New Day

In a world where people are often cruel, Audrey Bramble was a really nice person.   She loved animals and helped the homeless.  Audrey managed a small start-up company that produced cell-phone apps to make the world a friendlier place.   She loved Max, her live-in boyfriend of three years.   It all changed with the dawn of the New Day.  Idealogues promised change and an improved economy.  New Day politicos were elected to stop big government and restore family values.   In less than four years, the country was dramatically changed.  Libertarian ideas were used to cut back on all expenditures except for the military.  Schools lost teachers and the buildings became homeless shelters.  Police and fire departments were underfunded.  The country’s infrastructure deteriorated.  There were no environmental standards and no grants for new technologies.  Evangelical ideas were used to reverse Roe V. Wade and women’s rights.   Gays no longer had “special” rights.  They were secondary citizens who could only be employed as assistants to New Day designers who promoted the “missionary” position and an “Enclave” lifestyle.   Corporations brought some order to the situation, taking control of all service industries, education, security … even the Pentagon.   Soldiers were used to cut down on crime and control the nation’s bedrooms.  Corporations were viewed as persons with rights.  Money was king.  At first, Audrey was not affected.  Her small company made a profit.  Government lobbyists  paid Audrey to create new apps to help unify a disparate public.  She went along at first – after all, unification seemed reasonable.  Audrey became suspicious once her personal life became the focus of an investigation.   She received calls from lawyers and gov. ministers advising her to marry her boyfriend.  Advice became pressure.  She became pregnant and was forced to leave her company.  Her boyfriend was arrested – something to do with unmarried cohabitation.   Audrey was taken to the Benevolent Sisters Clinic where she could be observed and indoctrinated.   The Mentoc Corporation wanted ownership of Audrey’s company and arranged for her incarceration.  Mentoc had hooks into several influential politicians and religious leaders – millions in gold was paid in order to attain special favors.  Mentoc Corporation had a plan that depended on the use of Audrey’s patents and applications.  Mentoc was giving the world a New Day.  The Quick Response Matrix was the key – Audrey’s symbol for unification – her simple phone app could be altered to send commands to the human brain.  In time, the app would be stamped on every newborn’s forehead.  Mentoc would take possession of every human brain … and they would all sing, “Oh happy day.”

 

A Messy End (again)

The mouse with a human brain was a genuine scientific breakthrough.  The mouse was named Kristie O’ – a name chosen by the mother of the mouse who was also very smart although she did not possess a human brain.  Kristie O’ was a genius for a mouse.   At the beginning, she had a difficult time because she had no vocal cords and no hands with opposable thumbs so she was unable to speak or write.   She was unable to show the world how intelligent she was.  The scientist in charge of Kristie O’ decided she was intelligent because she refused to play any mouse games – she refused to take any tests or run the maze.   She would sit quietly and look askance at anyone who looked at her.   Dr. Peenuckle gave her the brain of a minor bureaucrat who had a puffed up ego.   A human brain in a mouse’s head is disproportionate to the size of the mouse which is one reason why Kristie O’ refused to do anything but sit.  Imagine a 3 pound brain in a tiny mouse skull. There had to be a better solution.   The good doctor asked his wife, Betty, to participate in a revolutionary experiment whereby the mouse would be able to communicate with Betty through the use of an electronic skullcap.  He failed to inform Betty that the mouse would have control over her thoughts and behavior.   Betty’s skullcap was placed beneath a wig so it would remain hidden from view.  The experiment worked and demonstrated the mouse’s immense intelligence.  It also revealed that Kristie O’ sought power over humans.  She wanted revenge for what was done to her without her permission.   The mouse made Betty her pawn.  The woman babbled like a puppet– the mouse was trying to get a foothold on human concerns so she could use them to her own ends.  The mouse discovered that humans loved God and the Bible.   She planned to use politics as her weapon.  She babbled about media misrepresentation and the refusal of government to accept Jesus Christ as the one true leader.  People never realized that Betty was controlled by Kristie O’, a mere mouse.   Dr. Peenuckle was losing control of his experiment because he was hypnotized by the mouse.   He was under Kristie’s spell along with the other humans.   No matter what the mouse said (through Betty) the crowds applauded.   Soon, the will of Kristie O’ overpowered the will of the people.    By sheer will power, Kristie was able to control Dr. Peenuckle.   Her plan was coming to a climax. She forced the doctor to transplant more brains into animal skulls.  Kristie was seduced by her own power and no longer cared if the other animals or humans suffered (as she suffered due to such radical experiments).   Kristie wanted to control the destiny of the planet and all living creatures.   Kristie even dabbled in witchcraft in order to acquire new weapons of power.  People began to vote for Kristie.   She was elected to several government positions, but it wasn’t enough.  The animals with new human brains were not so easily swayed by Kristie because she was responsible for their suffering.   Kristy wanted to take over the nation and the world, but the animals saw through the charade.   They put Kristie down.   Humans were aghast when the animals attacked.   Humans knew they were next in line due to their own ignorance and hubris.   Of course this all took place in the year 2012, the end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar.

 

The Evolved Election

The “evolved dishwasher” was named Frank.  He had all the charm of a wet sponge, but he had potential.  Frank did not have to work very hard.  He walked and talked like a normal person, which was quite an act for a former dish-washing machine.   People were amazed to see him ramble around on knobby feet that used to be wheels.  He talked with a slight accent as if he were under water.  Frank was popular simply because he was unique.   He didn’t have to be creative or intelligent.   At parties he recited poems about dishwashing detergent.  He got rave reviews.  People were excited just to see Frank, an evolved dishwasher.  Whatever he did was highly esteemed.  No one understood how Frank evolved.  Was he the result of some sort of science project?  No one knew the truth – but it didn’t matter because Frank was a phenomenon, bigger than Lady Gaga.    His paintings, simple swatches on paper, were heralded as masterpieces.   His speeches about “dirty suds” were called “intellectually challenging.”    Frank was an internet phenomenon.  He was a TV personality – a revered guest on several talk shows.   His views on politics were highly respected.  Of course he explained everything as part of a “cycle.”  It made sense to see the world in brighter, cleaner terms.  It made sense to know that scraped-on dirt could be strained through a filter and swept away.   It was a practical solution to all the problems faced by the nation.  Frank ran for Congress in 2018.    It was a clean sweep.  He became President in 2020.    He broke down in 2021 after a piece of dirt got trapped in his drainage pipe.  The country was left soaking in scraped-on dirt.

 

Health for the healthy

The people of Emokrome 7 were without any safety web whatsoever. No health care was provided and thousands fell through the cracks. Millions died in the flue epidemic of 5820, but politicians were happy because it cut down on the population and kept taxes low. The old traditions were kept alive because there were too few people to protest. Everyone went to church, praying for relief, but there was no relief.