The K Court
Posted: Friday, June 20, 2008
by Ken McCreless
RMS1437- "Answer the Call"
Greetings Fellow Travelers...
I pulled up next to the meter, got out of Christine, my '07 Sentra, and plunked in 2 quarters. It was a quarter an hour and I felt that 2 hours worth would more than cover it. I very nearly came to regret that pinch-penny attitude.
I had parked about a block away, thinking that there was no way I would find a spot in front of the building that housed the Environmental Court, for which I had an order to appear- bolded time to appear was 9 am, warned to be thirty minutes early- was not. I was sickened to see that parking was plentiful right in front. A slow day for criminals such as I, I thought to myself.
It was an actual, bona fide courtroom. This included several rows of benches for the audience, the prosecutors and defendant tables just past the bar. To the left I saw a jury box capable of holding six jurors. There were three computers scattered hither and yon, and two phones, one of which made me wonder if it was a direct line to the governors office. At the back- the very centerpiece of the room- was the much elevated bench- the judges perch- the seat of command.
It seems that I was the last one to arrive. I sat down at 8:45 and no one came after me. Shortly after 9 am a woman came through the door located on the far wall, to the right of the bench. She was dressed in a black pant suit and was apparently only marginally concerned about her appearance, her salt-and-pepper hair mostly salt.
She sat down at the prosecutors table and called a man up after opening her briefcase and removing and shuffling some papers. She tried to speak low enough so that no one could hear other than the, I guess you would call him, the defendant. She failed miserably. We all heard every last detail of his offense and his near arrest. I thought she must be the judge, or, someone appointed by the judge to deal wit the ordinance violators. She was not the judge.
"All Rise! This court is now in session. The honorable Blah Blah Blah residing!"
After introducing herself the judge went on a spree of mind numbing detail about the courts purpose and the rights and likely results of various legal maneuvers perpetrated by non-lawyers such as ourselves. The roll was called and those not present would have an arrest warrant drawn up and executed soon. The lady in black turned out to be an actual prosecutor, one who lost a bet, I figured.
A man who was in his 70s was first. He will have to pay a lot of money, not because his dog was loose, but because his "animal was at large." She had to explain over and over and over the very things the judge had expounded. I felt sorry for him. He was humiliated and defeated.
I almost felt sorry for the folks wrangled, for whatever reason, to participate in this fiasco of a legal parade. Maybe they, too, lost a bet.
Like I said, we could hear every nearly whispered word. The place was built like a music hall.
I did my civil duty and allowed my head to be chopped off. What a racket. As I rolled past the stray dogs roaming my neighborhood I wondered if any real change is possible.
Ken McCreless is just a guy who loves to write, and was born to do so. He is a freelance writer with several projects ongoing, including books and magazines. A huge fan of both irony and history, Ken has dedicated his life and his writing to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Got a need for short fiction? --Once-Told Tales-- Twilight Zone inspired!!
Got a need for short fiction? --Once-Told Tales-- Twilight Zone inspired!!
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Great article; combining humor with realism. Well written and an easy read. Thanks for sharing. SandraThank you, Sandra. It was quite an experience.
hi ken, excellently, and uniquely written. ironically, just today i had to pay online for a parking ticket i got while being at our "county's" court house, in a similare court room, and it was actually because the other lawyer for the divorce was an hour late! they were going to suspend my driving privleges if i did not pay this 25 dollars by today. it's a huge racket. they have no parking lots, it's a small, country town. but, pay i did. i didn't want to go to that very uninviting courtroom! best regards, sue thomI hear you, Susan. It's the law abiding citizens that get targeted; the criminals know how to avoid paying. Thank you for the kind words.
Very interseting, i was waiting for something BIG to happen, lol. But still very interestingI was just glad to get out of there. Thanks for reading...
Ah yes, Ken, a miniutre of society, the powerful and the meek. Just show up, pay the fine and get out, next.That's it exactly. You can fight city hall, but what's the point?
Hi Ken, what an amusing tale. I felt your pain as I too, was in court a few months back--it wasn't my fault, I didn't do anything.... :-) Can you believe they didn't believe me? ha! So goes another day in paradise. Thanks for sharing. Your writing style is so natural, its as if I am sitting across the table from you. The only thing missing is my coffee. Blessings to you!
Ken, I'm with you on this. Sometimes I wonder if government entities focus on stuff like this because it is all they have the ability to handle. Oh, sorry, that should be: think they have the ability to handle. Anyway, we get the short end of the bureaucratic stick.
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