Balance+of+the+Colors

After the election of 2120, the president of the U.S. stated that she would make people happy and optimistic again. What she didn’t explain was how she was going to do this. Many people thought that she was going to reduce taxes, and come up with a better way to help the economy. Unfortunately, she had a more “friendly” way.

“Mom, why are you so unhappy all of the time? The last time I saw you remotely excited was… I can’t remember when. Was it something that happened between you and Dad? Is that why he’s not around anymore? Tell me what he was like, please.” Kalle was a curious person with a mouth that didn’t know when to stop talking. She always pressed anyone she knew, who her dad was and what had happened when his name was on people’s lips.

“You know that I can’t answer those questions. You’ve demanded me for so long to answer them. I’m sorry I cannot oblige.” Her mother was as polite as possible when she answered Kalle. The truth was that she was angry, more than angry actually. She was furious. Known as the “strict” mother of the town, Judy hardly smiled. Just the thought brought her to tears. Her late husband use to be the only one who could make her smile during the changing years. Everything had turned upside down, everything was grey and black and blue. No more colors lined the walls, no more pictures with illuminating hues. No more electrifying, magnificent reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and purples.

When you step outside, the street is black, the sky is blue, the grass is grey, and the depression starts to seep in. Even during those times, the Stranger could make her smile, and laugh. The only color that hadn’t been outlawed was blue. The government thought that people would protest less if the colors were slowly disappearing. The people in office wanted power and they wanted something that was simple and harmless to gain it. The politicians weren’t murders after all. They thought it would be simpler and less of a hassle if the colors were to silently and slowly disappear and slip into the vaults or burned.

The only way this could work is if they could get rid of all the natural colors. But, if their experiment didn’t work, then they would have to have a way of keeping the natural colors alive and well. People slowly were moved in to apartment like housing with an indoor atrium. The atrium would slowly lose the colors, just like the rest of the apartment would; giving the appearance that the world was being drained of color, just like they were. What they didn’t know was that the outside world wasn’t affected at all, only their apartment. Soon this idea had spread throughout the town since it all had a roof over it and the colors were disappearing at the same rate the apartment was. This started in 2122.

Reds hadn’t been seen since 2124. No one remembered what orange looked like; it had been the first color to go in the year of 2122 the rest of the colors had gone in between years 2126 and 2130. Kalle was born in 2118, she didn’t remember many colors. She was only 4 when all this nonsense had started. She only remembered green, yellow, and purple. The blue is no longer bright and cheery, but the color that is found in the ocean. The Stranger had tried to stop this. He was an artist and he needed the colors to make a living. People liked the colored paintings and he had become unstable, working with the whites and blacks that now lined their town. Kalle didn’t need to know this about her father though. She didn’t need that sadness thrust upon her.

“Mom, just tell me what happened!” Knocking her mom out from her own memories that had tormented her, Kalle had had enough of everyone keeping her in secret. She needed to know. It was her right to understand or to try.

“I’ve told you that I cannot. When will you understand that?”

“I can’t understand that Mom because you never tell me anything. How am I supposed to be able to understand if all I know is that Dad isn’t here? For all I know, it could be my fault or that zombies took him!” Kalle rarely ever yelled, or screamed. She was right though, she deserved to know.

“You may be right, but I…I can’t. I can’t let you become like me.”

“How would I become like you? It wouldn’t help either of us. And I’ve practically had to raise myself. You want to talk about sadness? I’ve felt like you abandoned me ever since Dad left or died, or whatever happened to him! I haven’t had anyone tell me. I feel like I’m alone in this world and all I have for company is a radio that repeats the same line, ‘I can’t.’ Do you know how frustrating it is? While you’ve been sitting there feeling pitiful for yourself, I’ve been the one that has tried to do something!”

“I’m sorry! Alright, I can’t. Not unless you really want to be alone in this world.” Judy had started a full crying session. She felt horrible and sad about all the things her daughter had said. They were true, they were very true. She had failed at protecting her husband and now it was supposed to be her job to protect her daughter. All she had done for protection was keeping her mouth shut. Maybe she was old enough now. No, that’s impossible; she’s only 13 years old.

“I’m sorry Mom. I’m sorry that I made you cry. I’m sorry that Dad’s gone. I’m sorry that you’re not happy anymore. I’m sorry for everything! It’s just that, I need to know something. In this time of our lives, it’s not so grand. I can try and help make it better. If only you’ll help me by explaining what’s going on.”

“You’re only 13! What could you possibly do? Go and get yourself killed? I don’t think so. I’m supposed to protect you and I’m sorry if I haven’t done a good job, but you’re still here aren’t you? You’re not in the governments hands or under the soil, are you?”

“I’ll be safe-“

“Jacob don’t you dare walk out that door and say you’ll be safe! I know it’s hard. I know it’s depressing. I know all of this. And I also know you have a daughter and me, which you’ll leave behind when you walk out of the boundary line. They’ll kill you and don’t you dare protest – oh God, what have I done? What have I done?”

“Mom, I’m not Jacob. It’s okay. I won’t. I’ll stay here and be happy and alive. You can stop the tears now. I understand. I may not understand everything, but I do understand enough.” Her Mom had just spilled. She had told her what had happened to her dad and what his name was. She understood that he died trying to cross the boundary line, or that she was waiting for him to come back. She knew that he wouldn’t come though. The borders are too heavily guarded and if anyone that somehow slipped pass the guards had figured a way to come back in, it would be automatic death. How many people had died from this? How many people have died by killing themselves?

As these thoughts and questions were reviving themselves in Jacob’s daughter’s head, Judy had stopped crying, and had started becoming the little observant woman she had been seven long and tiresome years ago. She could see the wheels turning in Kalle’s mind, just as she could see them in her husbands. Although she didn’t like to admit it, she was glad that her husband had tried to go against the government, and that her daughter was thinking about the same thing.

Too bad this would all be over in a few days. That is, if her husband had succeeded. What Kalle didn’t know, and hopefully never would, is that Jacob’s main plan for leaving them was to destroy this town and prove to the government that this idea of them gaining power was going to blow up in their face one day. And that day was planned to be tomorrow.

With a planned attack on the device that controlled this black and white world, color would be arriving tomorrow and life as they knew would change. Not only would the politicians who devised this plan would be running for their lives, but countless civilians would be too. The destruction of the controller would mean killing anything that remained inside the town. Great ideas all have great endings, don’t they?

“Kalle, if you want to go past the boundary line, I know the way out.”

“Mom, you know that doing this means that we are most likely going to die, right?”

“Yes, I do. But it’s that or I’m going to kill myself. I’ll just be another person who killed themselves because of the colorless town and the sadness it presents itself to. All of the people I use to know have died. All of the people I know now are going to die. I just don’t want you to die.”

“What’s all of this about? All you’ve told me is what Dad’s name was and that you didn’t want him to leave. So, if you didn’t want him to leave, what makes you want to leave now?”

“Don’t question me. We are going to try and if we don’t then we die and if we do, then we can go and find your father. We are leaving right now. Carry nothing but what’s needed.”

“This is crazy, all you were supposed to do was tell me not to do it and that everything will be fine. Not this. This idea of yours is just about as senile as all the colors disappearing plot. We need colors. We need them to be happy and not sad. And I’m not going and neither are you. This is suicide. I’m not helping you kill yourself and I’m not watching you do it. You’re right I am just 13. That means that I need you here. If you go, I will have no one. When blue is gone for good, I’ll need someone to brighten my life. I’ll need someone to keep me in check. I’ve had to do it myself for so long. It’s getting harder.”

“I know you’re scared. I know this sounds stupid, but we need to leave.”

“Why? Mom, what’s the rush? Is the government going to come and take us away?” Kalle was scared. She had just said that she could help and that she would be safe doing it. She hadn’t said that she wanted to leave, although living in this place was getting to her. She felt like she had to run, like everything she did was something that she was going to get scolded for, like a new born puppy that knows it’s done something bad and is waiting for the punishment.

“Kalle, it’s the reason your dad left, it’s the reason I’ve been so terrified for so long, I can’t tell you what it is. All I can say is that this “great” idea the government had is going to blow up in their faces.”

After Kalle agreed, they spent the next hour gathering things they would need: food, clothing, medicines, band-aids, and knifes. They walked around the outskirts of the town, Kalle following silently behind her mother, being as quiet as mouse. Everything seemed to be closing in on them, their life was falling apart, their town that they’ve lived in for so long was going to be destroyed, Jacob might still be alive, and now they were on this suicide mission to survive. If this wasn’t idiotic, then what was? They had reached the only exit they even had a chance of getting through; with ten guards standing at post, it was going to be difficult to sneak through. Although Judy had seen her husband do the same thing they were doing now, she still couldn’t fathom that she was actually going to do this. I guess motherly instinct finally kicked in, and about time too. All they had to do was create a large enough distraction and then go through quickly.

Lucky enough for them an alarm was going off. After most of the guards had left it was 1 a.m. and all the others were dead asleep.

“Those guards aren’t trained well. Last time I was here, it took a lot more than an alarm and a late night to occupy them. Just in case, be silent and don’t wake them up.”

All we have to do now is walk through those bushes and then we’ll be safe.”

“Mom”

“What?”

“Behind you, there’s-”

Dead silence filled the air as the two females wait for any movement from the guards. They were so close, ten paces at most to the bushes. When the guards didn’t stir, they kept moving forward. At last, they had made it to safety when they heard a rustle in the bushes.

“Hello ladies, what might you two be doing at this time of might?” A low and quiet voice rumbled from the figure that stood in front of them. No features could be seen because of the dark, but Kalle felt like she knew him.

“Didn’t work then and it most certainly won’t work now. Where’s your brother? Is he alive? And what do you think you’re doing, hanging around here? Waiting to kill yourself?”

“Ah, I see that you remember. I didn’t think you would, considering how long it’s been. Let’s see, Jacob is helping with the distraction right now. And I’m here because I promised him about 2 years ago that I would be the one to meet you guys here just incase you ran into trouble. I see you didn’t, thanks to the distraction, and I’m impressed that you remembered the date.”

“Um, excuse me, but who are you?”

You don’t remember me do you? Well I’m what you’d call a friend and an uncle. My name is Greg. And your name would be Kalle, am I right?” “I…I…I…”

“She’s scared as it is, there’s time for this later, Greg.”

“I hope so Judy. We need to get going, time is passing us by.”

And with that closing, no one said anything, not even when they could see the colors that had once filled their vision a few years ago. They were out of that depression hole. They were awed by the sight of seeing the colors once again. They felt balanced. There were colors and shades all intertwined, just like it was supposed to be.

“We’ll wait here. How do you like the scenery?”

“I haven’t seen them for a while, that’s for sure. Kalle, are you okay?”

“Yep, I’m …it’s so pretty!” Kalle couldn’t remember the last time that she had ever seen these colors, she didn’t even know which one belonged to which name.

“Well, I guess it’s time to inform you two. Our plan for today is to destroy the computer that controls the color fade. We are happy to inform you that unless something goes wrong, no one should die. The guys should be back by the time we wake up.”

“I thought there wasn’t any chance of destroying that computer without killing off everything that lived inside of it. That’s why we left, Kalle.”

“I think I get it now mom, can we go to sleep?”

“We sure can.”

In the morning, they woke up to the same colors that they went to sleep with. There was a camp that surrounded them. They hadn’t noticed that before, they were all so tired. They searched around the camp to see if anyone was still there. They finally had found half a dozen men sitting in a tent, looking solemn. When the men noticed Judy and Kalle, they tried to put smiles on their faces. Judy knew a few of them. The rest, she speculated, were people who had wanted to help.

“Morning,” the men all said in unison.

“What happened? Did something go wrong?” Judy was now on the verge of panic. Sad people weren’t a good sign, most people knew this. “I’m sorry. The plan worked. The computer is destroyed and the government got a scare, but…”

“But what? But what?” Forget panicking, Judy had reached that point and beyond with the “I’m sorry,” part.

“But, we had to destroy it fast and only those on the borders made it out safely. That means that everyone inside died. We knew this was going to happen, with the gasoline containers kept close by. The whole town went up in flames and they didn’t put them out fast enough before they got to the power plant. Serves them right, the government will surely hear that their idea to make the world a more “friendly” place by taking away the colors that are suppose to make people argue, weak, mean and happy all would blow up eventually. We need the balance of colors. There’s a reason for all of those colors and the government just wanted power. Those not so innocent politicians! If it was suppose to make us more “friendly,” why did it make people kill themselves? Why did it take a brute force to stop this madness? Sometimes, you just got to fight back.”  Judy and Kalle had stayed with this group that their husband and father had left them to help. They mourned Jacob in their sleep, and were company to those men who hadn’t seen anyone but their group for a long time. They were content with living, now that they had their colors.