The Aliens of the Flaming Red Sun/13 Sin and repentance

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Sin and repentance
Much later Blue Tentacles met his brothers and sisters, they wriggled their tentacles mockingly at him, saying things like, “You can’t have a mudbath because you’ve been in prison!” Blue Tentacles grabbed at them and tried to rub off some mud that was still sticking to their tentacles. Then he was in trouble for fighting. The older sisters and brother of Blue Tentacles hardly spoke to him. Father had told them that Blue Tentacles had damaged their marriage prospects and they might have to make do with marriages to older and less attractive Centaurians than they would have liked.

The other servants weren’t much comfort for the ex-prisoner either. Their boss wouldn’t have liked that. Some didn’t think Blue Tentacles deserved better than he got. Others felt sorry for him. Servants were uneasy round him. Bond servants (slaves) feared the total power their master had over them. Free servants feared destitution if their employer dismissed them without a reference. Servants didn't want to annoy father by being friendly with the young trouble maker. They knew making an enemy of the boss's son was bad too. There was just one old servant who did like the boy but he couldn't easily get to the youngster unsupervised. Patricians try very hard to guard the chastity of youngsters from their families at least till they get married. Anyway the youngster knew that Brown Tentacles still liked him a lot. Brown Tentacles was at the bottom of the pecking order even of the servant community and couldn't get to the boy often. Readers may think that was a good thing but both minded.

When father was away the boy went to his mother. He hoped she would make him feel better. Father wouldn’t have allowed even that when he was at home. Mother was busy with some long distance communication device but she asked the maid to take Blue Tentacles to a small mudbath. “Can you come with me, mum?”

“I can’t talk to you now, I’ve got things to do.” “Please come with me.” “I’m talking to your Aunt Violet. It’s very important. Later you’ll understand.” “Please be nice to me. Every one’s horrible. It’s worse than the prison.” “I told you, you’ll understand later.”

Chapter 17 Who will like the boy?