Untitled: Chapter 1

At 8:00 pm everything is already quiet. Families are in their homes, children in bed, even the animals—what few there are—are quiet. There's not even the sound of birds, once familiar but now alien to all but me.

I traveled light and kept only what was important. Maybe the most important of all was a tape with the recording of all sounds that might have once been regular occurrences: birds chirping, dogs barking, people exchanging pleasantries, pencils scribbling, water running, and maybe one of the best: laughter. People don't laugh anymore. Not after the Superiors took over. The People aren't allowed to do anything anymore. To write, I had to steal clothing and old materials, coal, sometimes I simply wrote on myself with the hope that I didn't sweat it off. Occasionally I found a large canvas but I could never carry it too far. I tended to have to bury it before I got the chance to fill up the entire space. I buried these things so that maybe one day I would have the chance to come back & put it together in a book. Or share it with someone. And if I don't, maybe some other poor soul will find it and do something good with it.

I only traveled at night because in Daylight someone would see me, although even night is very bright with the lights They shine. I didn't even know for sure whether the Daylight was real or not. I kept to the shadows because I couldn't afford to be caught. Not then, hopefully never. As far as I knew, I was the only one like me. Everyone else had a home and fresh clothes and fresh food. And none of them are Revolutionaries.

There were some who were homeless, but they're more than a little crazy. When I encountered one of their clans, I had no fear though. No one believes them. Not even the Superiors. It's nice to come across these clans. They always share their food and gave me clothing. And human contact is always pleasant, even if they are psychos. Sometimes I would think these people are saner than everyone believes though. If I could gain their trust, I'm sure I would have followers in my mission.

The clock loudly announced the arrival of a new day. That's the only thing They let us keep: our time. Even though that of Arcadia Silentium is different, They let us keep our own. It's the only sound in the night, and it's just that once. They may have let us keep our time, but They announce it obnoxiously and twice a day: twelve noon, and twelve midnight.

I walked until the lights dimmed—that signals that Daylight is coming. Between the Dimming and Daylight I have thirty minutes. I needed a place to hide. After finding a place to hole up for the coming time, I checked the perimeter, found nothing, and sat down to quickly eat a small meal. I should have kept it for when I woke up, but I was afraid my stomach might give me away as I slept. I fell asleep soon after eating, though, and dreamt of a world with blue skies and flowers, a place where love exists, a place where two can exist as one—as a happy couple with a family and a future.