Awaiting the Freedom Boat

The deck creaked under their cautious steps as the last passengers climbed aboard, rocking the boat. Casta clutched her daisy, twirling it between her fingers as she glanced around. Something felt… off.

Robert stood beside her, still avoiding eye contact but muttering to himself. There were 32 passengers. One captain. Four crew members. Zero lifeboats.”

Casta’s caretaker, shifting her weight to her stronger leg, frowned. “Zero lifeboats?”

With his fingers twitching, Robert nodded. “None. Not one.”

A crackling and slightly overly enthusiastic voice boomed from the ship's speaker system before anyone could process that startling detail.

"Welcome, VIP Passengers! YOU HAVE WON THE LOTTERY OF A LIFETIME! A NEW HOME AWAITS YOU—A PLACE WHERE YOU WILL BE SAFE, PRODUCTIVE, AND VALUED!”

Casta applauded. “Yay! I love being valued!”

Her caretaker, however, wasn’t celebrating. Neither was Robert.

“That sounded rehearsed,” Robert muttered. “Like an advertisement. Or… propaganda.”

Casta pulled on the sleeve of her caretaker. "Why does everyone constantly claim that we "won" something? What did we win?”

Her caretaker bent down, smoothing Casta’s hair. Sweetheart, "That's what I'm trying to figure out.

" With an unwavering grin, the cheerful woman in the yellow raincoat showed up again.

“Now, if you’ll all head downstairs, we have a lovely orientation prepared for you!”

A few passengers paused and gave each other uneasy glances. Robert didn’t move. He whispered, "We shouldn't GO down there."

“I heard a door LOCK earlier. The way we came is the only way out of this ship.

Casta looked up at him with her daisy still in her hand. "Then let's simply go back!"

Her caretaker’s heart sank. The dock was already merely a far-off speck on the horizon. There was no going back.

The initial scream came from below deck at that point. A sharp, muffled yelp, followed by a heavy thud.

The woman's smile stayed the same, but her fingers twitched. She spoke quickly, "Now, now."

"Some of our guests simply require a little bit more time to adjust! Nothing to be concerned about!” Robert slowed down and retreated.

“Yeah. No. We must definitely be concerned. Casta frowned. “Maybe they just fell down the stairs?”

The boat groaned as if it, too, was uncertain about that explanation.

Then, from below deck, a voice—a new voice—rang out over the speaker system. This one didn't crack as much. It wasn’t cheerful.

It was deliberate, smooth, and low. "Passengers, pay attention. The lottery is now FINAL. Welcome to your new reality.”

Casta tightened her grip on her daisy. Robert whispered, “I knew it.”

And the ship kept moving forward, cutting through the endless sea