New Hope

Diary Entry: Corrinne Bailey

November 26, 2065

Today is Thanksgiving. Well, not really. It would have been Thanksgiving in the Old World. My mom always made the big meal the best. The house would start smelling of turkey, yeast rolls, sweet potatoes, and spices early in the morning and last all day until dinner was served. The aroma was heavenly. The memories are there; but fuzzy. I remember smells more than I remember actual events. I’m pretty sure the house was full of people, and we laughed and ate until we couldn’t anymore.

When I got on the rocket to come to New Hope the frequencies of the atmosphere jarred my memory bank. It happened to alot of people. I don’t remember the details to most of the moments of my previous life, but I remember how thanksgiving smelled, and I remember Lark. I miss Lark, and I hope he misses me too. My mom also came to New Hope, but she isn’t doing Thanksgiving this year. Holidays don’t exist here because they’re illegal.

I try to describe New Hope to Lark in the letters I’m allowed to write him. We’re allowed to write two letters per month back to the Old World. He stayed because of his job. He was a contractor and his team was tasked with cleaning up all the radiation that destroyed everything. In his letters he assures me they’re fine; that they have the most state of the art equipment, he can breathe just fine, his skin hasn’t turned red and sloughed off like so many others have. He’ll meet me here in New Hope as soon as he can.

Letter: Corrinne Bailey to Lark Atkins

December 1, 2065

Lark Darling,

I miss you so much. I know you’re taking good care of your team, but I hope you’re taking care of yourself too. I wish I could say I can’t wait until you’re here with me, but I can’t honestly say that. As much as I want you with me, being here isn’t the dream we thought it would be. I wish I would have stayed, I wish we were still in our old house, and you were coming home to me every night. The radiation and destruction isn’t even half the hellscape this new world is. We were sold a lie. This feels like a prison. I hope they don’t read this letter before it reaches you; I dread what the punishment would be for claiming New Hope isn’t bliss.

We don’t have jobs here but we all work. We actually “service” the new government, everyone is expected to work and in return we don’t get paid, but we get housing, utilities, clothes and food. All the essentials. Remember in the Old World; when we thought the essentials were all we would need? That us and everyone else had too much? That we let capitalism and greed take over and that’s what caused the destruction… too much production, too much waste, too much consuming. That wasn’t the problem, we need more than just essentials; or atleast what the New Hope government deems essentials. The houses are nothing more than brick 20x20 rooms that include a bed, a stove top, and a bathroom not bigger than the smallest closet we used to have. The clothes are just baggy beige linen tops and pants with sandals (or boots if you’re considered a heavy laborer.) No jewelry is allowed, they confiscated one poor woman’s wedding band last week, and a man’s watch that used to be his grandfather’s. I keep my locket well hidden, I couldn't imagine them taking it from me. The food is nothing I ever would have eaten before, it’s usually something canned that is some kind of mush made up of ‘meat’ and veggies. It looks like the cheap dog food we wouldn’t even have bought for Benji. Fruit is for dessert, but only on Fridays.

I guess I was lucky with the job they gave me. I’m a typist for the Governor. There are only five job categories: Administration, Heavy Labor, Food Service, Textile Production, and Enforcement.

I fall into the administration category. I just type all day, but I’m not allowed to ask questions about what any of it means.None of the transcripts I’m handed are in English, they’re in a language I’ve never seen before, and the keyboard they gave me matches the obscure letters. I’m only supposed to make it match and not ask questions. I just do as I’m told and keep my head down. The ones who ask too many questions get demoted to a lesser job category. You would think Textile Production doesn’t sound too bad; they sew together all of our linen clothes. They don’t have sewing machines though, they have to sew every piece with needle and thread. So many of the ladies that work in that category have callused fingers after only a week. Mom works in textiles but says she’s fine; I do worry how long she’s able to keep up though. Food Service just makes the canned mush we’re being served and hand it out everyday at 5 PM. Everyone working in Food Service is pale with purple bags under their eyes. I don’t know and am sure I don’t want to know what they go through all day. The Heavy Laborers have it the worst though, and I fear given your current role in the Old World this is the role they will place you in when you arrive. They go to fields at day break and work until nightfall. They have no mechanical equipment and are only permitted to use hand tools to care for acres upon acres of land. Enforcement is the officers of the Governor. I don’t know how they get picked, but they're the ones that confiscate jewelry or other material items and make sure everyone is following all of the codes.

I suppose I’ve said too much, I really hope my letter doesn’t get intercepted. I think that it’s important for you to know what you’re coming to when you leave the Old World. I love you so much. Hope to hear from you soon.

Love Always,

Corrinne

Diary Entry: Corrinne Bailey

December 15, 2065

I’m still working an admin job typing for the Governor. I still haven’t figured out the new alphabet or what any of the documents mean but they have gotten longer. The food situation still sucks. The lack of holidays sucks too. This time of year in the Old World everything would be lit up with lights, we’d be shopping, and making food, and there would be a holiday party or an event almost every night of the week. Now nothing is lit up, we don’t have currency or stores so we can’t shop, the food is the same old mush as always. I thought mom would have been the most upset over Thanksgiving, but this winter holiday seems to hit her harder. I don’t remember it’s name or why we used to celebrate it. I just remember so many lights and so many festivities, and people genuinely seemed kinder this time of year back in the Old World. And there were gifts; we always had gifts, that’s why we shopped. To buy gifts. I hope Lark is okay. It’s been two weeks since I last wrote to him. The mail system between The Old World and New Hope can be a bit slow though. I do suspect they screen our letters on both ends before they get delivered; and perhaps I said too much.

A lady down the street brought a tree into her home last week. I don’t know why someone would do that. The officers came and confiscated it. She had a good admin job too; she was sentenced to three weeks of hard labor for this. I guess trees remind them of capitalism of the Old World? There are strict rules against anything reminiscent of Old World capitalism. I think we had a tree in our house this time of year? I don’t remember, but I have a vague memory of one with lights on it; and maybe presents under it? I think that’s where Lark put my locket. My locket I used to wear proudly around my neck, the one that gleamed beautifully on my chest. The one I now hide so it doesn’t get taken from me like that one lady’s wedding band or that guy’s watch. I want to keep my locket forever. It was a promise from Lark to me that we would be together forever. I haven’t opened it since I’ve gotten to New Hope in fear someone would notice, but it used to have a photo of Lark (so handsome) on one side and me on the other.

Letter: Lark Atkins to Corrinne Bailey

December 20, 2065

My Dearest Corrinne,

It’s always lovely to receive your letters. This one was a bit delayed. You dated it the first, and I received it on the nineteenth. It was a hectic day in a radiation area, I spent all day cleaning it up then being detoxed so I’m writing to you today. I suspect it was delayed due to the content you wrote about. I do appreciate your honesty, but please be careful. Letter writing is already two per month, which is not near enough when I wish I could hear from you daily. I also hope you keep your job category. Please continue keeping your head down and working hard. I don’t want you overworked or physically damaged from the other categories. You were always so beautiful and I bet you still are; even in uniform linen clothing. This season used to be so cheerful here, but now it’s just nothingness. The glow from the radiation and the fires have replaced all the Christmas lights we once knew. I wish I could send you a gift, but as everything is destroyed here I have nothing to send, and since New Hope has a no ownership policy anything I could send would be intercepted at the gate anyways. Please send me less details in your next letters.

I love you so much,

Love, Lark

Diary Entry: Corrinne Bailey

December 31, 2065

Today seems like it should be special. I can’t figure out why though. We used to celebrate on this night I think? I just vaguely remember champagne and dancing and being happy in a crowd. People don’t gather in crowds in New Hope and alcohol is forbidden. What is dancing? Such a funny word; seems like it was fun though, another thing erased from my memory while on the rocket. I feel like I should do something tonight, I just feel itchy inside like I should be remembering something or celebrating something. Even though there are no celebrations in New Hope; I think I will celebrate by myself. I will open my locket from Lark that I haven’t opened since boarding the rocket ship to come here. I will open my little heart shaped locket and see our faces next to each other.

Official Letter: The Government of New Hope

January 1, 2066

At approximately 11:59 PM December 31, 2065 a resident of New Hope known as Corrinne Bailey opened a forbidden item known as a heart shaped locket. She tried to hide it during her entire citizenship; though we did know of its existence. Since she did not try to wear it like some did other jewelry items we were lenient. Upon arrival, during citizen intake we implanted a small detonation device. If the locket were opened it would explode. We do not support capitalism in New Hope, or items that are reminiscent of Old World capitalism such as jewelry. Those that wish to keep these items deserve their fate. As of 12:00 AM January 1, 2066 Corrinne Bailey is deceased. No investigation into the cause of death is necessary.