That morning the silence was wearing on me so as to become an incessant distraction. It stalked me in the bathroom as I brushed my teeth with the new Multi-Morning Brush and Comb, in the shower with it's low-flow hyper-efficient technology, at the sink, with it's patent pending vibration ending metal and faucet and in the dead silence the electric car produced on the way to work. There were no longer sirens or car horns. Music was only allowed in ear and only at a low level set by the government and only approved music deemed acceptable for the public was allow. Even if I wanted to listen to what passed as music now I wouldn't since it was all just the same slow beat accompanied by a whining overtone of boredom.
At work everyone sat in individual cubuals where they typed using Anti-Clacking keyboards and only looked up from their screens to see what time it was. The massive clock on the wall was the only thing in the room that regularly made any noise with it's dull throng each hour to help people remember who was in charge. I sat down in the soft chair, my fat roles bunching up above my waist, and looked at the list of tasks due that day.
1. Cross reference digital data collection system protocols, for all criminal databases, with current data backup and recovery protocols and identify potential errors and log associate ID responsible.
2. Report associate IDs for any above identified errors to upper management.
3. Recover lost data, if possible and create file backups and restore protocols where dissolved.
4. More tedious bullshit!
I clicked on the number 1 and the program began to run and indicated a four hour wait time. While that ran it was now time for the daily intelligence and information gaming procedure, which seemed to have no end of content for disseminating information and mini-games that tested and developed intelligence in every domain. The news of the day was about how city crime was at an all time low of .2%, depression rates were at .01% and China was finally adopting the progressive Noise and Other Pollution Prevention Coalition after ten years of sanctions from 25 nations. The mini-games taught advanced math, science and English lessons with the use of frogs, bunnies and other furry and non-offensive creatures. Today's lessons were difficult enough and in no time four beats of the dull clock had passed, the program was ready for the next step and it was time for lunch.
Everyone stood up and waited for the announcement which came via a text prompt on both screens and after it arrived it counted down from 30 minutes. If the eye sensor didn't recognize your presence at your station when the clock hit zero you would be flagged as insubordinate and face a disciplinary hearing the next day. I walked into the cafeteria where the slight sounds of rummaging humans was almost audible, although I might have been making the sound in my head as everything in the cafeteria had been designed to reduce sound from any angle. From the noise cancelling soft floor, plates and utensils to the absorbent walls. People chewed quietly, never coughed, burped or farted and no one talked. Sometimes they would look at each other with blank expressions but mostly they just looked down making sure to eat just slowly enough to not make noise but no so slow as to be late back to their cubual.
I wasn't hungry that day so I just started walking around the cafeteria wondering around, looking at the faces of so many silent people dutifully eating their pre-made lunch portions as a sick feeling came over me. I didn't know what to think about it all and as I looked at them I realized that the silence I really feared was the silence that had arisen in my own mind. My mind had become void of judgement and understanding. Had life always been like this? If so, then what is this sinking feeling deep in my body telling me to fight, to run, to scream?
So I kicked a chair softly at first. The woman in the chair barely flinched so I kicked it harder. This time she stood up and opened her mouth but nothing came out. After a second of exchanging looks the woman sat back down defeated but I couldn't shake the feeling I had to do something. In my head I heard a voice say, "What are you gunna do about it?" Then, I kicked the chair again, only this time I hit the woman in the leg and a soft "uh," exited her mouth which she quickly threw her hands up to cover. Just then the silent doors to the cafeteria swung open and two men, in black jump suits, entered and made a bee line for me.
I stood there unsure of what to do but when they came close enough to grab me I was overcome with rage and yelled,"Whaaaaaaattt?" The two men stopped in their tracks. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I used my voice and it hurt to do so but it also felt amazing. The two men looked shocked as they probably hadn't heard anything like that before and didn't know how to act but they were resolute enough to start walking forward toward the monster that had asked a question.
I jumped up on a table and started to run toward the door, narrowly missing the grasps of the two men in black. In the hall, as I was running toward the stairway, I muttered the word, "what" over and over until all that I could do was cackle with laughter. The hysterical sound reverberated and echoed all throughout the stairway as I ran as fast I could could down the stairs until the outside world was only a door away. Stopping with my hand on the door knob I took a few deep breaths and then opened it and stepped out.
The world was quiet again. Only a few cars passed by, perceptible only by their bright blue or yellow chassis, with no one on the side walks as it was still lunch time and no one, except myself, looked up to see the amazing sun surrounded by a bright blue sky. I laughed until my neck and throat began to hurt from the strain from so such laughter and exuberance. With my arms spread out and tears running down my cheeks I felt a jerk as two men tackled me from behind, my face making a soft crash into the grassy sidewalk. The last thing I felt was a knee on my back and a pin prick in my leg and then the lights went out.
I woke up in bed some time later wondering why I felt so groggy and tired. Normally I felt refreshed and ready to go but now my back and neck hurt and I had slept in. I ate my normal pre-made breakfast portion, brushed my teeth with the amazing new Multi-Morning Brush and Comb and combed my hair with it and everything began to feel normal again. It was quiet as it should be and I'll just explain that I wasn't feeling well and they won't mind that I'm late, right? I made my way to the door when a notice flashed on the screen that normally just showed the time. It read:
1. You have been given a day off.
2. Please stay at home and come to work normally tomorrow.
3. Thank you for your service and get well soon.
In all my years I had never seen anything like that. Especially from the government and hoping I get well. I must be pretty special to get this treatment, I thought. Just then a loud, single knock came from the door. I'd never heard such a noise and it frightened me but I opened the door none the less. On the other side was a woman and man, both dressed in all black but with white hats that made them look like upside down exclamation points.
"Hello Jim," the woman said with a smile. "We'd like to talk to you about yesterday, can we come in," she continued as she and the man walked past me, my mouth agape.
The man sat down in the soft white chair in the corner and asked,"Do you ever feel like screaming?"
I couldn't answer. I couldn't even remember how long it had been since I had used my voice. I managed a tentative,"What?"
"Well," the woman began. "We are part of a different order of people who value freedom. Freedom of voice. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression and we want you to join us." Her smile was intoxicating and a ball of excitement started to boil in my belly. The recognition of something lost and important started to flood my mind with thoughts of a world that once was.
I stared at the two exclamation points for what seemed like an eternity, until suddenly, I found myself uttering the phrase, "Tell me more."
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