“I will deliberate.” The Judge retires to his chamber to decide the man’s fate.
A life sentence vs. freedom.
He removes two giant snails from his fish tank, blots the dripping water with a paper towel, and places one on either flat plate of his ‘justice’ scales. One ‘guilty’ snail, one ‘innocent’.
They balance.
As the plodders slowly begin moving to the side, he places a single white crystal on the tail of each. The sodium shock hastens the movement of the creatures. The scales tip.
“The scales of justice move slow,” he says, “but today, I have an early tee-time.”
Fascinating scenario…..
Great story. Good writing.
What a gem this is! Only wish I’d thought of it first. Haha. Congrats!
Scott
Thanks, Scott. I get frustrated with the ‘speed of justice,’ and that idea came to me, since judges’ decisions often seem arbitrary.
Excellent. This could be the beginning of a great movie!
Great premise and surprise ending, All in a few words. Plus it has the uncertainty factor. We make up our own ending.
Well done! Just the way I like storytelling. And my escargot!
Made me laugh about the escargot. Certainly, a tad of salt in the garlic butter.
Very creative!
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Spell check took over
Should have been a “ thumbs up”
??
The police scanner traffic indicated that a local judge crossed the median on the way to the country club and hit a semi trailer head-on. The giant cone snail venom was slow but deadly.
Great insight MD. I agree with your assertion that justice moves slow. And golf is often the culprit
Better slow if that allows for good time to think. Never mind that. This one is extremely creative. Slow snails plus a kick in the salt crystal, seen active on the scales of justice. What a fine imagination backed up by great knowledge!
Great read..
Bravo, M.D.!
Was this guy in the OJ trial?
What an interesting, well-executed concept! The ending made me smile then grimace and then think, a response I appreciate having to fiction. Well done!
Great metaphor. Whether it was meant this way or not, I appreciated the
grain of salt resenting the cruel injustice of “the system.” Very creative.
Highly imaginative but a little unkind to judges on difficult cases, 😉
I just loooove snails! Thanks for the story.
Wonderful, memorable visual. Copyright this before some dystopian story steals it!