THE SCALES OF JUSTICE

By Ben Greenman

from forthcoming collection, as yet untitled

The appearance before a reptile certification board of the Taga, a mythical semi-divine being most commonly manifesting as half-human, half-cobra but, as a result of its ability to shift shapes and alter its appearance, just as often sharing its human characteristics with sea snakes of other types, ranging from the spiny-headed sea snake to the bigheaded sea snake, from the burrowing snake to the Port Darwin mud snake, from the Loyalty Island beaked serpent to the mangrove krait, its serpent component sometimes even extending into the mythical realm, where it can include but is not limited to Peach Dragons, Table Dragons, Shoe Dragons, Stone Dragons, and Winged Fire-Slipper Triple-Fang, has again been postponed owing to the fact that it has not recovered from the disappointment of last week’s judgment against it. The Taga was ruled by the board to have furnished insufficient proof that it should be classed as a reptile, a decision that its lawyer, L.T. Murphy, says has significant implications on its ability to live in peace among other creatures. Murphy, who appealed the decision and is attempting to schedule another hearing for late next week, points to several of his client’s traits that he believes constitute a compelling case for membership, including, on the non-human half of its body, a forked tongue, an absence of limbs, a cylindrical shape, and a vomeronasal organ. He stated that he believes that his client will eventually earn its classification, and that today’s judgment represents an error in biological classification if not “an outright and malicious injustice.”