Daniel’s Trial:

“What do you think about this case?” Kat asked Paul in the kitchen. I heard him set down his glass.

“It’ll be an uphill struggle,” he said.

-Day of Daniel’s Trial-

Kat, Lyle, and I all rode the shuttle bus to the courthouse. We all had to get up early for the trial.

“Why do we have to go?” I asked her as I was putting on my best dress.

“For support,” Kat replied. “Plus, I am called to be a witness.”

“A witness?” I asked.

“That’s right,” she said. I walked over to her bedroom door.

“But why?” I asked.

-Weeks Before-

“What do you mean?” Kat asked.

“Let’s look at the situation,” Paul said. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, correct?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Do you think the judge under this crumbling government will see it that way?” he asked. There was a slight pause in Kat’s answer.

“No…” she said.

-Today-

“I will be a character witness for Daniel,” she said.

“That’s to see that he’s a good person?” I asked.

“Correct,” Kat replied.

I looked around as we walked up to the courthouse. I recognized many of the people with signs. I turned and looked up at Kat.

“Kat,” I said. “Why are your students here?” She gave me a little smile without looking down.

“They came out here to support Daniel too,” she said. I looked at her with big eyes.

“Really?” I asked. “I thought they hated him.”

“Some do,” she said. I gave her a puzzled look.

“Then, why are they out here?” I asked.

“They are here for their fellow man,” Kat replied. I still didn’t get what she was saying.

“What?” I asked.

-Weeks Before-

“Can’t he plead insanity?” Maggie asked. Paul shook his head.

“This isn’t that type of case,” he said.

“What do you mean?” his wife asked.

“Obviously there is no real crime committed here,” Paul said. “It’s just a violation committed in chaos and a growing tyranny here.”

“So… what can we do?” Kat asked. He turned his attention to her.

“That’s where I will need you and your students’ help,” he said.

-Today-

I have never seen so many people in a courtroom like this before. I thought everyone in Germany had shown up for this one trial. I looked over at Lyle.

“There are so many people here,” I whispered. He nodded in response.

“Where are we going to sit?” I asked.

“They’ll show us the way,” he said. Kat led us along to the witness box. She walked over to a guard.

“Are my kids allowed with me?” she asked him. He gave her a small shrug.

“Sure,” he said. We followed behind Kat and took a seat. I watched as they led Daniel into the courtroom. He looked like a worn out rag doll. I don’t he had much sleep over the past few days. He had lost some weight with his brown jumpsuit hanging off of his skinny body. Daniel’s eyes stayed to the ground during the whole walk. I barely knew the bloke, but my heart went out to him that day. I nudged Kat on the arm.

“What happened to him?” I whispered.

“That’s what jail can do to a person if they stay there for a long time,” she whispered back. I winced at her words. That was enough to convince to never break the law in my life. I looked up when I heard the judge beat his gavel against the bench. I recognized him right away. That was Judge Bauer. I was run him into a few times in town. The strongest memories about him were his fat face and that he was smelled the like butterscotch and cigars. The latter was almost strong enough to make me faint when I got too close.

“Kat, how can his wife stand the smell of him?” I asked after dinner one day. Kat smiled to herself as she graded papers at her desk.

“Oh, him and his wife barely get time to see each other during the day,” she replied. “She works at the bank downtown while he’s at the courthouse.” I nodded at that answer. Makes sense…

“Order, order!” Judge Bauer’s voice filled the packed room. Everyone went quiet in hushed tones.

“Today, we are hearing the case of Artz vs. Germany!” he announced. He turned to the defendant and Paul.

“How do you wish to plead?” the judge asked them.

“Not guilty!” Paul replied. A small waves of boos filled the room.

“Order, order!” Judge Bauer yelled. Everyone went quiet. I felt my stomach turn as I grabbed onto Lyle and Kat’s hands. Something told me that this trial won’t go so well. I looked up at Kat for some relief. She didn’t turn to me; her attention stayed on the action unfolding for us.

-Weeks Ago-

“A character witness?” Kat asked. Paul pressed his hands together over his mug.

“I don’t really have much to go on for the time being,” he explained. “This isn’t the normal circumstances that we are dealing with here. There is the rumor of a totalitarian group and war breaking out in this country.”

“Yes, I have heard,” Kat replied.

“And you have seen its early stages hit the colleges—including yours, am I correct?” he asked. Kat sat back with her arms behind her head.

“I believe that I have,” she replied. Paul straightened up his glasses.

“Due to these circumstances, I do not have an easy battle in front of me already,” he summed out. “However, his mental history and stay might help him out. If I get more people to understand that with a few good character witnesses…” Kat sat up straight in her chair.

“I’ll do it,” she said in one breath. Hearing that shocked me so much that I took a step backwards in the hall. I had never heard Kat sound so rushed like that before. This must be really bad for her to be like that in a fix.

“Who else do you have on the list?” Kat asked.

“You at the moment,” Paul replied. “The problem is the students. After that riot on your campus last Saturday, I don’t think many will be willing to come forward and speak on Daniel’s behalf.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Maggie asked. He turned to her with a stern look on his face.

“Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and expect the unexpected,” he replied.

“Amen,” Kat replied.

-Today-

With all of that in mind, I began to pray over and over again in my hand that Daniel would have a happy ending in this trial. Paul sat down after his opening statement and I waited for the real dogfight to begin.