The penalty(!)

"We have now reached sentencing in the Superior Court," the judge began, "can the defendant please rise and approach the bench?"

Nervously, Alice stood and got up to her podium, her attorney's head shaking behind her.

"The defendant has pled guilty to the offenses, and has signed a plea agreement with the People," the judge began.

Alice nodded along to the judge's words.

"But," the judge continued, "it has come to the attention of the court that the defendant's actions have had quite serious consequences. Another student in the classroom suffered an aortic aneurysm upon the sight of the defendant's nude body, and succumbed to his injuries. This case is now a homicide."

Alice's heart fell. That poor guy!

"Given the facts of the case, and the defendant's guilty plea, I can find no other verdict that the defendant is guilty of such wanton recklessness as to constitute malice aforethought in her undressing and thus be guilty of first-degree ****. Given this, and that the defendant is an adult, I hereby sentence her to **** by lethal injection in the Department of Corrections."

Alice's face turned ashen. Did this really happen? Not a couple of weeks ago she was worried about some class presentation, and then afterwards worried about putting clothes on. Now that all seemed trivial ... she was going to die! They were going to kill her!

What she didn't know was that the state hadn't actually executed anyone in decades, and natural causes was by far the most common cause of **** on **** row. Her lawyer knew, however, and smirked at the thought of Alice being given better-furnished cells and far more appeal opportunities than if she had been given a typical cookie-cutter life sentence. Alice could yet be free in at most a couple of years, and all this silliness expunged from her record!

Alice's heart thumped in her chest at the thought of being poked with a needle - she always hated needles - and dying!

"I must now remit you to the custody of the Department of Corrections," the judge interrupted as Alice stood like a deer in headlights.