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Beat of Te 35) Nalini Singh 18890K 2023-08-29

Happiness

THE PSY COUNCIL TRIED TO OUTLAW CHRISTMAS ONCE

It was in the year 2019, four long decades after the implementation of the Silence Protocol The Protocol itself arose out of the overwhel in the Psy populace Driven to the edge, the Psy —not jealousy, not rage, and definitely not joy at the thought of Christ

So it was that by 2019, only ice ran in the veins of the Psy politicians anted to overnment then as it does no 5198: Deletion of Christmas and Associated Holidays was near certain to pass

There were a few minor hiccups Some elderly Psy—those who had been too old at the inception of Silence to allow for true conditioning—weren’t certain they wanted the holiday outlawed But the old ones were few; the last, unwanted vestiges of an enored, their fading voices drowned out by the Silent majority

Law 5198was read into the statute books and life moved on

Except that the hus, the other two parts of the triumvirate that is the world, took no notice Christht, and carols were sung Hu trade in s

In comparison, Psy ned interests in companies that usually profited from Christmas suffered a sharp drop in incoer advertise their products in conjunction with the outlawed holiday

The Psy Council found itself faced with both a mass revolt by the other races, and considerable opposition froht not feel, but they also did not appreciate their profitcomproative impact of Law 5198 —Enforcement could find no way to prosecute everyone who violated the law against Christmas

The churches simply acted as if the law didn’t exist But they, in their soles, in particular the nonpredatory deer species, took great a the streets in their animal forms, dressed up as Santa’s reindeer

Then the horse-changelings decided it wouldn’t hurt their pride to be harnessed two by two to large sleds in order to transport shoppers around the cities Finally, the humans, the weakest of the three races—with neither the psychic powers of the Psy, nor the ani strike

They changed the name of Christmas to the Day of Happiness