Because I can...
A short story I created just yesterday. Because I'm not so good with finishing things, and keeping going, I decided on making a short story, and to keep me going, I had to use a list of words.
Didn't expect it to turn out like it did though...
And yes, I used microcosm wrong
Here you go!
The Megalopolis
Sunlight shed through the window, falling on Lyle's face. He squinted and rose up, holding his arm to his eyes. Morning had come.
He stepped outside where it was cool and wet. Dew hanged from the ends of leaves. The air moved slightly, and the plants around moved in unison.
From on the cottage atop the hill, Lyle could see far into the megalopolis. For miles and miles the skyscrapers stretched. Each and everyone the same grey, bleak tower that made up the entire city. A single superhighway above it.
He had heard many stories about the megalopolis, good and bad, long and short. His father had said that each of the citizens had microsurgery in their head so they could be kept track of. Wherever they went the governor knew. He had also heard of a supercomputer that was in the city, that could do anything, knew everything, and ran the city. It could even talk to people, and make it's own decisions.
Lyle had also heard that everyone was the same there. They were controlled, without any free will, and only allowed to what others had. Nothing set them apart, aside from gender. The same clothes, same abilities, and the same jobs. A city at loss of creativity.
Lyle wondered what life would be like in the megalopolis. If it was good or bad. Or if he could stand a loss of free will and diversity. No way out, only in.
He had once seen someone escaping. Down the hill, closer to the foot of the city he was, when he heard hasty, heavy footsteps. He watched closely, and caught glimpse of a man, who like any other megalopolian, he was dressed in a slate gray with short-cut hair that lay flatly across his head. He sprinted closer and closer to Lyle, and came micrometers from freedom. But at that point he was shot down by some hypervigilant guard, killed in cold blood, and left to rot at the very spot that he lay. And all that time, no other megalopolian seemed to take notice; they simply went on with their daily lives or going this way and that. The man was invisible.
Lyle also sometimes wondered why they did what they did. What made them think pluralism to be wrong? Why did they go to such extremes to keep everyone in, and everything the same?
Sometimes Lyle would ask his father why, and he would reply 'Because their afraid.' But this just gave Lyle even more questions. Afraid of what?
The city seemed to misunderstand in some places. What he has heard has told him that they believe technology to be hypercritical. But what of nature, environment, earth? What of family, friends, kin? Their microcosm of society, which just represents the government itself through their eyes, has no meaning. What place in this world do you have if the government is so high above you.
The government writes the newspaper, controls what they hear, what they do, what they say. They dispose of any truth that might hurt their image, apply any lie that may increase authority. This was wrong through Lyle's eyes.
But the people were happy with their position. They don't know anything, and they are perfectly glad. They'd rather live life in ignorance than know the actuality of what was really happening.
Lyle wasn't the hyperirritable type; he couldn't get angry at them for what he thought was incorrect. Rather, he pitied their lives. He still considered living amongst them, but would never understand why they lived that way.
The story of the city's beginning was a vague one, and has been superimposed countless times over the years. It may have just always been there, the two sides. Or it may have been one that split.
The version of the story he had heard depicted the world to start as two people, and those two had more children, and the children had children, and it grew to a population of millions. But a high being split them in two because of their wrongdoings, and the two formed different lifestyles.
Lyle can hardly believe this, though. To him it seems too much a fairy tale than what the past really was.
Life on the hills outside the city was a quiet one. A few cottages form each angle of view, it wasn't quite as large as the city - not at all, frankly - but it was a closely knit neighborhood. Everyone knew each other. The village was just as happy as the citizens of the city, maybe more. The beautiful view, wonderful weather, and friendly neighbors were all parts of the village life.
It was made up of four families, who lived amongst the others. No one kept to themselves, as they all felt comfortable with each other.
It only happened once, as Lyle heard. One of the family members from the McKinson family grew tired of the village life, and left for the city. No goodbyes, no leaving party. The family looked in disgust at her decision. She was kicked out of the neighborhood, and set out for the megalopolis.
They all thought her crazy - a few thought she may have took a megadose of her pills, others thought the plants on the skirt of the village she loved so much had an effect on her. Their was no apparent reason for her leaving though. No one grieved for her.
It was her fault.
.....................=END=.......................
Please post your critique and thoughts,
-abreaction
A short story I created just yesterday. Because I'm not so good with finishing things, and keeping going, I decided on making a short story, and to keep me going, I had to use a list of words.
Didn't expect it to turn out like it did though...
And yes, I used microcosm wrong
Here you go!
The Megalopolis
Sunlight shed through the window, falling on Lyle's face. He squinted and rose up, holding his arm to his eyes. Morning had come.
He stepped outside where it was cool and wet. Dew hanged from the ends of leaves. The air moved slightly, and the plants around moved in unison.
From on the cottage atop the hill, Lyle could see far into the megalopolis. For miles and miles the skyscrapers stretched. Each and everyone the same grey, bleak tower that made up the entire city. A single superhighway above it.
He had heard many stories about the megalopolis, good and bad, long and short. His father had said that each of the citizens had microsurgery in their head so they could be kept track of. Wherever they went the governor knew. He had also heard of a supercomputer that was in the city, that could do anything, knew everything, and ran the city. It could even talk to people, and make it's own decisions.
Lyle had also heard that everyone was the same there. They were controlled, without any free will, and only allowed to what others had. Nothing set them apart, aside from gender. The same clothes, same abilities, and the same jobs. A city at loss of creativity.
Lyle wondered what life would be like in the megalopolis. If it was good or bad. Or if he could stand a loss of free will and diversity. No way out, only in.
He had once seen someone escaping. Down the hill, closer to the foot of the city he was, when he heard hasty, heavy footsteps. He watched closely, and caught glimpse of a man, who like any other megalopolian, he was dressed in a slate gray with short-cut hair that lay flatly across his head. He sprinted closer and closer to Lyle, and came micrometers from freedom. But at that point he was shot down by some hypervigilant guard, killed in cold blood, and left to rot at the very spot that he lay. And all that time, no other megalopolian seemed to take notice; they simply went on with their daily lives or going this way and that. The man was invisible.
Lyle also sometimes wondered why they did what they did. What made them think pluralism to be wrong? Why did they go to such extremes to keep everyone in, and everything the same?
Sometimes Lyle would ask his father why, and he would reply 'Because their afraid.' But this just gave Lyle even more questions. Afraid of what?
The city seemed to misunderstand in some places. What he has heard has told him that they believe technology to be hypercritical. But what of nature, environment, earth? What of family, friends, kin? Their microcosm of society, which just represents the government itself through their eyes, has no meaning. What place in this world do you have if the government is so high above you.
The government writes the newspaper, controls what they hear, what they do, what they say. They dispose of any truth that might hurt their image, apply any lie that may increase authority. This was wrong through Lyle's eyes.
But the people were happy with their position. They don't know anything, and they are perfectly glad. They'd rather live life in ignorance than know the actuality of what was really happening.
Lyle wasn't the hyperirritable type; he couldn't get angry at them for what he thought was incorrect. Rather, he pitied their lives. He still considered living amongst them, but would never understand why they lived that way.
The story of the city's beginning was a vague one, and has been superimposed countless times over the years. It may have just always been there, the two sides. Or it may have been one that split.
The version of the story he had heard depicted the world to start as two people, and those two had more children, and the children had children, and it grew to a population of millions. But a high being split them in two because of their wrongdoings, and the two formed different lifestyles.
Lyle can hardly believe this, though. To him it seems too much a fairy tale than what the past really was.
Life on the hills outside the city was a quiet one. A few cottages form each angle of view, it wasn't quite as large as the city - not at all, frankly - but it was a closely knit neighborhood. Everyone knew each other. The village was just as happy as the citizens of the city, maybe more. The beautiful view, wonderful weather, and friendly neighbors were all parts of the village life.
It was made up of four families, who lived amongst the others. No one kept to themselves, as they all felt comfortable with each other.
It only happened once, as Lyle heard. One of the family members from the McKinson family grew tired of the village life, and left for the city. No goodbyes, no leaving party. The family looked in disgust at her decision. She was kicked out of the neighborhood, and set out for the megalopolis.
They all thought her crazy - a few thought she may have took a megadose of her pills, others thought the plants on the skirt of the village she loved so much had an effect on her. Their was no apparent reason for her leaving though. No one grieved for her.
It was her fault.
.....................=END=.......................
Please post your critique and thoughts,
-abreaction