A Moral Experiment
By T.B. Raharjo
A 17-year-old girl died horribly. She was raped, then strangled to death. Her body was discovered in a room in the house of a moral education teacher. It was his wife who found the body. She informed the police immediately.
The teacher's wife told the police: "Last night, my husband and I went to bed at seven. He got up at half past five this morning, then left for school. When I went to clean the next room, I found the dead girl."
"Did the girl come here often?" the police asked.
"Yes, she did. We thought of her as our own child. She often spent the night here. We have been married for more than 20 years. We have no children and were happy with her presence."
"Did she come here yesterday?"
"Yes. She came at about half past six. She watched TV and she studied. I told her to close all doors and switch off the TV before she went to bed. Then, my husband and I went to our room."
A medical examination showed that the girl had taken some drugs. The murderer was not a pro. In a short time the killer was identified due to the marks he had left on the victim's body.
***
The short, stocky, bald-headed moral educator was teaching in front of his class. With great enthusiasm he was condemning the current moral situation.
"... That is why you must have a strong personality. In this crazy era, many people offer delectable forbidden goods. Once you have slipped, do not hope to get up again."
Silence reigned over the classroom.
The bald teacher continued, "Therefore you must show concern. Observe religious teachings, and..."
He stopped. There was tension in the air when a student broke wind very loudly. The foul smell went in all directions. One student threw up, another one fainted, others stumbled out of the classroom. The teacher cursed and staggered out of the room.
The school became noisy.
Two policemen were heading for the school. They went straight to the bald teacher and put handcuffs on him.
"What is all this?"
"You are accused of raping and murdering a 17-year-old girl."
"This is slander! Slander! That's impossible ..."
The policemen took the teacher by force to their vehicle and took him to the police station.
The bald teacher sat in a cold cell, groaning, roaring and shouting. He cursed the arbitrary action. He felt he had been trapped and treated unjustly.
"For years I have taught the present generation of this country not to fall into an abyss of humiliation. Is this my reward? Damn you, uncivilized people!"
"The law must be enforced, sir. Let the law decide whether you are guilty or not," said a fellow inmate out of annoyance. "You'd better be quiet." The man hit the teacher on the nose. The teacher fainted, and the cell fell silent again.
***
The bald teacher was put on trial and witnesses were interrogated. The main witness, the teacher's wife, was heard in a session on Monday morning.
"Did you sleep soundly that night?" the judge asked.
"Yes, I did, Your Honor."
"There was no noise that disturbed you?"
"No, Your Honor."
"How was that?"
"I have had sleepless nights for two years. A doctor prescribed some sleeping pills. Once asleep I have difficulty waking up."
Clinical test results and statements by experts were presented, also the findings of the police investigation. The case looked bad for the bald teacher.
He was roaring dementedly. "It's slander. A trap. I cannot accept it!" he cried hysterically. His wife could only look at him with wounded feelings.
"What do you have to say in your defense?" the judge asked.
"I am not guilty!"
"Your heart should speak the truth. Do you deny all the proof and facts?"
"I was pressured, trapped, and the unwanted happened, Your Honor. I am telling you the truth."
"So you admit to your deed."
"No, I do not. I was acting beyond my will. I was forced. Like I said .. I was under pressure, trapped .. he wants to ruin my career, Your Honor."
"Who?"
"Mr. Ego, Your Honor."
"Who is he?"
"Somebody who always shadows my life, ridicules my work, mocks and humiliates me."
The judge wiped the sweat from his brow.
"... That night my wife was already asleep, Your Honor. Mr. Ego came to me. He appeared in my thoughts, derided the work I have been doing for 20 years. He challenged me to an experiment."
The room was silent.
"Mr. Ego asked me to show proof of my work of 20 years in the field of moral education. I felt challenged. I accepted the challenge. I invited Mr. Ego to meet the girl who was watching TV at the time. I told Mr. Ego that the girl had been my student for nearly 12 years. I had given her moral education during that time. I said the girl came from a good family, was devout and had a strong personality."
The story became interesting.
"I then explained the rules of the game. I would offer some barbiturates to the girl and strongly coax her to take them. If the girl refused, it meant I won. If the girl accepted the offer, I would lose. We agreed. The first experiment began."
"What made you do that?" the judge interrupted.
"First, I wanted to prove that my teachings had given solid protection to the girl. Second, I wanted to know the strength of her personality. Third, I wanted to shut up Mr. Ego and put an end to his insults."
The judge frowned.
"So I offered some barbiturates to the girl. I was not far off, Your Honor. The girl refused them persistently using a number of viable arguments."
"I was proud of it. I then insisted using stronger persuasion." Suddenly the bald teacher bowed his head.
The judge remained silent.
The teacher continued in tears, "... but I miscalculated. The TV was showing a film with passionate scenes. I was able to hold my own, Your Honor, but not the girl. The film affected her and she tried to grab a pill from my hand. Apparently she liked the new experience. She took one pill after another. I cried, Your Honor. I lost."
The bald teacher was downhearted. "I told Mr. Ego that the girl was still wet behind the ears. Not surprisingly she lost. But I was not. Mr. Ego challenged me. We agreed, Your Honor."
The audience was excited.
" ... I took off the girl's clothes, took her to the room next to my wife's and laid down next to her. According to the agreement, if I could sleep until the morning without anything shameful happening, I would win. The experiment started. I was able to contain myself for three hours, Your Honor. At three o'clock exactly Mr. Ego woke me up ..."
The audience was holding its breath.
" ... Mr. Ego put his hands around my throat. He placed a knife to my throat. I cursed him for not being fair. Under the threat of his knife he ordered me to commit an immoral act. I refused, Your Honor. But he went on putting pressure on me, mocking me, then ... I lost control, and then it happened ..." The teacher bent his head crying.
"So, you were the offender, weren't you?" the judge asked with a heavy voice.
"I was pressured and trapped, Your Honor. My life was being threatened. If I had died, there would have been no teacher the next morning to instruct the students about morality. But alive, there would still be hope of continuing my efforts to save thousands of students from the perils of immoral behavior. That is why I chose to continue living at the time, even if it meant doing something shameful ..."
The audience became restless. They booed the defendant. They swore, spat and shouted, "Old goat, shame on you!"
The judge banged his gavel. The court was quiet again.
"I am innocent, Your Honor. I have sacrificed myself for the sake of hundreds of students. I hope for your understanding, Your Honor. I was pressured, trapped and forced ..." The bald teacher was groaning pitiably. He had spoken in his defense, but the judge said the session was finished.
The bald teacher was committed to a mental hospital for a long time. He often used vile words to condemn Mr. Ego.
Where is Mr. Ego? No one knows. It is clear that he is looking for victims. Who will be his next victim? Let's make a bet!
Translated by SH.
Eksperimen Moral (A Moral Experiment) first appeared in Kompas daily in 1995 and later in Pistol, Cerpen Pilihan Kompas 1996 (Pistol, Kompas Selected Short Stories 1996). It is printed here by courtesy of Kompas daily.