In The Hunger Games they are the Peacekeepers.
In Matched they are the Society Officials.
In my son's elementary school, they are the Monitors.
On Tuesday evenings, I take Nicco to his school to play with his little buddy while the little buddy's older siblings practice soccer. Another church friend who lives nearby walked over and played with the boys. They played and climbed. They laughed and squealed.
Then the two who attend the school became subdued and slowly approached The Forbidden Slide. "The Monitors don't let us on that slide," they said. It has a crack and someone could get hurt.
The one who does not attend the school went to climb the rock wall. The other two said, "The Monitors don't let us climb up there. We could fall and get hurt."
They moved on to the monkey bars. "The Monitors say we can't go on the monkey bars. It's not safe and someone could get hurt."
They went across the playground to an open field where trees were dropping acorns. They gathered acorns and were hunting for more. One kid wanted to climb the tree to get more, but Nicco and the other girl who go to the school said, "The Monitors don't let us climb trees or pick acorns."
I pictured my baby walking, slowly, looking wistfully with much longing at the colorful and exciting playground equipment forbidden for use by children at the orders of The Monitors and I had enough! I told those kids to climb! See who can get the highest! Slide! See who can go the fastest! Jump! Swing! Run! and for heaven's sake, FALL! LEARN HOW TO GET BACK UP!!!
They paused, looked at me then at each other, then around the playground as if a Monitor might be lurking unseen ready to bust them, then they laughed and giggled and squealed and climbed! and slid! and jumped! and cracked acorns with rocks!
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