CRACK.
“Try again.”
“Four.”
CRACK.
“Try harder.”
Winston bled.
At last he said, “It’s whatever the Leader says.”
When Winston finally emerged, he returned to his desk at the Ministry of Truthiness. He smiled. He clapped. He rewrote. He loved.
And when the Leader’s face came onscreen—orange and triumphant—Winston’s heart brimmed with something warm, smooth, and final. He whispered:
“I love Big Trump.”
And this time, he meant it.