This piece is the second of ten short stories. I will share these periodically across some of my platforms. Each story in this series stands alone, but together they form a broader examination of the systems that shape us. These works are released intentionally over time, allowing space for reflection rather than consumption. This series blends literary fiction with social commentary. Here I spend time focusing on lived experience, psychological impact, and the long shadow of decisions made for us. New entries will be published as they are completed.
“Moist. Crusty. Purple”
I opened my bag and retrieve, a moist yet crusty purple journal, as soon as I get to my bed. I found the decrepit thing earlier this morning, in the dew right before my morning hike, and for whatever reason it has been on my mind all day.
The following is a full and direct repeat of what I read.
If you found this, send help!
The date is January 1st 2054.
I’m sorry, I do not know the address or even the country I’m located in.
I do know the following things.
I have been underground for over a decade. Our rations are stored in numbered crates, each stamped with a date at least a decade old, yet somehow still intact. The Earth above us is solitude. It consists of a one-lane-dirt road and trees stretching for miles on end on both sides. Stay silent so you can hear the electrical activity, then you will know you’re near.
The United States Government has the ability to implant whatever thoughts they please into all of our brains. This has been planned and in the works. Silently executing moves behind the facade of American propaganda since before the first Independence Day.
If we do not form some sort of super revolutionary army, I fear life as we know it will never be the same.
Yet, sadly, we will have not a single clue. America’s king and royal family have an enormous list of thoughts they plan to effectively erase…
Say goodbye to being able to create a thought that wasn’t filtered. Free thinking they all but threw away. We cannot even fathom anti-royal family ideals, if we wished to.
I know you are afraid, but you are about to be terrified for the future of all humans worldwide, are you ready?
With this power we’d never know laws, history, anything like that could be deleted or changed. They can control and erase the very pieces that make me, and you separate, individual and unique. That’s their entire goal.
Intentions to erase everything we have gained.
Slavery will be back as if it never forcefully packed its bags.
Queer rights? Sadly, right back down the drain.
Transgender people aren’t even allowed the verbiage to admit they exist.
The natives will lose the little bits of sacred space they were left.
Sadly, people who have disabilities lose it all.
The women? Won’t be allowed bank accounts any longer. Please women, don’t try to drive your cars you legally can’t anymore.
Divorce? The thought is on the illegal list, right along with consent. They no longer exist. Birth control? You’ll never know it was a thing.
I know you probably think I am insane. I tried to convince myself I was too. That’s so much better than the truth.
My entire time here, I’ve been subjected to daily mind control testing. We are lined up and marched into narrow white rooms. Here we are screened before being released back to our quarters. Everyone underground with me goes through it. We were the ones they erased first, taken in the night without warning.
Together we compiled all these notes and formed an antidote. Thought I can’t risk writing it out in case this falls into enemy hands! I will gladly provide it to you upon my rescue!
Please come and save all of us here in the underground testing city.
The world is running out of time.
I closed the putrid journal, flipped it over in my hands, and looked at the date in the front again. 2054? It’s 2026 now, yet I can feel the truth and the weight of this situation as it reverberates.
I appreciate you all.
Thank you for reading the second story in the series. I hope the journal gave you pause, stirred thought, or echoed something within your experience. More stories will be released periodically across WordPress, Substack, Wattpad, and other platforms. These will each explore the pressures that shape us. Follow along, and check back soon to continue the series. There is more to come. If you are just tuning in, take a look at the first story; Aaron has a lot to tell you.
Comment below and tell me your thoughts about the journal. What would you do if you found it? How would you react?
Consider sharing “Moist. Crunchy. Purple.” with someone you think would enjoy reading it as well.
