After the Modification

I never should have believed them, he muttered to himself, his sweaty clothing clinging to his back and legs as he shoveled the debris. At least I think I shouldn’t have trusted them, who can remember? The designers would know. The sun seemed hotter today. Was it always this hot? He couldn’t be sure, the only thing he was sure of was that there was no beauty in the world except for the heart shaped locket.

‘Maybe this is where my home used to be?’ He vaguely considered. He was sure he lived in a home before the modification. He must have. There were others then. There are no others now, except for the designers, he thought. The designers provide me with bread, water, a cot and they allow me to search for the heart shaped locket. They would be calling me soon.

Sure enough, there sounds the siren. The shrill sound of the siren reminds him of the warning alarms immediately prior to the start of the modification. Putting down his shovel he treads slowly north toward the compound. The compound was definitely becoming further away now. ‘I have made good progress in my search. Surely the reward will be coming soon.’ he thought. He approached the single rusty table. As usual, the table outside the sliding metal door was set with bread and fresh drinking water. ‘It is so blessed to be eating in the shade. The sun is so hot today’ he thought.

Bread tasted better before the modification. He vaguely thought there was more than one type of bread; white bread, brown bread, some with seeds, he was pretty sure. Ah, before the modification. Things were much different. They must have been. The drinking water too was different, but he understood why. ‘The designers fortify the water with nutrients to help me complete my mission’ he thought.

Besides food, he had other recollections of the time before the modification. In his mind, he thought he saw a body of water. That water you could ride on in a floating vessel. There were others on the vessel as well, he was sure. The sun was pleasant at those times. His shabby cot lay beside the table. He’d be sleeping there again tonight, but not now. He had to complete his mission and he reflected again on the good progress he’s making. Etched into the wall next to his cot, he saw row after row of tally marks. He thinks he carved them, but he couldn’t be sure.

‘The designers will restore everything once I complete my mission’ he thought. He felt privileged to have been the one entrusted to perform this mission. Only the locket matters. Only the locket is beautiful. Only the locket has the power to restore, to renew, so they have told me.

Before he can finish the thought the siren sounds again. For a brief instant he feels a pang of regret that his meal break is over. But only for a moment. Taking a final mouthful of bread followed by the last sip of water, and turning away from the compound he begins the trek back towards his work. Pausing momentarily at the head of the trail, he surveys the landscape. To the west, the debris field spreads to a distant range of mountains. He realizes the mountains must be large but they look indistinct from here. Directly in front of him toward the south, the debris field stretches endlessly, and to the east, another range of mountains, also distant, borders the debris field. Taking this in, he takes a deep breath, picks up his shovel and resolutely trudges toward his mission.