She ate well, did minor exercises, walked, and generally
kept in shape. This kept her healthy so she started to age gracefully. And this
helped her from having to visit a Doctor. Medical care had diminished so much that
people had to fend for themselves for most healthcare. And yet everyone still
was required to pay some type of insurance premium for their healthcare. It
really wasn’t nationalized for now. It had been in the past, but the
conservative party won the last set of elections so certain things changed and
she was smart enough to know this was in name only. Nowadays it was private
care, but she knew the premiums all ended up with the same company anyway no
matter which party was in office. She
flew under the radar so much that she hadn’t paid in years so all this didn’t
matter too much to her. Unfortunately though there came a time every now and
then when she did need to seek medical care. Since she could pay cash the
doctors she did know never really reported she had been treated. This worked
for her. What she didn’t know was that her medical history was still reported
and the person who needed to know everything even knew her.
So she went to the doctor and learned the general aches and
pains she was experiencing was arthritis.
She was glad it wasn’t rheumatoid arthritis. This made her happy, well
at least as happy as she could be. She still enjoyed gardening and her backyard
while still not viewable by the rest of the world was a great joy for her to
see each day.
The children that did stop were able to see it. And they
were always astounded. No one in their world took the time to create and
maintain anything like it. Occasionally someone might try to grow a flower
because they ran across something in the wild or one grew up in the weeds that
filled most empty lots in the neighborhoods. Overall though, most children
never saw the best nature can offer. They grew up in depilated neighborhoods
and the only color they may see is the ads on bulletin boards and graffiti
covering the older buildings and shops. They had TV, but even TV was bland. It didn’t
take much to entertain people so there was no need to create vibrant
programming. Films were not much more with horror movies and fight films
dominating the box offices. And this was not what it use to be. Many people did
not have much money for entertainment. And any concept of the arts was long
since forgotten except for a very privileged few. Most people had to be entertained
with the nightly fights on TV and the shows that revolved around the families
that everyone wished they were like. Even the idea of shows depicting any type
of hero was definitely long gone, the powers that be did not want to give
anyone any ideas. The goal of taking away creativity and introspective thought
was extremely successful.
So only a very few children saw that there was much more
than anything that was in their day to day lives. She always tried to have more
children come, but as the time went on, there were just fewer and fewer who
could either convince their parents not to be afraid of the lady or flat out
just hide from their parents they were stopping by. The neighborhood grew
rougher and rougher each year.
She kept trying though. This small fight kept her
invigorated in its own way. She had no inclination that she might be fighting
something bigger. She was just trying to keep children in touch with a much
more engaging world in her small corner of it.
It was an excuse, but it was one they finally decided to
use. The car pulled up, two men got out and approached the door. She sensed the
danger immediately, but these were not gang members or the local police. There
was something different about them. Something much more menacing. She knew
getting her gun was not going to be the answer. She had heard the door shut so
she was watching them come up the walk. They knocked on the door. She toyed
with the idea of not answering. Inside she knew this wasn’t going to work. She
watched them for a moment. She could tell they were examining the house. And
doing so with a very critical eye. They had figured out the house and what it
would take to get her out very quickly. And very quietly.
She answered the door, but did not open the locked screen.
They asked for her. She acknowledged herself. They mentioned they were from
some agency, she really didn’t hear. She knew this was bad and was still trying
to figure out an escape. She had never thought she would be up against people
like this. The gangs, the police, and the occasional undesirable that might
happen by, but no one like these men. She was freezing. The old adage of fight
or flight was going through her head, but neither action took hold.
She heard herself talking to them. It was going nowhere and
they wanted her to get in their car. She had broken some kind of law. Something
about receiving illegal medical care. It didn’t make sense and for the two men
it didn’t have to. They were sent to retrieve her. They had done this for a
variety of reasons, none of them important to the two men, their role was to go
when told. The excuses they gave to the victims were just words to keep them
occupied till they got them in the car. After that it was all the same.
They drove her to the airport. She was surprised to see the
airport. She hadn’t traveled in so long she wasn’t even sure airports still
existed. There were a few planes coming and going. A few were for freight, a
couple of passenger jets sat at the terminal, and there was a very nice looking
private jet they seemed to head. The three got out of the car right next to the
jet. She had some vague memory of long security lines. She wondered why they
didn’t exist or why they were able to by pass them. Nothing was making sense.
She was accused of breaking some law, but this was definitely not any jail.
This jet was nice.
Once she got on the jet it didn’t disappoint. It was very
nicely appointed. This jet belonged to someone. Someone very special. She was
lead to the back and was offered a very nice seat. Much more comfortable than
anything she had ever flown in or even maybe had sat in anywhere in her life.
They told her to buckle up for takeoff. Well that was familiar. They walked to
the front of a plane. A door she hadn’t noticed closed and she heard a click.
She heard a slight hissing and then fell fast asleep.
She woke up with a slight headache driving fast in the
backseat of a very nice car. Outside she could make out rolling hills and
trees, but it was dark, or were the windows that tinted. She wasn’t sure in the
fog engulfing her brain. She wasn’t completely awake, but couldn’t wake up
completely no matter how hard she tried. She fell back asleep with the comfort
of the seat and movement of the car.
It was light outside. How long had she been a sleep.
Possibly most of yesterday, last night and this morning. Since the light coming
from the window was strong she figured it was the afternoon of the day after
she was abducted. She thought that word abducted and realized that was the
case. There was some food on the table.
She got up from the couch like chair she was in and ate some. She was hungry,
but still very apprehensive. She
correctly assessed the food would be okay since they could have pretty much
done whatever they wanted with her by this point.
After a bit a door opened and a very old man walked in. He
walked slowly. Was it deliberately slow or was it because he was old and this
was the best he could do? He sat down across the table from her. She thought
she saw him try to smile. Was he being reassuring? She couldn’t tell. She smiled.
This seemed to please him. This time she could tell he smiled, but she didn’t
like it one bit.
He asked her why? Why what she thought? Silence. He waited,
she was unsure. Finally his patience won. She spoke. I do not understand. Yes
you do he said. Why? She stared. I don’t know. I just want people to learn. He
smiled again. You do? I thought so. How
do you thinks so she asks
I just know he said and he thought I always know. That is
how I thrive. Well she admitted her guilt in his brain. She was an
insurrectionist. She wanted people to learn. If people learned they may want to
change the system and he could not have it.
You are guilty he told her. She stared again…..Guilty?!?!?!?!?!!? of what?
There was not an answer. Men
came into the room. She was led out.
The house sat idle. Over the years it began to deteriorate like
the rest of the neighborhood. It faded into the background. The front yard
which was kept simple began to grow the weeds found in the empty lot. The house
itself began to crumble around the edges. It remained locked, but non one
entered. There was a vague memory of some people that someone lived there they
never saw so no one approached the house. The beautiful background also faded
and became overgrown with weeds. No one knew though. The insides of the house
smelt for some time while the little bit of food that was in the refrigerator
began to sour when the power finally was turned off. The power company just
turned off the power because the bill was not paid. It happened all the time.
There was no reason to go investigate. Eventually the smell disappeared. The house
became musty so had a new smell. Everything inside the house began to fade. It
was a well-built house so it didn’t completely crumble so the elements had not
yet taken any toll on what was inside
.
The women walked by the house everyday taking her children
to school. She remembered school so she made sure her children went. Even
though it didn’t offer much, wherever they lived she made them go. Many
children didn’t anymore. It didn’t seem to matter.
After they had lived in this neighborhood for about a year she
began to realize she remembered something about the house she passed. There
were memories, very pleasant memories. Was this the house of the real nice lady
who had tried to teach her more than what the school did? She passed this
morning on the way back from dropping off her children at school. She walked up
to the door.
She knocked. No answer. She knocked again. She wanted the
lady to answer. She was hoping. She knew she would be much older, but since the
house was still there she had to be. She remembered the backyard. Maybe she was
back there working. She knew the secret way to go around the fence and unlock
the back gate. It still worked, but it did take some effort to actually open
the gate. Something blocked the entrance.
She entered the backyard. It was no where near as beautiful
as it use to be. She knew something was wrong. She became very sad. It was the
first time she had any intense emotion that she could remember. Maybe she had
great joy being with the lady when she was young. That was the last time she
enjoyed life or experienced any strong feelings. Her sadness now was much more
intense. She wept. She wept for a long time. A life devoid of promise, of joy,
of hope was not a life. This dismal life was displayed through her tears.
After she gathered herself. She looked around. She was able
to enter the house. The books were still there. All of them. Something inside
her lit back up. She thumbed through them trying to remember how to read the
words the lady taught her. She looked at the pictures in the books. There were
beautiful paintings, faraway places, pictures of history, and much more. She
tried hard to read. Time got away from her.
She rushed to school for her children. She walked with them
past the house. She led them in. She let them look around. The curiosity of
children took over. They explored. They asked questions. It was the beginning
of a long journey for her and her children. Her name was Maria and she began
the long slow process of repairing the house and working the garden. She took
the children to school each day and each afternoon they all worked and learned
while at the house. She went home at night to fix dinner. Her husband was her
husband. He was entertained in the current world. She and the children were
living in a completely different world. Maria became happy. Maria grew as a
person
It had been so long that the powers that be were slipping.
The world went as they thought it went. The new He wasn’t as observant as the
past one. Things slipped by. They knew nothing of Maria and her children.
So this was one humble story. More of a painting of one
scenario our world could become if we do not make ourselves fight for a better
world. It isn’t a nuclear disaster or germ warfare death to our planet. It is
just the possibility of us as humans letting our humanity decay if we are not
careful.
I hope it gives you pause to think for a moment. Or better
yet gives you a reason to be motivated to find better leaders than the leader
of the decay of humanity manifesting itself in one front running political
candidate of the moment and also found in a different way in the hatred of ignorance
and deceit in another part of the world. We cannot let our humanity lose or we will be
forced to ask ourselves; why were we ever here in the first place.
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And as I finish this story late night TV is making light of
one certain candidate and one certain terror group all in the same show. Is it
too late??????
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