The Day My Life Changed

It was April 3, 2017. My final project for " A World without God" was due in two days. I had put it off and now I was running out of time. I couldn't decide between these two choices.

Write a very short story or a scene from a novel or a play that deals with a Dystopia, a negative Utopia, such as 1984 or Brave New World or the real life dystopias of the Totalitarian States of the 20th century.

Write an essay in which you reflect upon the things we read, learned or discussed that meant the most to you.

Honestly, it seemed the essay would be easier. Writing a story seemed daunting. But, I made my decision. I wanted to be creative. One of the girls in my class created a video on youtube. I was in awe. She created something that was her very own. It got me thinking how many times in my life would I get the chance to write my own dystopian story? I can write essays on other things. I got to work. It was not easy at first. I had to think really dig deep into my imagination. I viewed my story from two perspectives. As a reader and an author. As a reader, I asked so many questions. As an author, I answered those questions. Eventually, the pieces came together. I grew excited as my story came together. It was enjoyable to see the world come alive before my eyes. Finally, I had finished. I eagerly awaited Mr. O'Brien's feedback and to my great relief he liked it! The next day in class, he began to go over final projects. He read my story all the way through! Without further ado, here is my story The Day My Life Changed.

---

THE DAY MY LIFE CHANGED

By

JULIA HOFFMAN

In the year 3000, during the winter storm of August, a special baby was created. Her

choices would impact the world you know today. Who is she? I am 81000. Names no longer

exist in the world. They were deemed ordinary. According to the world government, we

were created for a special purpose, therefore, we needed "special" identification. As a result,

each individual is identified by the date they were created. In reality, it is the government's way

to organize the billions of people within their control.

When we reach our second year, we are given a robot for the rest of our lives. Our robot

follows us everywhere we go. It is like a lion stalking its prey. It patiently waits for its chance

to pounce and kill. Our robots are programmed to listen to our every sound, to watch our

moves, and to report everything to headquarters in the capital. For those who slip (reveal the

wrong things), the end comes quickly. They are whisked across the country to a place where

they receive "help and encouragement." This is a lie. These people are never seen again.

I feel like I am drowning every single day. My robot is a constant reminder that my life is

not truly my own. Of course, I will never dare speak these thoughts aloud. They are safely

hidden within my mind. But how long until that is no longer my own? Every day, I see

countless others. We all share the same dull look in our eyes. We all dress the same, act the

same, fear the same. Originality has ceased to exist.

To an outsider (if they still exist), it appears our world is perfect. We can do anything.

We can read books, listen to music, and play games. The downside? Everything is controlled.

We can only read a certain book during a certain day at a certain hour. There is only one radio

station that plays the same songs for the whole nation. There is a game day once a month

where everyone gathers to play one game. We may read some books, but we are not allowed

to write them. Writing anything except political statements is banned. We may listen to

music, but not allowed to sing, dance, or play. Games are never for fun. They are always for

lessons.

You may wonder how I am writing this without being reported. I shall tell you my

secret. When the bedtime alarm goes off and I retire for the night, I reprogram my robot. I

learned this secret when I was a child. There is a defect behind the robot's neck. If you look

very carefully there is a little button. If you hit it, the robot's camera, location, and the sound

system shut down, but it still functions. In order to avoid getting caught, I carefully uploaded

a video of me sleeping. This allows me a few hours of some time to myself, but I must always

be cautious. One false move and I am dead.

I scratch my notes onto a piece of bark which is stored on my bedroom floor. It is a

tedious process, but worth the few hours of freedom it allows me. I feel as though I am like a

volcano. If I do not write, I will explode!

81000 carefully put down the nail she uses to write her notes. She rubbed her eyes

and glanced at the time. It was already one in the morning. Time always flew by when she

wrote. She gathered her bark and went to put it back in the hiding spot. She forgot she

placed her shoes on the ground, and before she realized what happened she flew across the

room. Luckily, she managed to maneuver her body so it barely made a sound when she hit

the floor.

81000 anxiously waited to see if anybody within the dorm heard her. A few tense

moments passed, but no one came to check. Quietly, she made her way underneath her bed.

She peeled back the boards. Reaching down, she felt a lump. Startled, she withdrew her hand

with lightning speed. In her sleepy state, she was at the wrong side of the bed. This was not

her hiding spot!

Curiosity overcame her, and she reached down again and withdrew what appeared to

be a garbage bag. Carefully she reached inside and began pulling out its contents. Her eyes

grew wide. Inside the bag, there was a dictionary, a Bible, a rosary, a checkbook, multiple

pictures, an empty journal and a real pen. There was also a letter that read " to the person

who finds this".

81000 carefully pulled back the envelope. This was her first time ever touching real

paper and seeing handwriting. She read the letter eagerly.

“Dear whoever finds this, April 3, 2017

Our world is in trouble. There are rumors the president will be overthrown. A new

world government has begun rising to power. Help camps are being put in place for people

who do not fit in. People are beginning to disappear without a trace. This country was

founded on freedom! We will fight for it! If we go down, we need others to rise to the

occasion. Please help us! There are rumors the new government is openly giving food to its

citizens. Do not eat it! There are chemicals in it designed to affect your brain and instill

fear…”

At this point, 81000's eyes were as wide as saucers. She quickly thought back to

mealtimes. She ate less than all her dorm mates. They seemed to be more depressed than

her. Though it was hard to tell. Maybe that was the reason she was not as affected as others.

She read on.

"I've included the following items to give you an idea of what life was about. Use the

journal to record your thoughts. They are special! Do not believe anything the new

government says. For they are all lies. One day, the world will be right again, but we need

your help. There is a map included. Use it and follow the clues. It may help. Good luck and

God Bless!

Julia Rose"

81000 stared at the paper. She traced the signature with her hand. Julia Rose. This

person had a name. She was real. 81000 took the time to study the items. She quickly

leafed through the dictionary. So many words she had never heard! The Bible was the most

interesting. She had never heard of believing in a God or even that such a thing existed.

Surely, if it existed in the past, He exists now.

81000 looked at the pictures. They were full of color and happiness. She saw a girl

who she assumed to be Julia. In one of the pictures, she was surrounded by five other girls as

well as an older man and woman. They all had huge smiles on their faces as they faced the

camera.

81000 noticed an interesting detail. They were all wearing different clothes. They had

different hairstyles and skin color. In other pictures, Julia was with friends at the pool, playing

the guitar, watching a movie, and praying with her family. She had a life. She had people

who cared about her.

81000 felt a sense of longing. She was alone in the world. She supposedly lived in a

world where everything was perfect. On the other hand, this girl did not have what she did,

yet, she seemed happier because she had the necessities. She had love which 81000 had

never experienced.

As 81000 continued to go through the items, a thousand questions flooded her brain.

What was money? Why does it not exist? What is the rosary? Who is God? 81000 stared at the

map. She saw several arrows pointing to different locations. What were these places? Her

imagination went wild.

She hastily stuffed the items back into the bag and placed them underneath the bed into

their original spot. As she crawled into bed, 81000 did something she had not done for a long

time. She smiled. For the first time, she felt something other than fear. She felt a sense of

hope. As she went to sleep, her mind was burning with images of Julia and her family and

unanswered questions.

#shortstory #creativewriting #dystopia