(Page 1 of 2) Bounding the Forbidden by Dan BiegerSUMMARY: April flash fiction contest entry"Who gets to make the rules?" Carter asked.
"Only members can make rules," Bennie answered. "And all of us here are members so all of us here can make rules."
"And everybody else has to follow them rules?" Art asked. "That don't make no sense. Spose I don't like a rule that Clyde wants to make? Why I gotta follow a rule I don't like?"
"Okay, let's change that," Bennie said, his eyebrows screwed together in concentration. "Let's say that anybody can suggest a rule and, if all of us agree, then it becomes a rule that we all follow."
"All of us got to agree, right?" Art had a wicked gleam in his eye, one Carter knew all too well causing him to jump in with "No, you don't, Art. You don't get to be a majority of one and stop all the rules you don't like. If a majority of us like a rule, then it's a rule for everybody, including you."
Art held up his hands in mock innocence: "Hey, man, don't be jumpin' on me just cause I want to unnerstand the rules. I'm willing to go along with this stuff; I just want it clear what I'm signin' up for; that's all."
"Yeah, right," Carter answered.
"Yeah, right," Art agreed. "Now, tell me ‘bout this majority. Is that a two-thirds majority or just a simple majority. The reason I'm askin' is that, if it's just a simple majority, then you got a chance of havin' lots of discontent over some of the rules and that don't make for a decent club, you know? Everybody grumblin' all the time."
"You're the only one who grumbles, Art."
"Carter, you gotta get off my case, you know? I'm just askin'; that's all."
"How about a two-thirds majority, then," Clyde asked.
The group, all nine of them, muttered among themselves for a minute or two before Bennie asked: "Any objections?"
"Not from me," Art grinned. The rest nodded their assent.
"Are we it? Is this all the members we gonna have in this club?" Art asked, a curious impersonation of innocence spreading across his face.
"No, we can add members any time we want," Bennie said.
"With no qualificashuns or nothin'?" Art pushed.
"What do you have in mind?" Clyde asked.
"Well, what does it take to be a member of our club? What's the qualificashuns?"
"You must be a friend of ours," Carter offered.
"That's it? Just a friend? What if this friend is a girl person, huh? Did you think about that?"
The nine looked around. There were no girls present.
"I think we could let girl friends in the club as long as everybody voted for it," Bennie said.
"Everybody?" Art smirked.
"Well, a two-thirds majority of everybody," Bennie conceded.
"That's a rule, then?" Art asked.
The nine nodded agreement that that was the rule.
"Okay, what other rules are there?" Art asked.
The nine debated rules for a while, adding no cussing; no spitting; no calling names, rejecting dues, regular meeting times, and hiding the club's existence from people not members. Carter offered the notion that the fewer the rules the better and eight of the nine agreed. Clyde supported the idea by observing that the more rules they had, the more time they had to pay attention to who was following and who was breaking the rules.
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