20-9

In my pocket I keep a chain with a heart shaped locket, inside is a picture which may have been my wife, daughter , mother , I don't know , but I keep it to remember there was a real past, and they never noticed I still had it.

I really never thought it would matter, I didn’t bother voting in the last election but knew that everything would stay as it was and we would get the same bunch that were usually voted in time after time. Anyway no one would vote for a party who’s main platform was the abolition of all political parties (apart from themselves) and stood as The Party. That would never happen would it? That is what the whole country thought, but the mainstream and social media posts along with other “sweeteners” such as implementations of a rigid caste system based on religion and skin colour, complete lockdown of immigration and purging or “undesirables” resulted in a landslide victory for The Party.

When they took to power all other political members who were not their members were jailed and replaced by designated members of The Party. That was the result of the final election in our country. The Party declared there would be no need for elections going forward.

The next phase was to dissolve the judiciary and apply working groups to dispense “justice” as The Party saw fit.

We shouldn't have been surprised, the world only had on commercial entity The Corporation which came into being by aggressive mergers and takeovers and now controlled the world's media and production and could therefore direct electorates (where they still existed) to vote for what they decided.

The Corporation also owned the governments and ruling parties. A Corporation only serves itself.

When The Party took control , for economic efficiency they dispensed with wages, and there was no action that anyone could take.

Schools were also terminated as The Party determined that for the nation to be as productive as possible our population could start to be used from the age of five.

Anyone who appeared to dissent was seldom seen the following day , so people kept quiet.

The population was supplied with basic sustenance , just enough to keep the workforce alive and productive where required , although shops no longer existed, again there was no requirement for them.

And now there is one newspaper that tells us how good our lives are and how the country is improving , and one TV channel that tells the same. I seem to remember before when we have lots of newspapers and more that one TV channel , although we have been told that is a fallacy.

Libraries now only carry one book and todays newspaper, and again I am sure I remember when there were lots of books, but I am probably wrong.

And I thought I never saw this coming. I did what I was told, well what the papers and TV told me and I was promised a perfect life free from foreign influences and I would have all that I want.

I can hardly sleep now. I know I have to start work at six and will be back in my cubicle at eight , that is fourteen hours seven days a week. I work one week digging holes and then one week filling them in . I don't know what it is for but I am told it is the greater good. I know that if I question why I am doing this I may not see another day.

If I do what I am told the country will benefit , The Party tells me but in a world where no children are seen to be born , and a nation whose only purpose is to work , there is no personal future. Life is reduced to a series of repeated tasks with no personal satisfaction and no way out …. ever!!!

But there is still the slightest sliver of hope as I clutch the chain of my heart shaped locket and know there was a past, and hope there will be a future.