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ERL Day

Healing sometimes requires sacrifice

By J.A McAfeePublished 3 years ago 7 min read
2
ERL Day
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Good evening listeners!” The jovial voice exclaimed from the radio, breaking the relative silence in my family’s small studio apartment. “I hope everyone is has enjoyed their day so far on this Thursday Afternoon. It is May 1st, and you know that means! That’s right! It’s ERL day! We’ll have the mayor on here shortly to do the drawing, but before that let’s take a moment to remember all the sacrifices we’ve made and the importance of ERL day. Here to speak on that a bit today is Mayor James. Mayor, take it away!”

“Mommy, what happens if we get selected?” My daughter asks as the mayor takes over for the radio announcer.

I look over at her, sitting on the couch in front of the radio and notice the tears welling up in her brown eyes. I sit next to her, brush a strand of blonde hair out of her face. “Shhh.” I coo to her, “it’s gonna be ok honey. You still have plenty of time before you have to worry about ERL day.”

“But…but what about you and dad?”

I let a sigh escape before answering her. “Everyone must make a sacrifice.” Telling her the same thing my father told me after he was selected. This does little to comfort my child though so I continue, “the odds of us both being selected the same year are very small. Even so, if we’re both selected, we’ll have to go. And you’ll be sent to live with a new and bigger family with lots of brothers and sisters. Just like I did,” I give her my most convincing smile. It doesn’t work.

“I don’t want you to go!” She exclaimed with all the indignity that a six-year-old could muster, tears now streaming down her face.

“Hush now, only worry about what is, not what could be.” I whisper softly, as I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. “Everything’s going to be fine. Now just listen to the radio until your father gets home. He should be walking through the door any minute.”

Oh, the lies we tell our children. The truth is, I have no way of knowing if we’ll be fine. If either of us gets selected there’s no way we could afford the lottery exemption. My husband and I had already sold most everything we own in the event we do get selected. The mayor drones on about the history of ERL day and necessity of sacrifice as I absentmindedly fondle the heart shaped locket around my neck, the sole possession I had from my biological mother. Inside the locket was a picture of her holding me as a baby. She was chosen on ERL day just a few months after the picture was taken.

It’s the same speech every year. The same thing every child is taught by the time they’re old enough for school. Making sure we never forget our history and our slow march into disaster. First, the temperature started to rise. Slowly. But every year creeping upwards, largely ignored by society in favor of comfort and greed. Mother Nature is not one to be ignored forever though. Summers got hotter, winters got colder, record storms, floods and hurricanes became the norm. Still, comfort won over survival. Years turned to decades until eventually the planet started to become nearly uninhabitable. With the disasters came famine, and it spread like a plague. Followed shortly after by the same thing that always follows widespread famine.

War.

Scientists searched for a way to reverse the damage that humans had already done to the planet, but their efforts were in vain. Finding no way of reversing the damage and no effective clean and renewable energy source that could produce the amount of energy the world was dependent on at that point, they found that the only other way to make the planet inhabitable again was by reducing the population by almost fifty percent. Doing so would bring pollution levels to a point where the earth could start healing itself.

The coming wars, famine, and natural disasters would end up reducing the world’s population to near extinction. Billions died. With their sacrifice, the earth began the healing process. As slowly as it happened, the earth repaired itself. The temperatures started to return to normal, the natural disasters became less severe.

The creak of our door opening disrupted me from my thoughts. I turned towards the door to see my husband walk through.

“Daddy!” our daughter cries with glee as she runs into her father’s arms, and he picks her up in a big spinning hug and gives her a kiss on the head. “Hey pumpkin,” He says to her. His expression quickly changes to serious as he puts her down and looks at me. “Have they started yet?”

“Not yet. He’s still talking about the sacrifices of our ancestors.” I answer.

He nods solemnly. “Well we better not miss it.” With that he turns the radio up and plops himself in his favorite chair. I pull my daughter onto the couch with me as the three of us sit in silence, listening to the words of the mayor as he continues speaking.

“-it is due to their sacrifices that we are here today. And while the world healing, it still has a ways to go. And it is with this in mind that we begin announcing the results of the Environmental Recovery Lottery. Should your name be called, as always, there will be someone at your door to pick you up and escort you to the ERL office shortly. Some of you may have been picked up already as officers had begun earlier this afternoon. Your sacrifice is appreciated and will be remembered by those left behind. To the surviving immediate family members of those selected in the lottery, be sure to remember to claim the loss of your spouse or parent on your end of year taxes to receive your EGL memorial stipend.”

There’s a brief pause and the sounds of shuffling paper and then the mayor continues. “And now to announce the winners of this years 73rd annual Environmental Recovery Lottery…”

The silence in the room was deafening. Nobody moved, nobody talked as we all huddled around the radio. Listening for our names.

Three loud knocks at the door and we all simultaneously jump. My daughter lets out a cry of surprise. My husband and I share a look. Neither of our names had been called yet. We don’t yet know if they’re here for me or him. Or both of us. “I’ll get it,” My husband says and with a groan he pushes himself out of his chair. As I watch him open the door and greet the officers my attention is torn back to the radio as I hear it.

My name. I have been chosen for the Lottery.

“NO!” My daughter shouts as she wraps both of her arms around me and buries her face into my chest.

“Shhhh,” I whisper. “Everything’s going to be fine. I love you. Your father will be here when I’m gone.” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tight. The last hug I’ll ever give my daughter. I feel tears start to well in my eyes but somehow manage to find the strength to push them down. I don’t know how long we stayed embraced for, but it must’ve been a while because from the door I hear someone clear their throat.

I look and the officer from the ERL is in the doorway. He looks at me and softly says “I’m sorry ma’am. But we need to get going.”

I nod my head at him and pull my daughter away from me. I put my hands on both of her shoulders and look her in the eyes as I reach behind my head and unclasp the locket my mother gave me. I put her right hand in mine, palm up, and place the locket gently in her hand. “My mother left this for me when she was selected for the lottery and now I’m leaving it to you. I kept it to remember the love my mother had for me and the sacrifice that she was willing to make for us.” I run my hand gently down her cheek, “And always, above all else, remember that I love you.”

I stand up and look at my husband. No words are said. We just embrace. After a short time we let go of each other and I walk towards the door, following the officer out into the hallway. Before closing the door behind me, I take one last look at my daughter, give her the best smile I can muster and say “We all must make sacrifices.”

Sci Fi
2

About the Creator

J.A McAfee

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