Moon Day

 “Good Morning and thanks for tuning into Morning Today! Its a beautiful, crisp morning, this July 28^th in the wonderful year of 2050. Hmm… that date ringing any bells for you Chuck?”

“It sure is Leonard. We all know that July 28^th signals a special occasion for everyone on Earth. This day is even more important than usual as today is the 20^th anniversary! Can you tell me what today is the 20^th anniversary of, Leonard?”

“Lets all say it together. Today is… Moon Day!”

“That’s right. Today one lucky person, randomly picked from Earth’s entire young adult population, will have the opportunity of a lifetime to get off of this planet. They’ll be placed in an autopiloted, state of the art space ship, and be transported straight to the Moon!”

“Thanks Chuck. Once on the Moon this lucky person will experience a life of unfathomable

Luxury in their own, five star accommodation. They’ll live this way for one year before returning to Earth with a cash bonus to help them readjust.”

“That sounds great! Where can I sign up?”

“Well you’ve just gotta be lucky, haven’t you? And here it is. The moment everyone’s been waiting for; the big reveal. Fresh from our computer, the 20^th annual Moon day astronaut will be… Terry Anderson from England!”

****

An unshaven, greasy and tired face, which protruded from the collar of a food stained dressing gown, stared aghast at the TV screen. The brain, which this face concealed, was transfixed on the words “Terry” and “Anderson” and on an image of a well shaven, clean but equally as tired face that stared back at him on the screen. He was Terry Anderson. That was his picture on the screen. However, the elation that the TV hosts had exhumed did not resonate with the emotions that this face was communicating. For this face (or rather the man to whom it belonged) had seen the articles which the state had swiftly denounced and then equally as swiftly, claimed to have never existed in the first place. He had seen the conspiracy theories that the mainstream media (consisting, in the year 2050,of the one single news outlet, “Earth Today!”) had laughed at and mocked as silly extremist views that had no merit. Despite this apparent nonchalant atmosphere they had created when discussing these conspiracies, the sect of the state which dealt with information had swiftly removed all trace of these and according to some, removed all trace of the people who had circulated them.

Terry remembered a live TV interview with someone who had been “lucky”, as they put it, to go and live on this idealistic, space age moon base. They were no doubt supposed to highlight the many fond memories and the fun that they had had. Instead, they went on a tirade. They busted open all illusions. Forced labour. Squalid conditions. Dangerous radiation leaks. These are just some of the terrible things that had befallen this poor man. Of course, this should have been taken off air as soon as a single negative word escaped his mouth. Their were rumours that he had a man on the inside in charge of the broadcasting control room who had barricaded himself in. Whatever the reason, this hugely successful whistle-blowing attempt was seen on TVs across the globe. Well, it would have been successful had a fabricated story not been broadcast the next day. The story stated that the former lunar explorer had seen cognitive decline in recent years due to faulty genetics.

So, Moon Day continued and every year some poor sod was strapped to a rocket and shot straight at the moon. Terry had found this appalling but, up until now, had still been able to push it to the back of his mind and go about his daily business. That was until now. Now, when his name was picked out of the proverbial hat. He would now have to be that poor sod.

“No!” Terry exclaimed aloud. “I’m a free man. I’ve done nothing wrong. I know the truth!”

Sirens.

They were close.

****

Crunch. Rustle. Terry flung himself into the undergrowth of a wood near his apartment. Everything reflected a blue light as the police cars approached. Terry didn’t care. He ran.

Dogs were set loose. They barked and snarled and growled behind him. Their dark eyes glinted in the dim moonlight like tiny mirrors.

Terry could feel and hear them gaining on him. In a panic he scaled a tree. He had hoped this may help him evade the police but the dogs knew where he was and they were very vocal about it.

A glint in the distance. A sharp pain as something embedded itself in his skin. He pulled on it and it came out. Some sort of dart. Terry felt faint.

****

Terry’s eyes were sheets of lead as he attempted to pry them open. Suddenly, a voice.

“Mr Anderson, you are finally away from the land of sleep and in the real world.”

“Was I dreaming?”

“Oh no, you did put up quite the fight for our boys in blue. You’d be surprised how often that happens. Probably all those damn conspiracy theorists, spreading unfounded rumours, without a care for how much that disrupts the process.”

Terry’s eyes were beginning to function more appropriately now and he could make out that the man talking to him was a doctor. Or at least someone dressed very much like one. He could see that he was preparing some medical equipment.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, here is where the problem lies.” The doctor explained. “You have probably heard the conspiracies. Well they do not tell the whole story. We do make you do forced labour. But you are left with no memory of it. We wipe your memory and implant our own. You will fondly remember the year you spent in a luxury resort on the moon! Genius tech really”

“But what about that interview with the former winner, he remembered.”

“That was years ago, the process was less watertight. Did you not wonder why no one ever speaks out? Or why when questioned former winners extremely convincingly recall how enjoyable it was?”

Terry was silent. He had realised during this encounter that he was strapped to his seat. There was no use resisting.

****

“Granddad tell us again about the moon”

“Oh, you don’t wanna hear granddad’s old stories. I bet its even better up there now. Anyway, one day you kids might be lucky enough to go yourselves!”