Date: Wed, 19 Jul 1995 19:54:01 EST From: Freda Whaley 904-944-0550 Subject: One Leap over the Moonies p.06 Message-Id: Part Six They arrived at the camp and Sam found himself being bundled off to a barracks. He was very tired and was looking forward to getting some sleep. But apparently that wasn't to be. After using the bathroom he was taken to a building next to the barracks. He found himself sitting on the floor with about twenty other young people. They were singing. The song was vaguely familiar. As their voces raised in unison the words "Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing, ..." were sung. When they were finished a heavy set man came forward and started to speak. It was to be the first of many lectures Sam was to attend. He looked around at his "...Jesus did not die to redeem man's original sin, as in orthodox Christianity. He had not been meant to die at all. He had been thwarted in his mission, which yet another messiah would now have to carry out. He is here. He is on earth. The messiah is born and he is here. Now! The Reverend Moon." Sam was thinking about what his mother would think of this speech when everyone stood up and joined hands. Soon everyone around him was praying aloud and some were in tears. Suddenly the leader screamed "Abo gi!" He recognized it as Korean for Father. Then everyone around him jumped up in the air and threw up their hands and cried, "Mon sei". Sam thought it was kind of like a victory yell. Sam was thinking about what his mother would think of this speech when everyone stood up and joined hands. Soon everyone around him was praying aloud and some were in tears. Suddenly the leader screamed "Abo gi!" He recognized it as Korean for Father. Teveryone around him jumped up in the air and cried, "Mon sei". Sam thought it was kind of like a victory yell. It was very late when Sam fell exhausted into bed. It seemed as if his head had just hit the pillow when he was shaken awake. A young woman, around twenty-three years old was standing over him with a silly grin on her face. She was wide eyed as she encouraged him to "Jump out of bed for the Father." He was treated to a breakfast of cold cereal and dry toast. He followed everyone outside and found himself in some sort of game where a basket ball was being thrown around. There didn't seem to be any rules, but there was a lot of shouting and screaming going on. He was drawn into the game and the frenzied pace at which this strange game was being played. As suddenly as it began it stopped. The group joined hands and without warning they started to pump their arms up and down. A chant of "choo choo choo choo" started up. Again Sam was drawn into the group. This went on for about five minutes and then stopped. Once more the strange ball game was played. About an hour of this and Sam was wishing he was any place but here. They were then herded into what appeared to be the main meeting building. Sam sat through lecture after lecture. five minutes and then stopped. Once more the strange ball game was played. About an hour of this and Sam was wishing he was any place but here. They were then herded into what appeared to be the main meeting building. Sam sat through lecture after lecture. To Sam's mind it didn't make much sense. He was brought up in a firm Christian background and wasn't the sort to be drawn into this kind of teaching. On the other hand he wasn't sure what he was suppose to be doing or how he was suppose to be acting. So he just went along with the group waiting for Al to arrive. He knew one thing for sure. He wasn't putting up with this garbage for 100 days. He also knew that the pressure was on for him not to return to his parents house. He was discouraged from seeing his family but he wasn't forcibly restrained. He realized that force wasn't necessary. The mind set was if you believed Moon's teachings you believed that the rest of the world was in the hands of Satan. You were told that your family members were your enemies and that you could expect them to try to bring you back to the old evil ways. It was a catch-22 mode of thinking. The more your family tried to win you back, the more they proved that Moon was right and the more desperately you resisted. It was catch-22, because if you were sane they were crazy, and if you were crazy they were sane, but if you were crazy you weren't about to concede they were sane. Sam recognized it as a lot of bull so he found himself in the unique position of having to submitted to a 100 day cerebral scrbing and trying to act like he believed all of this while trying not to slip into the mind set of everyone around him. It was hard going. It was the next day before Al came back. Sam was in the middle of another lecture when his friend showed up. "Where have you been?" hissed Sam. As soon as the words were out his mouth the lecturer pounced on him. "Okay, John. Since you seem to have a problem sitting still today I want you to go to Magdalene and tell her you need a 'cleaning of the soul'. Rob will escort you." Sam gave Al a pleading glance as he followed Rob out of the room. Al took the opportunity to fill Sam in. "Look, Sam, I know you can't talk to me right now but listen up. Ziggy says there is a 62 percent chance that you have to spend the full 100 days here. Then when they send you out to procure money for them you can call your father and patch things up." Sam gave Al a "Are you crazy?" look. Rob escorted Sam back to the barracks and to a room in the back of it. He knocked on the door and hearing a "Come in." he opened the door and herded him inside. A woman in a gauzy white dress with love beads cascading down her bosom was sitting at a desk. Rob introduced Sam to Magdalene. He explained that Sam was on his second trip through training after deprogramming by his parents and that he was having a big problem being still during the lectures. With that he left Sam alone with the woman. Patting a chair next to her she said, "Come, sit." Sam came over to her and sat down. Al looked around the room and then decided he could use his talents some where else. "Ah, Sam, I'm going to check this place out. I'll be right back." Unable to protest due to Magdalene being right there with him Sam watched him go. His attention was brought back to Magdalene as she spoke to him. "What seems to be the problem Jonny?" "Ah, I, well I just, I guess I'm a little restless." "Well, I've got a cure for that." She reached into a drawer and pulled out a brown bottle that looked like it had been around for fifty years or so. She opened it and pulling a spoon out of the drawer she poured some foul smelling stuff out of the bottle and into the spoon. "Here now, I want you to take this. It will help you to settle down and concentrate on our Father's teachings." Sam leaned back away from her. He didn't know what that stuff was, but he did know he wasn't about to put the evil smelling stuff in his mouth. "No, thanks. I'll pass. I'm sure I can listen better just knowing I don't have to take that stuff." She looked at him shaking her head and said, "Now Jonny, you've been through this training before. You know you have to follow the rules. It's either take this or the elders will have to discipline you. Now you don't want that do you?" Not knowing what type of discipline she was talking about and having been deserted by his hologram buddy he made a face and took the brown goop in his mouth and gagging swallowed it. It tasted as bad as it smelled. Almost on cue Rob came back in the room. He escorted Sam back to the lecture. Sam felt himself feeling as if he were floating. With alarm he now wished he had choosing the discipline, whatever it was. It had to be better then putting what ever junk she had fed him into his body. He just hoped he hadn't done any permanent damage. Al had arrived back and after a quick get together in the bathroom Al hit the ceiling when he heard what Sam had done. "Are you crazy Sam?" he yelled. "That could have been LSD or something even worse." Sam had trouble forming his words but managed to ask Al to have Ziggy check to see if any permanent damage had been done. Al checked with the hybrid computer hitting the hand link harder then was necessary. "According to Ziggy, you don't have any damage to your system. It was just a mild sedative that she gave you. But don't you ever do that again. I thought you knew better then to take things when you didn't know what they were." Al was really fuming. Sam gritted his teeth. "I do know better Al. But I'm having problems big time right now. I can't take 100 days of this. I've got to get back home before they brain wash me." Whacking the hand link Al frowned. "Okay, this is a little better. Now Ziggy says you stand a chance of being out of here in three days. It seems that collections have been down and they need more people on the street. But first you get married." Realizing what he had just said Al gave the hand link another hard whack. It squawked in protest. Sam looked at Al with his mouth agape. "Married? What the heck are you talking about?" "Ziggy says you have to get married." Al was reading the printout as fast as he could. "It seems that this Moon guy has these mass weddings and you're suppose to be in the next big wedding." "But Jonny doesn't even have a girlfriend. Does he?" Once more the hand link was whacked and once more it gave up its information. Al read, "You don't get to pick your wife. Rev. Moon assigns you one." Suddenly Al grinned. "Hey Sam, this is just what you need. You just might get this cute little...." "Al!" Sam was to upset to put up with Al's teasing. "I can't get married. Now I know I've got to get out of here. Why can't I just walk away?" "Well, I suppose you could do that. At first we thought you could just get away from them, but you might leap when you do and that would put Jonny back here without being with his father. He just might go back to the Moonies. And if he does make it home his father will stick him in a mental hospital. Remember that his father thinks you ran away again. Remember his threat to have you locked up? Do you want that?" "What am I suppose to do Al?" Al punched the keys on the hand link. "Ziggy says to at least act like you want to be a Moonie. That will buy us time to figure out what to do next. By the way, you aren't suppose to know about the wedding so don't let on. Meanwhile I'll go back and see if I can find anything else out. Watching his friend leave, his brow wrinkled in worry. He was dizzy from the sedative which didn't help his thought process any. He tried to fight the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. What was the matter with him? He usually could handle leaps better then this. He wiped away the tears as he went back to his bunk.