Pills

A Chapter by Castil

The first chapter to my book The Cold World

I peered down at my history book and read the first line of section one, chapter one, 'The old ones tell us that our sun burnt out 552 years ago. This phenomenon was caused by over mining of hydrogen and helium gases'. My eyes scanned down to the next line that read 'People were convinced that we needed more hydrogen, but it could have been obtained by other means. Take Jupiter for example......' I sighed and tossed the book to the side. Why would our teacher gave us an assignment that’s a 5 page essay on our world's history? Especially when it's only the beginning of the school year. I hated to think about the past; people make it sound like it was happy. It seems that our world is now dark and depressing, we don't know what a true happy world is. I love our planet..... I love the world I was born in this day and age, year 7536. I'm 16 now and still think this world is beautiful. The cold tundra beyond the magnetic field is stunning to me.

My dad would often take me out to go ice mining. There were beautiful large musk oxen and huge mammoths, they were peaceful and friendly. I fed them carrots and greens as my dad worked. What about this world was vile? I could not comprehend, peering up at the skylight above me, thoughts and images flying through my head. Questions without answers, answers without questions. Why do people want the old world back? Why can't people appreciate this one? How could one be so ignorant as to mine the hydrogen in our sun?

"Idiots." I said aloud. Sitting up on my bed and leaned against the wall, looking forward, I could see my own reflection. Two large pools of greens and blues stared back at me. I peered into them for a long while. People say eyes are the windows to the soul. If I looked hard enough can I see my own soul? I stared at myself, my copper hair slightly dangling over my face covering the right eye, but really it was my left. That little nose my friends laughed about, those chipmunk cheeks that I hate. Surprisingly in this expression I looked beautiful, maybe even cute. My tiny nose and large eyes made my face give off a sort of softness. The high cheek bones, my hair framing my face, what a picturistic moment. The second I looked into my eyes, that moment was taken away. I saw an idiot, someone no different than the people in the past, what a ignorant fool I am. I turned away from the mirrored wall, not wanting to see myself anymore.

Looking to the drawer next to my bedside, staring for a long time. I knew what was in there and it glared at me, tempted me, and I turned away. I walked towards the mirror that reflected my soul and foolishness. Heading for the dresser, I needed to stop thinking. I said to myself, thinking only causes pain. I opened the top drawer, and inside were a bunch of pills that our government makes us take when things get bothersome. I picked up the green pill bottle and screwed it open, shoving some of the pills into my mouth. I swallowed falling back onto my bed and stared at the skylight waiting for the pills to take effect. Instantly my heart beat slowed and my mind went blank. Subconsciously I reached over and grabbed my text book and read the first chapter and started working diligently on my essay. It was as if, all other thought didn't matter anymore.

Before I knew it the sirens went off signaling curfew. It was important to keep us safe, and prevent frost bite from exposure to the bitter cold. Night time brought below freezing temperatures, dropping the ambient temperature to -10⁰F. This was convenient considering it was -100⁰F beyond the city walls. I figure the volcano is good for something, I said to myself. Looking at my door and realizing I hadn't left my room all day. Maybe I should go out, knowing its past curfew, I could always take my dad's old ice mining jacket.

Looking at the closet at the foot of my bed, across from the mirrored wall, lies the final resting place of my father. All that remained of him was in that closet, his work shoes, clothes, and even himself. I think in the past people called them coffins but this wasn't a coffin. It was a preserver created from bullet proof glass. The interior always kept at a low temperature to preserve the body. A carcass, an empty vessel kept "alive" by the negative temperatures. I wonder about their eyes, would they be empty? Would they be full? Would they reflect me or themselves? I shook my head erasing the thought, thinking would require me to take more medication.

I was a orphan, I lived in one of the many apartments made for people like me. They were several stories high, luckily I lived on the top floor. This allowed me to look up at the sky, which always looked somewhat blurred and distorted from the magnetic force-field around the city. Between my mirrored wall and my bed there was a large window. Imagine a rectangular bedroom, in which every wall was made up of something unique. The side of my bed was pushed up against a concrete wall on the east end of the room. The head of the bed up was pushed against northern wall that was made of "unbreakable" glass. This was the width of the rectangular room, across from the glass wall, was a dark steel wall. In the very middle of this wall was a door that was spray painted with a gold metallic color. Every door in the apartment had a different color, some metallic others completely solid. I didn't understand the meaning for these colors nor did I bother to think of what they meant. The westerly wall was comprised of a large mirror. It was fairly thick, I always thought that someone was watching me behind the glass. Like a little man who took note of everything I did, who watched me and knew more about me than I did myself.

The glass wall could always be shut for privacy, but I often kept it open. I was on the top floor nobody could possibly see me. Keeping it open allowed me to see the outside world, specifically the volcano. It was located in the center of our city giving us warmth, energy, and light. Atop the volcano was machinery designed to convert the boiling magma into useable energy called Inavita. A pure tungsten tube collected the magma, channeling the flow into the reactor where Inavita was created. But there was something else added to this energy form, that is unknown to us.

I pick up my school supplies and threw them under my bed. Then made my way over to the closet, where father resides. I inhaled a sharp breath as I stepped over the sensor that opened the sliding titanium door. I could see father, or at least what was left of him. Quickly I grabbed his jacket off the magnetic hanger. I looked one last time, "Goodbye.." I whispered softly and hurried towards the golden door.