Short story by Jose Luis Lopez / In the Ords
Abstract
In the year of 2057, after World War 3, and after North Korea and South Korea came into war, and when extremists from Saudi Arabia started attacking Iran, and then other insurgents of the middle east started to fight the government of the United States of America, there was a long period of war. A time of utter anarchy throughout the world happened. And in this time of war, dictators by the name of The Council of Justice managed to combine together and began ending the chaos in places of war, but the council also took away many innocent lives in their quest for power.
The council of Justice took over the governments of those places by assassinating the people working for the governments, which were in power at the time. The council later became the main form of government in the world. In some countries such as the United States of America, the council was elected to come into power due to the government of the United States shutting down during the war. In many places such as the middle east, Asia, Africa, South America, and more, the council also took over.
Most people allowed the council to control them because the council had valuable resources such as food, weapons, and clothes, which were not very abundant during the war. The people also allowed the council to have control because the council was powerful. People wanted security and protection, and the council offered that and much more, but most people were not aware of the horrendous things the council did to come into power. Years later, the council made their capital in what was Washington, D.C. which is now known as Justice City, which is the capital of the world. The council members of Justice City, were the council members with the most power in the world. And the representative of Justice City was the most powerful council member in the world.
Years after the war concluded, the council started to end expression all through the world, by banning art classes everywhere in the world. Drama, music, and painting classes were banned in all schools. Furthermore, the council decided to ban art even more. The council banned paintings, drawings, and statues everywhere. Music was allowed, as was television, but all the television programs and music that was produced had to be approved by the council. People had no form of freedom because art was taken from them. In the city of Justice City, a humble artist by the name of Artemis is the only person capable of ending the council’s rule over the people.
Chapter 1: Birth of the Rebellion
The artist Artemis ran a sewing business at the bottom of her house, in Justice City. Which was given to her after her parents passed away but secretly, she uses the basement of her home to make and sell art. One night, as Artemis was sleeping, she heard a knock on her door and opened the door. It was her friend Monica.
“I’m done, they took the painting I made of my mother that I had hidden in my garden, this was my mother’s most cherished possession before she passed,” Monica exclaimed.
Monica then began to shed tears. And Artemis proceeded to hug Monica.
“Ever since the council banned art, the world has collapsed,’’ Artemis exclaimed loudly.
In 2057 the council decided to ban art by drowning it. Antarctica had almost completely melted due to global warming, so the council decided to use it to drown art. To them, art meant freedom, which was what they didn’t want the people to have.
Artemis and Monica began to look at old albums of art, they also looked at Artemis’s family album, which had a picture of the inauguration day of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Artemis suggested, “The world will see how necessary art is when we make a painting showing how corrupt the council is. I never told you this Monica, but my uncle fought in world war 3, and before he passed away because of his bad health he let me know that the council is not who they claim to be. The council killed innocent people to become the rulers of the world. And the council will do anything to stay in power, even if it means taking out anyone who challenges them! This is why we must show what the council did in art, and then the people will be woken up, we need to let the council know that our rebellion is alive!”
Monica and Artemis invited their friend Andrew to Artemis’s home. He, too, was against the council. All three of them decided that they wanted to give a message to the council. They wrote the message in a note which was inserted into a glass bottle. All of them headed to the Justice City meeting center, which was formerly the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As they arrived, Andrew threw the bottle at the closest window nearby. Which shattered the window as it entered the building.
The representative of the Justice City Council of Justice, Suzan Belfry, picked it up.
She read the message aloud, “You cannot ban art because art is the expression of the soul. The rebellion is alive!”
After Suzan saw the message, she threw the bottle to the other side of the meeting hall and shouted furiously.
Later that night, Suzan called a meeting with the other council members. She uttered to the council, “I want every house searched for art because art is expression. Which is freedom, and to have full control of the people we must drown every bit of human expression left. There’s enough room in Antarctica to ban every bit of art left in this wretched world!”
Chapter 2: The Battle for Expression
Suzan decided that she should disguise herself and search the city for the people starting the rebellion, but she knew that her clear blue eyes and pale blonde hair would be recognizable. So the next day, she wore a wig and colored contact lenses to disguise herself. Suzan noticed that people were secretly buying art in Artemis’s sewing business, and Suzan immediately left to reveal this to the council.
Later that day, Artemis left to Monica’s place to finish the painting showing how corrupt the council was. Monica and Artemis planned to show the painting during Utopia Day, which was a day made to celebrate the end of the war.
Artemis, Monica, and Andrew finished the painting. Then Artemis headed home to rest for tomorrow’s Utopia Day. As Artemis arrived home, she noticed police cars. She knew the council had found her, so she headed back to Monica’s.
As Artemis arrived, she exclaimed, “We need to demonstrate this painting to the people fast.” Since Monica and Artemis knew the Utopia Day celebration was right below a big building that was a clothing store they made a plan.
The following day was Utopia day. Artemis and her friends headed to the store and asked the store owner if they would let her advertise a poster of her business at the top of his store. And at the top of the store was also an electronic billboard. The store owner didn’t let them receive what they wanted until Artemis offered him seven hundred dollars.
Artemis and her friends headed quickly to the top of the building, while council members were sitting in front of an enormous stage. Suzan Belfry later got up and exclaimed, “I’m so glad the war ended, I’m so glad the council was able to unite us together. I love you all, and I’m proud to be your leader.”
As she was about to say her next word, Andrew hacked the electronic billboard above the building and made a picture of the painting appear.
The painting showed council members killing government leaders, which is how the Council of Justice came into power. And at the bottom of the painting there is a beautiful city underwater full of many canvases, the painting also has the caption, “I would rather die as a hero than live as a coward, and have the world and my art drown before my own eyes.”
The council saw this and demanded it be taken down. Artemis felt defeated. But when people saw the billboard, they shouted, “Art!, Art!, Art!”
When the Council of Justice saw the spark of renovation in the people’s eyes, the members knew that their reign had come to an end, for the people of the world had woken up, and realized that without expression there is no liberty.
Artemis revealed herself to the people cheering, in that moment she knew that she had achieved her dream because her world was restored, it was no longer drowned, drowned in 2057.