A Melodious Yearning of the Heart

Prompt set your story in a world where love is prohibited.

A Melodious Yearning

The monotonous voice in front of me droned on…

“After the global conflagration and incineration of millions of people caused by warring factions in 2666, the World Council of remaining nations created universal laws to eradicate hostilities to abolish individual freedoms that caused contentious behavior.”

(Music played in my head…)

War, huh, Yeah! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

Say it again, y’all! War, huh, Lookout! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing! ⁽¹⁾

The droning voice continued, “These behaviors were rooted in human emotion. The practice of loving an individual spawned animosity, pride, rage, and murder. All survivors of the great global purge had to adhere to new mandates prohibiting such expression regarding the practice of love. All forms, expressions, and conveyances of love had to eradicated. Failure to comply meant exclusion from participating in the newly created Society. Noncompliance of the rules and regulations meant you would be ostracized and banished. No one would be allowed to contact you.  Your identity would be terminated even though you still were a breathing, functioning human. Any attempt by the outcast to reach out to someone in the Society would result in instant extermination.  Outcasts that were not exterminated were forced to live in an internment camp on an asteroid. Life expectancy would be short as resources were limited. Death would be inevitable.”

(Another song played in my mind…)

I will never be as cute as you

According to the board of human relations

I will never fly as high as you

According to the board of public citations

These are just the rules and regulations

Of the birds and the bees

The earth and the trees

Not to mention the gods

Not to mention the gods

All my little life I've wanted to roam (ooh-ooh-ooh)

Even if it was just inside my own home (ooh-ooh-ooh)

Then one little day, I chanced to look back (ooh-ooh-ooh)

Saw you sittin' there being a sad culprit (ooh-ooh-ooh) ⁽²⁾

The droning voice added, “Why was this necessary? The World Council wanted to recreate the planet that is void of all of greed, jealousy, poverty, malice, and hate. By a unanimous consensus, the Council decided that the evils of the Society were generated by misappropriation and abuse of a human emotion known as love. The practice had to cease for the survival of humankind.”

(I heard still another…)

But I don't care what they say

I'm in love with you

They try to pull me away

But they don't know the truth

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing

You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding

Keep, keep bleeding love

I keep bleeding

I keep, keep bleeding love

Keep bleeding

Keep, keep bleeding love

You cut me open ⁽³⁾

“Coupling of men and women would be randomized. Any outward displays of love, otherwise called affection, were strictly prohibited. All behavior including expressing emotion was monitored publicly and privately by the Society using transducers which measured pleasure centers in the brain. Personal touching of another person was monitored by touch receptors. The transducers and receptors were implanted into the embryos prior to the birth of the individual. Procreation was accomplished by in situ fertilization in which the embryo is being surgically implanted into a surrogate female. Any emotional attachment of the child was punishable by internment of the surrogate.”

The Society wanted to ensure that any means or conveyance of love through the media, books, historical documents, all music, and electronic internet communications were redacted or destroyed. The word love was purged from all things that could represent or imply the meaning of love. Churches and flower shops were closed and many were destroyed; gift giving was banned; candy and chocolate could no longer be manufactured; greeting cards of any kind were destroyed. Practicing Valentines’ Day, Easter, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza was illegal and subject to internment. According to the Society these holidays evoked the insidious love emotion,” said the voice with conviction.

(and this melody played in my head)

Now I shall destroy Christmas, once and for all!

This Christmas I’m making up my hit list.

Gonna check it twice, but I don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.

Cause Christmas is cancelled! Christmas is cancelled.

This Christmas I’m coming for St. Nicholas, so say goodnight I don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice.

Cause Christmas is cancelled, Christmas is cancelled. ^(4)"

There was a loud ring indicating the end of the learning day. I was transcribing my lesson when the ringing interrupted my thought process.  My daily lesson at the collective children’s home was repetitive today and every day.  I was taking copious notes to impress my head master. I even wrote down the special music I heard in my head.  He looked over at me acknowledging an affirmation of blank approval as I left for the living quarters. My remaining time before the mandatory sleep period would consist of chores, personal grooming, eating and very brief interludes with other residents of the home.

Two hundred girls and boys from the ages of 1 to 20 occupied the interconnecting residential quarters. Ninety nine percent of the occupants were birthed from surrogate mothers. The remaining one percent came from a natural mother and father relationship.

There was a designated time for each interaction or dialogue. Thirty minutes were allowed; one interaction a day maximum. The reason behind this was to ensure no physical and emotional attractions would develop between male/female, male/male, and female/female. Depending on the history of the resident, the interaction was monitored for inappropriate touching or emotive sensuous behavior.  But this rule was not taken too seriously by the head masters because all surrogate children were genetically modified to have their sexual drives deactivated early in their embryonic stage. The theory was there would be literally no verbal innuendo, no physical attraction, no desire or intimacy among the residents. To date, the theory has held. 

I was one of the last lucky offspring birthed by such parents. But for that reason, we can no longer see each other.  My parents were forced to give me up to the Society at the age of six. There was deep concern that I might have been indoctrinated into loving ways by my parents. So far, however, I have maintained a straight and narrow path out of fear. I heard my parents were transported to an internment camp to spend the rest of their lives separate from one another. How I missed them. And yet again my head resonates with yet another song.

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you want to go

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed

I hope you keep on walking 'till you find the window

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile

But more than anything, more than anything

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too

Yeah, this, is my wish

I hope you never look back, but never forget

All the ones who love you, in the place you left

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret

And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake

And always give more than you take ⁽⁵⁾

My thoughts are drifting. I have to be careful that the head masters did not see me idling away my time in deep thought. This notion of “love” stirred up intense paranoia among the Society members. “Idle minds are the devil’s workshop” was the mantra of a headmaster. 

I decided to use my dialogue session today with the only other person born of a natural birth. Evelyn was her name and she was my same age. She permitted me to privately call her Eve once I got to know her. I had met her in an indoctrination class we both attended during the instructional hour. It was there she had secretly shared with me her natural birth story. Eve poured her heart out to me at that first encounter.  I was so concerned that her emotional state might trigger the transducers in her brain hence signaling the head masters. Fortunately, it did not happen.  Her expose’ intrigued me so much that I began to feel an emotion I was not accustomed to having. My heart palpitated at the thought of being with her.  We both agreed that we should seek each other out for periodic visitations. Nevertheless, we had to scatter our visitations several days apart to avoid suspicion. Finally, it was the day to meet up! The anticipation was really killing me.  The transducers in my brain were throbbing and ready to explode.

Her living quarters was at the end of a hallway in another building. Travel time was deducted from our visitation time, so I walked at a quick pace to meet her. Evelyn was waiting for me in the lounge area near her quarters. Fortunately, no mentor was physically present to monitor our visit. It seemed they were getting lax about our visits.

Eve said to me, “I am so glad you are here now. I’ve been thinking about you over the last several days. It has been difficult to suppress my desire for you because I did not want the transducers to activate within me. I yearn for you night and day. I’m not sure how long I can go on like this without your hugging, and your touches. I need you to embrace me! I need you to give me your love. What can we do?”

(And I hear this melody coming deep from my soul…)

Woah, my love, my darling

I've hungered for your touch

A long, lonely time

And time goes by so slowly

And time can do so much

Are you still mine?

I need your love

I need your love

Godspeed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow

To the sea, to the sea

To the open arms of the sea, yeah

Wait for me, wait for me

I’ll be coming home, with for me.

I was overwhelmed by Eve’s words. I said to her, “Oh Eve, I knew you were special. Not just because of your natural birth, but you were created from two parents who practiced love. You express all the goodness that comes from their love. Most importantly, at great risk to yourself you openly want to share your love with me.”

Without hesitation our bodies drifted close to one another. We embraced and continued to hold each other close. We could feel the touch receptors activate; our heads throbbed from the emotion transducers. We were in deep trouble. The mentors would soon be upon us. Our only plan was to escape from the residential quarters.

There was little time to grab our belongings or any provisions. Eve and I hastened up a hill away from the quarters toward the vast desolate wasteland where the conflagration occurred. The area had yet to be rebuilt. I could not determine if the mentors had followed us. Deep into the badlands we came upon several structures.  One structure had a battered, partial sign with the words “Matt church.” Quickly we entered the remnants of “Matt church.” It was in shambles. Chairs, tables, broken clay figures, colored glass, and a large twisted cross lay strewn around the large room.  We rummaged for any food or water. Finding none we rested on what appeared to be long thin pillows.

It had been some time since we made our escape from the residence. At least for the moment no one had followed us. I decided to look into a couple of the adjoining rooms. My search led to the discovery of a meal preparation place with cabinets containing various pantry food items and bottles of water and wine. We partook of some old bread and wine. We were thankful to be alive and together. 

Eve and I decided we needed some sort of plan, but we were at a loss. Could we survive on our own out here in the badland?  Moving some of the rubble around the twisted cross I found an old, thick book. Its cover was torn away and the pages were folded at these pages called 1 Corinthians 13. As I read them aloud, Eve and I were amazed at what it said.

“If I speak in the languages of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ^(7)”

And I heard a multitude of angels in heaven (and in my soul) singing, “Glory to God in the highest.” Eve and I looked at each other. We knew the Truth. God would give us freedom. We had nothing except God’s Word. We have to trust in Him as we begin our new lives together.  God will provide for us in our daily struggles protecting us from the powers and principalities of this corrupted world.  Eve turned to me with tears in her eyes, saying “Adam, I love you so much I want us to have a child born in love, honoring God.’

Hence the story of Adam and Eve is born again in a brave, new world!

-END-

(1)  “War” 1969 written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong; original singers The Temptations and later by Edwin Starr

(2) “Rules and Regulations” 2007 written & sung by Rufus Wainright

(3) “Bleeding Love” 2007 written/sung by Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder; singer Leona Lewis

(4) “Christmas is Canceled” 2014 written for the Dr. Monster series, Jack Douglass

(5) “My Wish” 2006, by Rascal Flatts

(6) “Unchained Melody” 1955 written by Alex North & Hy Zaret, first sung by Todd Duncan and in 1965 by the Righteous Brothers

(7) 1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, 13; New Internal Version)

Author: Pete Gautchier

Acknowledgement: Reedsy.com prompts