#WritePhoto Tunnel Vision

June 22, 2017 — apparition, corruption, fiction #writephoto, power

apparition

Crawling on our bellies through the mud, James Bond style, we quietly exited the castle.  Our scuba gear was hidden in the brush at the end of the tunnel.  We had the documents we needed to prove the identity of the spy we had come to investigate.  Her tricky double agent status had fooled us into thinking she was interested in helping us.  As we proceeded with some caution we discovered her true intention was theft and subsequent sale of our defense plan. Ever since that covert meeting at the tavern she had turned up in curious ways.  We sensed that we were being followed, and took pains to put her off our scent.  Finally we discovered the source of her power and wealth.  She was fully funded by the Inquisitors, and was expected by her masters to defeat us through espionage.

Our island was infiltrated by the Inquisitors without our knowledge.  The slow trickle of foreign settlers all claimed to be loyal to our mission.  The last island in the sea that was not ruled by a conglomerate was to be our Eden.  We planned to live in harmony with nature, cultivating the plants, the social customs, and the laws that would preserve our tiny paradise.  Refugees from all over the world had journeyed to our island to take part in this bold social experiment.   Science and politics had failed us when they combined to dominate the world.  Our diet had been reduced to just corn,  potatoes, and animal fat.  We were starving on many levels.  The abundance and freedom we once cherished had been sold.  Humanity had sold itself for secure employment in a mysterious system that enslaved the populace. Now our survival would depend on our ability to weed out those who intend to destroy our culture.

The justice system had been corrupted, but there was a single official who retained both integrity and power.  The Judge Most High still had the ability to rule in favor of morality. He told us that with evidence he could convince the other rulers to allow our culture to survive in freedom.  Some of the most powerful rulers had started to think they had gone too far with the total control of agriculture, environment, and religion.  They feared creativity had been wiped out forever to feed the factory machine.  They feared the automaton nation might eventually become too weak to survive under the strict and repressive circumstances.  They wondered if nature was angry at the killing of all her diverse species for the sake of  “markets”.

We managed to sneak away, but wondered if we could make it to the Judge Most High without being caught. We saw a hazy figure blocking the end of the tunnel that lead out to the beach.  At first we could not distinguish if the figure was man or woman, friend, or foe.  We continued in silence with deep anxiety, wishing for the best.  Finally we saw that the Judge Most High was waiting for us.  Our fate was sealed.  Either the Judge Most High was truly an ethical figure, or we were about to turn over evidence to a double agent.  There was only one way out of this predicament. It was show time.

#writephoto

This story is written in response to Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo photo prompt this week.  Tune in to read, write, and comment here. It is fun to see how many differences there are in the responses.

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