“Perhaps,” Arthur said. “But that doesn’t answer my question. Even if your intentions are pure, does eradicating free will to get the end result you desire make your actions right?”
Lucy hesitated. “I … don’t know?”
“And it’s okay not to know,” Arthur said. “It comes back to the idea of moral relativism.”
Lucy groaned, sounding so much like Linus that Arthur grinned behind his hand.
“Yes, yes, it’s terribly inconsiderate of me to spring philosophy on you. I will do better in the future. That being said, humor me. Please remind me what moral relativism is.”
“The view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint,” Lucy intoned in a bored voice.
“Correct,” Arthur said. “And the argument against?”
“There is no guidance as to what is right or wrong.”
“You got it in one.” Arthur shifted in his seat, uncrossing his legs. “In this situation, you have people who believe you are something to be feared. On the flip side, you have others who believe you’re an intelligent seven-year-old boy with spiders in his brain and a penchant for music. Who is correct?”
“The people who think I’m smart,” Lucy said promptly.
“So everyone who believes the opposite is incorrect?”
“Ye-es?” Lucy said, sounding unsure.
“But if we use moral relativism, the argument would be that those who are afraid of you are correct because that’s what they believe. And that’s where it can get tricky. Because if morality is based upon personal desire, how can one find a truly objective moral ground and make the morally right decision?”
Lucy frowned. “So who’s right and who’s wrong?”
“Excellent question,” Arthur said. “And one I don’t know there’s any single answer to. You told me once you thought humanity was weird, given that when we’re not laughing, we’re crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us.”
“And they don’t even have to be real monsters,” Lucy said. “They could be the ones we make up in our heads.”
“Precisely. But if you were to take away those monsters—either real or imaginary—by imposing your wants and whims upon those who fear you, what would they have learned?”
“Nothing,” Lucy said begrudgingly.
“That’s right,” Arthur said with a nod. “They wouldn’t have learned anything because they were never given the chance. That’s why free will is important. It gives us the potential to change minds.”
“But why is that up to us?” Lucy asked. “Why do we have to be the bigger people and teach them? Shouldn’t that be their responsibility?”
“In a perfect world, yes,” Arthur said. “They would endeavor to dismantle their prejudices and welcome those who are different with open arms. But we don’t live in such a world, and we must do what we can with what we have.” He leaned forward. “However, you are correct. It shouldn’t be up to us to prove we are not a threat. And yet, we find ourselves in the unenviable position of having to do exactly that. Which brings me back to the idea of monsters. Though you may be two sides of that same coin, you and David have your own individual paths to travel. When I told David he could be a monster, it wasn’t because he wanted to harm people. It was because he feels that people can find joy in fear, so long as no one gets hurt.”
Lucy’s eyes flashed. “I don’t want to hurt people.” He paused, considering. “Okay, some people, but I don’t do it, not all the time.”
Arthur held up his hand. “I never said you did. I know you better than that, Lucy. And though I wish it didn’t have to be said again, it does, because I apparently haven’t done a very good job of explaining. You can be whoever you want, so long as you remember that free will is paramount, even if you don’t agree with the choices of others.”
Lucy eyed him slyly. “What if I don’t become who you want me to be?”
Arthur expected this. Pushing up against perceived boundaries, testing how far they could stretch. All the children did this at one point or another. It went back to what Arthur had said during the hearing, about children being told no and immediately asking why. “I would love you just the same.”
Lucy blinked in surprise. “Really? Why?”
“Because every single day, I see the good in you. I see your kindness, your mischievousness. Your wonder at the world around you. Though we may not always agree, nothing you could do would ever make me stop loving you.”
Lucy tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s hard.”
“What is?”
“Being alive.”
“It is,” Arthur agreed. “But perhaps that’s the point: the trials and tribulations of life weigh heavily upon us, but we find people to help lighten the load. It’s why I know you’ll be good for David. He needs help to carry all that sits upon his shoulders. And I can’t think of a better person than you.”
For a time, Lucy was silent. He looked out the window, his face bathed in golden light. Finally, he said, “Arthur?”
“Yes?”
“I love you too.”
Arthur smiled as fire bloomed in his chest. “I know. Now, I think that’s enough for today. I heard a rumor that you acquired a new record in our absence. I would like to hear what you and J-Bone discovered.”
Lucy jumped from the chair, wiggling in excitement. “It’s Fats Domino! I’ll go get it and let you listen to the righteous jam that is ‘I’m Walkin’.’”
And they did just that. As the afternoon wore on, Fats Domino wailed about walkin’, yes indeed, and I’m talkin’ about you and me, I’m hopin’ that you’ll come back to me.
That night, with all the children tucked safely in bed—Lucy having decided he and David needed to have a sleepover in David’s room—Arthur finished his evening routine and found Linus sitting up in bed, resting against the headboard. The comforter was gathered around his lap, Calliope sitting on top and watching Arthur’s every step.
“Lucy seems to have had a change of heart.” Linus shivered. “I hope that doesn’t mean we’ll be woken up in the middle of the night because the house is falling down around us.”
Arthur climbed up on the bed, scratching Calliope behind the ears and kissing Linus on the cheek before mirroring his position on the bed, their shoulders brushing together. “I don’t think it was jealousy, not exactly. More that he felt I was treating David differently.”
