They were neither callused, like a construction worker's, nor effete. His nails showed no signs of the dirt or grease that would evince a farmer or me...hanic. They were trimmed to the quick, but the beds were long—a perfect end to the shapely fingers they capped. He waited patiently for his purchases to be rung, tapping his fingertips in time to the inoffensively boring music that wafted through the shop. I imagined that he worked in an office of some sort, for his hands bore no sign of manual. Natalia felt an icy chill running down her spine as the look on Jake’s face was alternating between serious and lustful. “Now, just what do you think you’re doing?” Natalia asked trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably as feelings of utter and complete desire began to radiate from her eyes. “Well, right now, I’m looking straight at you. In about a couple of seconds, I am going to slam you against the wall and make you regret ever wanting to leave this room.” Natalia felt her body. Prostitution licenses handed out to some of the adults.And the last event was Emmet and his family mounting the dais under the hot spotlights. There were four of them: Emmet, slave: Beverly Albertson, Legal Resident and licensed prostitute; Danny Albertson, age 13 and little Lucy Albertson, age 10. All wore thick plastic collars of white plastic around their necks—and only those collars. Emmet took up the 'slave display' position in the middle of the stage. The display position was the slave. There was a loud chorus of ‘Amen’ as the coffin reached the bottom.For an instant the clouds broke and a shaft of sunlight seemed to highlight Emily’s coffin. The light intensified and became white, and I realised I had somehow been dragged into my fugue state.“Seamus, you came!” called out Emily.“Of course I came. I never got a chance to say goodbye.”“I was allowed to come back specially for that.”That meant Emily had already experienced the afterlife. “What’s it like there?” I asked.There was.