The other night, I had an interesting idea for a short-story, which continued to expand as my thoughts drifted at work. In what I would describe as family "Digging the knife deeper", I was thinking about what it would be like to no longer feel any emotion; that provoked an old memory. While the weeks sermon is beyond recollection, I remember there was a scene from one of the mist acts put on by the drama team at church. Even more so I remember it, because I heard most of rehearsals on Saturdays, since the station for preparing communion was just outside the sanctuary, where they rehearsed on stage lol.
The jist of the drama was a man thrown-out camping by his wife, with orders to journal his feelings over the weekend. Being very frustrated at it (You especially have got to give him credit, for starting "In the year of our LORD, ..." before finally busting), the guy eventually shouts something like, "I have no feelings, I'M A CYBORG!!!".
So after that stuck in my train of thought for a moment, an idea developed in my head for a short story; that is in conceptually, somewhat reminiscent of Equilibrium, Logan's Run and The Island. (Yes, I like science fiction, both on screen and in literature lol.)
A place in the not so distant future, where most of civilization was deverstated by the fourth world war - the rich have retreated into their crystalline towers of golden splendor, while the working classes have become their enslaved automatons. Living in a world where every element of their very existence has been crafted to create a life of soulless service: numbers have replaced names in John 7345s world, a place where workers awake to the same cold, empty metallic building every day of their life: devoid of colour, creativity, friendship, or recreation. One day, a computer malfunction causes the main characters to draw the same work station assignments several days in a row, leading our protagonist to develop a forbidden connection with Marie 3890, who is assigned to a neighboring desk. Life brightens temporarily as the two skirt on dangerous ground, however it is not long, until they are reminded that in a place where interpersonal relationships of any kind are legal taboo among the work forces, failure to comply is met with brutal punishment and torture. When Marie is discovered to be pregnant, she is scheduled for extermination. The star-crossed lovers must break free, and flee from their dystopian existence, trying to escape into the wilderness that lay beyond the remnants of modern civilization—pursued by "The overseers".
It would explore what life might be like in a world where everything that makes us who we are, has become illegal. Where everyone is the same may-as-well-be-faceless cog in the wheels, a life of subsistence without substance. Cool grey uniforms and work environments devoid of personality, a place where even idle conversation between people is met with fierce consequences—by the vicious overseers. A class below the apathic wealthy that they serve, and above the worker-drones that they manage. Slaves like John 7345 and Marie 3890 might of an umpteenth generation of test tube babies raised in a steril nursery environment: ran by heartless robots, or perhaps grown in clone vats for the purpose of serving the rich: which would more readily explain the harsh controls on their humanity. At least such a dark future, would have to cut down on the cow-orker problem lol.
While it might be considered unmanly of me to say, it is a simple fact that most good adventure stories involve a love-interest; whether it serves to make you puke or just create the motives.
I often come up with interesting ideas during dull moments; this would probably be the 7th idea I have had for a short story (or small book, if you prefer). However, like so many interesting trains of thought to pass through my head, it is one that I will likely never have the time, nor energy to commit to writing :'(
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