YOUR HONOR, THAT's not the way it happened!
So what did happen?
Nothing!
That's not what she says. Her accusation is detailed. You have acted inappropriately and if she had not escaped, it would be much worse.
The young man bowed his head, defeated.
You know the village law. In these cases, the law sides with the most vulnerable. You are fined a week's pay to be split between the plaintiff and the village coffers. And this judgment is now ordered recorded for all the village to see. Court adjourned.
The gavel banged.
The young man just stood there.
Lyla glared at him as she spun to stalk out of the court. Vindicated.
The sunshine shone on her white bonnet and long ruby linen dress. The design was simple. The colors she chose were for a reason. Her name had been bloodied by this young man's actions. And she knew there would be no attempt at retribution from him. He would never again attempt to force her to do anything against her will.
While she