Bucket Head

The world was in a time of unrest, a statement that could probably fit any time during or before our historical record. People felt that the system was unfair and needed to be balanced bringing true equality to people. This feeling was felt in every section of the population, creating division based on race, gender, country and anyway a person could identify or separate themselves.

Initially, it was easy to find people to limit or treat as an outsider. Those with opinions that went against the norm or were viewed as violent or disruptive. Eventually the language was simplified and made uniform, and more importantly was made simple.

After the language was altered those in charge needed to find a way to make it so people were treated no differently based on race or gender. There were many trial programs that looked to balance this, none that looked to modify behavior were successful. The next step was to remove race and gender by creating a uniform that would hide all physical traits.

It took the work of many propaganda experts to find and sell a reason for people to put on this level of protective covering. The propaganda changed from area to area but in the end, they were able to convince and scare the people into putting these cumbersome and uncomfortable items on.

This was an imperfect solution, because people found themselves identifying each other by height or body shape. Once they could identify each other groups were formed, and preferences were starting to form throwing the entire plan of equality in jeopardy.

Luckily, science had an answer for that…

“Child,

Rightly or often

Incorrectly

Stains from the most hideous acts

Populate what should be a pristine

Road of good intentions.”

Meghan Unwahr

The day began like all others. The darkness and silence were something that you could feel pressing on you. My stretched-out hand groping for my helmet, feeling all the artfully arranged items I was allowed to have. Finally, I felt the smooth surface that was my face. There was nothing special or unique about my helmet except it was mine, and due to an accident, my eye pieces saw a little redder than most. In the darkness I could reflexively put it on and hear the almost silent hiss of it locking into place. Once the helmet was officially locked into place the lights turned on and I could begin my day.

I know I must go into my job but do not have much of a reason why I do. I just know that going to work was the point of waking up. My job is to make sure that all the systems work on something that I do not know what it does or why I should personally care if it does it. I do know that everyone in the shop looks the same and works the same. Well minus the slight red tint to my goggles. We always work as a team and do not think of each other very much, everyone is just as qualified as the next and accomplishes their tasks without fail. A group of individuals that are equal in their ability to move their projects forward.

It was strange at the end of this shift I noticed a pair of goggles watch me a little longer than they should have. I did everything correctly and yet still had that strange feeling of committing a crime in public. In a world where you could not find yourself in a picture it is rare and uncomfortable to have someone notice you. Probably nothing but hard to shake.

The next day after putting on my helmet and reporting to work, standing in a field of people that looked exactly like me, standing exactly like me for the second time in my life I felt a set of eyes looking at me. It is hard to describe what that feels like, almost like your hair raising because of a lightning storm. As my eye wandered because of this feeling I saw two gleaming rings directed at me instead of the task at home. I tried to ignore it and continue my work but every time I looked over there was those same pair of goggles watching me. This odd sensation had me feeling flustered, luckily through my gloves the sweat on my hands did not affect my work.

Should I keep working or report that this person is not working?

I’m not even sure who I would tell or how to report them.

Eventually, those gleaming goggles seemed to have lost interest in me and went back to paying attention to their task. This instantly made me feel a little calmer and able to concentrate on my work and allow the day to pass by like all the others, just waiting for the time to go by. Like it always does the day came to an end, now just a short walk to my home have the lights shut off, take off the helmet and uniform and be able to rest.

While walking towards the exit in our nice, neat lines someone bumped into me. I think this is the first time someone has ever actually bumped into me. Even when young our games were designed to keep plenty of space between us. This really has been a very odd day first being watched now actually being touched. A day filled with firsts.

I finally finished the short yet oddly stressful walk to my sleeping quarters, through the doors and up the elevator. Now finally standing right in front of my door looking at the small keypad through my red tinged goggles I already feel more relaxed. Punching in the code to open the door I know the buttons are cold and smooth even though I can not feel them through my gloves. A gentle whoosh of the door and I was in my area and ready to take my uniform off. As soon as the lights turned off, I was taking off my helmet and the rest of my outerwear. Loosing the ability to see in the dark was a fair trade off for being able to feel things, and really working in the dark is something we all are used to. I can not even imagine folding my uniform any faster because I could see. “What’s this?” in my upper pocket there was a small lump, after fishing it out I could just feel that it was smooth almost but not quite round had what felt like a small latch on one side and hinge on the other. I am not accustomed to curiosity and wanted to turn on the lights so I could get rid of this new feeling and go back to my regular routine. So, on go the uniform and helmet, with the hiss of it locking in place the lights came back on. It was a small heart shaped locket. Opening it turned into a bit of a project because of the thick gloves I wear, but eventually it did open.

On one side was a strange image, it had almost the same shape as our helmets, but the eyes were small and deep set a nose that was pushed up slightly with a large mouth that contained too many teeth that are just small enough to look wrong. It had just enough hair so you couldn’t say it was hairless, but the small tufts of hair it did have looked thick and awful to touch. The face was so large and looming within the small picture it made other details fall to the side, but there was something else in the photo. It’s hand was pointing to a keypad much like the ones we use everyday to open doors and access our work stations. On the other side of the locket was a single word “galton”. I’ve never heard of this word, but I did hear that there was a time that there was more than one language, maybe it was from one of those. Strange yes but at least it put to rest the curiosity of the situation and now I can finally rest.

Took a little longer than usual to sleep, with the errant thought running through my mind of what that locket could have meant. But eventually sleep did come.

The next morning routine as usual, uniform on click and hiss of the helmet lights come on. Now off to work.

As I enter the building someone waves at me and quietly calls out “Hey, come over here did you see the locket?”. This new and apparently repetitive feeling of curiosity pulled me towards this individual, what could they want?

“Were you able to read it? It only can be read under a red light, or through red lenses.” is all they said. As hard as it is to tell a person’s mood because of our limited interpersonal interactions, and uniforms they still seemed impatient and anxious. This made me nervous and even though I could feel the sweat forming this new feeling of curiosity won out. “I was able to see it, but there wasn’t really anything in it to help understand what it meant.”. This did not seem to hamper their excitement but instead increased it. “Tell me what it said, NOW!”. Being yelled at actually shook me and caused my voice to shake as I timidly squeaked out the word “galton”.

All they said was “Are you sure?” they were already turning away as I began to nod my head.

With a few quick steps they were already at a terminal and looked like they were typing. Even though I couldn’t see what they were doing I still knew what they were typing.

As they stepped away from the terminal all through the factory you could hear the click and hiss of helmets unlocking.

This cannot be. We are not in our quarters. The lights are on. Then the yelling started.

The amount of noise made it difficult to understand any of what was being said. Some of the bits that could be understood were shouts to keep the helmets on. Others were inarticulate screams. The worst sounds were the thuds. I was on the bottom floor so I could hear all too well the sound of a wet sack hitting the ground. Then another sack hitting and another. Curiosity raises it’s head again and has me venture to find out what the sacks were.

The sight was difficult to understand, bent and broken bodies littered the ground floor. Each had their helmet removed and had a growing red pool around them. The smell was strong enough to come through my unlocked helmet, a coppery sick smell. I shuffled slowly over to one of the bodies and slowly turned them over. The face of this person was exactly like the monster that was shown in the locket, not similar but the same down to every pock and birthmark on their face. Seeing this made my movements feel sluggish like walking through a thick mud, but I made it to another, then another and another. All had that same visage now devoid of life staring at me.

I knew we were all the same height and skill, equal in every way when it came to job performance. I had no idea they were all the same.

I was near a window that was dark enough to give a reflection and took my helmet off.

I took a moment to look around and see the world for the first time in a long time without a red tint. Then looked at my reflection.

As the screams continued I could feel the tears roll down my face.

Wo gqo ghqogty sco rgio