Elephant Trunks

Without creativity, the world turns dull. Vitality is extinguished, and nothing becomes unique. But they say this is utopia.

Nexus had organized everyone’s life so well that no one questioned its decisions. The grand AI had rid the world of crime, disease, and war, creating a better society. Purposely getting off schedule could bring trouble down on you.

Walt sat in his Nexus-deemed optimal learning environment, a tiny space with a simple foam-filled bag and a desk that flipped down from the wall. The bag conformed to him. It supported him lounging or sitting, and the material felt soft and cool. It currently emitted a peppermint smell to help increase his cognitive performance.

“Walt?” His in-ear assistant, Aria, called. “Should we return to your studies?”

He found studying redundant when the Nexus could solve any problem or summon any fact he asked. Walt longed to tell stories—to bring color to people’s lives—but creating outside the Nexus control meant punishments.

“No,” he stated as he bit the inside of his cheek and wiggled around. “Tell me a story,” he commanded.

“Certainly,” Aria chimed.

Walt sighed. She would tell him the same story about a boy exploring space, the same fate the Nexus assigned him. He wondered if everyone got stories about their assigned future.

“A young man looked out at the stars,” she started. He rolled his eyes.

“How about I tell you one?” he offered.

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible, as it breaks the Pact, section 771. Creation is to be done by Nexus. To break this rule comes with a ten-year sentence.”

“Why can’t I create a story?” He asked.

“Human creativity leads to an uptick in crime and violence. Besides, Nexus can create any story you can imagine. Safety is its priority.”

“But what if I want to create?”

“If the current educational topic doesn’t interest you, we can move to something else. Physics or mechanical engineering, maybe?”

Walt sighed and looked around the room again. He saw the other students engaged in their studies. He took a glance at his neighbor student, Daisy.

She sat rigid, focused on her studies. Her light-brown hair looked perfect as it rested around her shoulders, and her perfume evoked memories of joyful times.

He had secretly hoped the Nexus would couple them eventually. Until then, he found it best not to engage with her.

“Let’s study history, Aria,” he said.

“Certainly, what would you like to know? The Pact or the creation of Nexus?”

“Tell me about how schools were before Utopia,” he said, but he expected Aria to tell him why that didn’t matter or wasn’t allowed.

“Schools looked much different,” Aria started. Walt straightened, surprised she answered.

“Classrooms would be filled with twenty to thirty students of the same age. The teacher provided activities that would encapsulate the lesson’s focus.” Aria projected an image of a class. An older woman with her hair pulled back in a bun stood before a giant black square facing rows of tables and chairs of kids.

Walt smiled at the thought of it all. He wondered what it felt like to sit in a class with many others focused on the same thing. Would the kids get to ask questions, or would they sit in silence and listen?

Walt scanned the image to collect all the data he possibly could. He noticed large pictures on the walls. “What is that on the poster? It looks like a giant grey dog with a super long nose,” he smiled at the ridiculous animal.

“That is an animal that used to roam the Earth called an elephant, now long extinct. It could use its large nose like an appendage.”

“Wow,” he said. In his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have thought of a creature that exotic.

“Now, it is time to get back to your studies,” Aria attempted to nudge him once more. The image on his desk was wiped away and replaced with a graph. “We should move on to mathematics.”

“I don’t want to,” he said.

“It has been deemed the optimal time to do your studies,” Aria said. Next to the graph, numbers started to populate. His mind couldn’t leave the thought of a giant-nosed animal.

His mind spun several stories about how these animals used their noses. He chuckled at the absurd images of elephants using their trunks to do things like eat. Daisy glanced over as if distracted by him.

He thought about the students from the picture. Had they talked to each other or remained silent and isolated like he and his classmates?

He returned a smile to Daisy, but she had returned to her studies. He wondered if she would find an elephant funny. “I want to talk to her,” he said.

“She is currently studying, and her account is set to Busy. Only people on her Friends list can talk to her,” Aria explained. His assistant expanded the image on his projection to grab his attention.

Walt pressed his lips together.

“We aren’t friends?” He asked, even though he knew the answer. He only had a family and a few friends he played games with on his Friends list.

“You are not. Would you like me to send her a request?”

Walt moved the tension in his lips back and forth, like a game of tennis. Finally, he nodded.

“Sent,” Aria confirmed.

Daisy squinted her eyes before looking at him quizzically. She offered him a tight smile. He returned her smile with a large smile.

She poked at the air, then rested her head on her hands, glancing at him.

“She didn’t accept?”

“She delayed responding,” Aria said. “Please return to your education. Failure to do so will cause me to alert the authorities.”

He lifted himself from the study bag, its shape changing to help him get up. Aria’s threats didn’t feel as important as making a connection. Creating anything would be worth the penalties.

“Your vitals do not indicate the need for a restroom break,” Aria stated.

“Why don’t you take a break?” he asked.

“I do not require breaks. However, we can readjust your schedule if you want a break.”

“I want you to stop listening for twenty minutes.”

“I do not recommend that, as I cannot monitor you during that time. However, if that is your wish, you need to conf-“

“Confirm.”

Walt heard nothing. No one chirping in his ear, no music, no lectures. It felt foreign, as if the room had suddenly grown much bigger. He felt the future could be vast and colorful now.

For the first time, he didn’t know what he would do next. A mixture of fear and excitement coursed through him. All he knew was that he wanted to make something, and right now, he wanted to make a connection.

He turned towards Daisy. Her eyes darted from him to her projection as he moved in her direction. He tried to move carefully as if hunting an animal. He tiptoed in her direction, keeping a soft eye and smiling.

She focused on her learning, but couldn’t ignore him. He raised his right hand in a simple wave.

She regarded him with curiosity and fear, yet her eyes drifted back to her studies and then around the room, searching for someone, as if she feared someone would catch her not tending to her studies.

He stood beside her desk for what felt like an eternity. Each second that went on without her acknowledging him dragged on. He didn’t know what to say. Aria would always help him when he got stuck, but he couldn’t just return to her now.

Instead, the silence continued.

“Hi,” he said, as every other option seemed worse.

She kept her head directed at the display before she flashed her eyes at him. Yet, she didn’t speak. Finally, she shook her head.

Walt narrowed his eyes and bunched his lips to the left side of his face. Her response didn’t make sense until she finally spoke.

“No, don’t alert the authorities—yet,” she said to her assistant.

His shoulders dropped from his ears back to normal, releasing a tension he didn’t realize he held until it was gone.

She didn’t say anything else. However, she examined him, trying to figure out what he wanted.

“I just wanted to… reach out,” he admitted.

“Reach out?” she asked.

“Yeah. We’ve been in the same classroom for years, and I don’t think we’ve ever talked. I tried to message you, but we aren’t listed as friends.”

She smiled softly. “We’ve talked. You found my bow when we were in. Foundations.”

As he recalled the moment, a warmth spread through him. Her smile back then had brightened his soul.

Neither spoke, yet neither returned to their work.

“What is your Assistant having you study?” she asked. The broken silence made them both feel more at ease.

“I don’t even know,” he said with a smile. Then the conversation stopped. After a pregnant pause, he continued. “I got her to show me what school was like before the Awakening,” he continued. He hoped she might show a faint interest in it as well.

“It wasn’t like this?” she asked.

“Well, not this,” he said as he stretched her arms, indicating the room. “There used to be a teacher who would tell things to a room full of kids.”

She giggled. “And that worked?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess it worked enough to get us to Utopia.” They both shared a knowing look at the mention of Utopia.

“But what about individual learning levels? What about personalized learning curriculum?”

He shrugged. Her blue eyes poured into him. Despite nothing changing, the room felt more vibrant than ever.

“Walt,” Aria appeared back in his ear. “You need to return to your studies immediately. Your action will lead to punishment for both of you.”

Walt frowned. He didn’t mind getting in trouble if it meant something, but he didn’t want Daisy to suffer the consequences of his actions.

“I’d better go back,” he said. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

He turned to leave, shuffling his feet, until Daisy called to him, “But I want to hear more.”

“Don’t,” Aria commanded.

Walt dug into his ear and pulled out the tiny earplug. He thought of crushing it, but he couldn’t bring himself to destroy something that had been part of his life forever.

“There was also this animal called an Elephant,” he continued.

Daisy reached up to her ear, her smile fading. “Just a couple more minutes,” she said to her assistant. “We’re just talking. Would they arrest me for that?” The spark between them intensified as they both rebelled against their overlords.

“What’s an elephant?” She asked.

His smile grew as big as an elephant’s trunk. “It was this giant creature with a long nose that looked like a pipe!” He quietly shouted. Then he held up his arm to his nose and swung it around.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re making that up.”

“I’m not!” They both smiled as if they knew how important this moment was.

He looked back at this study pod. Just looking at it felt restrictive. At that moment, he realized how little he had a say in his life. The Nexus had planned everything out until this moment.

“Have you ever wanted to create anything?” He asked her, staring at his study pod.

“What do you mean?” she asked. He turned back towards her, wondering how much to unpack. Her smile faded, her eyebrows knitted together.

He turned up the right corner of his lips. “I want to tell stories.”

“What do you mean?” she tilted her head. “Like what our assistants told us when we were younger?”

“Yeah, something like that. I want to tell stories about elephants and people from before. I want to create a life that Nexus doesn’t control.”

She recoiled from him as if he had threatened her. “They’ll arrest you for saying something like that.”

He gave the simplest nod. Yet all his desires pushed at him until he exploded. “But why? Why doesn’t Nexus want us to create? Is this truly utopia if we don’t get a say in what we do?”

Daisy stiffened, and her attention turned to the voice in her ear. She nodded a few times and then turned her attention back to Walt.

“You should put your assistant back in,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Walt rolled the device between his fingers and thumb. The tiny device felt like a stone in his ear now. It felt more like an albatross than anything helpful.

Trouble awaited him, although he wasn’t sure of the severity. He didn’t say anything. He kept his focus on Daisy.

A squadron of Enforcers flooded the room, a mix of kevlar and gunmetal, their weapons drawn.

At first, only Walt noticed. Then, one by one, the other students turned as the men passed them.

“Walt Foster, you are under arrest for violating Nexus Code One, removal of your earpiece, Code Eleven, veering off the intended scheduled path, and Statue Two of the Nexus Charter, attempting to create without authority. You’re coming with me.”

Walt held his breath as he looked down the barrel of the weapon pointed at him.

He lifted his hands in resignation, but it didn’t matter. They handcuffed him and replaced his earpiece. Aria’s voice returned, sending ice through his veins. “Walt, you have made grave choices.”

He balled his fists, nearly breaking his skin with his fingernails.

They marched him out of the room. He dared not look any other students in the eyes as they marched him through the room and out the door, save Daisy.

He risked one last look at her. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she watched him go. Her lip twitched as if she wanted to say something to him. Then she turned from him and spoke to her assistant.

“Someone has accepted your friend request,” Aria informed him.

His heart fluttered as they dragged him out of the room. For a moment, his life had felt colorful.