THE COLLECTOR OF NUDES. Requiem possessed nude photographs of some two hundred and fifty tourists. They were completely at his feet. They bought him drinks, paid money into his account each month, revered him almost. Irked by this perpetual blackmail, one tourist pressed charges for threatening behavior and defamation. Overnight, Requiem published the pictures of the tourist in his birthday suit in the gossip rags of the City-State. Cherry on the cake, he persuaded the girl to accuse the tourist of rape. The poor tourist pleaded mutual consent, a complete waste of time. Age is a malleable thing in a country whose citizens have been without ID cards since at least the time of Noah, the prophet Ezekiel, and sister Abigail. The young woman was already an adult at the time of the incident. But there was money at stake. Who doesn’t like money? The court, which was corrupt to the core, had found a cash cow. The tourist was ruined, threatened with prison, and made to pay a fine. His popularity ever waning, the dissident General sent the tourist back to his own country, hoping to win the favor of his people.
