“It’s just an experiment,” Jun said. “It’s going to be great. Look, we’ve already taken the first step. There’s no reason why we should back out now.”

But there was, at least for Sari. It was practically unheard of. What if someone found out? But even so, she was curious. It was so thrilling, to take of forbidden fruit.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sari finally said. “Tomorrow, then?”

“Um, yeah, in that abandoned basement place.” Jun’s voice was vibrating with anticipation.

Sari went back rather thoughtful. She was excited, yet scared, and was feeling that tinge of guilt too. After all, her family was extremely conservative, and something as wild as this could mean extremely severe punishment.

“Hey Dada, Tata,” Sari said, shying away a little.

“How was school?” her Dada asked.

“It was fine.”

“Fine? What do you mean?”

“Don’t need to probe so much, Kara,” Sari’s Tata said. Then he turned to Sari. “As her mothers we ought to give her a little freedom.”

“Easy for you to say, dear,” Jin said. “If she ever gets into any trouble, my position at the Church could be threatened. The Elders are extremely intolerant of any sin.”

Sari went up quickly to her room. The Elders are extremely intolerant of any sin. The words rang in her head. The sin she was about to commit was one of the most hated. She could always tell Jun she wanted out. But she was determined to try it out at least once.

The Church of the Tree of Life is so stupid, anyway, Sari thought. Then she laughed. If her Dada could read thoughts, she probably would have been nailed to a cross for even thinking that. She shuddered a little. Maybe she should get a girlfriend. Then maybe she could forget all this blasphemy and maybe focus on her studies and be a good Tree-loving Churchian, instead of having such profane thoughts.

But as Jun said, they had already taken the first step. By communicating with a male, she had already broken one of the Church’s most important laws. She originally had just wished for a glimpse of the opposite sex, rather than looking at her all-female family, all-female classmates, all-female teachers; everything about her was all female. The doctors who helped create her body from just a mass of cells from each of her mothers were female too. So were the cats, dogs and birds living in her neighbourhood. She took the first step. Now Jun wanted her to take one more step.

Sari wondered how many among the world were willing to take that first step apart from her. She wondered how many were willing to defy everything, from their parents to the Tree itself, just to do what they wanted to do, to risk everything, just for an experiment.

And a reckless experiment at that, Sari thought to herself. She sighed and forced herself into a troubled sleep.

Sari walked wearily to school the next day. She still had a few doubts racing about in her mind, though she quickly suppressed them. This was the time.

School went by slowly, and Sari’s heart was beating faster every period. She rushed out of school. She had about an hour to finish what she had to do before her mothers would start getting suspicious. She rushed down the basement, the secret connection over the high wall which separated the sexes. And Jun was already there.

“Are you ready?” Jun asked. There was a long pause.

“The worst that could happen is that we both die.” Jun laughed nervously. “Probably better than living like this anyway.” He stretched out his hand, palm upright.

Sari hesitated, then reached out and put her palm to his. It was wonderful. Her body started tingling with excitement. No male had ever touched a female since the Church had taken power.

“Ready?” Jun asked, then without waiting for an answer, he leaned forward and kissed her. Sari had never done it before; neither had Jun. They had only watched their parents do it homosexually, and always thought it wonderful. Now they knew, that it was so much more beautiful this way. They were absorbed in each other, in each other’s love, but not their love for one another, but rather their love for freedom, their love for totally release of emotion.

Jun broke the kiss, then embraced Sari, basking in the beauty of her rebellion, of her freedom. Sari smiled contentedly.

Then, as they released each other, the door to the basement was bashed open. Sari looked up to see her mothers, and several of the Churchian Security Force.

Sari heard several shrieks. “It’s a male!” “What blasphemy!” “Sari, how could you?” “They must be executed immediately.”

Sari closed her eyes and smiled as each bullet pierced her chest. She was free now.

And it was beautiful.