Story time kiddies

So I had to write a story for my Contempory writers course. I think I did good on it and was going to present last friday to a public gathering, but it didn’t happen. Since I’m an attention Whore, I’ll post it here for the world to see and evaluate.

 

Standing in front of the window, the overseer looks over his sector of the city. Like every other sector, it’s the same view. Skyscrapers lined his view as he has become acquainted with the monoliths of man. Turning around, he slides to his chair and takes a seat. Turning on his computer, the overseer scrolls through the most recently observed files on the entire sector’s network. Scrolling down from the normal time tables and other menial files that the sector’s civilians would access, he noticed that several Historical and scientific journals had been accessed.

Out of curiosity, the overseer opened the files to see what the person was looking at. As the file loaded onto his screen, what the person was observing was something that the overseer thought was useless yet dangerous. It was images and stories of something called Nature.

When he was in training to become an overseer, his teachers informed him that the word nature was taboo at the time. They supplied the reason that to even spoke the word nature was a sign of rebellion, and for their society they could not afford such rebellion. To maintain order could only be achieved by controlling every aspect of life. That was the number one creed for the overseer’s. He must speak with this stray sheep of his flock, less he was to go astray.

Several hours passed after the overseer had sent the summons to person who was looking at the files of nature. However, something nagged at him in the back of his mind. Why would something as innocent sounding as nature be considered a threat? He quickly browsed the files that had been brought up, which consisted of mostly writings by ancient authors: Thoreau, White, Powell etc. Most of what was written was a romantic view of a world that has passed. Furthermore the images that were embedded into the files were of something that hasn’t been seen in ages. Things called trees, flowers and everything that was in the file provided nothing that could seem rebellious.

“They have retrieved the person you have summoned” a voice spoke through the intercom. At that moment the door opened and entered a young man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

“Welcome to my office” the overseer spoke with a slight cheerful outlook. He hoped that this little situation could be resolved quickly, so that the overseer’s own personal distress could be put to rest. “Please take a seat Mister?”

“You know my name and I know why I’m here, so cut the courtesy act and just put me down” The young man spoke with a tenacity that frightened the overseer. “Why do you think that I want you to be ‘put down’? I merely wish to speak to you about your ‘Usage’ of the public network.” The overseer had hoped that by acting in a calm and kind tone, he could take some sense into this obviously troubled man. “I can’t comprehend as to why my use of the public network is such an issue. Simply put, if it’s a public file, then it should be alright to view.”

“Well, it’s not the question as to if you accessing the file in question was legal, it’s more of my own curiosity as to why you were looking at such a file.”

“So you want to know why I’m looking at ‘Nature’.”

“To be frank yes, I’d like to know why you are going down a dangerous path. I’m sure in school they taught you that such ideologies and beliefs in this ‘Nature’ was a misguided path” The overseer said with a smug, yet hollow voice.

“You think that being in this city is good for us? That we are meant to only live in a city such as this? You couldn’t be more wrong. It’s simple, we aren’t meant to live in a city like this. The concept of ‘Nature’ provides us with a sort of freedom that many of us wish to obtain.” The young man spoke with a rising anger and an apparent passion. “This city, this lie that you tell the children in schools are nothing but stripping us from our own natural desires.”

Now it was evident that the overseer was going to have more trouble then what he had hoped. Unseen by the young man, the overseer slides his hand to a button underneath his desk. Uncertain if he should push the button, which would bring about two armed guards to take this poor soul away, he hesitates and just keeps his hand on the button. Against what he thinks is right, the overseer wants to listen to what the man had to say.

“I know, you think I’m crazy. I can see it in your eyes.” The youth said. “Do you honestly think what’s been said is true, about the city being the only thing left in this world?”

This caught the overseer off-guard. He never really thought that this subject would be brought up. When he was still in training, the overseer was taught that outside the city, there was nothing except a desolate wasteland. With this in mind, he felt it was necessary that all teachers must tell their students that there is nothing outside of the city walls.

“Well I hate to disappoint you overseer, but I’ve been exiting the city for the past three months.” The younger man said. “In fact, it’s nothing like I think anyone has ever said.”

Now the overseer was getting scared. This man knows how to leave the city, he thought, he’s dangerous I must stop him. Without thinking, the overseer starts to press in the button. As he pressed it in, he starts to speak. “I can’t help you, you’ve been tainted and you must be dealt with accordingly”

The man’s eyes open up wide, yet without fear he stands from his seat. “I see, how long does it take for your men to come in and take me away? Actually it doesn’t matter. I don’t care if I trust you or not but take the manhole on the fourth street in this sector and go south four hundred meters and you’ll find the exit.” He spoke fast but spoke clear like a man without regrets.

The guards entered, grabbed the man and pulled him from sight, leaving the overseer to reflect what was said.

For the rest of his work day he remained disturbed by the information that was said. He debated for the longest time if he should tell his superiors about this leak or if he should just let it die. One thing was certain though; he wanted to see what had shaken the young man to become such a rebel.

He left his towering building and continued onto the fourth street in his sector. He looked for a manhole in the street but couldn’t find it. When he turned around, he spotted the round cover. Making sure no one was there to spot him; he opened the hole and proceeded downwards to the sewers. Following the young man’s instructions traveling four hundred meters to the south coming to a dead end. He looked down and saw something that seemed out of a place. It was what the file that caused all the problems called, a flower. Leaning down he touched a petal, which fell to the sewer floor. Suddenly he looked upwards and saw what the man had said was the exit. It was a whole leading to the surface.

So he climbed, and when he exited the sewers, what he saw caught him by surprise. When the young man said it wasn’t like anything anyone had spoken of, he was correct. There were trees.

I know that there are grammatical and spelling errors, I fixed that on the schools PC, but I had a good feeling about this one…

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