Excerpt
2003-03-17 � 10:23 p.m.

Excerpts from my newest project, as yet untitled. (Very rough, please forgive.)

---

It was early in their twenty-fourth Joined Year that Margaran underwent Separation. It was the Female half that broached the subject one night as they hung in their harness before the console, the scrolling daily news casting a weird light over her features as the Male stared at her incredulously.

"Separate?" he asked, dumbfounded. "But...why?"

The Female half did not respond at first, keeping her face turned towards the console so that all he could see was her profile. Then she sighed and faced him, reaching out to place her slim hand on his bare chest.

"It's just something I've been thinking about," she said. "I'm not convinced, but I would like to see a doctor to hear about what would be involved."

The Male was confused, but agreed readily enough. "We'll go tomorrow," he said

***

"Separation is fairly easily accomplished," said the Male half of Dr. Stuvivson during their consultation the next day. "After all, human children are born Separated into their Male and Female halves."

The Female half of Margaran nodded, obviously interested, but the Male just remained leaning back in the harness before Dr. Stuvivson's desk, looking troubled.

"The surgical procedure is quick, and the necessary genetic manipulation afterwards is minimal — only enough to restore the area of Joining to a condition suitable for a Separated life."

"But," put in Stuvivson's Female half, "the physical aspects of the procedure are really the least of your worries should you choose to undergo Separation. We have found that the psychological impact of Separation is huge. Separation is so rare that many people don't know that there is almost a sixty-eight percent suicide rate among both Separated genders within a Solar Year of the procedure."

The Female half of Margaran recoiled. "What? Why?"

It was the Male half of the doctor that responded. "Because though they are born physically Separated, humans are meant to be Joined. It used to be that Male and Female halves had no choice but to search through the population on their own, seeking their other Half, rarely if ever achieving the kind of union that now exists with Joining. They would form legal and sexual relationships, but these were only a pale shadow of what we have now.

"Even after medical science progressed to the point that Joining was possible there was still the issue of compatibility between Female and Male halves. It wasn't until we were able to trace the connections between the human genome and personality maps that it became possible to produce successful Joined Humans. Now, with the planets-wide information network, it is relatively simple to locate a compatible gender to Join early in childhood development. Two halves that are completely compatible."

"Except sometimes — rarely — they are not," put in the Female Stuvivson quietly.

The Male Margaran cleared his throat. "This procedure — is it reversible?"

Both halves of Dr. Stuvivson regarded Margaran levelly.

"No," they said, together.

---

Yeah. I was doing better on it until I got distracted by mechanical and financial woes. Maybe I'll recapture what it was that was interesting to me sometime down the road.

-t

Currently Aurally Inducing: Le Tigre, Yr Critique
Selection of the Lyrical Vocabulary: "..."

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