Heated Debate

“Have you heard the news?”, Elias finally asked when breakfast was close to its end. He meant to ask for a few days now, but his father’s temperament towards such things made it hard to trust he would handle the topic appropriately. And as he expected, a warning glance shot at him from across the table. Breakfast was never his talkative time, but the silence felt strangling now. As if breathing in too much air at once would poison his lungs.

“Well, what is it you want to tell us, Elias?”, his father asked. Or rather warned.

“Well, sou see, a large group of scientists has come forth and said that the volcano will erupt soon, probably some time next week, so very soon… And that means if we don’t evacuate now, we are all in grave danger. Like, certain death danger.” Elias voice became stiff. If only he hadn’t spoken up. But since he had already started, it was best to run this through to the end; until the message reached the coast of his father’s consciousness. The lava won’t halt or wimp out of its plan either. There was no more time for hesitation left.

“Yes, some say that. And some of them probably even believe that. But many also disagree with them.”

“Dad, we should really do something. Now!”

Slowly, his father brought his fork down. His eyes started to flare up and burn fear into Elias. He had to withstand, resist the temptation to give up. His father was smart. Surely he would be able to see reason.

“Our Prime Minister is already on it, Elias. If this eruption actually happens, we will be save.”

“And what if won’t? The PM isn’t doing shit. He just says he will.”

His father rose from his chair which made Elias’ mother, who had been silent up until now, flinch. “Hey, you two. Now is really not the time to discuss such a sensitive topic.”

“Then when is?”. Elias now too felt his voice rise along with a heat in his face. This won’t help him, he realized. It was important to stay calm and argue with reason. His father did sit down again with a huff. He seemed to go cool as well.

“Alright, boy, then what do you suggest? What do you think three ordinary citizens with just enough money to get by can do to avert this event, should it actually happen? Do you have a boat factory I don’t know about or something?”

Elias was silent for a moment. His father was actually listening for a moment. Why did his memory have to go dormant just now? There were plans, he read all of them. But of course they had to flow out of his grasp at the worst possible moment. “Well, there are some activists that plan to dig trenches that would redirect the lava.”

“Of course they would use this fear for themselves.”, his father grunted. “And once the week is over and the volcano cools down again without erupting they will find something new to make people scared and bend the society to their will. This is just their first step.”

“Dad, this is serious!”

“And so am I. This island was formed by a volcano, true. Only a fool would deny that. But that also means the soil will heat up and cool down every now and then. That’s just how this works. There’s not been a single eruption ever since humans settled down here. And we’ve already been here for quite a bit, I can tell you.”

“That doesn’t mean it never will.” This man was a lost cause, Elias could tell. He had been smoldering in his pool of apathy and indifference for too long already. His sense of logic and critical thinking had been burned into nothingness by the media and his coworkers at the factory.

“Sure sure, boy,”, his father mocked. “If you want to believe that, want to live in fear of imaginary dangers, feel free. I for my part am gonna trust my government. They may not be perfect but seeing where they brought us so far, I say that’s a safe bet. Go dig up some holes with your activist friends or something if you believe that will help.”

He got up and made his way to the mailbox. When he returned a few moments later, a menacing grin was charred in his face. “I think you wanna see this, boy.” He threw the newspaper onto the kitchen table with the front page clearly readable. “Morrison invests in volcano debate – Prime Minister buys bulks of heat resistant building material.”

“Looks like he’s listening to you.” The mockery in his voice was clear as day. “We’re gonna get some walls to trap us inside of them.”

What now? This was good news, wasn’t it? Why did Elias still feel the dread rumbling deep within him? He should probably still go and help to dig the trenches. But there was some truth to his father’s words, as much as it scorched him to admit that. How deep could they really dig within a week – around the entire city – when the lava was said to destroy the entire island? Worst case, they might get in the way of those lava-proof walls that seemed to come now. It was only now that Elias realized how small he truly was, how little he knew, how beyond his power all of this was.

---

It was already getting dark when the door to Officer Jane Harlowe’s department opened. Her colleague had just been called to the harbor, so she was alone. That is until Officer Leander Pryce burst inside with a young man in tow. The detained was maybe around seventeen years old, Harlowe estimated – definitely younger than twenty.

“Move!”, Pryce barked as he pushed the man towards a cell meant for short-term containment. So he would probably be released by tomorrow morning. Public intoxication or mild vandalism, Harlowe assumed from his disheveled punk aesthetic. He didn’t speak, so it was hard to say which one it was.

She delayed to inquire what happened until Officer Pryce had locked the door to the cell again. “Anything I should know?”

“You know these kids that insist they can protect the city from that volcanic eruption soon?”, Pryce started as he let himself descend into a chair, completely exhausted. “Apparently this one wanted to dig a trench around the city borders. He insists that he was alone but obviously he’s lying. No one is so delusional that they think they can do that alone.”

No, he certainly wasn’t. But seems like his friends escaped. Pryce was probably spotted by someone before he could call for backup. The police was terribly understaffed at the moment, so who knows if anyone was nearby in the first place.

As if on cue, the police radio spoke up. A gravely voice filled the room, accompanied by a lot of static and background noise. “There’s some teens vandalizing up at North Street. I got one, but there’s more on the run.”

“Hey, your friends?”, Pryce asked their inmate. When he got no response, he rose with an annoyed and tired grunt. “Well, guess it doesn’t matter. God, kids these days have become so annoying.”

“Get some rest.”, Harlowe said and stood up herself. “I could actually use a bit of exercise. Night shift is boring when you’re all alone.”

“If you say so. I won’t stop you.”

Harlowe didn’t spot any other police officers when the teenagers finally came out of the smoke of the night. If someone else was around, they were probably in hiding as well, like her. Just next to the street there was a group of six kids, all around the age of maybe sixteen to twenty-three or -four. Each of them carried a shovel. They were actually digging a trench. The policewoman couldn’t help but respect their youthful dedication. Even if they were allowed to dig out a trench in the public greenery, there was no way they would finish it in time. Yet they still tried. It was sort of admirable. But still illegal.

Eventually, Officer Harlowe rose from her corner with a baton in hand. She didn’t plan to actually rain it down on these kids, it was merely for intimidation. “Police! No one move!”, she shouted. Most of them shot up, then froze in shock. Two dropped their equipment and tried to run. They didn’t get far however. Harlowe had approached with a plan already in hand to surround them all alone. High chain link fences cut off the paths away from her. They were trapped.

“So, you are those little activists I heard of.”, she said, making sure no one could escape to the side.

“Don’t talk to her!”, one of the older boys yelled. “Whatever she does, don’t say anything!”

“Easy boy, I don’t want to harm any of you. But what you do is illegal, so I have to take you in. I would appreciate if you cooperated so no one gets hurt. The police will treat you favorably if you do.” Harlowe reached for her belt to call reinforcement.

“Hey! We’re helping! We’re the good guys!”, a young girl yelled, clearly ignoring the other’s order. “The government is just endlessly planning. Someone has to do something!”

Harlowe’s hands hesitated, though her head stayed alert. She was still on her job, dealing with criminals, after all. Yet the girl was right, technically. Something has to happen. Prime Minister Morrison was doing his best, but the bureaucratic way tends to be very slow.

“And you think digging around a bit will solve the problem?”, she asked instead, unsure how to proceed. These kids were not evil, but they were still damaging public property. She had to keep reminding herself of that fact.

The girl’s eyes burned with passion as she glared at her defiantly. “Maybe not. But if we can save just one house, we have won at least something. How much have you done already to safe others from the volcano?”

Not much. In fact, Officer Harlowe realized she’s not done anything to protect anyone, not even herself. There was definitely an undeniable need for that, she knew. She wanted to act on that somehow. Her job, her duty was to protect the people of this island. Just because usually that meant she takes in criminals, that doesn’t mean she cannot use her resources and abilities to save people from natural disaster. So why has she not done so yet? These kids were committing a crime and she could tell they wouldn’t stop if they weren’t contained. But they’re not criminals, at least not of the malicious kind. All they want is to help. She should probably aim to do so too, right?

---

These were times that didn’t allow for dormancy or brooding, so when Prime Minister Wallace Morrison received a message from his older brother to come to the harbor with the utmost urgency, he wasted no time to comply. Even waiting for the next sunrise might doom them all. Once arrived, he hastened to the agreed location. Several police officers surrounded his brother who stood next to an impressive but still rather small yacht.

Oscar Morrison owned a local iron mine and processing factory which were vital to the island’s economy, as they provided both places to work, as well as a – comparatively – cheap supply of resources and products. At least cheaper than shipping, for example, finished cars all the way from the mainland. Once he saw his guest, his face lit up in delight. “Ah, you’re finally here. Glad you made it. We see each other so rarely these days.”

“What is it?”, Wallace asked, not waiting for more time to run down. The presence of so many officers alerted him. “Hope it is important. You better not waste my time while I have to get a hold on an impending crisis.” He knew his brother recently made a statement that his experts allegedly saw no reason to assume the island was in any danger. His firm would not heed the warnings and any workers who decided to stay home would be fired should there be no lava that day. Yet he still agreed to financially assist the city to buy lava resistant concrete…

He grinned and leaned in for a hug as a welcome. “Ah yes, don’t worry. It is related. Would you please step onto the ship? We have to go now.”

“Go? Go where?” He had no intent to leave, especially not if he didn’t know where to. His people needed him here. His office was here with everything required to manage the doom looming from the volcano.

“What do you think, Wally? We need to get away from here. I don’t plan to die boiling alive in lava. That sounds rather painful. And it would pain me even more to let my dear brother suffer such a fate.”

“Excuse me!”, Wallace’s voice suddenly burst out. “I must have missed when you changed your mind on that matter. Also I don’t plan to leave my people behind in this. They need a strong hand to guide and protect them.”

“Listen, Wally. You have done the right thing. Everyone has been informed about the predictions that were made.” A gleaming hot shiver slowly descended down Wallace’s back. “If people feel like they need to get into safety, they can leave the island, temporarily or permanently.”

“You talk nonsense and you know that!” Wallace’s throat grew hot. He wasn’t used to being this loud. “Most people can’t just spontaneously buy a ticket to take a ship away from here. You know how far away we are from any other land. That is why you’re companies are so profitable, after all. Even if they left behind everything material that is important to them, no one can afford travel and residence out of nowhere. Not even the state. What do you think why we haven’t done that already?”

Oscar stayed calm throughout his brother’s tirade before he sighed with an all-knowing expression. “Yeah, that’s just like you, little brother. Always putting others before yourself. But in your search for a plan that saves everyone you haven’t started any programs that could save at least some people. In fact, what have you done yet except worry?”

“What do you mean?” The heat that descended down Wallace’s back began to cool down. He knew what his brother was accusing him of. The only plan he has put to action yet was to construct a wall. All plans that were suggested to him before were insufficient. But time was running out.

“How about I tell you my idea?”, Oscar proposed and without awaiting a response, he continued. “You being here physically doesn’t help anyone. I would suggest that the government officials retreat to safety for now. It doesn’t make your brains any less effective in devising safety plans. Then, while you come up with more strategies, we reinforce the walls of my factory against lava.”

“You’re out of your mind.”, Wallace almost whispered, yet the anger smoked from his mouth more viciously than when he shouted. “Why would we only save your property?”

“Oh no, dear brother, you misunderstand me. I do this for the good of everyone. Admit it, building a wall around the entire city within less than a week is impossible.” He was right, they probably couldn’t even ship enough resources for such a project in that time.

Oscar already stepped on the deck of his yacht with a hand that awaited his younger brother to follow.

“Now you see, my factory estate already has high walls that only need to be reinforced rather than built from scratch. And it certainly has enough space to fit most people of the city for a while, even if it might get crowded. And for the rest, you can maybe order a ship or two for temporary evacuation. Maybe those you reserve for the richer people who can pay they escort by themselves, either in full or in part. I admit, this wouldn’t protect a lot of material goods, but at least the people you care so much about are safe. Do you have a better plan?”

He didn’t.

Oscar had a few good points, reinforcing existing walls is something that could actually be accomplished in time. Though he did not see why he should leave early. Sure it was scary here. What if the volcano erupted earlier than assumed? Would his judgment of operation be improved if he were not in immediate danger?

“Dear brother, I see your turmoils.”, Oscar said. “I assure you, you are doing a good job, as hard as it may be at the moment. If you distance yourself from the physical location of the threat, your mind will calm down and act faster and more effectively. The fear has paralyzed you long enough already. You can always return if you feel that is needed, but you have to stop hesitating. How about you try it my way for a change?”

Yes, maybe he should. And if he was on the mainland, surely he could more easily convince their governor to extend a helping hand, be a tribute to show how dire the situation is.

However, even long after he stepped on the ship and the island transformed to only a collection of dying cinders in the night, Wallace wondered what his legacy will have become by next week.