To Reap a Whirlwind

*SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING:*

- Mention of immoral medical experimentation

To Reap a Whirlwind:

The teacher wanted us to “create an advanced presentation of any kind of our admired governmental system and how it provides for us.” I decided to take advantage of the vagueness of the assignment to make my class question whether our lives under our government were so great after all.

When it was my turn to present, I laid out the pieces of my presentation; a (clean) hamster ball, a miniature desk fan, a bag of dirt, and a needleless syringe. Lastly, I added my metal water bottle to the mix.

“Here on the Top, we have a wonderful life laid out for ourselves.” (I had to concentrate on not cringing.) “If we simply promise to be good citizens, then we can expect good treatment in return. There are a few things asked of us that pertain to being a good citizen, of course. That we attend church as much as possible, in order to be reminded of the importance of obedience. That we don’t live a life of crime. We must agree to encourage the established utopian ideas of safety, cleanliness, and orderliness. We are taught to take pride in how technologically advanced our society has become. Now, I’ll show you how this world of ours remains balanced.”

(I wasn’t reading from notecards; these are the things we had all been told growing up. As well as I knew the ways of the Top, I had never been able to accept them. To keep myself from grimacing at the sugar-coated lies spewing from my mouth, I had to remind myself to focus on the climax of my presentation.)

“Everyone knows we live in between Below and Above, all of which the people of Above keep perfectly balanced.” (“Balance,” what a fantasy.) The Top, which is elevated above the Cloud, stretches on for hundreds of miles and has succeeded for years in providing everything we need.” I spilled the dirt on the floor, plugged in the fan and pointed it towards the pile. “What we know is there are dozens of giant fan-like structures hanging from the Above and controlling our weather. We can only see the bottom faces of them by looking at the sky, and they’re miles away. They’re the reason every day is always sunny, and the air is always fresh; never smokey or foul. Think of them as humidifiers, but on a much larger and advanced scale.” I turned the fan on, causing the section of the classroom floor below the fan to be clear. I then pointed to the outline of dirt around the clear spot. “Our atmosphere is kept clean while the dark clouds and bad air is forced to settle at a lower atmosphere. Even the smog from our factories settles there, though our factories are producing less and less fossil fuels per year.

We all know that these ‘giant humidifiers' also withdraw water from the clouds, filter and purify it, and transport it back here to underground containers. Otherwise, how else would humans, animals, and plants survive? Plus, the animals and plants thrive because,” I held up my metal water bottle- everyone had one of these,- “we have taken extra measures to eradicate trash pollution.

I think we have a fairly strong grasp on how our underground water storage functions, so I’ll continue onto the more mysterious topic.” Now I grabbed the hamster ball. I twisted it a part and took my time putting it back together before looking at the class again. My generation, who are afraid to think outside the box. “They say we end up in one of these towards the end of our lives, when our bodies begin shutting down and if we don’t die of a natural cause. We are put inside an orb with holes in it such as this, except it’s made of glass. It’s there, in isolation, that we live out the rest of our lives. With only white rice to eat and only one pair of white clothing to wear, we contemplate our lives. It is said that those with a guilty conscience are left to suffer with their inescapable madness. The very globes they’re trapped are a form of torture; they can see other “globe prisoners” but can’t hear them well enough to communicate. No music is played near the globes, and the employees of Above are forbidden from carrying on any sort of merely entertaining conversation while around the entrapped. Which leads to my theory…” I raised the syringe close to my face and gave it a pump. “of what happens when they need to clear the globes of old residents for newcomers.

Our teacher narrowed her eyes at me and tapped her pen.

“What do they do with the prisoners, and where do the bodies go?”

A student raised their hand. “Don’t you believe that the Above has room prepared for newcomers? If they have our world under control, then I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”

“Oh, you’re probably right. I’m sure they do know what they’re doing. They promise that all they do is try to make a better world for us, which makes me wonder… how good can it get before being too good to be true? We all must realize this world is sinful and can’t exist without evil, no matter how much we pretend it doesn’t. Haven’t you ever considered where all the bad things must go?”

Now I had the teacher’s attention. She was clenching her fists and giving me a death stare.

“What’s stored below the clouds, out of sight of our sunny world? We only know so much about Above, so more must be done in secret. Don’t you think they may have something to do with why the population on the Top barely fluctuates?”

“Defie, we’ve heard enough.” said the teacher.

“Really, because I can’t help but feel as if we haven’t discussed this enough.” I turned from the class to address her. “We should’ve outgrown the Top by now. Those pills we take obviously aren’t working, because-”

“Sit. Now.”

After cleaning up my props, minus the dirt now blown over the floor, I complied, but only with an exasperated sigh.

To my delight, I made such an impact with my presentation the teacher asked me to stay after class. She then proceeded to reprimand me for the inappropriate turn of events it took and how only repeated common knowledge.

“Ma’am, if we’re not told anything else than what we’ve already known for years about the Top, then how are any of us supposed to create an interesting presentation?”

The teacher leaned forward, jaw locked. “By calling upon the names of the authorities who keep our modern society balanced. Yet you refuse to do that.”

“I just figured that since we’re almost adults we ought to think for ourselves-”

“There can’t be any “thinking for one’s self” in a unified society, Defie! My Lord, your mother sure didn’t make a mistake naming you that.”

“My mother has nothing to do with this. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the government predetermines our names too.”

“That’s it, get out.” The teacher pushed back her chair. “I’m fed up with your presence in my classroom, just get out. Don’t forget your things. You’re suspended.”