Part 3 of 3
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     Reprinted with written permission of the author, Piers Anthony.
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Excerpt from the Author's Note of CHAOS MODE written by Piers Anthony.
   "Now you might think that the Social Services folk would have some 
inkling what real life is like. That they would see that there was no 
neglect or abuse here, but simply a typical housecleaning in progress. I
was once a social worker, and I visited homes to be sure that children were
being properly cared for. I would have understood, as I think would any 
normal parent. If the visitors had found the mother drunk, and bruises on
the children, they might have had a case. Instead Jessica was doing 
exactly what she should have been doing: catching up on everything that
there hadn't been time for during the hectic weekly schedule. But on the 
basis of such visits, and the fact that Jessica's bookshelves were full of
science fiction, fantasy, romance, and horror genre books, including some
Piers Anthony novels, they concluded that the children should be removed
and visitation rights denied to the mother."
   "Remember, all this started because a child brought VIRTUAL MODE to 
school. Does this seem stranger than fiction to you too? Do you wonder at 
the evident priorities of our schools and social services? Or is this sort
of thing already too familiar in your own community?"
   "Jessica borrowed money from friends so that she could hire an attorney.
He was amazed. He went into action. He filed for another hearing, where he
gave the judge Jessica's work schedule, school schedule, and bus schedule.
He brought in the baby-sitter, who was licensed as a day-care worker, and
he documented everything, showing that in no way had Jessica been a 
neglectful parent. The neglect had been on the part of the Social Services
investigators, who had not bothered to get the facts before destroying a
family. The judge yielded somewhat. He granted Jessica visitation during 
the week, and let her children come home on weekends. This continued for 
six months. Samantha made it through okay, but Joshua couldn't handle the
disruption--remember, he was five years old, suddenly taken from his home 
and mother--and wouldn't do any work at school. He was removed from 
kindergarten."
   "Meanwhile the battle continued. Jessica wrote letters to the newspaper, 
the school board, the television station, the city prosecutor, and even the 
mayor. Her attorney brought to court a book reviewer, a child psychologist, 
two analysts, the school director, a teacher from the school for gifted 
children, Jessica's family, neighbor's--everything."
   "Finally justice was served. Jessica got back custody. The principal who 
had started it all was removed from the school board and forced to retire. 
Jessica received formal apologies from the school board, Social Services, 
and the mayor."
   "Now Samantha is in a school for gifted children and loves it. Joshua is 
at a new school and is excelling. Both of them are running and laughing 
again. Jessica got her GED and a license for nursing, and is making more
money than before. She is buying a house in the middle of an apple orchard. 
The family has a cat, a hamster, a goat, and three little pigs. Jessica now 
has more faith and confidence in herself. She fought through and won, and 
now truly appreciates what happiness is. "It really is true," she says, 
"that you don't realize exactly what you have, until something is taken 
away." (Later the cat got at the hamster. Sigh.)"
   "So good triumphed over evil, this time. But isn't it sad that Jessica
ever had to go through this ordeal, and see her children suffer--because
she let her daughter take the first Mode novel to school. Isn't it a shame
that it took six months before this obvious wrong was righted."
>>
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--- Mankind = One Family
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