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April 22, Friday, 2016 Candice was a top student, so this week began her new schedule. She could
be home, even at the age of ten, and her brothers still needed to go to school. "Dad," bored, Candice looked out the window,
a large, efficient plate glass affair for their downtown apartment, at the street below. "Dad, I've been noticing, where does
that bus go every day at noon? Those people appear interesting." Geoffrey thought that 2126 being an election
year portended bad things. He could not tell his ten year old daughter about the talent agency's agenda. "They go to a better place," Geoffrey recognized
that Candice still attended four hours in the morning, that was something. "Why don't you read a book?" The Masters of Opulence talent agency glared
brilliantly in the downtown sun as did all the edifices in the clean, decent part of the city. To exist here, one needed
to be rich. Paul's uniform shirt would be upgraded since he was working out and his muscles now stretched the sleeves.
He was the security guard assigned to get the "ten Elvises" as they were jokingly referred to, on the bus each day. "It's
been twenty every day since I've worked here," Paul commented to Jackson. "I'm going to quit when I find something better,"
replied Jackson. "You can't find anything better. It's an election year. War might be coming anyway so enjoy yourself today. That's
my idea. In fact, I could tell one of the bosses that and have it popularized: War is coming anyway so enjoy yourself today." "Even
if I have to move to an outlying neighborhood," Jackson thought Paul's phrase not very clever. "Here comes one. This is
eighteen." The bus left everyday at noon, and recently the number of talented, hopeful citizens from the bad neighborhoods
averaged twenty per day. The candidates sat respectfully as they waited for their chance to move ahead, impress their relatives
and friends, and display their talents to the world. A man carrying a guitar approached. "Is this it? Is that the bus I get on?" "It
sure is," said Paul. "Congratulations." "I'm The Baron, they call me. Look," he shifted the guitar to play, "I
use three fingers and it sounds as good as someone using four. I created my performing name, The Baron, after a guy I read
about, The King, a guitar player named Elvis famous in Las Vegas two hundred years ago." "Come on," Jackson thoroughly hated this job,
"get on the bus, Baron, and good luck."
April 23, Saturday,
2016 Geoffrey's wife would be home later to watch the kids, but he needed to
go do extra employment hours today because Maurice cheated the system. Maurice claimed to be religious, one of the devout
followers of Kaaler, founder of the Religion of Kaaler several hundred years ago. There were rumors that the text Kaaler
used to create his principles could be found in rich parts of town or among high thinkers, but none of that mattered to Geoffrey.
Maurice was a liar and thief. Maurice claimed he was ill and could not work in order to collect a special fund the company
provided for sick workers. If a person truly was sick he could benefit. Geoffrey cared about one thing. He felt intense
anger. When he was young, his mother encouraged Geoffrey to study the documentaries. Maurice was a phony. Even Geoffrey
knew that religious people were not supposed to lie and steal. Robertson lived on the highest floor of his tower.
He drank a cup of coffee and stood momentarily viewing the MOO bus below ready to take the ten Elvises to their reward. Robertson
felt an inner, burning rage. Why did his beautiful area have to be assaulted every day? Another thing that Robertson resented,
just in general, was the time at noon when the sun glinted off the huge statue of Kaaler, founder of the religion. When the
next war arrived, Robertson understood those idiots would be on the buses too, but for now he felt rage. His parents, grandparents,
and family for hundreds of years had improved this area, and the horrible creatures barely human in scope came seeking things
they had no right to take. Robertson used his flip to turn on the mister. Gentle fog filled the enclosed room with
a blend of alcohol and marijuana smoke. It relaxed him. No one could understand the intensity of his emotions. Rage. Anger.
Sadness. Hopelessness. How long could things go on like this? It had been 100 years since the last population cleansing
war, but the world's count now reached 2.9 billion human beings. Junior high school sterilization programs could only accomplish
so much. Robertson inhaled the fragrant, calming mist and watched the MOO bus begin its journey from the beautiful downtown
area.
May 2, Monday,
2016 Candice, age
10, studied a documentary (a book, it was called). She learned in school that 100 years ago prior to The War, books were
made out of paper and actual buildings with thousands of the items existed. People might enter the building and borrow a
book to learn. Now she learned on the computer.
Geoffrey continued to be angry that Maurice lied and exploited the employment
system. Geoffrey contemplated Maurice losing his position and moving to an outlying neighborhood. Geoffrey watched his daughter
and was proud of her. She would not be sterilized like Bobby (age 17) and Jeff (15). When each brother reached sixth grade,
due to shoddy habits in school, they were sterilized. That would not happen to his daughter, Geoffrey reasoned. Also, in
his job at the computer center, Geoffrey dealt with anachronisms changed over hundreds of years. Bobby and Jeff were not
actually Candice's brothers since having three children would be illegal. The Bosses knew that if families birthed many children,
the 2.9 billion people on the planet would have been out of control a long time ago. He prepared to leave to go to his job.
Damn Maurice.
Candice could not access blue topics, but she could study The War. After The War, the eastern border of the United
States was the Rocky Mountains whereas she had learned in school that the United States at one time stretched through the
Radioactive States all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Poor savages occupied that region now. The Hispanic, Great River which
ran south from the Grande Lagos easily became a productive place for the Hispanic Nations. During The War, they successfully
battled north from South America.
Geoffrey's wife came home, he greeted her in passing, and mused to himself
in the elevator about the blue history knowledge Candice would never learn. Prior to The War, the civilization tore itself
apart with anger at almost one hundred years of television. DVD burnings and even street hangings of TV producers occurred.
The population righted itself, especially with the decent Religion organized by Kaal. Nevertheless, by that time it was
too late.
Even the Purge of the Professors where university professors were eliminated happened a year prior to The War.
This was a blue page. The economy should have improved. However, as modern people understood, with a population of 8 billion
no economic solution could occur. Kaal explained that war would normally end each era of growth. After The War, humanity
again throve. The Bosses paid attention. Population remained checked.
May 10, Tuesday, 2016
Robertson inhaled
gentle mist from the device developed for the elite. Although mist was illegal for savages and those living in outlying areas,
people on Robertson's level enjoyed the calming effect. He was a minor Boss. He still had judges above him. The computer
center worked at the task of enticing various writers, artists, actors, or musicians to the Masters of Opulence talent agency
downtown. Even intoxicated on mist, Robertson shuddered. Nevertheless, who was he to buck the system? Robertson could
still see the annoying glare of sunlight a distance away on the forty story statue built after the War 100 years ago. Prior
to Kaal, the media-sick population groveled in perversion, mental illness, and ignorance. Eventually, the DVD burnings had
occurred, and then came the War which Bosses learned in childhood cleansed civilization. Geoffrey crossed the beautiful,
downtown plaza and entered the computer building. His job was to monitor contestants and participants of all kinds who believed
they could somehow move to favored downtown real estate. Geoffrey himself wanted to move and take his ten year old daughter
with him. In their attractive homes downtown, his wife and the other children, husbands, and wives would all be alright,
but was there somewhere better and less threatening he and Candice could escape to? If her grades fell, when she became twelve
sterilization threatened. That could not happen, Geoffrey determined.
May 17, Tuesday, 2016 Candice read a documentary page on her view
screen about pre-war, 100 to 150 years ago, television. The eventual DVD burnings prior to The War were meant to correct
the public's thinking and save people from doom. Kings, dictators, and United States elites calculated that television comedy
shows could be a barometer of the human condition. The most popular shows of lust and perversion, hate, greed, egotism, and
stupidity identified what were called "masses" of human beings not worth anything to the rulers. Could a European monarch
plan to start a war knowing cities would be destroyed? Were any noble, thoughtful, or decent citizens present that might
be harmed? No. The royal family or the dictator's gang were important but a groveling mass gratifying itself on personal
insults or pathetic sexual concepts proved expendable. Candice, age 10, glanced up. Her mother and brothers arrived in the spacious
apartment after school, and they performed various activities. Candice continued to read. She understood the word sexual
as having to do with sterilization. That had been explained to her. She noticed her father returned to work earlier due
to someone named Maurice. Dad shared that information when he and Candice enjoyed the morning alone in the apartment. If
he was there now, Candice could have asked what 'pathetic' meant. She overlooked it. Personal insults and pathetic sexual
concepts, Candice reasoned, were the fare disdained by the 'peasants' prior to The War. Because none of the 'fans' of the
TV shows were deemed to be accomplished (like the sterilization of lazy students now), those millions or billions of humans
became destined to be destroyed. By the time the public corrected its thinking, burned a fifty years of popular television
DVDs, and executed media producers, The War already was set to occur. The lost, ruined souls of millions of human beings
were already doomed. Even Kaal and his religion could not avert disaster for planet Earth.
May 19, Thursday, 2016 Geoffrey hoped Candice would study Tammy, a
woman from 50 years ago who philosophized about conditions prior to The War. Tammy existed halfway between The War and the
present time. In the 20th century when television developed and became widespread after World War II, idolatry became a condition
of life. Tammy theorized that an abundant planet rich in commodities and excess created a grandiose, weak population trading
places at will. Subterfuge, cunning, and trickery filled what Tammy referred to as a "spoiled" population, irreverent, cowardly,
and greedy. With so much bounty, trading places became a viable method of interacting. Anyone felt entitled to become anything
as long as he wanted it bad enough. Tammy's great treatise focused on the idolatry, that the population admired successful people, rich and with golden
awards but not accomplished in any craft. Idolatry meant the position, the office one could get to by trading places was
paramount. This disgusting principle led to Kaal developing The Religion, although he maintained he had a reference book
of some kind. No one had seen Kaal's original manuscript, but it was rumored to exist.
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