When I was in college, I read a short story about a little town where everything SEEMS to be perfect. No unemployment. No crime. Everyone SEEMS to be happy. However, the happiness comes at a cost. One child is kept in a dungeon like setting, beaten, basically tortured for their entire life. All of the other children in the town are kept ignorant of the misery of the imprisoned child until their eighteenth birthday, when they are brought to see the tortured child and given the choice of remaining in the community and helping to continue the misery of the child or leaving. I remember the title of the story was an anagram of either “anywhere” or “nowhere”, but it is NOT the story “Erehwon”. I believe this story was in a Norton’s Anthology of Literature books, but I can’t remember which one. I believe the story was only about ten pages long. Any help you can give me will be appreciated!
- ownedbymypugs@sbcglobal.net