By: Zachary Taylor.

Mindy practiced smiling in the bathroom mirror, making sure her eyes “smiled” with her.

She tried showing her teeth, then keeping her mouth closed.

Her neighbor, Carol, had said the procedure lasted only a few seconds.

In just over an hour, after Mindy’s appointment, she would no longer possess the ability to tell a lie.

Citizens were mandated to “get zapped,” as they called it, but Mindy saw what it had done to Carol’s relationship over just a few days.

“Stay quiet. Smile often,” Carol warned her.

On her way to the car, Mindy caught her husband practicing smiles too.

© 2025. Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor obsesses over anything science fiction, horror, and/or character study. He has accepted but yet-to-be-published work that will appear in The Lunatics Project this fall.

Posted October 22, 2025.