A Locket Revolution

Under the November gray sky of twilight, Marcus pedaled his bicycle along the pitted highway of Route 24 which led from the village of Maumme. He could not fathom that this road once teemed with rushing motorized vehicles. Decades later this crumbling pavement was traveled by mules and horses pulling engineless automobile frames, human pedaled cycles of various sizes and styles and the rare solar cart. Upon leaving the sector gates of Maumme, Marcus glanced back at the night managers who climbed their ladders to ignite gas globes using long tapered brass torches. The golden hued glass orbs illuminated the main streets of the town, a glimmer of security during the long night hours of early winter. Maumme was one of the fortunate towns to have been granted a gas-powered lighting system by the Alliance of Lakes, the ruling government which spanned over North America’s Great Lakes region.

The Alliance of Lakes government was formed 2040 in response to the social chaos and dissolution of the United States of America following the “Decade of Darkness” between 2029-2039. The devastation, caused by four major electromagnetic pulses over the United States in October of 2029, served as the catalyst for the downfall of the country which resulted in loss of all electric technology, communication, and the majority of vehicles. The “Decade of Darkness” began immense amount of insanity and death because people did not have access to life saving equipment, mental health medications, and antibiotics. Populations perished due to the lack of water, lawlessness, and starvation. Alliance of Lakes sought cultural reform and advocated a safe haven for its inhabitants by taking responsibility for them though systemized dominance. “A socialistic dictatorship” snapped Marcus’ grandmother, known as Granny.

Marcus and older sister Eva were considered “First Generation” because they never knew the old world of electronic technology, instant mass communication, and entertainment. The cultural reforms of The Alliance of Lakes included a Philosophy Court which regulated the arts, literature, and entertainment for the common good of its citizens. Fiction was considered lying so any literature, art, or music which was not based on accepted facts were prohibited.

Organized sports were considered an unnecessary waste of human attention and energy so only approved local athletic activities were allowed once a lunar month along with community wide music recitals. Liturgical music and worship were not prohibited yet although participants had to pay a fee for each service attended and song performed. Formalized education was no longer offered, reading was discouraged, and all fictional books were banned. Truth and common good for the citizens were the basis for approved entertainment. However, independent people, such as Marcus’ granny, still taught reading to children and spoke of old political ideals. During the “Cultural Cleansing” of 2042, the Philosophy Court sent armed representatives to confiscate and destroy fictional materials as well as any remnants of the old-world technology such as old phones, recording devices, and electric musical instruments. Mass burnings of items were held throughout The Alliance which the government called “The Month of Illumination”. Despite these restrictions, most folks felt they were leading the best life possible because they had access to water, agriculture, and a government to guide them.

Marcus and Eva existed under these governmental guidelines with their family on a twenty-acre farm. However, Granny and their Mom were former educators who believed the children should have a well-rounded education which included “old world” arts and literature such music lessons, painting, and creative writing. The women’s hidden caches contained a prohibited rotating machine referred to as a stereo which was powered using solar current to revolve strange flat black plastic circles called records that created musical sounds. Eva and Marcus could listen to music from bygone eras as far back as 1960 which included classical repertoire, jazz, and something the grandchildren thought had a funny name termed “rock” which had strange electrical instruments that were nowhere to be heard of in their lives.

During his visit to Maumme, Marcus learned of a music contest next Saturday sponsored by The Alliances’ Ministry of Music at the town’s courthouse. Eva was an accomplished singer and could possibly win a prize. One prize caught his attention: beautiful gold heart shaped lockets to be given to the top three female musicians. A locket would be so precious to his Mom since they were forced two years ago to surrender all of their gold and silver jewelry to the war effort.

When he arrived home with the information, Eva was excited as he was about winning the locket for their mom. They decided not to tell their mother about the contest and enlisted Granny to help Eva prepare her musical selection as Granny was a former choral music and language arts teacher. Granny decided Eva should sing a selection she already knew, Ave Maria, and Marcus would be able to accompany her on piano.

On the morning of the preliminary competition, Granny, Marcus, and Eva drove their horse drawn car frame to Maumme’s courthouse under the pretense of visiting friends. Mom chose to stay behind because she felt she needed to stay to complete everyone’s daily chores. The truth was that after last year when her other son, their brother Paul, was drafted into the infantry for the war against northern Chinada and their father sent to a medical industry plant, Mom kept to herself. Besides, she would be livid if she knew the motivation behind this music competition was to win a gold locket just for her.

When it was their turn for the preliminary audition, Eva and Marcus approached the table where two men and a woman dressed in black were sitting. The man in the middle appeared to be approximately 40 years old, wore mirrored eyeglasses, and around his thin neck hung a gold medallion suspended by a red ribbon. His long legs were crossed at the ankles with his arms folded across his chest as his head was tilted lazily to one side. “He must be the prime minister of music” thought Marcus.

The woman at the table glanced at Eva then spoke “You are our last contestant this morning.” as she peered down at the paperwork “and are in the young woman’s division ages 16-20.” “You must be her accompanist. “she said to Marcus. “We have a piano over there. “as she waved her hand at him dismissively. Sighing at Eva, “You will stand where the x is on the floor. Remember to face us. Please state your name and tell us what you are singing today.” Eva held her head high as she replied” I am Eva Moran, singing Ava Maria by Franz Schubert.”

“You may begin” commanded the woman.

Marcus began the piano introduction then Eva entered her melody on cue. She seemed like a different person to him as she adapted to her singing persona, older, and self-assured. As Eva’s warm contralto voice soared over the atmosphere, the adults became spellbound while the musical phrases rose and fell with emotion from her. Eva was not just singing with beautiful technique; she was projecting the beautiful prayer Schubert intended when he composed the song. She appeared almost angelic with her long-curled hair with dark green eyes reflecting the meaning of the lyrics. Marcus quickly appraised the reaction of the committee members to notice the man with the mirrored glasses had changed his stance from lazy boredom to sitting up, staring intently at Eva.

“Stop! I’ve heard enough” he commanded then turned to nod at the woman.

“Thank you, you both may leave” said the woman “The finalists for tonight’s finale will be posted in an hour outside the courthouse.”

Eva stood stunned, rejected. Marcus grabbed Eva’s arm “Come on sis, let’s get out of here we know where we are not wanted” he hissed to her.

As they went into the hallway to meet Granny. Marcus realized he left his sheet music on the piano’s stand, so he snuck into the room along the side wall to retrieve it. As the three members of the music ministry were walking down the middle aisle of the courtroom, the man with the mirrored glasses demanded “I don’t care who else you like but I want that Eva no matter what, understand? See to it she is the winner and sent to our program at our Columbia site immediately.” “Yes, prime minister, I understand what you want” demurred the woman. “She certainly has promise and her technique as a singer is outstanding. This Eva will serve as a fine addition to our stable of singers.” “I will enjoy having her” replied the prime minister and with a low laugh “as a student, I mean.”

Marcus experienced a spiral of emotions as he pressed his back to the wall of the courthouse. Why did the man cut off his sisters’ solo yet still “want her?”. A sick feeling rose in his throat as he recalled the body language change from the prime minister. Even though she was his sister, he realized Eva was talented and beautiful. His mind raced with uneasy thoughts: “Stable of singers? Sent to Columbia?” That was not the plan, they just wanted to win a locket for their mother. As soon as he met Eva and Granny he stated “We need to leave, forget about this whole idea” he said. He then repeated what he heard from the committee, especially the comments from the prime minister. “Do I have to go to Columbia? They can’t make me can they” asked Eva. “I’m afraid so” replied Granny “The Alliance has the right to relocate any of its citizens over the age 16 for their benefit. I say we leave and hope they do not track us down.”

Eva was adamant: “No, I’m going to see this through. I won’t put our family in any danger from the Alliance. I can get out of this somehow”

An hour later, the top twelve young men and women musicians were posted, and Eva was a finalist. The finalists were to meet on the stage at the old school’s auditorium at 6:00 pm that evening for the 7:00 pm awards performance. The program was designed to announce all the finalists and then the top three in each category were to perform their prepared pieces. The winners were the last to perform as a part of the finale.

The auditorium was packed with people who were trained to remain silent because of the lack of amplification for the performers. As the program proceeded, Eva kept hoping her name would not be the last called because she did not want to the winner; all they wanted was to win a heart shaped locket for their Mom. Unfortunately, when another girl was named first runner up, Eva was indeed the winner. She began to weep which was misinterpreted as tears of happiness by the music ministry and audience. Through her tears, Eva stood in the middle of the stage to sing, not Ave Maria as expected but a favorite song she learned from the black plastic discs in Granny’s secret cache.

“Tell us Eva, what will you be singing for us tonight as our winner?” asked the prime minister as he smiled to the silent audience.

“Not what you may expect, prime minister.” Eva grinned to the audience “People, I want you to get on your feet without fear and listen to this song by Mr. Bob Marley. “

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights (Lord, Lord)

Get up, stand up (In the morning) stand up for your rights (Stand up for your rights)

Get up, stand up (Stand up for your life) stand up for your rights (Stand up for your life)

Get up, stand up (Stand up for your life) don't give up the fight!

This moment became known as the beginning of the “Freedom of Arts Revolution” - all started by a wish for a locket.