When the Council of the Home questioned us,
we looked upon the faces of the Council,
but there was no curiosity in those faces,
and no anger, and no mercy. So when
the oldest of them asked us: "Where have
you been?" we thought of our glass box
and of our light, and we forgot all else.
And we answered:
"We will not tell you."
The oldest did not question us further.
They turned to the two youngest, and said,
and their voice was bored:
"Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to
the Palace of Corrective Detention.
Lash them until they tell."
So we were taken to the Stone Room
under the Palace of Corrective Detention.
This room has no windows and it is empty
save for an iron post. Two men stood by
the post, naked but for leather aprons and
leather hoods over their faces. Those who
had brought us departed, leaving us to the
two Judges who stood in a corner of the
room. The Judges were small, thin men,
grey and bent. They gave the signal to the
two strong hooded ones.
They tore the clothes from our body,
they threw us down upon our knees and
they tied our hands to the iron post.
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