The Meaning of Life (part 1)

Here’s a short story (about 13 pages) I wrote in high school, revolving around a dystopian society.  I believe I got a 9.75 out of 10 on it.  Hooray!

The Meaning of Life

Okay, you’ve probably heard a lot of stories; good stories, bad stories; stories from the heart and soul, and stories from the imagination.  Well, readers, this is my story. This is a story about prejudice, hate, violence, but above all things, love.  Isn’t that such a funny word, love?  What is love?  Is there a right kind of love? Who’s to say?  No one.  Love is love; everyone will feel it sometime or another during his or her life.  Here’s my story about love, true love.  It all started the day President Tree was elected…

There was much celebration throughout the nation.  The news talked about him for days.  Everybody thought he was the right man to win and that he would bring America everything it needed.  That was 70 years ago.  Today’s America is much different than was before President Tree. Every child had to go to school.  All homeless people were given warnings to leave, and were shot if they didn’t.  The US now owns Iraq as a result of the war in the Middle East.  Christianity is the only religion allowed for the people to practice; all other religions have been banned. There were constant rumours about underground temples and such for part of the population that hadn’t totally abandoned their faiths.  President Tree had successfully banned same-sex marriage, and that being said, homosexuality was also looked down upon as being a sin.  Anyone who was even slightly suspected of being gay was either killed or sent to therapy for treatment.  In other words, the whole population of America was Christian and straight.  Or at least that’s what everyone thought…

*           *           *           *

I stepped into the familiar room 314 and glanced around me.  It was still early, so not many students had arrived yet.  I saw my best friend, Matthew Bennet, sitting down.  He signalled me to come over.  We had been friends since we were small kids.  Every day, we would hang out after school by the tree houses near his house and play games.  He told me all his secrets and crushes, and in turn, I told him mine, although I would just pick out the prettiest girls in class and say I liked them.

As I approached him, he started to flash that smile that always made the girls swoon over him.  I liked it too; it always made me smile.

“Hey, Jeremy!”

“Hey, Matt.”

“Did you finish the science homework?”

“What science homework?  The sheets? I forgot! Oh, my g…” I stopped myself in an instant.  Mr Salice looked up from his desk and glared at me, waiting for me to finish my word.

“You were saying, Jeremy?”  Mr. Salice’s eyes pierced through me, making me both nervous and scared.

“Umm…nothing, Mr. Salice.  I meant to say ‘Oh my gosh’.”  I swallowed the huge lump in my throat.

To be continued!