Tainted Trust:

Simone’s Notes:

Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Often betrayal is the act of supporting a rival group, or it is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others. Someone who betrays others is commonly called a traitor or betrayer. Betrayal is also a commonly used literary element and is often associated with or used as a plot twist. Roger L. Jackson, author of the article, The Sense and Sensibility of Betrayal: Discovering the Meaning of Treachery Through Jane Austen, writes that "there has been surprisingly little written about what we even mean by the term". In psychology, practitioners describe betrayal as the breaking of a social contract; however, critics of this approach claim that the term social contract does not accurately reflect the conditions and motivations for, and effects of, betrayal. Philosophers Judith Shklar and Peter Johnson, authors of The Ambiguities of Betrayal and Frames of Deceit respectively, contend that while no clear definition of betrayal is available, betrayal is more effectively understood through literature. AI researcher Selmer Bringsjord made betrayal the core of a storytelling program BRUTUS. In Artificial Intelligence and Literary Creativity: Inside the Mind of BRUTUS, a Storytelling Machine, betrayal is defined operationally in computer language as basically as knowingly thwarting another out of something that ought to occur.

Bruises all over the face. Her tiny, pale fingers felt along where the red handprints were on her throat. She has no clothes; those were taken away from her when she first came to this terrible place. So, she sits naked and black and blue in the darkness prison she is kept in. She trembled again. Why? Why is this happening to me? She said that she would protect me!

Her mistress was a contradiction in herself. She could be so sweet at times. This was not one of those nights. Her mistress seemed to be getting much angrier these days. She didn’t ask the older woman why. Why risk more abuse? So, she kept her mouth shut. Even that didn’t help her much. The cuts on her lips proved this to be true.

“It’s not your place to know anything. Just trust me.”

Trust. That word was becoming a lie. But, she didn’t see it that way. It is hard to get into the mind of the abused at times. She fears her mistress, but loves her at the same time. The mistress knows this and uses this to her advantage. Black eyes tell all with that one.

She needs to get up and go to bed. But, her body stays put. She doesn’t even know the reason herself. Her mistress knew; but why say anything? That ruins the game. The pet was not to ask questions; just take the abuse in silence. The bruises on her chest told her that over and over again.

But, she never tries to leave. Nobody understands why. Even she doesn’t understand why she takes the beatings night after night and does nothing about it. Her mistress knows why, but she doesn’t answer the question of why that her pet’s eyes ask afterwards. All the pet knows is when it’s time to go to bed, eat (if she ever does), and go to sleep.

It’s time to sleep now, but she’s not moving. Rebellion at last?

XXXVI:

Wasting away. Alex’s eyes opened and trailed up to the sky. Seemed so dead just like him inside. No warmth. No breath. Not even a single scent in the stale air. Just nothing in this wasteland. Just the lamb standing numb in the grey sand. He couldn’t even hear the inside of his body or feel the sand at his feet.

Alex slowly shut his eyes again. His mind began to see his mother’s face again. She seemed so close, but out of his reach. “Mother,” the lamb thought. “I need you. Don’t leave me.” He reached out in his mind to touch her cheek. The kindly face vanished as if he was touching his own reflection in the water.

“Mother! Come back, mother! Don’t leave me in this place! Come on! Come on!” he cried over and over again in his mind. She disappeared out of view. Ale’s mind-hand sank down to his side. Alone again. These monsters have cut him off from everyone that he had ever cared about. They kept closing him further and further into his mind. But why? Control? Torment? Those too, but that can’t be it alone. No, there must be a bigger motive to keeping him hostage here. But what? What purpose did it serve?

But before Alex could even think about how to put this confusing puzzle together, his body began sinking down into the grey, depressing sands underneath him. He didn’t even make a single sound. The boy just sank down into the sand and disappeared into another circle of his mental prison.

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