The Future We Believe In

Everyone had their own expectation about how the future will change. Most of them were as great and bright as the brightest star on the universe.

But what if those expectations didn't go very well?

My name is Ray, and I would like to tell you about what our green earth that we used to know has turned into.

It's 2589; most of humans here already used respirators to protect themselves from breathing carbon monoxide which already covers most of the atmosphere. It was not a good news, indeed. Some people still wonder why it's happened to us. There's no such thing we've done something bad back then. I believe most of the related manuscripts and files have been discarded or might be hidden under some authorities. It's clearly has something to do with them. Whatever they have done, it's truly disappointing and they endanger their own future life, well, more like our own life right now.

It was true that we also have invented solar-based devices, but since the sky was always covered in dusts, the solar panels didn't even able to take some energy from the sunlight.

I worked in a big factory which makes a lot of respirators to be used by many people, as if it's already been a part of our fashion, just like clothes; it's a must to wear them. I worked there only until I "accidentally" dropped some precious materials and they eventually found out about it. Of course they fired me at the time, but I did that on purpose in order to flee.

After I found the right file inside the manager's room, I sneaked them inside my vest, trying to look normal while those guards were looking at me suspiciously. The file consisted of some papers and a photo of a big tree. On the lower right of the photo there is a stamp spelled "SECRET DOCUMENT".

It seems that I've been investigating this matter for a long time and for now I already got the proof. I believe that thing showed in the photo definitely important for the entire mankind.

I went back to my hidden place and I found Rob was lying on the couch.

"You're back! Got something to eat? I'm bored,"

"No time for that, mate," I said, "Moreover, the proof is in my hands now. Are you in?"

Rob put a brief smile on his face, "Hey, rather than just bothering into someone else's business, how about you do something more useful in your life?"

"We might find more oxygen there... and food," I replied.

Rob had no other choice but to follow me. We went there by walking through the underground tunnels and it took a while because we're just like walking in a maze. Fortunately, Rob had found the right map beforehand so we could get there without being stopped by the security guards. The place was actually a white semi-sphere building located right in the heart of the city.

"I wonder why no one is doing something like we did…"

"Told ya! No one cares about this,"

As we walked towards the dome we heard some chirping voice. I've heard similar sounds like this but in a smaller scale and this one was too much. I guess we're already arrived. Rob found a small slit on the wall. He looked so astonished; I could see it through his eyes.

"Can you believe this?!" he turned his face,

"Let's just keep moving,"

As we went up to the spiral stairs in order to look for better views, we saw something big and green from a far.

There was a big tree in the middle of many small buildings, exactly the same like in the photo. There were also some people walking around it. What was more unbelievable that there was no single human used any breathing apparatus like most of us. Rob then removed his respirator and took a deep breath.

"Hey, you could just die!"

"You know, that thing in the middle of the dome," Rob pointed out to the big tree, "It's the reason why they don't use respirators,"

"How did you know?"

"Because you're not asking me on the first place,"

I still don’t understand why he didn't just tell me the truth from the beginning.

Just right when I'm about to remove my respirator too, there were some people shouting at us from behind. It's the security guards! Rob pulled my arm and we rushed back to the tunnels, the security guards were still following from behind and they keep shouting on us. We ran onto different path from when we got here. It seems that Rob actually has explored this place right after he got the map.

"There!"

We finally managed to barge into a room. There were so many buttons and switches; it looked like the place was one of the control rooms. It was all dark. We checked on them one by one to see if there was any lamp switch among those control panels.

"What are you guys doing here?"

An old man with a flashlight on his hand stood right in front of us.

  

"Calm down, man, it's me. We're here to check if there's a way to end all of th-,"

Before he was able to finish his words, the old man glared at us intensely and began to talk in a high-pitched voice.

"What do you mean by ending all of these?!" he pointed the flashlight right into Rob's face, "There's no way you could end this, we're already doomed. It's all because of the game they played and made us more miserable day by day,"

Then, the old man told us that the crisis has begun since the mankind started to ignore the importance of planting trees. They keep on cutting them but didn't do anything to replace the loss. Those respirators also part of their plans in order to gain more money by using high-polluted air due to the lack of trees growing on earth.

“Only those who are rich enough are able to have a peaceful life here,” the old man said.

"Nonsense," I started to lose my balance, “How could you say such things? There are millions of people dying out there!"

I ran onto those control panels and started to switch them one by one.

"STOP THAT KID, ROB!"

"HEY, STOP!" he rushed and grabbed my shoulder from behind.

I turned and slapped his face in an instance.

"To end all of this," I cried, "If you guys said there's nothing we could do, I'm the one who are going to end all of this!"

I said that as I pushed a tiny button right on the corner.

There's a big sound coming from the upper part of the dome, I heard many people were screaming, and everything just turned white.

***

They said it's better to leave everything behind rather than just being a burden...

I wonder if they want forgive me for all the sins I've done before...

"Hey, are you okay?"

I woke up and found myself right in the middle of the class; all of my classmates were looking at me.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I fell asleep again in your class, Ma'am…"

"No problem, dear. But, why don't you just take a day off if you don't feel any better?"

I smiled at her and she left. The bell rang and almost all of the students were out of the class.

"The way you breathe while you're sleeping sounds different," there was a guy right beside me, it was Rob, "She always let you to sleep in her class. She’s definitely worried about you,"

I rubbed my eyes and suddenly remembered about the dome's collapse in my recent dream.

"I'm sorry..."

He turned his face, "...for what?"

"For slapping your face.... in my dream,"

There’s a dead air for seconds, he laughed.

“Good for you, then, at least you still have dreams in your life,"

He's right. I still have many things to do.

We went to the canteen and talked about many things afterwards.

I stopped to breathe easily since I was a kid. I used to believe that oxygen only came from nasal cannula instead from the trees. I kept on dreaming the same thing even after I got a new lung. Those dreams were great, though, but I'm always hoped something like that would never happen in the future.

--End of the Story--