Circle

In the Cinderella Circle, Todd suddenly felt shy. "Uh ... well," he began (as all eyes turned towards him), "I'm new and a little unsure of what to say. I guess I'll share that I was treated like the help growing up ... and I escaped that circus, but duty calls me back over and over - mostly when they need money." "All human ATMs, raise your hands!" Deborah called out and almost everyone raised a hand (or two, for emphasis); she smiled at him. "I'm glad you're here. Almost all of us Cinderellas were given an inaccurate and mostly inappropriate definition of "duty"; in truth, you're under conscription." Todd's eyes widened. "Trudy?" Deborah asked. "Duty is a legal or moral obligation - a task that is imperative and, therefore, required," Trudy said quietly. "Ben?" Deborah continued. "Conscription is a compulsory enlistment into a structure that applies penalties for refusal," Ben added evenly. Todd felt like the floor was dropping away and, recognizing that look, Ben reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Stay with us, Brother," he whispered. "This is where it all begins to turn around." They sat in silence for a moment (until Todd appeared to come back to the present moment); Deborah smiled. "From this moment on, there is no duty - only choice. There is no payment structure; all of that is emotional extortion. Like all of the other ATMs here, me included, the first lesson is: when the account is overdrawn, access is denied." Todd nodded, shocked and relieved, refusing to cry.