Young Writers Society

My Dear,

I must apologize, first of all, for my behaviour last afternoon. I think I owe you an explanation about Lu’cindy. I don’t think you’re going to forgive me after it, but at least, you’ll get to know about a different person I was (and still am deep within) but which you were never aware of.

I, too, was in love once. Yes, love isn’t only for some, and neither of us were the first to feel unique in this world. As I turned to twelve, I began to notice I was getting less and less friends of my age (they were either two less or four more years older than me). And when there was someone of the right age in front, they were either on their phone or looking somewhere behind me. One night I dreamt of mind-bending machines that looked just like their mobile phones. The next night I was googling “mind games using phone”. The next thing I remember is reading an article on the side effects of “the introduction of smartphones on mass society”. Boring, you say? Not at all, but if you ask me, I couldn’t find out what damn thing would that mean to me. It was then that I found the ad.

***

“Protect yourself from unwanted friendships”. The website was the thing to better “come to know about” the people you “request friendship” from. This was fascinanting – I didn’t see how I could apply this to my social networking (slow) life, though. Instead I thought of it as a database for real world relationships. So I signed up.

It actually worked as an accurate friendship engine”. Let me explain, you searched for the name of someone you wanted to meet. You could then look up all kinds of things about them, especially a detailed list of things you should watch out for, as they happened to that person in the past. For example, you could easily know how many people they had fooled, if they ever peed on the bed and there was even this special section for “secrets she would never tell you”. Does it sound hard to you that one would ever post anything of this kind on their profile? Truth is, as I found out later, they never did. The people around them, even their most trusted friends, would be the ones to write those profiles. You know, for “social” solidarity (“for an informed friend choice” was their motto). One day I cracked out the system and managed to access my profile. Not only was I surprised at the amount of private episodes shared in my vicinity region-locked network, there were a whole bunch of lies there. And I had an average of one post a week, even on days I practically didn’t leave home except for buying some bread (I wasn’t that much of a talkable guy those days).

So the immediate next thing I did was searching for similar like-sort and friend-score profile. That was how I first came to meet Lu’cindy.

One day I decided to tell her. She was dumbstruck. I said I wanted to help her. She didn’t trust me. She thought I was like everyone else.

***

Thirteen years later, my birthday’s eve. It was raining, and there I was, at my seventh floor bedroom, watching the thousand drippings washing away over the streets. A funny old man was trying to open his umbrella, over there two guys were running like kids next to the river, a little girl was crouching under a balcony, a lonely man was strolling down the coastline and a teenage couple was hiding in the bandstand doing whatever teenage couples do when left alone. You were that little girl.

The next day I sold the apartment. They had been trying to get it from me for years. Real estate speculation, I guess. There were these abandoned fields out in the woods, and a good “budget” for redevelopment projects in the area. I settled at an old chateau not very far away, with my satellite phone, the portable computer and just my essentials. We started off as a shelter for the abandoned victims of our eugenic society, but then we had to use the land to sustain ourselves, and it was then that we became one of the main biofood producers, quite an annoyance for the largest supermarket chains. Those were hardtimes, so we founded the Tree Village Association as you know it, inviting old and vintage farmers to emulate our simple structure: Foster, Tender, Reproduce. At some point, we were having both children being “delivered” to us as older ones longed to join us in our multiple city campaigns.

***

Seven years later, I was working on a new weapon against the system. “Final Straw” was a game where you gave up your regular city life, with its boring days and shameful nights, to gather supporters for a peaceful revolution.

There were a bunch of social mechanics involved, but I was rather enjoying the sound engineering work. I remember uniting all our efforts in a good OST. The big corporations were putting some pressure on the authorities, so I was forced to move back to the city. I couldn’t leave you though. You were thirteen. Later on I found out they were actually looking for something inside the music tracks.

We caught the first train to the city the following morning. You were lucky enough for the crew to sing you “Happy Birthday”. You’ve always been the youngest sister, though you were the first to come. You were having your first teenage pains. I was feeling less and less able to help you. I couldn’t leave you though. Not then.

***

Haven’t we yet arrived the city, the media were already slandering us. As the Big C’s failed to succeed, they tried to turn everyone against us. Special reports told stories of extortion, abduction and exploitation. People nowadays won’t believe those, hopefully. I was worried instead with your condition. The city lights, noises and airs were heavily affecting you. Somehow I worried your memories were taking their toll on you, though you’d already forgotten everything. After the episode at the shopping mall, you were staying at the hospital while I wondered through the Main Square. Among the “prophets” of alien abduction and conspiracy, a bloke was claiming another type of mind control. He said our system was splitting up and manipulating people at clock speed with the aid of media. Maybe it doesn’t make sense now, but right then I was amazed by him. Later on I found out he was that type of lawyer whose ideals prevent him from working to anyone, hence the perfect partner for my little revenge.

You met Loco at the hospital, but you’ve never really understood him like I did. And I think it was then that I began to notice how different you’ve became.

***

With the media on my back publicising me as “The False Haxor” and thegame OST as the “bug” who would “infect dust mites” and “affect the way people think” Loco and I focused on submitting the charge. You took your time, but I think you came to accept the way they had merged super market security with social “networking” benefits. You stopped supporting me, though, soon after we turned up the media against them. Please understand though, there was no way we could have done it. They’re cruel worlds those of the city.

Not less important, but still conditioned by the first achievement, was the memorable willingness of Lu’cindy to give her testimony on the trial. Twenty years after our first met she not only forgave me, she even apologised for everything. We fell in love on that moment, and I know we owe it a lot to you that I never gave up. You may be jealous, or just don’t like her at all, but I know in my heart that when you come to know her you’ll make good friends. She’s

***

Oops, it seems I fell asleep. Okay, I just wanted you to know I’m going to pass some days at Lu’cindy’s, giving you some time to think. Maybe not the right time or way to tell you our story, but I just feel that in those moments you may risk everything and forget all about the most important ones. I just wanted to make up for it with this letter… You know how I’ve always loved you…

Take care,

Seaborn