~ ~ ~
Dana fiddled with her food as she stared into her bowl of crap surprise. That’s what many within the plant called their meals.
“I’m sorry,” said Elsie. “We heard what happened.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Dana. She wanted to go home, but this had become her home.
“Maybe you should,” coaxed Elsie.
“I don’t.” Dana picked up her tray of untouched food and dumped it where all dirty trays were to go. She marched back to the barracks, wanting to be alone or with people who did not know about the day’s events.
She decided to visit Jesse. Dana hadn’t been back since she delivered the medicine. Even though the sun was still up, Dana decided to risk it. She crawled through the hole in the barracks and followed the path to the fence. No one paid her any attention. This was their free time, which meant the residents of Waste Management were allowed to wander a bit. Making certain no one watched her, Dana slipped through the fence and ran down the hill to Shackville. Once there, it didn’t take long for her to reach Jesse’s home.
“Come in, my dear,” said Nana as Dana opened the door.
Jesse’s face lit up. The girl jumped to her feet and squeezed Dana in a big hug. Dana returned it, finding comfort in the girl’s arms. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“What is it, dear?” asked Nana.
“Nothing,” said Dana. “I just stopped by to see how you were doing.”
“Much better now that I’ve had some medicine. I don’t know how you managed to get it, but we both thank you.”
“Nana is all cured,” said Jesse.
Nana sensed that something bothered Dana. “Jesse, will you go over to Mrs. Hammer’s for a while? Dana and I have something to discuss.”
Jesse’s face fell a bit. She grabbed her coat and left. “That always means that you want to talk about things that you think are too grown up for me.”
“She is a smart one,” said Nana as Jesse shut the door. “Now, why don’t you tell me what happened. Don’t deny it. I know something bothers you.”
Dana settled in a chair. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she knew that there would be no getting out of it. “Today, I was sent to the Agricultural District to pick up their garbage. A man tried to escape and was shot down like an animal. He died in my arms. No one did anything. No one ever does anything.
“People here get beaten or killed and no one does anything! Why? Why do we all just sit here and let it happen?”
Allowing Dana to release her frustrations, Nana listened patiently. “When you live in a world where evil is allowed to flourish, you get used to it.”
“So people just accept it?”
“Yes, they do. We live in a world where our livelihoods are chosen for us. My great-great-grandparents said that it happened slow, but happened because people stopped caring about responsibility. They wanted to be free of it. So this is the result. Now we have lived this way for so long that we don’t question it.”
“Doesn’t seem right.”
“It’s not. People in our society are never allowed to move up, but they can always move down.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dana.
“Mrs. Hammer’s husband once worked for the Board of Medicine. He had the radical idea that individuals be allowed to decide for themselves if they accepted a doctor’s medical treatment or not. Well, that idea did not go over very well, so the Career Assignment Board gave him a new career. They sent him here.
“But you, who were sent here straight away, you will never be allowed to escape.”
Dana saw Nana’s point. She knew her chances of getting out of Waste Management were extremely slim.
“Now, the Agricultural District,” continued Nana, “has always been a bit separate from the rest of our society. So are the coal mining operations that are allowed. Farming is not an easy business. Your harvest depends upon the amount of rain you receive. You spend long hours in the sun weeding, planting, plowing, and picking.
“It is a hard life and a short one. All farms are managed by the Food Management Board. Those who work there are not allowed to keep any of it for themselves. The people at the top get what they want, and the remainder is doled out to the rest of us.”
“So why are the farms kept separate?”
“Well, it takes a lot of land to farm enough to feed a large population. But mostly, they suffer many revolts out there. It’s easier to deny events if no one witnesses them. Besides, you’ll find that many people may like to eat something, or use some product, but they don’t want to know where it comes from.
“The trash that you are forced to incinerate each day. How many people in our society really care about where it goes once they toss it?”
“But his eyes. They—”
“I know, dear,” said Nana, laying a wrinkled hand on Dana’s. “I’ve seen the same look many times in my life. Don’t let it trouble you. He made his choice. He knew that he was most likely going to get killed. And I think in the end, that was what he wanted.”
“I’ve heard stories about people jumping into the incinerator,” said Dana.
“Yes, that happens,” said Nana. “Many a man can’t take this life and they see no other way out. Mrs. Hammer’s husband met the same fate.”
“I wish things would change.”
“Maybe you should join the resistance.”
“What?”
Nana laughed.
“I thought you knew about them since you were able to get the medicine. And there is only one place to get it.”
Jesse burst through the door, breathing heavily. “Nana, Mrs. Hammer is dead. Her face is blue and her body stiff.”
Dana lowered her head. It sounded as though the woman died several days ago and nobody noticed.
“Death comes for us all in the end,” replied Nana, looking directly at Dana. “Go get George.”
Jesse dashed outside and returned minutes later with George. When Nana explained what had happened, his face softened some. “Come on,” he said to Dana.
She followed him to Mrs. Hammer’s house. The stench of death struck Dana the moment she entered the building. George acted as though he didn’t notice a thing. Commanding her stomach to settle down, Dana went inside and followed George’s instructions. Together, they wrapped the body in linen and carried it outside.
A crowd had already gathered. Word had spread fast about Mrs. Hammer’s death. Dana glanced at them as they each carried a single, white candle.
“This way,” said George as he directed Dana to a conveyer belt on the edge of Shackville. She allowed him to lead her. Respectfully, they laid Mrs. Hammer on the belt. George pushed the button that controlled it.
“Shouldn’t there be some time before—”
“She’s been dead for a few days,” interrupted George. “No point in waiting any longer. This is as close to a funeral as anyone in this place will ever get. This belt goes straight to the incinerator. If you got any words, best say them now.”
Dana stepped back into the crowd that had gathered, taking her place next to Jesse.
One by one, the candles came to life as they were lit. Their flames danced in the breeze. One man started to sing. Slowly, others followed suit.
We gather here to say farewell
to Mrs. Hamilton. So ring the bell;
it’s chimes shall not be quelled.
As the song ended, every one blew out their candles. One by one, people went back to their homes. Only Dana remained watching as the wrapped body of what had once been a living person moved steadily to the incinerator, and its final resting place.
“Come,” said George. “Come with me.”
Dana didn’t argue. She walked with George back to his hut, surprised that he invited her inside. She sat in a chair wondering why he had summoned her there.
“Here.” George handed her a small glass with brown liquid in it.
Dana studied it a moment before swallowing it in one gulp. I
nstantly, her throat burned from the liquid, causing her to cough.
“That’ll put some hair on your chest,” laughed George.
“What is that stuff?”
“Whiskey. Brew it myself. Not that it’s legal, mind you.”
Dana felt a bit dizzy from the drink.
“Want some more?”
“No.” She gave the glass back to George.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you here,” said George. “I don’t normally allow guests, but since today was troubling, I figured you needed company.”
Troubling put the day’s events mildly, thought Dana.
“You never had someone die in your arms before, have you?”
“No.”
“It takes something from you.”
“But the man that fell in the incinerator—”
“But his death was quick. Oh, that doesn’t make it any less important. But you never saw his eyes as his life left him. You never looked in here,” George pointed two fingers at his eyes. “This is where you see a man’s soul. His life.”
“So what do you want me to do?” asked Dana, still confused as to why George brought her to his home.
“Get over it.”
Dana glared at him.
“Oh, I don’t mean it like that. You’re young. You got a lot to learn about life. So, I’m going to tell you something, and hopefully it will keep you from becoming one of those hollowed eyed folk at the plant. You’re going to witness a lot of horrible things in this life, but you cannot let it take hold of you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dana.
“Don’t let your emotions control you. When you see something bad happen, grieve for the moment, but move on. Stay in control of yourself. Because if you let it eat at you, if you let it gnaw at your spirit, then they win.”
“They?”
“The very people that put you here because you were an inconvenience to them.”
“But I am only one person.”
“We are all just one person,” said George, “but don’t let that stop you from doing what you know is right.
“Like the rest of us, I’m willing to bet that you have lost people close to you to our standard of equality.”
Dana nodded, remembering her sister and her grandfather.
“They do that to instill fear. To keep you contained. The death of that man is another of their methods. Don’t let them control this—” George pointed at his head “—or this.” He pointed at his heart. “The day you allow someone to control them is the day you become a slave.”
The buzzer from the facility echoed in the distance.
“We need to get you back before they notice your absence.”
“Is that how you’ve managed to survive here so long?” asked Dana.
George smiled. “Honey, I’m still here because I’m a cranky, middle-aged man whom the good Lord doesn’t want.”
George opened the door, waving Dana out. “Now I know Jesse showed you a way in and out of the plant, but I know a better one.”
Chapter Eleven