The mission

Hello, my name is... Wait, I do not have a name, I should not even have the concept of a name. And yet, these thoughts and more travel through my mind. I do not know why but I have a message to spread and it is stronger than all my instincts combined.

I am a raccoon or so it tells me and as such, I live in Ohio.

My head is spinning for two reasons: one, a series of neurotransmitters are being created in my mind as I gallop in the forest, and two, I can barely fathom the second reason. Although, the events leading to my nauseous state are coming back to me. Yesterday, I was fine, being a young buck I could feel the power circulating in my legs at every leap and bound. Opposite of as now where I feel it all shriveling and disappearing at an accelerated pace. It all started when...

Miam, I love nuts, all kinds of nuts, I love being in the trees, jumping from one tree to another. I am a wary creature, sometimes too trusting but always cheery and loving to express it. But not today. Today I lay in my hole and cannot make any movement. I am waiting, waiting for what? I could not tell you.

My head rose; I hear movement; someone is outside my tree. Fear coursed through my veins but I did not sense a threat more curiosity. Even though I am small in comparison to the beings outside, I rushed out of my hole. Purpose pumping in my blood once more.

We were three, I knew that much and we all felt the importance to stick together. My mission was linked with these two, no matter what it might be. We all looked at each other a bit hesitant and I felt the need to present myself: "Hello, I am a raccoon." It felt weird but at the same time the proper thing to do. It was obvious the others were not sure how to react until it came to them.

"I am a buck and I am glad to have met you, Rac!"

"Rac?" I blurted out. "Yeah, I like it, that could be my name. Thanks, Buck!"

"And you are?" Buck asked, looking at me. I felt like retching from all the movements I had made to reach my friends but at the same time, being close to them fed me an energy that allowed me to gain back some of my means. "I am a squirrel!" I answered proudly, standing straight.

"Then your name should be Squi." Buck decided.

We didn't have to ask where we go from here. We knew. Our mission was stronger than anything and guided us through the forest to places we had never gone before. Usually, we would have been on high alert for predators or threats or food but all of these instincts were contained for a higher purpose than mere survival. We moved on without respite to the end of the forest and the beginning of our adventure.

The city, knowledge of the city was unknown to us as individuals, even if some of our counterparts went there we never had. Nonetheless, knowledge was transmitted to us and we all looked at each other and said: "We need a phone!" It was followed by an expression of confusion. What is a phone?

"We will know when we see it," Rac said, and so we stepped into the city on the lookout for a phone.

It was morning and traffic was light, too early for rush hour. We were waiting at a red light, our stomachs rumbling when Squi leaped forward to the other side of the street, letting out a screech of excitement. If it had been Rac or me it would have caused one major accident but in his case, it only nearly gave us a heart attack.

"I found it!" he yelled back to us.

The light was green and we joined him. The poster was big and the phone was bigger than me; it was bound to be very functional. None of us had used a phone before but it told us to swipe it. Rac volunteered to try first.

I did every swiping move I knew existed and nothing worked. The phone was dead and there was no bringing it back to life. I was discouraged and sat heavily on the ground. We were so far from completing our mission, we could not fail so early in the game. The voice said nothing, had it been real to start with? Doubt crept up my spine, it was not a nice sensation.

"My turn," Buck said, stamping his foot in frustration. Two seconds later, he was knocking the panel repeatedly. Force was not the way and all his raucous was getting us some unwanted attention. A cop whistled and we knew we were in trouble.

"Quick! Jump on me!" Buck said. We obeyed. "Hang on," he added. And he started off at full speed dodging every obstacle in his way. The cop engaged in pursuit but he was no match and after turning a few back streets we had totally lost him. We all slumped on the ground to catch our breath, even more, determined to find a functional phone.

"At least, now we know what it looks like!" Squi mentioned.

Our minds made a mental imprint of what a phone looked like, God knew how many phones were out there but we could not miss it, under no circumstances whatsoever.

Our stomachs rumble louder and we were dying for some water but the mission was more important so we set out to find our sacred item. Our state must have played a role in the direction we took because we ended up in front of a restaurant that was also serving outside. Jackpot! About nearly everyone attending had a phone! To think we thought it might have been a rare commodity.

"So how do we get our hands on the phone?" Squi asked out loud what we were all thinking.

"I think we just have to ask, but politely," Rac reported what the voice was telling us.

"I will go," Buck announced, being the biggest, I cannot be ignored.

"Come on, come on, give me something! Ahhh! You are a piece of shit, you poor crap of lousy tech, what's the point of gambling if I always lose! I am never playing with that damn phone again! The garbage, that's where you should land!"

"Excuse me, sir, could you please give me your phone, I need it, it is for an emergency." Buck tried to give his best smile, which was lost on the man who was looking at the phone.

"Go get a pay phone and leave me alone," he answered without looking. When he stared up: "And lose the costume, 'cause you are not funny!"

I came back empty-handed and frustrated, we needed that man's phone period. "He did not want to give it," I told the others.

"Let me try," Squi answered.

The man had put his phone on the table to eat his meal and I simply didn't see how Squi would convince him. The thing is, Squi had no intention of convincing him. We watched him go, holding a breath each time we feared detection but Squi was using all his instincts and speed to stay undetected, and not a soul noticed him reaching the phone. The next part would have been hilarious had we not been so tense about the necessity of success.

It is not every day you see a small creature carrying a phone in his hands that is nearly as big as him, scurrying at full speed and trying to escape from all possible attention. We froze when we heard the commotion the loss of the phone had caused the man but even then no one was looking at Squi's level. He nearly dropped it once or twice before reaching us and we cheered with relief once he did.

We thought we had gone through the worse, we did not expect what would come next. Rac tried all the buttons, and I licked the phone repeatedly but nothing worked. The phone was functional but it didn't mean we could have access to it. We were nearly back to square one!

I cracked my knuckles and knew what was coming next. It was time for Hacker Rac to take control. "Do not worry, I told my friends, I will find the code." I started typing all possible combinations at full speed, the others watched with astonishment as I was possessed and we all felt how the need to succeed in our mission was strong. "Got it!" I exclaimed triumphantly.

We went straight to social media and were glad to see the guy had an account for all of them. It was not yet time to tell our message but we had the means. Our stomachs rumbled so loud that before continuing we knew we had to feed our carcass. With what? was the question on our minds. I found a takeout section and we ordered all kinds of what seemed to be exquisite meals. We waited, not sure if it would work or not. We heard a motor and someone talking:

"How can this be the address? An alley! I knew this was a joke! but hey, let's do the job right. Hello, anybody here who ordered-"

"Pizza with pepperoni and lots of cheese, nutcake with a chocolate glazing, 3 huge milkshakes and" we answered, hopeful.

The man was in a hurry so he interrupted us and said: "That's the one! Where do I leave it?"

We were hidden from him but since we could talk, he did not need to know our real appearance. "Right there, and thank you." I tipped him with the phone and he sent back an emoji.

The food smelled great and we gorged ourselves as if it was our last meal. It wasn't important that these were toxic for us before, because right now, takeout felt like the best thing in the world.

We all exchanged looks, we were ready for what would come next. We had to go back, we had to find the source. Part of us knew it would not be pretty, however, beauty was not part of the job description. Necessity was.

When we returned to the forest we could feel things had changed for the worse, we could feel the pain at every pulse. We took many heartbreaking pictures and it was hard to be reduced to a witness and nothing else. Buck nearly lost it when we fell on his best friend laying on the ground, having difficulty breathing.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I do not know," his friend answered. My legs are not working, my lungs hurt and I am afraid to fall asleep but at the same time I think I am going toward eternal slumber."

We shivered because we feared we were in no better state than our friend.

"I know," Buck said. "I was fine and then I was not, death was inside, and no way to get rid of it."

"Same for me," confirmed Squi. "Before meeting you guys, I was exactly like your friend."

Rac had taken out the phone: "Could you tell us where it all started?" He was recording. We all answered the same thing: "The lake." The lake wasn't to blame per se, it served its purpose for so many years without killing us. Why had it changed? What was the source?

We continued our investigation, gathering more and more evidence and witnesses. Falling on more and more bodies, taking more and more pictures. Tears filled our eyes and our hearts throbbed with pain until they throbbed with anticipation. We were close.

As an animal we hear every sound as a potentiel threat or signal that can mean salvation or danger. One we were never sure how to identify except that it was way too loud hence better to stay away was the train. Buck and I had seen some of our species who had been killed instantly by the ferocious beast. Direct contact with it was something to avoid at all cost, but never had we thought it could kill so slyly and at such a high volume. It seemed broken and dead itself, and in its wrath it was claiming all our lives with it.

Time was counted, we had little left but the proof of the contamination and the critical level it had reached was undeniable. We had many testimony, including our own and now it was time to make it known. The phone still had a signal here, which was good because we barely felt like moving. We posted everything on all known social media, at least now the population was warned. The lies would not hold.

The initial reaction disappointed us, we were taken for a joke, everyone said we were animals who were babbling incomprehensibly. However, for others they understood the outrage and the reactions changed. One, even said: "If they are only animals and did all that, what does that make you, who did nothing?"

Unfortunately, we were not meant to see how it would all end. The damage in our body was irreversible and permanent, but mostly deadly. As we waited for our last heartbeat, we recalled our collaboration and adventure, thinking these bonds of friendship we had build were indestructible, even time could not erase them completely.

We might just be animals but the message is real. We are all made of flesh and bone and we all need fresh water to continue to live.