I do not usually recycle my older posts but, while reading the first line of Grocery Shopping Under Lockdown by @indigoocean where she writes:
Just completed my weekly masked walk with my mother.
I was suddenly reminded of this ( unfinished ) postapocalyptic but in a way sci-fi story that I wrote a little over a year ago.
It was inspired by Carnaval ( Dutch for Carnival ), the yearly celebration - or, in The Netherlands, yearly excuse for many people to get incredibly drunk and go crazy - that takes place around the time when Winter turns into Spring.
On that particular day, when inspiration hit me, I was sitting at a picnic table overlooking the misty mountains nearby Monte Frio ( Cold Mountain ), while my house was being renovated. I believe I heard some music in the distance and was reminded of it being 'Carnival'.
All of that, combined with my interest in sci-fi, led to a short story called:
Carnival Apocalypse
Eventually, I posted three parts and never finished it. I'm not saying I will finish it now or ever. I'm kind of a fan of open endings and - more importantly - I'm focusing on a completely different story ( about an extremely sensitive velociraptor ) these days
but I felt that it's worth sharing in these insane times.
Let's be honest, shifting from wearing mouth caps to gas masks isn't too big of a change.
Without further ado, I will leave you with the story ( taking place in a 'not too distant future' that could very easily be our present moment ):
Carnaval Apocalypse
Part 1
ONCE UPON A TIME, IN A NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE...
A street full of people, all of them moving slowly and heavily. Everybody is wearing gas masks, boots, gloves and thick clothing. If you take a closer look, it seems like a nuclear war themed Carnaval. Even the homeless people are wearing an improvised version of protective clothing.
Suddenly, one of them takes of his mask and takes a deep breath of air. Heads are turning and people are gasping inside their masks ( if we could only hear the sound of it ).
What on earth are you doing?
Put on your mask, quickly...
says an agitated, robotic, female voice coming from the somewhat smaller, masked figure next to the guy.
( Apparently it's possible to talk with some kind of device inside the gas mask ).
No worries. I'm just trying to get stronger. I will put my mask back on again in a little bit.
The guy inhales deeply and it's clear from the expression on his face and his smiling eyes that he's enjoying every single second of it.
You're crazy!
continues the figure next to him, with her arms crossed.
The bare faced guy continues smiling and replies:
There's nothing to be scared of. It's a beautiful day. Look at that sky! You know they're just trying to freak us out to sell these costumes, right?
Hahaahahahahaha! You really believe that? You really think it's all a big lie with a commercial motive? Seriously? And even if you were right, it's just not worth taking the risk. Please put your mask back on!
Alright, alright. I didn't know you were that sensitive. From now on I will only unmask when you're not around. Are you happy now?
Just when he's about to put on his mask again, another person at a stone's throw distance, unmasks. She shakes her long curling hair and says with a louder than necessary voice:
I'm tired of this farce! I never liked Carnaval and I can't help but feeling that we're stuck in an eternal version of it. I'm not having any fun!
She then spots the boy without a mask and a smile of understanding makes her face turn pretty.
I'm glad I'm not the only one seeing through this masquerade.
This gesture makes the boy forget about the thing he was about to do. He smiles back at the girl. Two people understanding each other, feeling strengthened in their unison.
Part 2
A cloud of mist approaches over the hills in the distance. These days, all people are so full of paranoia that they immediately prepare for the worst:
This must be chemical warfare! Yet another person or group of people trying to make them go extinct.
There's some tough kids and wise old women and men who still have a more positive world view. Nevertheless, even they are forced ( often by well meaning family or friends ) to wear masks and protective clothing. It's never easy to go against the masses, let alone those close to you.
Back to the now:
The girl notices the threatening clouds. She doubts whether she should cover her face again. Being tough is one thing, being stupid another. It's just not worth the risk. And, honestly, who is she trying to impress? That boy? She wants to laugh it away but feels there's a layer of truth behind it. The truth behind the mask...
It all started a couple of decades ago, at the beginning of the 21st Century, people seemed to become overly sensitive. Every single kid and even young adults seemed to develop one or more allergies to everyday products.
This eventually led to the point where people hardly left their houses and if they did, only with protective clothing ( similar to that of workers in nuclear power plants ). Some even wore their protective clothing indoors. The extreme cases took it a step further and also slept in their suits.
Water filters, food scanners and air cleaners were highly sought after. These machines were considered basic needs in every household. The manufacturers / companies heavily profited from that by designing machines that lasted for almost two years ( and by providing a year and a half of warranty )
What are you waiting for, boy??? Put your mask back on!
He is awakened from his daydream by the voice of a middle-aged man close to him.
Although the mist is moving slow and it might take half an hour for it to reach the people, some of the villagers start to freak out already.
The boy hesitates. He looks at the girl and then back at the disguised figure at his left side:
Wait a second, mum.
His competitive side tells him he should wait until the girl puts her mask on first. He's not gonna be the chicken this time.
The girl looks at the boy. She puts her mask on the ground in front of her and starts to yawn.
'Game On!' the boy thinks.
Still, the thought of putting his mask away somewhat freaks him out. He looks at the valley to estimate the distance of the cloud and starts to sweat slightly. Is it just his imagination or is the mist approaching faster than a natural cloud would move? He shakes off the feeling and tries to maintain a smile on his face by focusing on his breathing.
The girl gazes at him to make sure she has his attention and then turns into the direction of the valley, taking a dozen of steps towards the cloud and away from her mask.
Part 3
He walks up to where the girl put down her mask and lays his mask down next to hers. He looks one more time over his shoulder, in the direction of his mum.
She is wearing her mask and he can't see the expression on her face but her arms are crossed and he can feel a mix of emotions – anger, frustration and fear – emanating from her. He's not a kid anymore though and she has given up trying to control him. He almost feels sorry for her, but the thought of that curly haired girl is stronger and his mom's negative emotion makes it an easy choice what to do next.
He shakes his head, as if to get rid of his thoughts, then focuses on the girl again and starts walking into her direction. She's nearing the wooden fence, at the cliff's edge, eyeing the misty valley.
A little later, the two of them stand shoulder to shoulder at the fence, their arms resting on it. The boy, who is standing on the left, inhales deeply, not sure what to say.
When he turns his head to the right, facing the girl, she is already looking at him with a friendly smile on her face. Her eyes seem to be scanning him, as if she can read his mind.
You wanna smoke? she says, reaching for her suit.
He hesitates, not sure what to say. Part of him feels like saying yes, even though he never really smoked and hates the taste of it.
She sees his inner turmoil and starts laughing out loud.
Don't tell me you thought I was being serious? These suits don't even have pockets! Hahaha! Honestly, smoking disgusts me. It's just another product to poison us and rob us from our money and health.
The boy relaxes a little and manages to return her smile.
I agree. It tastes awful. I have never understood these people who take off their gas masks for a minute or two, just to smoke a cigarette. As if they don't see the irony in it.
She laughs again. A beautiful laugh, he thinks. It seems to fit her personality.
She's about to answer him, when they are suddenly interrupted – and reminded of the now - by an ear-piercing siren. They look at each other and then at the valley. The cloud of mist seems to have reached the danger zone, where it triggered the highly sensitive laser controlled alarm system.
This is the point in time, when all people who aren't wearing masks already, usually put on theirs. When those on the streets or in their cars, close their windows and switch their air filtering system to emergency mode.
This time though, there are two human beings who do their best to ignore all warnings. Two rebellious teenagers, playing a game of life and death, just because they don't want to be the chicken.
Five minutes later, they are still unmasked, standing at the fence, staring at the mist and sporadically glancing at each other. The clouds are very close now and seem to be heading straight at them. It will only be a matter of minutes...
The boy feels how his knees are starting to tremble. Nevertheless, he manages to keep a forced smile on his face. To prevent the girl from looking at his unstable legs, he starts to rhythmically tap his hands on the fence, almost as if he's listening to one of his favorite songs. The girl, who seemed tougher than the boy, starts to become aware of the seriousness of the situation. Deep inside, she's so nervous, that she feels like peeing her pants. And – in fact – that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Most people piss their pants all the time, afraid to ever take off their suits. The newest models take the urine and recycle it for the cooling device anyway. Even though the girl is used to this and relieves herself inside her suit at least once a day, doing this right now – with this new and interesting boy next to her – is no option. It feels like losing the game and that's one thing she wants to prevent from happening at any cost.
When the mist is so close by that they can almost feel it, the boy and girl grab the fence with their gloved hands, as if bracing for impact. They inhale deeply, close their mouth and eyes and then... the cloud washes over them. A cloud so thick that they disappear out of sight.
FADE TO BLACK
Rereading this was pretty interesting. Almost as if I foresaw the future, not that this is an extremely original story but you get the point. There's often a truth in ( science ) fiction.
I did a little bit of editing and actually deleted the TO BE CONTINUED... at the end.
It's up to you to fantasize about what happens with the boy and girl. If you want to make it an unhappy ending ( Romeo and Juliet style ), a happy ending or perhaps you even have an idea of how the story continues.
In fact, now I think of it, feel free to write an ending to my story. ( 300 word minimum, 1000 words maximum ). Feel free to either add it as a comment to this post or write your own post around it. If you decide to do the latter, don't forget to tag me in it and mention this post.
Depending on the amount of entries and the quality thereof I will divide 35 Hive in prices, of which 10 Hive is sponsored by the generous @indigoocean
Make sure to follow her blog for amazing content. She's a great teacher.
The Contest's Deadline will be in one week from now ( May the 7th ).