--== Breathe: Karl Petroski ==--

11:oo am

Karl is lying on the side of the road with all the dirt and rubbles on his back. I quickly make a phone call while trying to remove him away from the obstruction. His face is pale and grayish. Every single minute seeing Karl suffers from the pain and burnt makes me feel angry over life. Do we all have to end up dying with pains and unachieved dreams? I always tell him not to look back in anger but this is too much. He is the man who has gone through life. He is the man who opens up my mind about life. I have experienced many downs but nothing compares to Karl’s. Finally, the ambulance arrives and we both manage to head to the nearest hospital. Karl is one hack of a great friend and neighbor of mine. I think he deserves to be mentioned here.

Karl Petroski began his life with hope as a child when he was born in this land called Garm. When time came, he had a family, his wife and his son. Times were good back then, his business thrived and he was thinking of having a second son. When suddenly his wife struck by an incurable cancer, she fought hard to remain alive but she failed in the end. When she died, her son was only 2. He struggled to keep his cafe business going as he lost his best partner, his best manager and most of all, his dearest wife. People started staying indoors once they heard the incident is going to happen again, people feared. Only those who did not believe in the incident roam the streets and occasionally came by his store for a cup of herbal tea to pick up and tell rumors, from time to time, the secret police agents would come by his café for a coffee and some small talk if he heard about the rumors.

He kept on telling them, “I’m only a small café owner, I know nothing. I just want to put food on the table for my son.”

On some occasions, He heard that the incident is going to happen again and it will no longer be rumors. This time they said that it was going to wipe out the Pamiri once and for all. He heard about this countless times, sometimes he doubt what they had to say. As days go by, people started to disappear. He decided to close his café in fear of the safety of both himself and his son.

Some six decades ago, when people from another border came across into Garm, His father as another immigrant from another land took this opportunity to open a business to cater for the Parimi (Pah-ree-mee) People. These people brew a special type of herbal tea that they often drink. As time went by, these people took up the natural resources and their descendents started to produce the herbal tea and soon famine struck as lands that are suppose to grow food became infertile due to the tea plantations. Land in the area was very much little. The country plunged into a food shortage and this was when war broke out. The Parimi descendents claimed that the tea plantations contributed significantly to the economy and they were peaceful people governed by rich warlords, while the government claimed that it was because of them that everyone else had to suffer.

The government started using a secret way to create tensions and conflicts between the elites and the regular farmers. Little did they know that this conflict had created a massive ethnic cleasing. War broke out at such a time where people literally have to hide at home or runaway from home. Karl’s father wasn’t Parimi. He was sparred by the government and the Parimi attacks. Both sides favored Karl’s father because of things Karl’s father did in the past and respected his neutrality in this conflict. The Parimi descendants were scattered everywhere and the government went on full scale and tried to eliminate these people, the government claimed success. However, global tensions started to kick in and forced the government to maintain peace.

Karl’s generation was not taught of the former government’s brutal campaign, the Parimi people started to blend into Karl’s generation after many years in hiding. When Karl was much younger, his father used to tell him of his struggles and how he came to this land of hope and opportunity. His father kept reminding Karl to be a proud immigrant and always be strong when in times of fear and trouble. When his father died during a heroic war for the country, Karl never wanted to follow his father’s path. A path he knew it was not fair to his son. His son needed him so much. Therefore he opened up a business and the business continued to grow.

From time to time, Karl would wonder why his friends around him disappeared. Soon he realized, those who were and had Parimi blood were single out in the society and soon denied equal citizenship rights under the new government policy. Having his father’s instincts in him, Karl knew exactly why when his father talked about his struggles, his father would tear up and stop the moment as his father talked about the Parimi. When Karl was a kid, he used to question and ask his father, however, his father would always tell him, “Son, you will know why I always cry when you are older.”

~written by Morgan aka Morgie
~edited by Ronnie

--=== Breathe: 2040 ===--

[Note: If you are going to read this story, please be advised to start reading from episode 1]

Episode 2: 2040

With few more seconds to go, the earth will turn 2040. There are many changes throughout the years. However, life has not gotten any better. I decide not to do anything tonight. I just want to lay back, relax and enjoy my glass of 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon and also a touch of fusion music. Tomorrow is going to be a tough day. A good and sweet night sleep is all I want tonight. I have not had any great sleeps since last few weeks. I suffered to the point that I had to take sleeping pills. It seems everything is physically and mentally haunting me. Good night.

“We only have short dreams in our sleeps, but real dreams are long way gone”

1/1/2040

My microtech watch suddenly wakes me up with an update on the breaking news at 7:50am in the early morning. It’s an update on the current breaking news. Usually, I won’t bother reading the text message on my watch but this time, something very important arises. With a glance on the text on my watch, I see something “…lia is in a turmoil”. With a great curiosity, I switch on my OLEMX and start watching the breaking news. Southeastern Australia suffers a major blow on water shortage crisis. Most lands have turned into deserts. With a slightest wind blown on the area, most buildings and houses will be covered with dust. Today, farmers and business people have gathered around in Adelaide city area to demonstrate the lack of water shortage in the city. Australian government is facing a major blow of water distribution.

Well, it's going to get really terrible. If they can’t fix it, they will just face another major problem of food shortage. In fact, food is scarce in everywhere. Major trading is very limited nowadays. So, the idea of Adam Smith’s free trade is rather irrelevant nowadays. Nations that suffer from staple output will eventually face a devastating indirect consequence.

Five minutes past 8:30am, another breaking news happens in the states. The state of California suffers a major forest wildfire. With multiple areas being affected, firefighters are struggling to control the fire. 100,000 residential homes are going to be burnt down. California has multiple sites with high risk of getting another fire outcomes. Massive evacuation is in placed.

I quickly switch off the screen of my OLEMX and prepare to check out on a rally outside today. It’s just 3 blocks down the road. I can’t wait to go out and make a voice. It is a rally that against on the issues of food and water distribution. Most immigrants, jobless people and also different class of citizen are being treated unfairly. The distribution of food and drink vouchers is unequally distributed in favor to local or native people and not to mention, rich business representatives. Today is the day where thousands of people from different background and culture are coming out to make a stand to destroy the food and drink distribution quota. Enough is enough. A fair food allocation must be re-considered by the government. However, there is another side of this story.

From my apartment house, I hear demonstrators shouting “Food and Drink For Everyone”. It’s going to be a big crowd. I can’t wait to get there. I quickly rush to Karl’s apartment and impatiently knock on his door. With a drained look on his face, he opens the door gently. This is how our conversation goes.

Me: Hey, Let’s go! The demo is going to start.
Karl: Yea..h I know, but I’m hungry and got no more vouchers.
Me: It’s okay. I got some. Let’s go. Hurry up. I’ll wait you outside. Be quick!
Karl: Yeah! Thanks

10:11am
We both arrives the food bank distribution center. Well, as usual, the line-up is insanely long. We talk a bit and the time goes by quite fast. Luckily, most people are heading to the demonstration today. It makes us a lot easier to grab our food. As far as I am concerned everything seems fine. In fact, we grab our hot coffees and some bread that is freshly baked from the oven. We will be able to get to the demonstration in time. Karl realizes that he has to get a daily newspaper from a newspaper stand just outside the center. Reading newspaper is just his daily routine activity. Well, I guess he prefers reading than watching.

Karl: Hey I gotta get a newspaper.
Me: Okayy, I’ll walk first.
Karl: ya! I’ll catch you later.

10:31am
Out of nowhere, a sudden blast hits me from behind. It violently shakes the streets. A gust of explosion pushes me on the ground. A sound-like buzz is jamming my ears, and my body is covered with black dusk. I can’t hear anything. I am in shock for 10 seconds before I could realize that Karl is behind me. I turn back and run all the way back to look for Karl. The environment is so intense that I see people with burnt faces coming out from the center. They shout for helps. I can’t see things clearly. My vision is very blur. Smokes are everywhere. Canned food and broken glasses are scattered all over the place. Finally, I manage to find Karl outside the newspaper stand. Karl is …… (to be continued)