Near the end of the Time of Echoes the human population was dwindling. This was not due to sickness or famine. It was not due to a dwindling birthrate or environmental causes. It was due to violence. In the beginning of the Time of Echoes, all the peoples of the Earth went to war. The war has lasted for five generations. Violence was rampant in communities. If you didn’t die in war you might die from a bullet as you walked to the market. To combat the violence, my government paid to have people’s bodies weaponized.
My left arm shoots a burning laser and my right arm is an automatic gun that can shoot thirty rounds. My left and right toes become knives. My fingernails are like needles. I feel safe with all my weapons.
I am a teacher of first graders. I teach the students the rudiments of language so that can read military orders in the future. This is all I am required to teach. They were will learn about weapons and armaments as high schoolers.
This morning a boy named Magnus was pulling the ponytail of the girl sitting in front of him. The girl told him to stop. He did not stop. I then told him to stop. Magnus laughed.
“Shut up, grunt,” he said to me. I don’t like being called a grunt. I was called a grunt in the war. A grunt is sent on the battlefield first. We are not expected to survive. I got lucky.
“Magnus. I’m sending you to detention.” I tried to look menacing. Magnus smiled, stuck out his tongue, and then reached into his desk.
“Everybody down,” I yelled. I assumed Magnus was reaching for a weapon. As the children fell to the floor I shot Magnus with two bullets. He slumped in his seat. I opened his desk expecting to find a gun or bullet. All that was there was a comic book, an eraser, a red heart with the little girl’s name he was tormenting.
This is why the human population is dwindling. All we know is escalation of fear and violence. We defend without thought or consideration.
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