Under the Floorboards

Annie's eyes sprung open wide at the sound of loud knocking on the front door. She was tucked away in the secret bed her father made for her under the floorboards of their small home. It was just the two of them now. Her mother and two brothers died in the wave of outbreaks that took the lives of over half the population of Earth. She closed her eyes and quietly took a deep breath as she listened the sound of her father's footsteps heading across the floor to the front door.

Nine weeks ago, the Unity Coalition had mandated that all humans be implanted with a microchip to help keep them safe and protected from future outbreaks. But, Annie's father didn't trust them and refused to ever have a microchip in his body. He said the Unity Coalition was the true danger. They wanted to control everything in the world. Her father would tell her that the only thing wrong was people trying to control everything. Humans had not been living in harmony with nature and the laws of the universe and that is why they were going extinct. He even said he would rather die than be kept alive by computers and machines.

The knocking sounded once more as her father's footsteps stopped at the front door. Annie tightly clenched the heart-shaped locket her father had given her a two months ago on her twelfth birthday. Embedded in the locket was a devise designed to deceive the chip scanners so they could safely enter the market to buy groceries and supplies. Annie opened the locket and in the light, shining through the cracks in the floorboards, she looked at the picture of her and her father. The inscription at the bottom simply read "A & E Annie".

The old rusty hinges squeaked as the front door slowly opened. Two Unity Enforcement Officers were stiffly standing on the front porch. "Wow! Unity Enforcement Officers! How can I help you?", Annie's father spoke first half whispering, half shouting.

A look of confusion crossed Annie's face as she listened from below. What was her father doing?, she thought. "And why is he acting stupid using a weird voice?" She looked back at the heart-shaped locket. Her father had told her there was a secret meaning to her name that could help her through any situation in life. The secret was "A & E" and it stood for attitude and effort. He said that we can't control what happens in life but we can always control our attitude and effort. Sometimes when she got frustrated in life, he would smile at her lovingly and say, "A & E, Annie."

The Unity Enforcement Officers looked at each other and then back at Annie's father. "Sir, we are looking for a scientist who is suspected of being a key member of an anti-unity group." Annie's father's eyes widened with excitement. "You want me to help!" He exclaimed. "Can I wear a uniform?", He asked shaking with excitement.

Annie looked up through a crack in between the floor boards and caught a glimpse of one of the Unity Enforcement Officers standing by the door. She quickly covered her face and held her breath. She took a slow deep breath as quietly as she could and said a quiet prayer in her mind.The floor squeaks and dust falls from the cracks as footsteps cross above. Annie opens her eyes and removes the blanket from her face.

The officers were showing Annie's father some papers. "Have you seen any of these people, sir?". He looked at the black and white sketches, took them from the officers hand, then sat down at a table and pulled out a couple crayons from the drawer. "It needs color. That will help." he said as he began coloring the sketches.

The officers looked at each other with blank faces not knowing what to do. Finally, the one who looked more like a robot than a human spoke up. "Thank you for your help. You stay safe and have a good night". As they turned toward the door, Annie's father looked up them with a concerned look on his face. "Can you come by later and see my picture I draw?" The officers left without responding.

Annie smiled quietly and felt such grateful appreciation for her father. She knew they would soon be leaving this house to find a safe place to hide. She didn't know how long her and her father could survive but, she promised herself she would have fun on the journey, enjoy each moment, and always be aware of her A & E.