Excerpt from “The Mindwalkers: A Brief History of Public Embarrassment” (circa 1999 reissue)
The Mindwalkers Division has never been a stranger to controversy. From the ethical minefield of recruiting psychic middle-schoolers for national defense to more mundane scandals — such as the now-infamous Mindwalkers Monthly issue “Mind Over Body, Body Over Mind?” — the Bureau has a long record of self-inflicted wounds. Released sometime in 1987 (likely before the untimely passing of Dr. Sabine Leeren, who by all accounts would have never approved of such material), the issue featured twenty-year-old operative Paul A. in a neat blue jumpsuit, legs folded elegantly skyward. The pose was supposedly meant to demonstrate “psychophysical fitness.” Paul himself once described it, unhelpfully, as his “human pretzel pose.”
Unfortunately, the caption — “1987’s Most Dangerous Position: The Mindwalker’s Seat” — sent readers into moral panic. The anonymous editor, who has since retreated into decades of obscurity, insisted the article was meant to illustrate the “rigorous training demands placed on our youth operatives.” Whatever further justification followed was immediately lost to history (and likely to the shredder). At the time, the Mindwalkers were already the subject of wild conspiracy theories: accusations of psychic misconduct, government cover-ups, and, bizarrely, a rumored “esoteric brotherhood of the body” due to the Division’s overwhelmingly male roster. The image of young Paul, all flexibility and federally sanctioned innocence, only fanned those flames.
The fallout arrived in an avalanche of angry faxes: “Paul A. should be ashamed before God and country,” wrote one. Another demanded, “Burn every remaining copy!” Yet, amidst the outrage, a few unsettlingly affectionate letters appeared. “I taped the picture to my mirror before training,” confessed one admirer. Another observed approvingly, “He doesn’t look like government property.” (He was, of course, very much government property.) Today, surviving copies of the issue are considered collector’s items or evidence, depending on who you ask.
Curious yet? The truth’s between the lines — read Inter Lineas.
(Also available on Webtoon and Tapas!)
